Icarus readies himself for lift-off in one of the famous reliefs ornamenting Giotto’s belltower in Florence. Photo: Rick Wright
The annual tourist invasion of the Italian “Boot” is concentrated largely in the warmer seasons. But there’s much more to Italy than the hustle and bustle of the summer seaside or the traditional autumn harvests of grapes and olives. Our new tour of northern and central Italy focuses on the special experience of Italy in winter, when the colors and sounds of nature are perhaps even more beautiful in their subtlety—and all the more easily enjoyed without the pressures of the “high season.”
Winter finds the wetlands and plains of central and northern Italy awash in birds that have bred in northern Europe and have come south to winter on the marshes and lagoons. Most of these important wetlands are legally protected as parks and nature preserves, where impressive numbers of birds can concentrate without disturbance.
All of the reserves we’ll visit are, happily enough, very close to some of the most renowned cities in Europe, including Florence, Venice, Siena, and Ravenna. Even the most famous museums, churches, and historic sites are remarkably uncrowded in the winter, letting us discover their treasures at our own leisurely pace.
With relaxed morning starts and only two hotel changes, this tour is designed as a leisurely experience combining some of the greatest artistic treasures in Europe with some of the most important birding areas in the Mediterranean basin. And remember, this is Italy: all of our activities, cultural and ornithological, will be accompanied by world-class wines and a great range of traditional Italian recipes.
Day 1: The tour begins this evening at Venice’s international airport and the transfer to our rural inn. Night near Venice.
Day 2: The Venetian Lagoon preserves an important area of great interest to the birder. Each winter, the lagoon’s more than 200 square miles hosts about 150,000 birds of some 100 species, among them Red-crested Pochard, Little Stint, Common and Spotted Redshanks, and Short-eared Owl. We’ll spend the day looking for these and many other species in this, the largest wetland in the Mediterranean Basin. Night near Venice.
Day 3: Venice is a treasure unto itself. We’ll walk through the typical calli and along the Grand Canal to the Piazza San Marco, the center of Venetian life for nearly a millennium. After admiring St. Mark’s Basilica (housing the Pala d’Oro, one of the most precious altarpieces in the world), the Palace of the Doges, and the famous belltower known as “el padron de casa,” we’ll board a boat for a trip through the lagoon to the famous islands of Burano and Murano. The former is best known for its brightly painted houses and lace work, while the latter has enjoyed an international reputation for glassblowing for a thousand years. From the boat, we’ll hope to see waterfowl including Common Shelduck, Red-breasted Merganser, and Common Goldeneye. Night near Venice.
Day 4: After breakfast we’ll drive two hours south to the Po Delta, an extraordinary natural ecosystem recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Regional Park includes Italy’s most extensive tract of protected wetlands, along with an impressive range of other habitats from fossil dunes to sandbars. Among the more than 180 bird species wintering here are Taiga Bean Goose, Ferruginous Duck, Smew, European Spoonbill, Jack Snipe, and Temminck’s Stint. We’ll have lunch in a traditional fishing village. Night in Comacchio.
Day 5: This morning we’ll continue our exploration of the Po Delta, birding the southern parts of the region and the Sacca degli Scardovari. We’ll bird from the shore and from a small, stable boat, hoping to see Red-breasted Merganser, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Black-necked and Great-crested Grebes, and Little and Great Black-backed Gulls. On our way back to Comacchio, we’ll visit the abbey church of Pomposa, a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture with an impressive mosaic pavement and fine frescoes by Vitale da Bologna. Night in Comacchio.
Day 6: The Valli di Comacchio is another important lagoon complex, a unique example of the successful integration of human activities such as salt production and fishing into a natural environment. Comacchio itself is a handsome village known for its traditional smoked eel; the local archaeological museum houses one of the few Roman ships found in Italy. In the afternoon we’ll take a walk at Punte Alberete, the sole surviving example of flooded woodland on the lower Padana plain, with ashes, elms, willows, and poplars. We’ll be looking for species such as Great Spotted Woodpecker, European Jay, and European Nuthatch, along with good possibilities of some less common forest birds. Night in Comacchio.
Day 7: Pineta di San Vitale is a vast stand of majestic pines, covering some 5,000 acres. A quiet walk here takes us back to Roman times, when this woods was already one of the most famous in Italy; the finches, tits, and crests we hope to see are the same species a stroll here 2,000 years ago would have turned up. Night in Comacchio.
Day 8: Ravenna became the capital of the Western Empire in AD 402. During the Byzantine period, it was the most influential city in the Eastern Empire. We’ll spend today at some of the most important monuments in the area, including the mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe, and the Basilica of San Vitale. These structures—all UNESCO World Heritage Sites—are famous the world over for their dazzling mosaics. In the late afternoon we’ll move on to the ancient city of Arezzo. Night in Arezzo.
Day 9: The medieval center of Arezzo is one of the best preserved in Italy, with the Piazza Grande particularly famous for the authenticity of its style and architecture. We’ll visit two important churches, the Pieve di Santa Maria Assunta and San Francesco; the former is one of the most beautiful Romanesque monuments in Tuscany, and the latter renowned above all for housing the masterpiece of Piero della Francesca, the fresco cycle Legends of the True Cross. In the afternoon we’ll visit the extensive reedbeds of Ponte Buriano Natural Reserve; the bridge here is depicted in the background of Leonardo’s “Mona Lisa.” Night in Arezzo.
Day 10: Today we’ll walk along the Canale Maestro della Chiana, which flows through the valley of Valdichiana. Reclamation of the marshy lowlands here began in the 16th century, completely transforming the valley into an important agricultural center full of olive groves, vineyards, and orchards. Among the engineers, mathematicians, hydraulic experts, cartographers, agronomists, and architects involved in draining the land were Leonardo da Vinci and Vittorio Fossombroni. The valley’s diverse habitats are very attractive to such resident and wintering species as Hen Harrier, Merlin, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, and Redwing.
After our stroll along the canal we’ll visit Cortona, a medieval town with important Etruscan sites and amazing views across the valley. We’ll also take time for a wine tasting in a local vineyard. Night in Arezzo.
Day 11: This morning we’ll drive to Florence, where we’ll take time for shopping, strolling, and simply enjoying the sights here in the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. We’ll view the exteriors of the cathedral, the baptistery, and Giotto’s perfect bell tower, then pay a visit to Santa Maria Novella, the most beautiful Gothic church in all of Italy. Giotto’s incredibly moving Crucifix is just the most famous of the many fine objects ornamenting the interior. Night in Arezzo.
Day 12: Today we’ll visit the jewel of Tuscany, Siena. We’ll walk up and down the brick streets of the medieval center, stopping along the way to gape at the Piazza del Campo and the massive Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption. The cathedral museum houses the original rose window and limestone statues from the front of the cathedral, along with Duccio’s influential and beautiful Maestà.
In the afternoon we’ll visit one of the most fascinating areas of Tuscany, the peaceful “Crete Senesi,” an area characterized by medieval villages, hills, woods, and erosional remnants called “biancane” or “mammelloni.” Night in Arezzo.
Day 13: La Verna is an enormous calcareous monolith, cut by rugged ravines and natural cavities beneath the shadows of majestic maples, firs, ashes, elms, and beeches. This is the site of the famous shrine of St. Francis, a destination for pilgrims for nearly 700 years. Part of the Casentino Forests National Park, the area is home to such interesting birds as Golden Eagle, Black Woodpecker, Goldcrest, Firecrest, Marsh and Coal Tits, Nuthatch, Common Treecreeper, and Bullfinch. Night in Arezzo.
Day 14: The tour ends this morning at Florence’s international airport.
Updated: 08 February 2012
Notes
Maximum group size 14 with two leaders. Both listed leaders will accompany the tour regardless of group size.
* Tour invoices paid by check carry a modest discount. Details here.