WESTFIELD – There are still spots left on the Westfield State University Alumni and Friends Travel Program trip that tours through Italy and Switzerland from September 18-27. The trip is open to current students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends.
Since 2010, Westfield State’s Alumni and Friends Travel Program has offered unique travel opportunities that blend tour styles such as excursions and at-leisure tours with diverse destinations. The Alumni Office has coordinated seven trips with 175 alumni and friends in attendance since its inception.
Participants experience cultural immersion, educational programs, expert guides, value, and personal attention. The trips provide other important benefits for the university community as they help the university raise money for scholarships, contribute to development of other programs for alumni, and help increase the relationship between the Westfield State community members and alumni.
Director of Alumni Relations Kathi Bradford shares that the main reason for the travel program is to help alumni continue learning, even after they leave Westfield.
“We share a love of life-long learning outside of the classroom. We help some alumni, students and community members to experience their very first international travel trip,” said Bradford.
“We help steward and develop these relationships to remind the participants about the incredible resource they have in their community which leads to future financial support,” Bradford said.
The ten-day/eight-night tour starts with a transatlantic flight from either Logan Airport or JFK (possibly to an intermediate city) to Milan with full meal and beverage service.
Day two: Travelers will meet with their tour escort and help transfer to a private motorcoach for a drive to Lake Como. Upon arrival in Lake Como, travelers will check in to the first-class Hotel Firenze and spend the rest of the day at their leisure with dinner at the hotel.
Day three: Travelers will take a tour the town of Como via motorcoach. The tour will start in the Piazza Cavour, surrounded by cafés, vibrant houses, and hotels. After the tour of Como, there will be a cruise from Como to the town of Bellagio, where travelers can walk throughout the neighborhoods.
Day four: The group will travel to Stresa where they will board the cruise to Isola Bella for a tour of the Borromeo Palace and its Italian-style gardens. The group will then board the cruise again to Isola dei Pescatori, which was once a fisherman’s island and Hemingway’s favorite of the Borromean Islands.
Day five: The group will travel to Bergamo. Between the backdrop of the Bergamese Alps and Bergamo’s Old Town on the hill above, it is one of the most beautifully situated cities in Lombardy. Travelers will have the chance to see the ancient Venetian walls, the modern city, and the plains below while touring through the heart of the Old Town – the Piazza Vecchia. The group will tour through the many religious monuments, including the Palazzo del Comune, Palazzo della Ragione, the Cathedral, St. Maria Maggiore, the Colleoni Chapel along with its Tiepolo-designed dome, and the Baptistery.
Day six: The group will travel to Milan for a day of touring throughout the city. Travelers will have some time at their leisure for shopping, browsing, and independent sightseeing before returning to the hotel in Como for dinner.
Day seven: After breakfast at the hotel, the group will head north, through Chiavenna in the Bregaglia Valley, to Castasegna where they will cross the border into Switzerland. The group will travel down through the 13 winding hairpin turns through the Maloja Pass, passing by the crystal-blue Lake Sils. Next, the group will drive through Silvaplana to Saint Moritz. The rest of the day will be filled with sightseeing that includes a walking tour of the most historic and famous landmarks, including the Protestant Church (circa 1786), the Old Cemetery, the Schiefer Turn, and the Olympic Games venues.
Day eight: The group will cross the Swiss border again for a full-day tour of Lugano, located in a bay on the northern side of Lake Lugano and is surrounded by the Swiss Alps. The center of town is Mediterranean-style with squares, arcades, and parks where travelers can spend time at their leisure. Travelers can venture to the lakeside Belvedere Gardens, home to camellias, magnolias, sub-tropical plants, and modern art.
Day nine: The group will spend their day in Milan at the World’s Fair, which as the theme of “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.” The fair will offer exhibits from 144 countries and more than 130 organizations. The fair lasts for 184 days, covers one million square meters, and will be expecting more than 20 million visitors.
Day ten: After breakfast and a hotel check-out, the group will transfer to Malpensa Airport in Milan to board their flight back to Boston or New York with full meal and beverage service, as well as stereo headsets.
The cost of the trip is $3,099 with a credit card, and $3,039 with cash or check, per person, which may be subject to change due to 2015 air confirmation. The cost is based on round-trip airfare from USA to Intermediate City then Milan, and return with full meal and beverage service, as well as stereo headsets available while in-flight, and all motorcoach transportation. The rate includes eight nights’ accommodations at the Hotel Firenze in Como based on twin occupancy, breakfast each morning, seven dinners, boat cruises on Lake Como and Lake Maggiore, full-time Tour Escort, translator guides when needed, all room and meal taxes, gratuities to bellmen, porterage of luggage at the hotel, and sightseeing packages and entrance fees.
Trips are not limited to Westfield State Alumni and family, but Alumni Relations asks that guests be ages 14 and over. The fees for Italy and Lake Como/Switzerland are based on payment by credit card, with discounts available for paying by cash or check. Payment plans are available.
To register or find out more information about the tours and payment plans, please contact Kathi Bradford by phone at (413) 485-7355, by email at [email protected], or visit the alumni website at www.westfieldalumni.org for full itineraries and registration information.
