2011 Legacy of Letters Tour of Northern Italy

The tour covers the Veneto and Emilia-Romagna regions of Northern Italy, from Parma to Venice. It focuses on lettering in all of its manifestations: inscriptions from ancient Rome to the Fascist era, Renaissance manuscripts and incunabula, the typefaces of Giambattista Bodoni, 19th-century Italian wood type and more. There will be informal conversations with several contemporary Italian calligraphers, typographers and graphic designers.  And, naturally, there will be opportunities to enjoy the great food and wine of these gastronomically rich regions. The tour is geared to appeal to calligraphers, typographers, graphic designers, art historians, artists, architects, and anyone else who loves letters and is fascinated by their history.

In conjunction with the tour a three-day workshop on calligraphy and letterpress printing, held at the Tipoteca Italiana Fondazione in Cornuda, is being offered. Paul Shaw will teach an introduction to calligraphy and the evolution of the Roman alphabet while Lucio Passerini of Il Buon Tempo in Milano will oversee an introduction to letterpress printing, and Luca Barcellona will offer a demonstration and presentation of his calligraphic work in the fields of fine art, fashion, and street art. The workshop will take advantage of the unique resources of the Tipoteca, including its renowned wood type collection. Each attendee will produce a broadside keepsake.

The 8-day tour is $3950 ($3450 for students); a three-day workshop on calligraphy and letterpress printing is $500 ($450 for students); and the tour and workshop combined are $4300 ($3800 for students)*. The tour price includes all hotels, breakfast, special dinners, buses and other ground transportation, museum and other admission fees. It does not include the cost of air travel to and from Italy or meals other than those specified above. The workshop price includes all materials and a special dinner, but does not include accommodations. The tour and workshop will both be limited to 12 people maximum in order to keep them intimate and allow for more personal attention.

Click here to register for Legacy of Letters.

A day-by-day photo album of the 2010 tour is available as a PDF that can be downloaded for free – click here.

*Prices are based on single room occupancy. Double room occupancy can be arranged upon request for participants who join as a pair willing to share a room or, where possible, two individual participants can be matched. The total discount for double room occupancy is $250 per person for the 9 nights. College students must present a current identification card as proof of their enrollment. The student discount also applies to those who graduate between December 1, 2010 and July 1, 2011.