Washington and Lee University
Of the many seaborne idylls possible in the Mediterranean, this is certainly one of the loveliest. We invite you to join a small group of convivial travelers aboard one of our favorite ships, the elegant Corinthian II, on a voyage that includes visits to Southern Italy, Sicily, and the magnificent coasts of Montenegro, Croatia, and Slovenia.
This area of the Mediterranean is distinguished by the beauty of the coastline; the many historic port towns and villages, many of which have preserved their original character and architecture; the friendly, relaxed lifestyle of the local citizens; and the variety of sites and experiences available to our travelers.
Beginning in Rome (Civitavecchia), we'll sail south along Italy's Tyrrhenian Coast and then through the Strait of Messina, the narrow waterway that separates mainland Italy from Sicily. As we head toward the Ionian Sea, we'll pass through the legendary abode of Scylla and Charybdis, as in Homer's account in the Odyssey of what it feels like to be between a rock and a hard place. From there, we'll reach the coast of Puglia, followed by a crossing of the Adriatic Sea to continue north along the Dalmatian coast, with its many remarkable ports and historic cities. Our voyage ends in Venice, but, as you might easily imagine with this itinerary, it will remain forever in our memory.
As an additional enhancement to this unusual program, three very talented musicians, W&L's concert pianist Tim Gaylard, along with vocalists Amy Cofield Williamson and Scott Williamson, will perform concerts exclusively for us at historic places ashore, as well as aboard. We are also pleased to be joined by two superb scholars, Eliot Cohen, the Robert E. Osgood Professor at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where he directs the Strategic Studies Program, and Charles Ingrao, Central European specialist and professor of history at Purdue University.
The Corinthian II, with its 57 suites for 114 guests, is one of the finest small cruise ships sailing the Mediterranean. We look forward to sharing this marvelous voyage with you.
Download the complete itinerary and registration form (.pdf)
Art Historian George Bent is pleased to return to his favorite ship and familiar seas for this voyage. A graduate of Oberlin College with a PhD in Art History from Stanford University, George came to Washington and Lee University in 1993 and has been a member of the faculty ever since. He teaches courses in Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque art history, and specializes in 13th- and 14th-century Italian art and culture. A two-time holder of Fulbright grants to Italy, he has written about artistic production, the function of liturgical images, and institutional patronage in early Renaissance Florence, and in 2006 published Monastic Art in Lorenzo Monaco's Florence. More recently, he completed the filming of a DVD lecture course on the art and life of Leonardo da Vinci for the Great Courses Company. He co-founded Washington and Lee's interdisciplinary program in Medieval and Renaissance Studies, chaired it from 2000 to 2003, and served as Associate Dean of the College from 2003-2006. He has chaired the Department of Art and Art History twice, from 2001 to 2003 and from 2008 to the present.
