Travel Itinerary
Friends & Family Tour
AUGUST 6
FLIGHT #: AA 298
ARRIVAL: AUGUST 5, 2026
AUGUST 7 –
AUGUST 8
AUGUST 9 –
AUGUST 11
AFTERNOON:
AUGUST 12
Cremona, Italy
HOTEL: HOTEL IMPERO CREMONA
DEPARTURE: AUGUST 14, 2026
Together with students enrolled in the PIMF-Vanoli Cremona Music Festival, explore the beautiful city of Milan Fashion capital of the world!
EVENING: Check-in to the Hotel Impero Cremona
MORNING: Breakfast
AFTERNOON:
Together with students enrolled in the PIMF-Vanoli Cremona Music Festival, discover the exquisite beauty of Verona The setting of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet
EVENING: Dinner
AUGUST 13
Overnight stay at the Luxurious L’Albereta Spa and Winery in Erbusco, Italy
Daily visits to the captivating cities of: Brescia, Florence, and Cremona
MORNING: Breakfast
AFTERNOON:
Together with students enrolled in the PIMF-Vanoli Cremona Music Festival, experience the magic of Genoa.
EVENING: Dinner
MORNING: Breakfast
AFTERNOON:
Together with students enrolled in the PIMF-Vanoli Cremona Music Festival, explore the splendor of Simione on Lake Garda home to the ancient Castello Scagliero di Sirmione fortress
EVENING: Farewell dinner
MILAN
Tour Milan, Italy – The intellectual stimuli and sensory delights will relieve all your jet lag at once! Get fashion tips just by eyeballing the locals and get inspired by your first views of Bella Italia from the stylish streets of this design capital. The luxurious Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is one of the world's oldest shopping malls. Your walking tour includes legendary palazzos and piazzas and the epic Milan Cathedral, which features over a hundred spires and over 2,000 statues, along with awe-inspiring views of the city and the Alps. You’ll crash in Cremona, your historic home base for the Festival.
Day Trip to Milan – August 5, 2026
~11:20 AM Arrival at Malpensa Airport (estimated). Milanese schiscetta box lunch on the bus to Milan; Orientation on board for free time in Milan’s historic center
2:00 – 5:00 PM Free time to explore attractions in Milan’s historic center. All within walking distance include :
La Scala Theatre and Museum, one of the most famous stages in the world
Via Manzoni and Montenapoleone, Milan's famous "Quadrilatero della Moda" luxury fashion district
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a grand 19th-century shopping arcade with a Highline attraction that allows you to walk above it and around it
The medieval Piazza Mercanti, right around the corner from the first Starbucks in Italy, probably unlike any Starbucks you’ve ever seen
The Santuario di San Bernardino alle Ossa, a chapel housing a memorable ossuary, which features human skulls (!!!) stacked into crucifixes
The marvelous Piazza del Duomo (Milan Cathedral), the crossroads of the city with its epic history etched on monuments, echoing in courtyards, and reflecting off the palazzi around it (or the glass of your first Italian aperitivo at a nearby outdoor bar)
5:00 – 6:45 PM Cathedral (Duomo) visit, including the terraces for sweeping views of Milan, followed by self-tour of the museum and glorious cathedral interior, as well as the archeological site below it
6:45 PM Departure from Milan to Cremona
~ 8:00 PM Estimated arrival in Cremona
8:15 PM Group dinner at Hotel Impero Cremona
VERONA
Visiting Verona – which is your favorite era? Its nickname is “the little Rome.” Its arena is as spectacular as Rome’s Colosseum and possibly betterpreserved, with most of its original seating and exterior arches from 30 AD. But your inner archeologist can nerd out to medieval architecture, and the romance of the Renaissance as well. And such romance – Shakespeare chose it for “Romeo and Juliet” for good reason. The Centro Storico – historic center – drips with atmosphere.
Day Trip to Verona – August 6, 2026 (Approx.90-minutedrive)
7:00 – 8:15 AM Breakfast at Hotel Impero Cremona
8:30 AM Departure from Cremona to Verona
10:00 AM – 12:30 PM Guided tour of the historic center + Arena entrance led by a licensed tour guide, covering the city’s most iconic landmarks: Piazza Bra, Via Mazzini, Piazza Erbe, Piazza dei Signori, courtyards, and views of Roman and medieval Verona; an interior visit of the VeronaArena amphitheater, with a historical explanation
12:30 – 2:00 PM Free time for lunch in the city center, just a short walk from the main points of interest
Pro Tip: Juliet’s Balcony is VERY popular, so allow time! Just a few blocks away is the very photogenic Porta Borsari, an arched limestone gate that dates to the 1st century (FIRST!) and served as the main entrance to the city
2:00 – 4:00 PM Exclusive archaeological experience: Meeting with an archaeologist for a guided activity inside the underground archaeological area of Corte Sgarzerie, exceptionally opened for the group. The site preserves the remains of the Roman Capitolium, the main temple of ancient Verona, now visible beneath the current street level
Tour by group, 2–3 PM and 3–4 PM; each group will have an additional hour of free time either before or after their tour
4:00 – 6:45 PM Free time in Verona
Pro Tip: Stroll across the river to Giardino Giusti, the splendid gardens around the palazzo of a 15th-century wool merchant. It’s a €13 ticket but a lush way to end the day
6:45 PM Departure from Verona to Cremona
~ 8:15 PM Estimated arrival in Cremona
8:30 PM Group dinner at Hotel Impero Cremona
L’ALBERETA SPA AND WINERY
Family & Friends go ham on the dolce vita (or is that go prosciutto?) at L’Albereta Spa and Winery. Perched atop an idyllic mountain vineyard, its natural outdoor beauty lets you soak in the warm sun and vista views, the smorgasbord of Italian food and wine treats, with a giant indoor pool, sauna, steam room and spa. The pampering. The luxury. The glamour. Try to keep the details to yourselves afterwards because mere mortals may not be able to handle it.
Overnight Trip to L’Albereta Spa and Winery: August 7 – 8, 2026 (Approx.1-hourdrive)
August7
7:00 – 9:15 AM Breakfast at Hotel Impero Cremona
9:30 AM Departure from Cremona to L’Albereta Spa and Winery
10:00 AM Arrive at L’Albereta Spa and Winery; store overnight bags and review resort offerings.
11:00 AM Winery Tour at L’Albereta Winery.
12:30 PM Lunch and free time at resort.
3:00 PM Check-in for rooms at L’Albereta.
Dinner at L’Albereta is “on your own” as are spa treatments. Breakfast is included in your visit and at your own schedule; lunch Friday is “on your own” at the resort. Enjoy the pool throughout your visit and even after checkout Friday (luggage will be stored.) You may explore the area around the resort independently by cab.
August8
12:00 PM Checkout from rooms at L’Albereta.
12:30 PM – 5:00 PM Lunch and free time at resort.
5:00 PM Depart L’Albereta Spa and Winery for Cremona.
~ 6:00 PM Estimated arrival in Cremona.
8:00 PM Group dinner at Hotel Impero Cremona
BRESCIA
“Hidden gem!” | “Authentic Italy without the crowds!”
Click-bait headlines like these are actually accurate descriptions of Brescia, an underrated mix of Roman heritage and Renaissance architecture smackdab in the middle of northern Italy’s food and wine belt. It’s home to the impressive Archaeological Park of Brixia, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the Santa Giulia Museum, a former Benedictine monastery that now showcases 11,000 years of history (not a typo!). Brescia’s beautiful piazze are lively and lovely examples of architecture from medieval, Renaissance, and Art Deco periods, and the perfect setting for a meal in the city’s iconic slow food style, a refreshing flute of the local Franciacorta bubbly, or just a scoop of gelato while watching the cityscape unfold.
Day Trip to
Brescia
– August 9, 2026 (Approx.45-minutedrive)
7:00 – 8:15 AM Breakfast at Hotel Impero Cremona
8:30 AM Depart Cremona for Brescia
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM Walking tour to explore UNESCO World Heritage sites and monumental squares in the "Lioness of Italy," a city with an extraordinary historical stratification.
Highlights:
Piazza della Loggia: The Renaissance heart of the city with its Venetian influence, featuring the iconic Astronomical Clock Tower with the "Macc de le ure" mechanical figures.
Piazza Vittoria: defined by Fascist-era architecture
Piazza Paolo VI: A unique setting featuring two Cathedrals side-by-side -the Romanesque "Duomo Vecchio" and the majestic "Duomo Nuovo"- and the medieval Palazzo del Broletto
Roman Brixia: Piazza del Foro, the Capitoline Temple (73 AD), and the Roman Theatre, some of the best-preserved archaeological treasures in Northern Italy
Santa Giulia Museum, a massive labyrinth of historical treasures from thousands of years in a magnificent former monastery
12:30 – 2:30 PM Free time for lunch in the city center, and a chance to sample the region’s famous “slow food” style recipes
2:30 – 5:30 PM Visit to the Castle of Brescia
Perched majestically atop Cidneo Hill, the "Falcon of Italy" stands as a formidable testament to centuries of history, offering breathtaking panoramic views of the city below and a journey through Roman, medieval, and Venetian eras. It houses fascinating museums (Armor! Battles!) and tranquil green spaces.
5:00 – 7:00 PM Free time in Brescia
7:15 PM Depart Brescia for Cremona
~ 8:00 PM Estimated arrival in Cremona
8:30 PM Group dinner at Hotel Impero Cremona
FLORENCE
Cradle of the Renaissance, perhaps no other city shaped the transition from the Middle Ages to the Modern era more than Florence. Every mover and shaker across centuries of social, economic, intellectual, and cultural change in Europe had ties to this living museum of ideas and enlightenment. The evidence is everywhere: Florence’s galleries house masterpieces like Michelangelo’s David and Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, while iconic sculptures also sit in public squares and epic frescoes illuminate more humble church interiors. Architectural marvels challenge notions of durable design, such as the Duomo’s distinctive red dome designed by Brunelleschi, and Giotto’s Bell Tower, adorned with intricate reliefs and statues and decked out in white, green, and pink Tuscan marble. Shop the goldsmiths like a Florentine aristocrat on the historic Ponte Vecchio – a bridge of shops across the fabled River Arno – or browse artisanal leather goods at every price point at markets like the San Lorenzo. Chill at a sumptuous palazzo like the Pitti for sweeping views of the landscape or stroll the grand gardens at the Boboli or Bardini estates. Firenze. É molto molto. And we’re going to see it.
Day
Trip to Florence – August 10, 2025 (Approx.2½-hourdrive)
7:00 AM Grab coffee & bagged breakfast from Hotel Impero Cremona.
7:15 AM Depart Cremona for Florence
10:00 AM A stop at Piazzale Michelangelo for our own view of Florence from its most popular (and rightly so!) viewing point across the Arno River
11:00 AM Guided walking tour of Florence including:
A discovery of the Duomo complex, the most distinctive part of the Florentine skyline and the fourth-largest cathedral in the world; do we climb 463 steps into its Brunelleschi dome or just 414 steps to the top of Giotto’s belltower for the incomparable views?
We’ll gape at the Baptistery’s immense bronze doors sculpted by Ghiberti, and inside Florence’s oldest building, crane our necks at shimmering 13th century mosaics.
We’ll people-watch and sculpture-gaze in bustling Piazza della Signoria, gelato in hand, after wandering through and wondering at the imposing Palazzo Vecchio. The medieval fortress that served as the seat of the Florentine Republic now serves up remains of a Roman theatre, sumptuous rooms of the Medici family, and panoramic vistas from its tower and battlements.
We’ll be dazzled by the glittering jewelry store-studded Ponte Vecchio across the Arno
We’ll browse the Mercato del Porcellino market, founded by the Medici family in the 16th century and guarded by a bronze boar.
Free time to sample Florentine cuisine and some dolce vita, Tuscan style
5:30 PM Depart Florence for Cremona
~ 8:00 PM Estimated arrival in Cremona
8:30 PM Group dinner at Hotel Impero Cremona
CREMONA
Festival participants will be working hard at polishing their skills and improving their technique and becoming true Cremonese for most of the week. In between lessons, practice, rehearsals and performances, they’ll explore this compact capital of violins, researching every gelato flavor on offer, and vibing with music history with every step.
Cremona is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage site for violin craftsmanship, and its narrow streets are lined with over 150 active luthier workshops continuing the tradition. Our students will get an insider tour of one. Cremona’s 500-year violin making history has produced masterpieces by Stradivari, Amati, and Guarneri. We’ll get up close to unpriceable instruments on a tour of the Museo del Violino (Violin Museum). We’ll eyeball ancient Roman era artifacts, mosaics, and the restored Domus del Nymphaeum at Archaeological Museum San Lorenzo. One of Italy’s most beautiful medieval squares, the Piazza del Comune, will become our students’ second home―it’s framed by striking Medieval marvels including:
Cremona Cathedral (Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta), a 12th-century cathedral known for its ornate frescoes and sculptures and often called the “Sistine Chapel of the Po Valley.”
The octagonal 12th-century Baptistery of Cremona (Battistero) next to the cathedral, a classic example of Lombard Romanesque architecture.
Torrazzo di Cremona, one of Europe’s tallest medieval brick bell towers, which will give our students’ legs a workout and reward them with sweeping views of the Po Valley.
Grand Finale Day in Cremona – August 11, 2026
7:00 – 10:00 AM Breakfast at Cremona Hotel Continental
* Morning and lunch “on your own” in Cremona; students prepare for Grand Finale Concert. See below for what to do around Cremona.
12:30 PM Grand Finale Concert at Cremona’s Chamber of Commerce. Repertoire will dictate the length of the concert, which will include intermissions.
8:15 PM Group dinner at Cremona Hotel Continental
* Cremona is compact, walkable, and absolutely packed with world-class music heritage, medieval architecture, and intimate museums. You will have time to
Test the remarkable acoustics inside the Baptistery
Climb the 502 steps up the Torazzo
Enjoy gelato in the lovely Piazza della Pace to recover in the shadow of the ten-meter tall statue of “Peace”, atop a column constructed by Napoleon after the peace of Luneville (1801)
Admire the gorgeous fresco cycles inside the cathedral
Gawk at violins you could never even afford to insure at the Museo del Violino
Pose for a picture in front of Casa Stradivari, the home where Antonio Stradivari lived and worked
Taste-test the torrone candy sold all over Cremona
GENOA
Don’t think “sea level” just because Genoa is a major port city with a rich naval history and both sand and pebble beaches. The Strade Nuove wide boulevards lined with palaces that were built to impress lead up into steep hills, now equipped with public elevators and funiculars lifting pedestrians up and down for the walks (and the views!). Its old (medieval) town is the biggest, most dense in Europe. It’s home to the biggest aquarium on the continent as well as the world’s fourth oldest lighthouse (c. 1543). It’s got ruins; it’s got castles and mansions; it’s got art and museums, and did we mention beaches? (We did.) And FOOD! Pesto and focaccia were born in Genoa (as was Christopher Columbus). Our students get to visit Genoa with friends and family, to check it out, or just to check out (did we mention beaches?)!
Day Trip to Genoa – August
12,
2025 (Approx.2-hourdrive)
7:00 AM Grab coffee & bagged breakfast from Hotel Impero Cremona
7:15 AM Depart Cremona for Genoa
9:15 AM – 1:00 PM Atour through historic Genoa, a.k.a. “la Superba” (“the Superb one”), “la Dominante” (“The Dominant one”), “la Dominante dei mari” (“the Dominant of the Seas”), and “la Repubblica dei magnifici” (“the Republic of the Magnificents”) over the centuries. We’ll see:
Porto Antico, or the old port of this venerable maritime power, with the ‘Lanterna,’ the second tallest lighthouse in the world, originally built in 1128.
Palazzo San Giorgio, now the PortAuthority, known for its fabulously frescoed exterior and as the site of the prison where Marco Polo was held captive during 1298’s Battle of Curzola
Piazza Banchi or ‘square of the banks’, where 12th-century moneylenders set up stalls under porticos, and its 2nd-floor church built for shops below and apartments above.
Porta Soprana in the Old City, one of 3 remaining gates of the Walls of Genoa that once encircled the city, inscribed with a lively warning to visitors
‘Casa di Cristoforo Colombo’, the childhood home of the navigator Christopher Columbus
Piazza San Lorenzo and the striking late-Gothic San Lorenzo Cathedral, with a distinctive white and grey striped façade of marble and slate, and excellent views from the top of its northeastern tower
Piazza De Ferrari, the city’s main square, housing an iconic bronze fountain, the impressive 1912 stock exchange building, and the Carlo Felice Theatre
Via Garibaldi, originally ‘Strada Nuova’ (New Street) when first was built in the 1550s and now part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site of several palace-lined lanes. Think elaborate facades, frescoes, and beautifully preserved courtyards. We’ll visit one!
Palazzo Tursi, where a specially designed room is dedicated to Niccolò Paganini. The famous Genovese violinist and composer bequeathed his favorite instrument―his “cannon violin”―to his hometown, so we can pay it homage and peer at other Paganini artifacts in the splendid setting.
1:00 – 6:00 PM Lunch and beach time in the charming bay-side working fishing village of Boccadasse. This popular tourist destination has preserved its pastelcolored houses and maritime traditions. Shops, bakeries, cafés and galleries compete with a drawbridge-only castle, and a pebble beach that’s one of the most photographed places in Genoa. We’ll wade in with a scoop of some local ‘al basilico’ flavor gelato―essentially pesto ice cream!
6:00 PM Depart Genoa for Cremona
~ 8:00 PM Estimated arrival in Cremona
8:30 PM Group dinner at Hotel Impero Cremona
SIRMIONE
This “pearl of Garda” is perched on the tip of a long, narrow peninsula in the southern part of Lake Garda. Castello Scaligero di Sirmione is a fortress that dates back to the 14th century and one of Italy’s bestpreserved castles and unavoidable when entering this jewel, as you have to walk across a bridge that spans its moat to enter Sirmione. The views from the castle walls (coming straight up out of the water) or from its tower (leg day but worth it) are dizzying and divine! In addition to yet another charming old town, Sirmione boasts the Grotte de Catullus, a 1st century BC Roman villa that’s still an active archeological site, which may be the home Catullus wrote about, but it may be more famous for a scene filmed with Timothée Chalamet for 2017’s “Call Me By Your Name.” Sirmione has beaches lined with rocks (or actual slabs of rock!) and thermal spas where you can relax and soak like the Romans did.
Day Trip to Sirmione
– August 13, 2025 (Approx.75-minutedrive)
7:00 – 8:15 AM Breakfast at Cremona Hotel Continental.
8:30 AM Depart Cremona for Sirmione
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Walking tour, starting with a visit to Sirmione’s Scaligero Castle, which seems to float on Lake Garda because it’s almost completely surrounded by it.
Patrolling its walkways offers great views of the harbor and town, and a climb to the summit of the castle keep brings a reward of spectacular vistas across the lake waters.
We’ll also:
Hear about the ghost of Scaligero Castle
See the villa of legendary opera diva Maria Callas, the Ecomuseum of Peace
Gawk at the 15th-century frescoes of the church of Santa Maria della Neve and the pictorial cycle inside the church of San Pietro in Mavino, on the highest point of the village
12:00 – 7:00 PM Lunch at one of the myriad restaurants and cafés in the center of town, with a myriad of choices for your last day in Italy:
Explore the remains of the best-preserved Roman home in all of Northern Italy, the Grotto of Catullus archeological complex
Book a spa treatment or two or three at one of the thermal spas Sirmione is famous for (5-hour day-passes are available)
Take a boat tour from Sirmione and see it from the lake
Beach it up again, at Jamaica Beach (near the Grotto complex), stroll down the panoramic pedestrian “Walk of the Muses” along the shore to the Lido delle Bionde, or find the Beach of the Muses tucked right behind the castle. Galeazzi Beach offers windsurfing and canoeing.
Last stop, EXCELLENT stop for souvenirs! The twisty little shop-lined streets and fairytale feel in the shadow of the castle are made for village vibe-ing!
7:00 PM Depart Sirmione for Cremona
~ 8:15 PM Estimated arrival in Cremona
8:30 PM Group dinner at Hotel Impero Cremona
PIMF "Music in the Mansion"
WinterSoloPerformanceIntensive
December28,2026–January2,2027
MIAMI, FL (DECEMBER 28, 2026–JANUARY 2, 2027) ― One of PIMF’s most popular programs EVER is the winter break intensive for strings at Miami’s beautiful Casa Tranquilla estate. Designed for advanced string players 13-19 years of age preparing for upcoming solo performances and competitions, this unique mini-camp gathers twenty-five talented young musicians to rev up their skills and start the new year on a high note.
Days are packed with a laser focus on skill building and technique refinement, while the evenings are opportunities to perform and be challenged in Master Classes. This program includes: four private lessons, daily 30-minute workout sessions with assigned faculty accompanists, daily hourlong solo performance classes, five hours of required daily private practice, and a week-ending Grand Finale Recital.
The mansion offers indoor and outdoor spaces for private lessons and studio classes with faculty that include Kimberly Fisher (Principal Second Violin, The Philadelphia Orchestra), Richard Amoroso (violin, The Philadelphia Orchestra), and John Koen (cello, The Philadelphia Orchestra), as well as daily workouts and coaching sessions with piano accompanists.
And throughout, a spectacular gourmet menu, complete with daily High Tea prepared by a gourmet chef, in a world of elegance and pampering to elevate young musicians’ entire educational experience. In an entirely new way to study their craft, Music in Mansion surrounds them with beauty and excellence so the only thing they need to focus on is performance.
String players are invited to start 2027 with fresh insights and inspiration, new connections, and glowing memories. Music in the Mansion fills to capacity each season, so early auditions are advised.
