The Society of Modern Psychoanalysts
Annual Spring Conference
Italy-Sicily Tour
April 9-21, 2001
Dear SMP Member and Colleagues,
The Society of Modern Psychoanalysts is pleased to announce the annual Spring conference and tour in Italy and Sicily for it’s members and families. We have arranged an exciting itinerary that takes us to Reggio Calabria for two days of conference, three days in Taormina, Sicily for touring and sightseeing and three days in Palermo. We will be staying at the following four star hotels; the Excelsior in Reggio, The Capo Taormina Grand Hotel in Taormina and the Mondello Palace in Palermo. There will be scheduled tours to Mt Etna and Siracusa while in Sicily and other important archeological and historical sites. We will have plenty of free time at leisure for shopping and private time. The cost includes round trip air on Alitalia from New York or Boston, hotels, inlcuding buffet breakfast daily and three dinners, and lunches while sightseeing with English speaking guides, entrance fees of tours, plus transfers from airport to hotels. The total cost is $2088. per person, for double occupancy with a $280 single supplement. SMP fee for the conference is $100 per adult. Because this trip converges with the Easter season in Italy, it is important that depasits be
made immediately to hold our reservations. At this time a $500 deposit per person is required and is fully refundable up till December 10. $300 applied to the land portion and $200 for air reservation. Cancellation penalties aftwerwards are graduated by date going forward and will be furnished when you have signed up. A more detailed itinerary is being prepared and will be provided by December 5, 2001.
If you are interested in particpating in this year’s tour, please contact me immediately as space is limited.Ted Laquercia, Conference Coordinator
Dr T. Laquercia, 15 West 12th St., NY,NY 10011 212 242-1107 (days)
212 580-7280 (evening) 212 580-7292 (fax)
email: tlaquercia@aol.com .
The Society of Modern Psychoanalysts
Annual Spring Conference
Italy-Sicily Tour
April 9-21, 2001
ITINERARY
Monday, APRIL 9,2001
Depart from New York or Boston on evening Alitalia flight to Milan. Connect the next morning
for flight to Reggio Calabria.
April 10, 2001, Tuesday
We will be met by our English speaking guide for transfer by motor coach to the Excelsior Grand
Hotel. Check in and the rest of the day at our leisure. Welcome dinner for our group at the hotel at 8pm. Breakfasts
at all our hotels included.
April 11, 2001, Wednesday
After our breakfast we have our first conference meeting in the hotel. Lunch and rest of day
at our leisure.
April 12, 2001, Thursday
Second conference meeting after breakfast. Lunch and rest of day at our leisure.
April 13, 2001, Friday
After breakfast we depart at 9:30 from Reggio Calabria by our motor coach . We will travel by
ferry across the Strait of Messina to Sicily. This crossing takes approximately one hour and forty five
minutes. We will arrive in Messina and visit the Cathedral Messina with its famous clock tower. Our motor coach
continues along the freeway for a 45 minute drive to Taormina. We arrive at the Capo Taormina Grand Hotel, situated
by the sea with beautiful panoramic vistas of Giradini Naxos Bay and
Mount Etna. After check in and a leisurely lunch we will have an afternoon tour to the Greek Amphitheater and walking
tour. Dinner and evening at our leisure.
April 14, 2001 Saturday
After our breakfast we depart by our motor coach to Siracusa. We arrive 2 hours later at this
most important archaeological site founded by the Greeks in 744BC. Siracusa has been an important center in Sicily
and was conquered by Romans, Arabs and Normans, Aragons in succession over the centuries and has many sites dating
from the first millennium. We will visit Roman and Greek amphitheaters and also visit a small island , Ortigia,
that contains the old city of Siracusa. There we will visit Temple of Apollo, Archimede Square, The Fountain of
Artemide, the Cathedral and the
Temple of Athena, which dates back to the 5th century BC, and still have time to shop in an elegant shopping district.
We will lunch in vicinity of the Fountain Aretusa at the Ristorante Archimede, included in our tour package. Sometime
later in the afternoon we drive back to Taormina for
dinner and evening at our leisure.
April 15, 2001 Sunday
After our breakfast we depart at 9:30 for our visit to Mount Etna by freeway passing by Catania
to Giarre. Our drive up Mt Etna has us passing the villages of Santa Venerina and Zafferana and the
fertile fields mountainside with pastures of grapes, orchards of chestnuts, hazelnuts, and olive groves. The road
cuts across streams of solidified black, petrified lava from centuries old volcanic eruptions. 1900 Meters above
sea level we will experience the panoramic vistas atop this volcano and visit local sites and a winery. A rustic
Sicilian lunch with local wine for our a tasting experience. Early afternoon departure to our hotel in Taormina
for our Easter Sunday dinner for the group at Ristorante La Griglia in Taormina.
April 16, 2001 Monday
Breakfast in hotel and the entire day at our leisure for exploring Taormina with its lovely shops
and beautiful beaches.
April 17, 2001 Tuesday
After breakfast we depart for Palermo stopping en route at Piazza Armerina to visit Villa del
Casale, a late Roman villa dating to the end of the 3rd Century AD. We lunch as a group at Ristorante
Imperial and afterwards continue to the Mondello Palace Hotel, in Mondello a suburb 7 kilometers from Palermo.
Check in then dinner and evening at our leisure.
April 18, 2001 Wednesday
After our breakfast we depart Mondello for our guided tour of Palermo. Much of this tour will
be walking the important sites of the city, including its magnificent Cathedral dedicated to the
Virgin Mary which was built in 12th century, the Royal Palace, The Palatine Chapel and see the splendid architecture
and mosaics dating to Moorish conquests. We will then motor to Monreale to visit the sites there noted for its
Cathedral a Benedictine Monastery and the finest examples of Norman architecture . We will lunch here and have
time for visiting local cafes and shopping. We return to our hotel for dinner and evening at our leisure.
April 19, 2001 Thursday
After our breakfast we depart for a full day tour of Agrigento. Agrigento, founded in 581 BC
was a powerful ally of Siracusa and together they defeated the Carthaginians in 480 BC. It is during this time
that many of the temples that we will be seeing were built. The vistas we will experience from this magnificent
location will encompass the beautiful valley with almond and olive trees and expanding to the sea. We will see
the famous Temple of Juno and Concord built in 440 BC that are magnificently preserved. We lunch as a group at
Ristorante Baglio della Luna. Early afternoon departure for our hotel for dinner and evening at our leisure.
April 20, 2001 Friday
Breakfast at our hotel, a morning meeting and the rest of our day at leisure for last minute
shopping and relaxing. Farewell dinner for our group at the Ristorante Charleston in Mondello.
April 21, 2001 Saturday
After breakfast we are taken by our motor coach to the airport for our flight to the United States.
