Earth, Heart and Spirit Tour
Springtime in Southern Italy
April 17 - 28, 2012

Spring Tour to Southern Italy in April 17 - 28, 2012 with Herbalist Gail Faith Edwards.

Deposits are due December 31, 2011.

Our base camp during the Earth and Spirit Tour will be a fully modernized stone house in a remote and friendly medieval village at the base of our mother mountain, Mount Cervati, the largest mountain in the area. We'll be in the heart of the Cilento National Park, one of the largest intact wilderness areas of the world and also a World Heritage site. Our location puts us in very close proximity to the Grotto of Vallicelli, which was a thriving Bronze Age community, inhabited since the Paleolithic era, and home to some of the original inhabitants of this mountain area.



From time immemorial its unique geographical position has made this land a natural crossroads for the cultures that developed on the Adriatic, Ionic and Tyrrhenian coasts. The ancient culture of Villanova, Lucanian civilization and the later Greek colonization all met here. It is a most amazing and magnificent place!



"We all loved your village and especially the people. They were all so welcoming!" L. Brainerd

From this pristine, magical, and centrally located place in the region of Campania we will visit several of the world's best preserved archaeological sites and hilltop villages, make pilgrimages to ancient as well as modern shrines and meet many of the earliest Mediterranean Gods and Goddesses as they are still portrayed, though perhaps renamed, in their original locale. We'll have many opportunities to learn about the lineage of the Blessed Mother and to understand the depth of her roots in human culture. We'll pay homage to her in her many guises throughout these lands, including offering our prayers before an 11th century Byzantine Black Madonna.



All the while we will be surrounded by the local flora, the mountains will be awash with thousands of wild orchids and an amazing array of springtime color. The wonder and abundance of a great diversity of wild medicinal herbs, flowers and trees will be all around us and permeating all we do.



We'll visit the Certosa di San Lorenzo, the second oldest monastery in Italy which took over 400 years to build and holds an extraordinary collection of art and artifacts, many as old as 7,000 years and uncovered right here in our valley. In a nearby village we'll enter an ancient Aslepian Healing and Dreaming temple, in use for many centuries before Christianity, transformed into a Catholic Church and now a remarkable museum. Next to the Dreaming temple is the Museo d'Herbe which houses a collection of the rich botanical diversity of the region and explanations of their traditional uses.



You will be awed by the natural wonders of the Amalfi coast, the inland mountains, the Cilento Parco Nationale, the villages that climb into the sky, the olive groves and gardens, as well as the proliferation of magnificent art and architecture everywhere we go. We'll visit and explore an ancient, prehistoric settlement,one of the oldest in the world, made entirely of ancient caves.



The people of Campania, descendants of the indigenous people of the Apennine mountains, are among the most generous, loving and hospitable people found anywhere in the world. You will have plenty of opportunities to associate with and learn from these inspiring people. We'll visit a few of their well tended organic gardens and learn to make a variety of hand made pasta entirely from scratch.

Just as they have done for centuries, village women will be on hand to personally guide us through local shrines and share their history and meaning. Our village design and archetecture is outstanding. It was built in the 9th century, but human habitation here goes back at least 50,000 years.



"Your people are so beautiful, and I just wish we had more time to spend with them. I definitely want to go back again" D. Zawalik

We'll also spend a day wildgathering medicinal herbs on and around Monte Cervati, our mother mountain. We will no doubt bring home a few "made by our own hands in Italia" herbal medicines.



"I had such a great time! I especially loved the herb gathering and putting up herbal medicines. I am still enjoying my rosemary oil!" C. Perry

Cost of the entire 12 day tour is $4,400. Your tour consists of two days of international travel, and ten full days touring the sites in Southern Italy. The fee includes your airfare from Boston to Naples and return, your transportation from Naples to the village as well as all transportation while on tour and all lodging. Most of your meals are also included and will be prepared by excellent cooks using the freshest, and for the most part organic, ingredients.

You will be provided with the makings of traditional Mediterranean breakfast and will be on your own for some lunches. All the rest of our meals, including every dinner while on tour, will be prepared and served to you. Our meals are guaranteed to be a highlight of every day. You will need your own spending money, of course, for purchasing what goods you will want to return home with, and any other personal items, including food and drink, that you choose to buy.

The Earth, Heart and Spirit Tour is being led by Gail Faith Edwards who has traveled this area extensively. The village that will host us is her family's ancestral home. Gail will be accompanied by her daughter and son-in-law, Rosa and Adam Rosario, who are also well traveled in this area. Rosa and Adam are well known and highly regarded for their amazing hospitality skills! They will function as our support crew - doing our cooking, caring and transporting.

Because we have ancestral roots in this area, and know it well, we can bring our guests to amazing places off the beaten tract. Many of the places we visit are virtually unknown to "outsiders." We can also introduce you to local inhabitants and help facilitate communication. The small size of our group ensures you have a deep and intimate experience, well beyond the scope of a large travel tour.

Note: If you are already in Europe and would like to join us for the tour, we welcome you! Please email us regarding the possibilities and adjustment in tour fee.



"I had a wonderful time and congratulate you, Rosa and Adam for your hard work, long hours, and dedication. Everything you did was aimed at our pleasure and you sure hit the mark...this trip was exactly right and I treasure every minute of it." J. Cohen

"You have a magnetic personality and a very calming presence. Your village and its people are absolutely amazing and inspiring. I predict the Earth, Heart & Spirit Tour will blossom beautifully. It certainly deserves to! We all had a fabulous time." N. Lovelace

We'll no doubt be joined from time to time by our neighbors: Rosina will ask a thousand questions and Carmella will give us a tour of her amazing garden. Our milk will be delivered fresh by Antoinette, whose brother's farm is up on the mountain and the fruit man will come by on a daily basis, tooting his horn from a truck laden with the freshest fruits and vegetables imaginable.

The Spring 2012 Earth, Heart and Spirit Tour is intended to be a secure space where we can come into meaningful contact with our common, ancient spiritual history,culture and inheritance. It is a time to immerse ourselves in and hopefully resonate with the language, art, artifacts and customs of our Old World ancestors, still vibrantly alive and actively celebrated in Southern Italian culture.

The tour is limited to six participants per year. A $500 non-refundable deposit will hold your place for this once in a life time experience in southern Italia and is due by December 31. Full payment is due by March 1st.

Approximate Itinerary - depart Boston the evening of Tuesday, April 17, arrive next morning in Naples.

1 –Wednesday, 18th - Arrival day, traveling to the village that will be our home for the next ten days & getting settled in the house, rest or explore in the afternoon, dinner together with Rosa and Adam in the evening.

2 – Thursday, 19th - A day in our most amazing Medieval village, walking the cobblestone passageways, meeting village people, visiting gardens and shrines, hiking to the lookout, picnic lunch, rosary and mass at Sant Giacomo church for those who choose in the evening, dinner at home with Rosa and Adam.

3 – Friday, 20th - Pompeii archeological site, one of the best preserved ancient cities in the world, visiting the Temples of Venus, Apollo and Isis, (we'll do a traditional ceremony at the Temple of Isis) House of Mysteries & Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii (a world renowned healing shrine), traditional Italian dinner at local Trattoria.

4 – Saturday, 21st - Paestum archeological site and museum where we'll see over 2,000 year old amazingly well preserved temples, walk the temple grounds and examine close up original Goddess images in stone and fresco. This is the home of Hera and Ceres. A visit to an ancient temple outside the Paestum walls, now an active Catholic Church. Dinner at home with Rosa and Adam.

5 – Sunday, 22nd – Day of rest – This is your free time to do some exploring on your own. You may choose to wander around the village, photographing the amazing art, architecture, gardens and people, climb the mountain, or just stay in bed if you desire! Rosa will be spending the day in the kitchen preparing a traditional pasta dinner. You are welcome to join her for a day of learning to make fresh pasta and a traditional tomato sauce, Italian Rustica style. We’ll all enjoy the feast together in the evening.

6 – Monday, 23rd - Drive along the Amalfi Coast where we will enjoy the most incredible vistas imaginable and visit Vietri Sul Mare, a village known the world over for its beautiful ceramics - walk the cobblestone passageways of Positano, a haven for artists and intellectuals for thousands of years and where the shops are bursting with the very latest fashions, most of them hand made. It is here that we will visit and make offerings to the Black Madonna in the evening. We'll have the opportunity to browse the shops, we’ll eat a fresh and fabulous dinner and we’ll stay overnight here too.

6 – Tuesday, 23rd – A visit to the Royal Palace of Casserta and its amazing, world famous botanical Gardens. The palace is a former royal residence constructed for the Bourbon Kings of Naples. It was the largest palace and one of the largest buildings erected in Europe during the 18th century and is now a designated World UNESCO site. The gardens exemplify the baroque extension of formal vistas and stretch for many acres. It was inspired by the park of Versailles, but it is commonly regarded as even more beautiful. This will be an amazing adventure for the plant lovers among us!

7 – Wednesday, 24th – We’ll visit Padula and the Certosa Monastery & Museum, which holds an outstanding collection of 5-7th century BCE artifacts uncovered from our immediate area. We’ll then go over to Teggiano to visit both the ancient Aslepian Dream Temple with its incredible collection of frescos and sculptures as well as the Museo d'Herbe which holds a complete ethnobotanical collection and is laid out as a medieval apothecary. Here we’ll learn about traditional Italian folk medicine and the common uses of herbs in the home as well as for magic. Teggiano is called The City of Art and was founded in approximately 600 B.C. It has an incredibly rich history and was once the center of Dianic worship for all of Southern Italy. Dinner at home with Rosa and Adam.

8 – Thursday, 25th – We’ll be staying close to home today, traveling up our mother mountain, Mont Cervati. The vistas will be awe inspiring, as will be all the gardens! We’ll do a bit of wildgathering & visit the ancient Grotto de Vallicelli (our local cave with several rooms, including a half round, hand carved seating arrangement the ancients used for councils, carbon dated to at least 60,000 years of habitation.) There are all kinds of carvings on the walls in here, and the better your imagination and background in ancient art, the more you’ll see. Medicine making and dinner at home with Rosa and Adam in the evening.

9 – Friday, 26th - A visit to the Sassi, a prehistoric village in Matera. The Sassi is believed to be one of Italy's first human settlements, has been in continuous habitation for more than 10,000 years, and is entirely carved out of rock. We'll explore the many incredible levels, go inside a traditionally furnished Neolithic cave and view ancient, pre-Christian murals. Tonight we'll have a traditional Italian dinner out in a local Trattoria!

10 – Saturday, 27th - Our last in the village. You’ll have the entire day to take care of any last minute shopping you want to do, say your good-byes and get yourself together for your departure tomorrow. Dinner all together with Rosa and Adam in the evening. We'll most likely be joined by the friends we have made here and our farewell dinner will be somewhat bittersweet. You won’t want to leave this magical place!

11 – Sunday, 28th - Traveling home day. Breakfast and a leisurely send off from the village. You'll be back in the USA by tonight.

"I had the most incredible, magical, life-altering trip. Thank you!" C. Perry

Here's a link to a photo album of people, places and plants from the village and surrounding areas:

Earth, Heart & Spirit Italia photos

Link to information & photos of Pompeii:

www.pompeiisites.org

Here's a link to description of Paestum and its archaeological treasures, including some photos.

www.paestum.de/en/paestum.html

Visit small villages in Southern Italia via this website created by my friend Claudia Cardello in the village.

www.visitandoilmondo.it

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