The Baroque period in Italy, dating roughly from 1550 to 1700, was an era without parallel in the annals of architecture. Most of the works of this prolific and exciting period were built for Popes, Cardinals, and powerful Italian families, so that Rome and its surrounding region of Lazio (Latium) became the fertile center of a dynamic cultural explosion, witnessing the construction of magnificent family palaces, churches that soared like giant sculpture, amazingly inventive gardens and civic spaces of unprecedented boldness and scale.

Under the Italian Sun and program director Tony Junker AIA invite you to join us for nine days and eight nights as we trace the rise of Italian Baroque architecture from its early Renaissance classical origins through its last creative flourishings.

In the glow of twilight, steep rocky mountains sparkle like jewels, with white buildings clinging to their slopes and cascading down to the sea. At their feet, the azure blue water of the Mediterranean laps softly against the shoreline. It is unmistakably the Amalfi Coast, a fabled playground of enchanting storybook villages, majestic sea views and an intoxicating local cuisine.

What better way to discover the extraordinary cooking of the Amalfi Coast than with Mary Ann Esposito, host of the longest running Italian cooking show on public television, Ciao Italia, now entering its nineteenth season. Mary Ann will travel with the group through the entire tour and conduct two hands-on cooking lessons in which she'll help you to prepare her favorite recipes from the Campania region.