Italy was chosen as the destination for the Rogue Valley Chorale's third Concert Tour. The country has acted as a magnet to travelers for millennia and is credited with being the site of the beginning of the Renaissance in the 14th century. 

Chorale members were influenced in their choice by reasoning never to be found in the guidebooks. Alba, Italy is the Sister City of Medford, OR.   Since the 1960's, the two cities have developed a warm "sisterly" relationship. It seemed Alba was a most appropriate site for another European adventure.

The tour began in Milan with a tour of La Scala, of course. Opera, as we know it, was a direct child of the Italian Renaissance. It was a stirring experience to view the very hall where so many famous operas have been performed.

The tour group spent the first eleven days following a circuitous route through northern Italy to Venice. In Venice the busses turned south through Bologna and Ravenna then inland to Florence. Side trips were taken from Venice to the ancient villages of Sienna and San Gimignamo. It was then west to Pisa, La Spezia and Savonna on the coast. The travelers then turned north through beautiful Italian countryside, eagerly anticipating their first glimpse of Alba.

These eleven days were packed full of rich and fascinating experiences. It would be too difficult to relate each one in this writing, so only a few of the most interesting are included here. A scenic drive along beautiful Lake Como comes first to mind. This day included a stop at the Villa Carlotta to view the impressive gardens.

An evening and a full day were spent in Venice, the floating city which is built on a collection of one hundred and seventeen islets and islands, criss-crossed by one hundred and seventy-seven canals and interlinked by innumerable bridges. Naturally, most tour members took advantage of this "once in a life time" chance for a gondola ride.

In Ravenna, the mosaics were magnificent, once described by Dante in his Divine Comedy as a symphony of color.

One would need weeks or months to view all the famous paintings, architectural and sculptural masterpieces and frescoes of Florence. Most notable of the galleries visited were the Uffizi with its superb collection of Renaissance art and the Accademia where Michelangelo's David is housed.

The quaint village of Sienna was gearing up for its famous horse race known as the "Paleo Pageant" which is run in the town square the "Plazza del Campo". Excitement of the participants (and their horses) was at fever pitch. The Chorale then visited San Gimignano, a fourteenth century town that has kept its medieval appearance. They were lucky enough to be there when "Tea with Mussolini" was being filmed. Some lucky viewers saw Cher ride by in a limousine on her way to work.

The long anticipated arrival in Alba was not a disappointment. A delegation from the Sister City program met the busses at the Hotel Savonna and warm greetings were exchanged. Despite the language barrier, communication seemed easy. Some Chorale members took advantage of the invitation to stay with a host family, thereby enriching the experience even further. 

The residents of Alba surely rolled out the red carpet for their Medford kin. They made this visit a memorable experience for their American visitors.

A total of six formal concerts were sung in Italy and a number of impromptu concerts given. The Chorale had prepared a varied repertoire for the trip, which included music composed for Italian churches; anthems from other countries; twentieth century anthems; folk songs and spirituals. It was a wonderful experience to sing these selections in the magnificent cathedrals of Italy. 

This concert tour reaffirmed something noticed while on the previous tours. Europeans loved the Spirituals and American Folk Songs. The sacred pieces were very well received, of course, but the reaction was most enthusiastic after the folk pieces.

The Chorale collaborated with a local choir for an evening concert in Alba. It was presented in their Civic Theater, the counterpart of our Ginger Rogers Craterian Theater. They also participated in the Mass in the Cathedral of Alba.

The weary travelers returned to Medford on July 6th. Each participant was sure they had been wise indeed to chose Italy for their third tour.