Italy & Greece: Cultural Immersion and Turtles

Arrive at Newark Airport (EWR) where you’ll meet your Rustic Pathways Flight Leader, who will help get you checked in and through security before traveling with your group to Italy. Get acquainted with fellow Rustic travelers before boarding your flight. Get some rest on the flight because this is going to be a great week!

Arrive in Italy and meet your Program Leaders who will be with you for the duration of the program. We’ll head directly to our base house to settle in and relax with an authentic Italian pizza dinner.

We’ll share rooms, separated by gender, with private bathrooms. Our spacious and comfortable accommodations will be where we can recharge and connect during our exciting adventure.

In the morning, we’ll recover from jet lag by relaxing by the pool and playing soccer while enjoying pastries and cappuccinos from a local pasticceria.

Then we’ll head to the historic and beautiful city of Verona to explore its long lost frescoes, ancient Roman arena and riverside views.

More than just Romeo & Juliet, Verona is a sparkling Renaissance city. We’ll spend the day exploring famous sights, eating delicious food, and soaking up the unmatched ambience of an Italian city in the summer. We’ll find delicious food, friendly faces, and enchanting views everywhere we turn.

Today we’ll start the day by building up an appetite. Trek through a regional park in the Euganean Hills, searching for the archeological remains of walled cities and other fortifications. Break for lunch and then launch into more service time. Joining forces with local residents, work up a sweat as the impact of our service work grows. Top it off with a refreshing Italian gelato in the local village.

We’ll spend the day exploring one of the world’s most unique and architecturally stunning cities. Built upon over 100 small islands separated by a series of waterways and canals and linked by over 400 bridges, “The Floating City” will not disappoint. Take a walking tour of Venice’s historic streets, viewing sights such as Saint Mark’s Basilica, the Rialto Bridge, and Doge’s Palace. Take a trip to the morning market to see where Venetians have shopped for their food for centuries. Complete the day with a once-in-a-lifetime gondola ride along the Grand Canal.

Dive into more pool time and games in the morning. Gather some regionally-grown ingredients since it’s time to learn the art of pasta! With the help of local farmers, we’ll learn how to make dough just like nonna, and how to cut different shapes and make a variety of classic sauces. After all that hands-on work, we get to eat our handiwork. Che buona!

Today we’ll explore Lake Garda, famous for its breathtaking views and crystal clear water. Before hitting the beaches, we’ll travel back in time and visit a medieval fortress on the shore of Lake Garda. After appreciating how people have gathered here for centuries, we’ll enjoy the cool water that will be a welcome break from the warm sunny weather of the week so far.

Tonight, we’ll relax at the base house with an evening bonfire where we’ll roast marshmallows and reminisce on our highlights so far. We’ll participate in Rustic Ties, a unique and powerful activity that allows students to capture the memories and learning moments of their program to process and share back home.

Your Program Leaders will help you have a relaxing day where you can rest up for the continuing adventures in Greece. Tomorrow we make our way to Kefalonia!

Today we travel from Italy to the Greek island of Kefalonia. You’ll arrive at Kefalonia International Airport (EFL) with your Program Leaders and head straight to our accommodation for the coming week. Unpack, relax for a minute, and then let’s head to the beach to grab lunch and enjoy getting to know our new friends.

We’ll spend the next 6 nights in comfortable, shared hotel rooms located near the beach. Rooms accommodate 2–5 students and include private bathrooms.

We’ll start the morning with an orientation with our turtle conservation service partners. You’ll learn about the projects you’ll be working on this week and gain a clear understanding of how you’ll become a scientist for the week as we work alongside the local conservation group. We’ll do our first turtle monitoring outing where we’ll work to spot sea turtles in the harbor and along the shore. Then, we come back for a quick workshop to learn about the sea turtle population of Kefalonia.
After a full first day, unwind at your accommodations and enjoy a delicious dinner.

We jump into service with a nesting beach survey in the early morning. This is to check for nests and make sure they are safe from predators.

After lunch we’ll dive into the crystal clear water to continue our service. We’ll snorkel to map out seagrass meadows and help create accurate maps for conservation scientists. In the evening explore the town and then rest at our accommodations after a full day.

Please Note: Before participating in any snorkeling activities, students will complete a brief swim test to ensure safety.

We start the morning with a harbor survey, training and observing sea turtles as they move through the port. After lunch, we take a well-earned break to cross the island and visit the magical Cave of Melissani. The cave was named after the nymph Melissanthi and is filled with a lake and forest inside of it. Excavations have found items dating back to the 3rd and 4th centuries BC.

We start early in the morning with a nest check and a beach clean up for today’s service. After lunch break into groups to continue habitat monitoring while snorkeling.

We head out on the water on a boat tour to explore the beaches and coast of Kefalonia. This is a great chance to soak up the sun and sea. Travel to the small surrounding islands off the coast and see the beautiful scenic views. At the end of the day, we’ll have another group dinner with a stunning Greek sunset.

We’ll spend the morning completing a final harbor survey, reviewing the data we’ve collected over the week and how it supports the local conservation team’s ongoing research. In the afternoon, we head to the airport and take a domestic flight to Athens. Settle into the hotel and enjoy a final group dinner in Athens to celebrate your time in Greece and Italy.

At the end of the program, we have the Rustic Ties closing ceremony. The group conducts an intentional reflection on their experience, highlighting all the memories they want to bring back with them. It gives each traveler a chance to find the most meaningful moments of this adventure and hold them in their hearts.

We have a slow morning in Athens to pack up and say goodbye to Greece. Then your Program Leaders take you to the airport where you’ll catch your flight back home. You’ll depart from Athens (ATH) and arrive in Newark ready to share pictures, memories, and souvenirs from your magical Greek island and Italian adventure.