Montessori Roots Tour of Italy

Join artist and historian, Matteo Ferroni, as you travel 7 days through Italy retracing the roots of Maria Montessori. Hear from experts about Maria's life and participate in workshops that take place on locations where Montessori history was made.

Day 1: Children’s Houses & Orthophrenic School (Rome)

• Stroll through the streets of San Lorenzo and visit the site where Maria Montessori opened the first classroom for children of the asylum in 1900 and the site of the first Casa dei Bambini in Via dei Marsi in 1907.
• Visit the Montessori family chapel at Rome Monumental Cemetery next to San Lorenzo.
• Walk through an ancient ghetto, a beautiful archeological promenade. You'll have the option to spend dinner together or on your own.

Day 2: “Scuola d’Arte Educativa” and Montessori’s Home (Rome → Perugia)

• Visit Scuola d’Arte Educativa, a place that a chapter of "The Montessori Method" is dedicated to. Your group will partake in a 1-hour pottery workshop and a 1-hour tour of the museum.
• Travel to Piazza del Popolo to see a luxury Montessori family home (where Maria lived from 1910 – 1914 and where she ran a 6 – 9 experimentation classroom). Explore during a two-hour break for food, shopping, and a walk before traveling to Perugia by bus.
• Explore during a two-hour break for food, shopping, and a walk before traveling to Perugia by bus.
• Enjoy a welcome dinner with salutations and an introduction to Montessori roots.

Day 3: The Montessori District (Perugia)

• Walk through the Montessori District and get to know this forefront project with its inspirator, Matteo Ferroni.
• Visit the Community Classroom and see the first ever statute of Maria Montessori, created by your own tour guide.
• Spend the afternoon doing a workshop on how to mobilize the community.
• Conclude your day at Sorbello Palace where you will visit the Montessori exhibition to see the first photo of the Method that was published in the United States.

Day 4: Center for Pedagogical Studies (Perugia)

• Visit the Center for Pedagogical Studies, established by Maria Montessori in 1950, and its new spaces.
• Explore her Observation Classroom at Santa Croce School and her Lectures Classroom at the Foreigners University.
• Touch the original albums, lectures notebooks, and psychogeometry plates, and watch the students witnesses of 1950 training held by Dr. Montessori after publishing “The Discovery of the Child” in India.
• End the day at the National Gallery to see artwork and the room dedicated to Aldo Capitini, a teacher at Montessori’s study center.
• Exchange opinions and attend workshops with experts.

Day 5: Assisi  → Montefalco

• Visit the cathedral of Assisi with a monk to see its renowned artworks and the relics of S. Francis.Visit Montefalco, the vineyards town in the hills of Umbria and take a tour of the renowned Antonelli winery. Experience Montessori's household daily life where family and pupils were one.
• Step into the role and perform research work or cook communal supper by learning to cook gnocchi, Montessori’s favorite meal to make with her pupils and siblings. Dine with wine and gnocchi a la Montessori.

Day 6: Città di Castello – La Verna: Writing of the Method and Rising of the Movement

• Hop on the bus headed to the Tela Umbra Museum, where Montessori held her first training in the summer of 1909. An expert will share the story and show the didactic material of this training on display.
• Visit the former residence of Alice Hallgarten Villa Montesca where Montessori was hosted while writing and printing "The Montessori Method," also in 1909.
• Embark on a spiritual journey at S. Francis Woods, a sanctuary for Buddhists, Christians, and Hindus. You will have the opportunity to walk, meditate, and read poetry as a group while discussing the cosmic tales.

Day 7: Chiaravalle 

• Visit Montessori’s birth house and museum. Enjoy the notable stories of her childhood and understand the feminist culture of her background.
• Discover, learn and practice the well renowned hand-writing and paper-making ancient traditions of Dr. Montessori hometown.

Day 8: Saying Farewell (Rome)

The next day, your group will catch the bus to Rome, where you can enjoy free time before going to the airport or on to your next destination.