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Chianti Sculpture Park features art of Italy. Photo by Christine Rupp

Pecorino in Pienza: a stop offering insight on the making and aging of Italian cheeses – and samples. Photo by Christine Rupp

Marble Caves of Carrara: where Michelangelo chose stone for his sculptures. Photo by Christine Rupp

UPDATE: Only three spaces remain for this trip; the deadline to reserve is Monday, Jan. 28.

Coral Gables’ Italian sibling is the focus of Sister Cities Travels’ first trip, “Hidden Tuscany,” set for this spring.

Province of Pisa, Italy, headlines the April 5-15 trip, scheduled through Sister Cities Travels, a component of the Sister Cities International organization, which was created to establish ties and promote cultural and economic exchanges between communities around the globe.

“We are very proud of the trip’s unique itinerary,” says Christine Rupp, co-coordinator of the trip and acting director of the Coral Gables Museum, where “Coral Gables’ Sister Cities: Partners in Peace” is on exhibit. “The Hidden Tuscany program will be an interesting, beautiful, educational and delicious 10 days in Italy.”

The museum exhibition is dedicated to the Sister Cities International peace movement begun by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 and to Coral Gables’ sisters: Aix-en-Provence, France; Cartagena, Colombia; Granada, Spain; La Antigua, Guatemala; Province of Pisa, Italy; and Quito, Ecuador. The exhibit highlights the City Beautiful’s relationship with each of its sibling communities.

Province of Pisa, Italy, is in Tuscany, five miles from the sea, 12 miles from the commercial harbor. Among its landmarks is the bell tower, or famous Leaning Tower, of the medieval cathedral in Pisa’s Piazza del Duomo. The tour also includes sculpture parks, historical vineyards and wine cellars, museums of industrial design and illustrations of popular culture.

Lodgings are in beautiful, historic hotels, Ms. Rupp says, and participants will have preferential access to museums and sites, two meals per day included, English-speaking guides and private luxury bus transportation. Cost is $3,700, and the trip is quickly filling up.

The trip, planned for 20 people, will be led by museum special projects coordinator Ellen Dyer and Ms. Rupp, who urge making a reservation as soon as possible because of the limited space. A $500 deposit is required to hold a reservation and is refundable up to three months before the departure date, Rupp says.

This trip, as well as future ones to sister cities, reflect Coral Gables’ values and interests, she notes.

“Coral Gables has a focus on architecture, urban design, planning, sustainable development and preservation,” Ms. Rupp says. “Given our mission, we will be trying to highlight these issues on our trips.”

For more information, contact Ms. Rupp at (305) 603-8067 or [email protected].

Rachel Blank is a junior at the University of Miami studying media management in the School of Communication.