Jack McDuffie, Special to the Journal

DUBLIN - Ever wanted to tour Italy but circumstances prevented it at the time?

Bladen Community College is offering a unique opportunity to tour much of the country and earn college credit for the experience.

The tour is part of the Humanities 120: World Cultures class the college has offered for a number of years. The class has traditionally ended with a tour of various locations in Europe. This year tour will focus specifically on Italy.

Registration for the class begins in November and will continue through Jan. 10. Classes will meet five times on selected Saturdays over the following five months. In addition to the 2 1/2 -hour seated sessions, the course will include an online segment that students can accomplish on their home computers. The course culminates with the 13-day tour of Italy.

Called the Italia, the tour begins on May 17 and continues through May 28. It will include visits to Rome, Sorrento (with a half day tour of Pompeii and a full day on the Isle of Capri), Florence and Venice.

The course may be taken for credit (three semester hours) or may be audited for those who prefer not to take it for credit. Individuals expressing interest in taking the course will begin receiving a monthly newsletter/update with suggestions for early preparations to take the tour. Receiving the newsletter does not obligate the recipient to register for the course.

The Italia tour requires some walking but is moderately paced. Time is allotted for free time to shop and explore in each city included on the tour.

The cost of the tour — which is a required part of the course — will depend on the number of individuals in the class. BCC is working to register a large group to keep the cost down. If 35 elect to take the course, the cost will be approximately $3,000. This will include all transportation including air fare to and from Raleigh or Charlotte and in Europe; lodging at three- or four-star hotels; free porters at hotels; a full-time bi-lingual European tour director; all breakfasts and four dinners typical of the four cities; tips; pre-trip materials which form the textbook; and the services of a local instructor/tour counselor.

The instructor/tour counselor is Barbara Morrison, who has taught history, political science and humanities for 29 years and has previously conducted 19 study-tours such as this one.

Other expenses not included in the tour cost include the costs of a passport if the student doesn’t already have a current one; lunches; seven dinners; and spending money.

For information or to get on the mailing list for the newsletter, contact Morrison at 640-3845 or email her at BarbaraSMorrison@gmail.com.