Italy's Tuscan Mountains and Cinque Terre T. Walley Williams III / Judith Dortz
Title of trip
Leadership
Location(s)
Dates
Type of trip check all that apply
Italy's Tuscan Mountains and Cinque Terre
Leader T. Walley Williams III Co-leader Judith Dortz
Tuscan Region of Italy including Lucca, Levanto, Pisa and Castlenuovo di Garfagnana
October, 2-13, 2012
Hiking
Total # of days
Downhill skiing
12
Kayaking
Backpacking Cultural Road biking
Nordic ski Mountain biking Snorkeling
Other – please describe
Number of participants
(excluding leaders)
Advertised cost
Airfare range if not included
Do you wish to have your trip listed online before it is published in The Outdoors?
Smaller trips and leader subsidization
Max 14 Min 14
$ 2295
$ 900-1200
Does it include airfare? Yes No
Yes No If yes, please list the approximate month (max is one year in advance of trip)
Is this proposal for a small group trip – i.e., less than 14 participants and 2 leaders or 7 participants and 1 leader?
Yes No
If yes, why is a small group proposed?
If a participant fee increase of more than 15% is proposed, please explain why?
Leader name
T. Walley Williams III
Leader address 71 Orchard St, Belmont, MA 02478-3509
Leader email twalley.williams@liberatingtech.com or twalley.williamsiii@verizon.net
Leader phone Home 617-484-1877 Work 508-893-6363
Wilderness first aid training

WFA AWFA WFR Expiration: Needs renewal
CPR training

CPR BLS Expiration: Needs Renewal
Prior leading experience Please list the last three longer (5+ day) trips you have led for the AMC including destination, type of trip, dates and number of participants. Feel free to list additional trips you have led, particularly if they demonstrate experience related to the trip you
are proposing.
Trip one
Trip two
This trip in 2010
China in '06
Trip three Land of the Maya, Mexico '07
Other related trip experience
Co-leader name Judith Dortz

To lead a major excursion you must have current CPR and WFA at the time of your trip (or AWFA for all backcountry trips). If you do not have the required level of certification at the time you submit your proposal or it will expire before the date of your trip, you will need to make arrangements to recertify in a timely manner.
Revised October 2009 Major Excursions Trip Proposal Form, page 1 of 5

Italy's Tuscan Mountains and Cinque Terre T. Walley Williams III / Judith Dortz
Co-leader address
Co-leader email
36 Ash St, Cambridge, MA 02138 jdortz@aol.com
Co-leader phone Home 617-876-8516 Work Cell 617-335-0452
Wilderness first aid training* WFA AWFA WFR Expiration: Needs renewal
CPR training*
Prior leading experience
Trip one
CPR BLS Expiration: Needs renewal
If you are a new co-leader you must submit an application to be a major excursions leader or co-leader prior to submitting this application.
Azores May 2011 with Jan Taylor
Trip two
Trip three
Scouting
Have either of you led this trip before or traveled to this
area?
Sicily 2009 with Jan Taylor
This trip with TWW in 2005
Other related trip experience
Yes No If yes, please describe below:
Have lead this trip twice
Languages
Does either the co-leader or leader speak the local
language?
Couples
Do the leader and co-leader have a significant personal
relationship?
Co-leader: Yes No
Leader: Yes No
Not applicable:
Yes No If yes, please list who has agreed to be your back-up in case one or both of you need to drop out. This is required for approval!
Jan Taylor
Private trips
Do either of you lead trips that are private - not sponsored by
the AMC?
Yes No If yes, please note that you cannot advertise AMC and private trips together unless there is a clear distinction between the two in any marketing materials you send out.
Executive summary
Please provide a brief description of the trip and the activities planned.
This trip will give participants the ability to experience and explore Tuscan culture. We will stay at a restored farm and sample the local cuisine. We will visit Cinque Terre which is a unique area in that it is sheltered and we will be able to walk from village to village and sample local olive oil and wines. We will begin our trip in Lucca which is a walled town and pristine. There is very little traffic because cars are not allowed into many of these villages. While in Castlenuovo di Garfagnana we will hike in the
Apenines and Apuan Alps and have time to explore some the remote villages. From there we will go to Cinque Terre and end the trip with a night in Pisa.
In Lucca , Levanto, and Pisa we will stay in hotels. In Castlenuovo di Garfagnana, we will stay in apartments in a restored farm. Here we will eat local cuisine.
Accommodations
Please describe your plan for accommodation(s)
Meals
Please describe your plan for providing meals
Permits or permissions
Does the trip require special permits or permissions?
(required on many U.S. federal lands and national parks)
Breakfast will be provided in Pisa, Levanto, and Garfagnana. In Lucca, the participants will be on their own for breakfast, but can order at the hotel or from numerous coffee shops in the area. In Garfagnana, we will have dinner together in the farm dining room.
In both Lucca and Pisa, there will be a single group dinner. The group will be on its own for four dinners, but leaders will be available to take the group or individuals to restaurants. Lunches will be either taken with us or eaten in a café in one of the villages.
Yes No
If yes, please describe below what you will need to do to obtain them:
If no, please describe the process you went through to find out that they were not required:
Did this trip last year with the same hiking guides.
Revised October 2009 Major Excursions Trip Proposal Form, page 2 of 5

Italy's Tuscan Mountains and Cinque Terre T. Walley Williams III / Judith Dortz
Special equipment
Does the trip require special equipment?
Special experience
Does the trip require special skills on the part of the participant?
Yes No If yes, please describe below what type of equipment and how you will ensure that people know how to use it:
Yes No If yes, please describe below what type of experience? Also describe how you will ensure that the participant has this experience?
Leader will discuss fitness level with each participant when they apply. The mountain hikes are 5-7 hours and are moderate. There are substancial ups and downs in Cinque
Terre
Yes No If yes, please describe below what you will do: Pre-trip activities
Do you plan to get your group together before the trip for an activity or social event?
Conservation, education and recreation
How will this major excursion meet the mission of the AMC?
www.outdoors.org/about/ mission.cfm
In this area of Italy, life is much as it has been for hundreds of years. They grow their crops on small tracts of land. Land is very important as is the enviroment. Cars are not allowed in most of the smaller villages. This maintains the integrity of the village as well as halting pollution. Hiking will be a key element on the trip. We will hike in the
Alps as well as along the coast in Cinque Terre. In Cinque Terre we will be able to see how the land is farmed while walking the trails between villages. We will be able to take ferries to visit old monastaries and forts. In Italy as in most of Europe, people are very concerned with conservation. Gasoline is expensive as is electricity. We will use public transportation for most of the trip: buses, trains and ferries.
Will this trip require a tour Yes No operator or guide service during part, or the entire trip?
Please describe their services. If you are using a tour operator for the entire trip, please describe why you will be using them rather than doing this trip on your own:
The propriator of the Agritourismo in Garfagnana will arrange for our daytime guides and transportation. He drives a school bus for the local bus company. He has done this for our previous trips.
Name of tour operator/guide service
Tour operator website
Safety record
Please provide information about their safety record.
Insurance
Do they have liability insurance?
Liability? Yes No
Are they willing to list AMC as an additional insured?
Maximum amt: $
Yes No
Emergency response
Please describe the outfitters’ response plan in the case of an emergency.
Please assess the risks and hazards of your trip. Carefully consider each area of risk and how it may affect your trip.
Devise a plan to prevent each hazard and to respond to it if it becomes necessary. Please be very specific for each section if applicable.
Climate/terrain
Potential hazards
Trail conditions, river crossings, weather, wildlife (bears, snakes, etc.)
Hiking in this area is relatively easy. The trails are good and well marked. Risks would
Response be the same as with any hiking trip; a fall, twisted ankle, etc. We will have a guide in
Garfagnana.
We will have transportation at the trail head and not be far from villages on our hikes.
We will also have first aid kits and be able to deal with minor injuries on the trail. Most
Revised October 2009 Major Excursions Trip Proposal Form, page 3 of 5

Italy's Tuscan Mountains and Cinque Terre T. Walley Williams III / Judith Dortz
Foreign Country
Potential hazards
Response
Transportation
Potential hazards
Response
Participants
Potential hazards
Response of the trails are in cell phone contact most of the way. The leader's cell works in Italy.
Political concerns, crime, language translation, terrorism
Language could be a barrier but was not a problem on the last trip.
We will have dictionaries and there are English speaking people in each place that we are staying. All of our tour guides and hiking guides speak English. The leader will review intermedite level Italian before the trip as for two previous trips.
Road conditions, drivers, insurance
Nothing more than would be encountered here using public transportation.
We will use public transportation and will rely on trains and busses to get us to each of our destinations. We will use a bus service to transport us to and from our hikes each day.
Level of fitness, screening concerns, experience with equipment or activity
Participants will have to be screened for physical conditioning and will have to have hiking experience. Hiking boots, day packs, rain gear are the essentials.
There is always the possibility of not doing a hike and staying at the farm or in the village if the partipant feels that they are not up to the hike.
Conditions unique to this type of trip
None
Other
Potential hazards
Response
Please describe your plans for dealing with emergencies. Use as much detail as possible, and list any special communications equipment you may need to ensure the safety of your participants. DO NOT LEAVE THIS SECTION
BLANK
Emergency communication
Phone contacts, language, documentation, distance from emergency services
This is not a remote trip. We will not be far from telephones and English speaking people. In Castlenuovo di Garfagnana, the owner will supply us with all emergency contacts, and the hiking guides speak English and are native to the area.
We will be carrying first aid kits. We request the use of the unlocked quad band cell phone Mike Barry donated to the AT program. Although this might be nice, TWW's Cell works almost everywher.
Emergency equipment
What sort of emergency first aid or communication equipment (satellite phone, two-way radios) do you plan to use, if any?
Evacuation
Please describe your plan for evacuation from the backcountry location if applicable?
Medical care
Please describe the medical care available in the area(s) where you will be traveling and list names and telephone numbers for these facilities.
This trip is not in the backcountry.
Because we will be staying near cities, there are hospitals and medical clinics. In
Castlenuovo di Garfagnana, the owner will supply us with medical contacts.
Foreign currencies
For int’l trips list each foreign currency, the current $US dollar exchange rate and what contingencies you have if that rate changes. If a tour operator or agent is being
Italy uses the Euro. At this time the exchange rate is about $1.37; the budget is figured at a rate 10% higher. Except for leader airfare and minor administrative expenses paid in dollars here, everything will have to be paid in Euros.
Revised October 2009 Major Excursions Trip Proposal Form, page 4 of 5

Italy's Tuscan Mountains and Cinque Terre T. Walley Williams III / Judith Dortz
used, what currency is the agent to be paid in?
Deposits
What deposits will be required by airlines, hotels, tour operators, etc., and when?
Refunds
What is the latest date you can cancel and still receive a full refund?
Participant deposit
What are the initial deposit and your schedule of payments?
Cancellation policy
What will your cancellation policy be for the participants?
Non-refundable airline tickets will have to be purchased in advance, but not until it seems clear that the trip will go. (The cost of refundable tickets is prohibitive.) The hotels do not require any deposits to hold reservations.
Participants will be directed to not purchase airline tickets until the leader says that the trip will run. This go/no go decision will have to be made before the Garfagnana hotel advance payments are due 60 days before arrival.
Initial deposit of $500 will be due with application. Second payment of $500 will be due two weeks after acceptance. Final balance of $1,295 will be due August 1, 2012.
Deposit checks from wait listed applicants will not be cashed unless and until we accept them AND they confirm continued interest.
Cancellation by an accepted participant will not be allowed to raise the cost to the other participants or to the leaders. Published MINIMUM penalty schedule: zero before before
February 15, 2012, $200 through May 31, 2012, and $400 after June 1, 2012. If actual costs are higher, they will be included in the assessment. We will reserve the right to
REDUCE cancellation penalties if costs incurred can be passed to a replacement participant.
Yes No If yes, please describe conditions:
Would go with only 13 participants, and maybe with as few as 12.
Minimum numbers
Will you still run the trip if you do not get the minimum number?
Reference web links:
MEC Home Page:
Forms:
Deadlines:
E-Mail Addresses:
Club House:
MEC Chair: http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/ http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/application/ http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/listings cyout@outdoors.org
mecchair@amcboston.org
Revised October 2009 Major Excursions Trip Proposal Form, page 5 of 5