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School season is upon us!

Even years later I’m sure we all remember at least one dreaded high school English class. For those of us who survived and even learned to enjoy dead poets and their brethren, this month’s tantalizing tours are all about bringing literature to life.

You’ve heard of Shakespeare in Love, but how about Shakespeare’s Italy? The Bard, who set 15 of his 37 plays in that lovely land, is rumored to have visited Italy in his “lost years.” Whether he did or not will probably always remain a mystery, but Joe Vincent, an accomplished Shakespearian actor and director visits regularly with his troupe of travelers in tow. If you have ever wanted to see Juliet’s balcony, Joe will point it out while he extols why a rose of any other name would not smell so sweet. [Shakespeare's Italy is this month’s “Pick of the Month!”]

If you prefer your English Lit a little closer to its native land, we have The Scottish Literary Tour Company. A team of articulate characters, Mr. Clart and Mr. McBrain, lead the Edinburgh Pub Tour. Expressing the duality of Scottish life, these men bring the literature of this fascinating city alive with their scripted trip through the streets.  Living history at its most delightful; this tour crawls through an array of the city’s pubs while recounting the great “drinking societies” of the 18^th and 19^th centuries, which inspired many of the local literati.

While pub clubs created a generation of Scot’s writers, the English countryside has long been known to inspire more that a passing regard for those born upon her verdant landscape. Hardy’s Wessex; Bronte’s moors and Dickens’s London all vividly recount the authors’ lives and experiences. Illuminating the modern reader by opening a window into a specific place and time, the 19 century saw the birth of the modern novel. Patty Suchy’s Novel Explorations leads you down the paths, through the hills, into the towns and homes that inspired many of our language’s masterpieces.  

For a slightly different slant on our common literary heritage, Literature Comes To Life Tours, an Australian company, offers extended tours to Ireland, England and Scotland. Visiting the homes of celebrated authors, you get a first hand glimpse into their life and times, along with the views and ideas that have been inherited by our siblings to the south.

If you can spare half a day or evening while in London, London Walks has three tours especially dedicated to the City’s literary heritage. Bankside, home to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, still evokes memories of bearbaiting and bawdy theatre. Watch your purse in the twisted alleys and lanes where Dickens’s characters lived. Fagan’s sprites might still be afoot. For a more gentle view of London’s literati, visit the fabulous Georgian squares that were hosts to Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Circle. 

Florence Art offers a walking tour of Petrarch and Dante’s hometown for a great introduction to the backgrounds of the English poets of the Renaissance. Shadowed by the magnificent visual arts of the 15 century, Florence’s contribution to English literature is often forgotten. Alas, where would Shakespeare and Sydney be without Petrarch’s pining for Laura and Dante’s beatification of Beatrice?   

If you’d like additional information on self guided walks or literary companions to the great cities, check out our new Reading Lists. Books are a great way to prepare for a trip or relive one.

Alas, parting is such sweet sorrow. Until next month, adieu.

For more literary tour options take a look at our art category. I am sure you’ll find another one or two hiding there. Our “Last Minute Specials” may have listings for many of the tour hosts listed above. Feel free to request additional information on any of them.