The 2015 PCLES Conference will take place in Rome, Italy on June 19-21, 2015!
Activities will include sightseeing around the Eternal City, sampling Italy’s many culinary offerings, an academic discussion, and a gala dinner.
In addition, our meeting will feature an academic session, as well as plenty of other opportunities for socializing and getting to know your fellow Law School alumni!
You may also contact Rachel McQuaid L’11 at rmcquaid@law.upenn.edu with any additional questions or requests for more information.
Friday, 19th June:
7pm-9:30pm: Arrival reception. Welcome drinks and appetizers at the San Gallo ai Coronari Restaurant located at Piazza San Salvatore in Laure, Via Dei Coronari 180. Meet and greet with your fellow alumni, mingle with old and new friends.
Saturday, 20th June:
10am: Guided tour through Central Rome. Covering the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, the Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popolo, the Colosseum, and more…
1:30pm:
Lunch. We’ll be dining at Alfredo alla Scrofa, a traditional Roman restaurant famous for its fettuccine and located in the historic center of Rome, near the Piazza Navona (Via della Scrofa 104/a).
3:00pm:Academic session. Taking place at the Savoy Hotel, the legal seminar will focus on selected aspects of the European economic crisis, and the panel will include professionals from academic, banking, entrepreneurial, and other sectors.
7:00pm-10:00pm:
Gala Dinner. As per our annual tradition, the group will come together for an evening of food, drink, and festivity at the Majestic Hotel Terrace.
Sunday, 21st June:
11:00am-1:00pm:
Visit to the Borghese Gallery. The Galleria Borghese houses a substantial part of the Borghese collection of paintings, sculpture and antiques. Among the famous paintings are works by Caravaggio, who is well represented in the collection by his Boy with a Basket of Fruit, St Jerome Writing, Sick Bacchus and others. Other paintings of note include Titian’s Sacred and Profane Love, Raphael’s Entombment of Christ and works by Peter Paul Rubens and Federico Barocci.
1:30pm: Lunch.
We’ll bid farewell to Rome and to our fellow Penn Carey Law friends with one last shared meal at Fiori di Zucca.
Optional 5-Day Extension Trip: Touring Umbria and Tuscany
Monday, 22nd June - Friday, 26th June:
For those interested in staying and traveling Italy a bit following the PCLES meeting weekend, we’ll be organizing a trip through Italy’s central regions of Umbria and Tuscany, beautiful regions rich with history, nature and amazing Italian cuisine.
We hope you can join us!
Conference Fee
“Early Bird” Rate (on or before April 30th): €310 per person
“Early Bird” Rate for Recent Graduates (Class of 2010 and younger and guests): €270 per person
Standard Rate (after April 30th): €340 per person
Standard Rate Recent Graduates (Class of 2010 and younger and guests): €300 per person
Children Under 16: €250 per child
Registration is now closed.
Please reserve your hotel accommodation as soon as possible.
Optional Extension Program*
We have organized a 5-day extension program (June 22nd through June 26th) to travel with a private guide through the Italian regions of Umbria and Tuscany, with stops in destinations including Gubbio, Orvieto, Montepulciano, and Assisi.
Costs will depend on the number of people, but are likely to be around €700 per person, which includes transportation (by minivan), 4 nights of accommodations in 4-star hotels, half board (breakfasts and dinners, drinks excluded), and the services of an English-speaking guide.
A brief description of some of the destinations is below:
Gubbio.
This town in Umbria is beautifully located on the lower slopes of Mt. Ingino. Gubbio is a very ancient town mentioned in the famous Eugubine Tablets and, in the past, was the capital of Umbria. Gubbio’s compact town center boasts a wide selection of medieval, Gothic and Renaissance structures built of gray limestone as well as striking views of the picturesque countryside. One of the main sights of Gubbio is the Duomo (Cathedral) of Gubbiowhich dates from the late 12 century. Just outside the town is a Roman amphitheater.
Orvieto.
Orvieto is a city in the Province of Terni in southwestern Umbria, Italy situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff. The site of the city is among the most dramatic in Europe, rising above the almost-vertical faces of tuff cliffs that are completed by defensive walls built of the same stone called Tufa. The territory of Orvieto was under papal control long before it was officially added to the Papal States (various dates are quoted); it remained a papal possession until 1860, when it was annexed to unified Italy. The site of Orvieto was once an Etruscan acropolis.
Montepulciano. Standing high atop a hill in southern Tuscany not too far from Siena, Montepulciano is a medieval town of rare beauty highly recommended to visitors of Tuscany. The city, full of elegant Renaissance palaces, ancient churches, charming squares and hidden corners, also has vast panoramic views of the wonderful Val d’Orcia and Val di Chiana valleys that surround it. A walk through Montepulciano is the best way to explore the town and its beautiful landmarks as well as enjoy stunning views of the surrounding countryside covered by the vineyards that produce the famous Nobile!
In all of these places, we will be enjoying the delicious Umbrian and Tuscan Cuisines:
Umbrian Cuisine is distinct from the others despite its small size. Locally grown lentils, cardoons, porcini mushrooms and chestnuts are important staple foods in Umbria recipes. White truffles are a delicacy eaten fresh in Umbria cuisine. Norcia, a town in Umbria, provides most of Italy’s black truffles. Umbria recipes use truffles to elevate the plainest egg, pasta or meat dishes to a gourmet meal. They are also made into a paste with garlic and anchovies. Black truffles are used in many ways, including to flavor local Pecorino cheese. Probably the most typical Umbrian pasta dish is spaghetti – or strangozzi – with black truffles.
Tuscan cuisine. The origins of Tuscan food are rather rustic, as we can see from its basic ingredients: bread, even stale bread, spelt, legumes and vegetables. Some typical appetizers are crostini (toasted bread) topped by spreads like cream of chicken liver and spleen, panzanella and salame, including finocchiona, a fennel-flavored salame. Wine production in Tuscany is excellent for both variety and quality: Tuscany produces the finest wines in Italy, from Chianti to Vino Nobile Montepulciano, Brunello di Montalcino, Vernaccia di San Gimignano and many more. Vin Santo, a sweet and liqueur-like wine, is paired with cantucci (almond cookies, or what Americans refer to as biscotti).
If booking through the hotel’s website please use the“Customer IATA Code” and enter PLES* to receive the discounted rate.
* If you would like to book a room for more than two nights, or if you plan on booking a room after April 30th, please email the hotel at reservations@savoy.it and include our PCLES 2015 organizer, Svitlana Stepaniuk (stepaniuksvitlana@gmail.com) in the email!
June is considered high season in Rome, so we encourage you to book your hotels as soon as possible.
Other Options:
There are at least 10-12 other hotels in Via Veneto area of Rome, where The Savoy is located. The Westin Excelsior Rome (5 star hotel, now quoted at €475 per night), and Imperiale Hotel (4 star hotel, now quoted at €185 per night) are both within walking distance of the Savoy. Additional good value options may be available through Expedia and other hotel booking websites.
