Some of the Great Feedback from our
Tarot Art & History Tours of Italy
with Our Merry Band of Travelers
Mary K. Greer
(writer, historian & reviewer) went on our 2011 tour and kindly posted (11/22/11) on her well-traveled Blog:
I can’t emphasize enough, that if you want to have any idea of the world from which the Tarot emerged, you have to experience it for yourself!
Your days will be filled with the consciousness and beauty of the 14th and 15th centuries that created the base for the later Renaissance.
You’ll begin to understand in the constant mix of Pagan and Christian imagery, how their “Christian” mind-set was an amalgam of all the wisdom
that had come before and very different from how we think today. You’ll get an appreciation of the incomparable beauty of Italy and the
sophisticated allegorical thinking that had to go into the creation of the Tarot. Your tour guide, Morena Poltronieri of the Museo dei
Tarocchi, will introduce you to the secrets of the masons who built the churches and will reveal the influences of the real alchemists,
Templars, artists and philosophers who left their easily discerned marks on the buildings she knows so well.
Ellen Lorenzi-Prince
(artist & writer) also joined us in 2011; responded:
What an amazing time, made all the more special by the people who went and the people we met. I understood - Image as Language in a more powerful way than I ever had before. Go if you can.
Pamela Williams
(Poet, author of
Hair on Fire):
I went on the previous tour April of 2015 and it exceeded my wildest dreams. At the time I knew very little about tarot and planned the trip as a true leap of faith with a new partner. So, please take that
as an affirmation that following your intuition can bring you great magic, as well as an astoundingly rich cultural experience in a country of indescribable beauty, architecture, and history. You can go to
Arnell's web site to swoon over images of prior trips and there are more on my facebook page. And by the way, I would go again in a hearbeat! I'll add
too that I'm one of those people who always swore never to go on a tour! But like minded souls always make for great possibilities.
Tero Hynynen
(Tarot writer, teacher & film maker from Finland); joined our 1st & 3rd tours:
Love tarot? Love history? Love tarot history? Love Italy? Well what are you waiting for, sign up now?! Bella Italia awaits!
Gion Mathias Cavelty -
(Swiss author)
- from 2015 Tarot Tour:
...the last tour was fantastic. Really nice people. Hell, it was the greatest tour in my life.
Kat Conte
(Filmmaker, artist and Blogist extraordinaire) shares:
Last year was full of interesting encounters and travels around Italy. One of the best was this sojourn with a merry band of tarot travelers,
tracing the history, symbolism, and art of Tarot where it was originally found/created, in northern Italy. I wrote about it last year before the actual trip
here.
I am so glad I found Arnell Ando, host and organizer of this tour who is also a respected tarot artist and owner of an online
Tarot Emporium
for all your tarot needs and curiosities. She is both gracious and divine.
Lisa de St. Croix
(artist & deck creator; also shared her lovely tour journal on facebook):
I had such a wonderful time, many thanks for offering such a varied and interesting tour. The highlights for me were the Isis Temple, The Tarot Garden and the
Sienna Duomo. I also loved Osvaldo's shop and Morena's Museum and Garden Party. Oh and the Castle was wonderful, I especially liked the
evening of the Potluck when we played the Tarot Game and Carrie did Lenormand readings. Actually everything was fantastic; Ferrara, Bologna,
Florence and the Uffizi...this is what I hoped for from this trip and it is magic!
Three of my cards in
Tarot de St. Croix
were directly inspired by this amazing tour. Not only was it highly informative but it was a blast - I highly recommend it.
Ruthanne Martin
(Author & Tarot reader, living in France) wrote in great detail re: 2012 tour highlights and personal perceptions on her Blog, while including many powerful images.
Patty Brown
(Retired Art teacher & Tarot artist, shared her impressive tour journal; where she painted us all as the 22 Major Arcana archetypes, along with visions of places we traveled):
Thanks for a great adventure. I so enjoyed this experience with all of you. I too have been dreaming away - My spirit mind has not yet returned. So many images and ideas are floating about...my journey was deep
and wonderful. I have so many stories to tell. I feel a much deeper connection to the tarot and its European roots. What a rich history to explore. THANKS to all of you - as I also found kindred spirits -
creative, curious folks to share my journey with. You have really helped to boost my confidence as I journey into my artist life.
Morena, your wonderful stories and extensive knowledge of Tarot is truly inspirational. Your
Museo di Tarocchi
is a pure treasure. Thank you for sharing your expertise and passion.
Mary K. Greer
(author - wrote January 2017 - FB Post):
I went on an earlier tour with Arnell. It was extraordinary then and keeps getting better. It's the ideal way to get a feeling for the true history of Tarot.
Janet Berres
(Tarot reader, collector and Host of the infamous World Tarot Congress International Tarot Symposiums in Chicago) shared
this quickie on FB:
Your film is wonderful! It brings back so many happy memories! Thank you, Arnell, for everything!
Carrie Paris
(of Santa Fe’s Tarot Meet-up groups & Land of Enchantment Tarot Symposium):
I went last year and had a blast! The organizers are wonderful, the food amazing and the history indescribable. Such a great way to experience tarot...
Thank you all for sharing your joy, laughter and deep explorations throughout the adventure. I cherish the memory and carry it like Kodak snapshot in my heart.
Tracey Hoover
(Tarot writer & collector) writes:
I only "came back to earth" around last Thursday…several days before I could articulate this fantastic experience with friends and family. And, of course, added the new
Il Meneghello
and
Museo Dei Tarocchi
decks
to the inventory database and their new homes. For me, this trip was so rich in experience that it will take months to fully savor. Just being with people who have a common passion for Tarot was a natural high.
Marueen Murphy
(Tarot reader and artist) mentioned:
Missing all of our fun times with such a wonderful group of new friends. Thank you for making my dream come true!
Fern Mercier
(Tarot Facilitator in New Zealand, teacher, reader & author) shared:
Thank you. For all you've achieved this year in your tarot artwork and with the tarot tour. You are a living treasure. Sending much love and many blessings.
Michele Jackson
(artist & originator of the Tarot Passages site), from our 2011 tour wrote:
It was a wonderful trip! You and Mike did a great job. I know it was a lot of work but you both were up to the challenge...I got to see and do more than I would have had Leroy and I gone on our own.
Janet & Peter Terry
(Tarot reader & collector) wrote:
What a great trip and a lot of really nice people. Memories to last a lifetime. We appreciate all that the both of you did to accommodate everyone. Thank you and we hope to be on your list for the next trip.
Ellen O'Brien
(non-tarot traveler on our 2012 tour) wrote:
It was an Amazing journey! And I couldn’t think of a better group of people to take this journey with. I learned a lot, saw a lot,
experienced a lot! And mostly things I would probably never have known about. I thank you greatly, for such a wonderful experience.
You guys are very good at this tour business, and I wish you great success in your future tours! And Morena, was wonderful as well.
I learned a lot from listening to her talk about the various things and places we saw. Just Amazing. You and She make good Tour Guides!
Just wanted to say thank you for a wonderful trip! I have already referred your tour to other folks I know who are very much into
Tarot. So, maybe you’ll meet some of my friend’s in the future!
Dolphin
(Tarot reader) wrote:
I'm still absorbing the trip, happily landing slowly...In talking about our time I am particularly struck by the amazingness of how easily we came together and jumped into overlapping
lives and stories - enjoying and appreciating each other as much as la bella Italia. What a happy thing. I realize we were not a random
sample of humanity, but still...I was interested in and happy to be with every single woman (and Jim) (and Michael, Border collie) on the
trip. Each person was cool and fascinating, smart and funny. I enjoyed you all (especially when I imagine what it could have been like).
I'm cheered with hope for humanity (just a little). The pre-trip connections certainly set the tone. The website, links and photos, Arnell's frank, chatty, and personable e-mail put
me at-home before we ever met. The colorful collaged luggage tags were great. I found the packing suggestions to be helpful guidelines...The walking-around was not as strenuous as I had feared.
The chronology of the Duomos (Cathedrals) was, for me, perfect: going from the outrageous ornamentation of Milan to the surreal weird of
Bologna, followed by the calmer 'black' and white geometries of Siena - and culminating finally in the small quiet 'church of light' in Pienza made for a fine storyline, revelatory somehow, tho like many
Revelations, elusive. Morena is a rare jewel.
Diana Monti
(artist, writer & dreamer...and my big Sis) shared:
So many good memories it was a magical time for sure! I am still dreaming of the sights and everything learned! Arnell, I LOVE to see how this tour...has brought all these people together in their creativity! AND
now they are communicating/staying close, proof that it was a life altering tour!! You, Michael and Morena are amazing! For me, it was a trip of a lifetime so I am really loving all that you have shared.
Thank you so much! :) Peace and love
I can’t emphasize enough, that if you want to have any idea of the world from which the Tarot emerged, you have to experience it for yourself! Your days will be filled with the consciousness and beauty of the 14th and 15th centuries that created the base for the later Renaissance. You’ll begin to understand in the constant mix of Pagan and Christian imagery, how their “Christian” mind-set was an amalgam of all the wisdom that had come before and very different from how we think today. You’ll get an appreciation of the incomparable beauty of Italy and the sophisticated allegorical thinking that had to go into the creation of the Tarot. Your tour guide, Morena Poltronieri of the Museo dei Tarocchi, will introduce you to the secrets of the masons who built the churches and will reveal the influences of the real alchemists, Templars, artists and philosophers who left their easily discerned marks on the buildings she knows so well.
Ellen Lorenzi-Prince (artist & writer) also joined us in 2011; responded:
What an amazing time, made all the more special by the people who went and the people we met. I understood - Image as Language in a more powerful way than I ever had before. Go if you can.
Pamela Williams (Poet, author of Hair on Fire): I went on the previous tour April of 2015 and it exceeded my wildest dreams. At the time I knew very little about tarot and planned the trip as a true leap of faith with a new partner. So, please take that as an affirmation that following your intuition can bring you great magic, as well as an astoundingly rich cultural experience in a country of indescribable beauty, architecture, and history. You can go to Arnell's web site to swoon over images of prior trips and there are more on my facebook page. And by the way, I would go again in a hearbeat! I'll add too that I'm one of those people who always swore never to go on a tour! But like minded souls always make for great possibilities.
Tero Hynynen (Tarot writer, teacher & film maker from Finland); joined our 1st & 3rd tours:
Love tarot? Love history? Love tarot history? Love Italy? Well what are you waiting for, sign up now?! Bella Italia awaits!
Gion Mathias Cavelty - (Swiss author) - from 2015 Tarot Tour:
...the last tour was fantastic. Really nice people. Hell, it was the greatest tour in my life.
Kat Conte (Filmmaker, artist and Blogist extraordinaire) shares:
Last year was full of interesting encounters and travels around Italy. One of the best was this sojourn with a merry band of tarot travelers, tracing the history, symbolism, and art of Tarot where it was originally found/created, in northern Italy. I wrote about it last year before the actual trip here.
I am so glad I found Arnell Ando, host and organizer of this tour who is also a respected tarot artist and owner of an online Tarot Emporium for all your tarot needs and curiosities. She is both gracious and divine.
Lisa de St. Croix (artist & deck creator; also shared her lovely tour journal on facebook):
I had such a wonderful time, many thanks for offering such a varied and interesting tour. The highlights for me were the Isis Temple, The Tarot Garden and the Sienna Duomo. I also loved Osvaldo's shop and Morena's Museum and Garden Party. Oh and the Castle was wonderful, I especially liked the evening of the Potluck when we played the Tarot Game and Carrie did Lenormand readings. Actually everything was fantastic; Ferrara, Bologna, Florence and the Uffizi...this is what I hoped for from this trip and it is magic!
Three of my cards in Tarot de St. Croix were directly inspired by this amazing tour. Not only was it highly informative but it was a blast - I highly recommend it.
Ruthanne Martin (Author & Tarot reader, living in France) wrote in great detail re: 2012 tour highlights and personal perceptions on her Blog, while including many powerful images.
Patty Brown (Retired Art teacher & Tarot artist, shared her impressive tour journal; where she painted us all as the 22 Major Arcana archetypes, along with visions of places we traveled):
Thanks for a great adventure. I so enjoyed this experience with all of you. I too have been dreaming away - My spirit mind has not yet returned. So many images and ideas are floating about...my journey was deep and wonderful. I have so many stories to tell. I feel a much deeper connection to the tarot and its European roots. What a rich history to explore. THANKS to all of you - as I also found kindred spirits - creative, curious folks to share my journey with. You have really helped to boost my confidence as I journey into my artist life.
Morena, your wonderful stories and extensive knowledge of Tarot is truly inspirational. Your Museo di Tarocchi is a pure treasure. Thank you for sharing your expertise and passion.
Mary K. Greer (author - wrote January 2017 - FB Post): I went on an earlier tour with Arnell. It was extraordinary then and keeps getting better. It's the ideal way to get a feeling for the true history of Tarot.
Janet Berres (Tarot reader, collector and Host of the infamous World Tarot Congress International Tarot Symposiums in Chicago) shared this quickie on FB:
Your film is wonderful! It brings back so many happy memories! Thank you, Arnell, for everything!
Carrie Paris (of Santa Fe’s Tarot Meet-up groups & Land of Enchantment Tarot Symposium):
I went last year and had a blast! The organizers are wonderful, the food amazing and the history indescribable. Such a great way to experience tarot...
Thank you all for sharing your joy, laughter and deep explorations throughout the adventure. I cherish the memory and carry it like Kodak snapshot in my heart.
Tracey Hoover (Tarot writer & collector) writes:
I only "came back to earth" around last Thursday…several days before I could articulate this fantastic experience with friends and family. And, of course, added the new Il Meneghello and Museo Dei Tarocchi decks to the inventory database and their new homes. For me, this trip was so rich in experience that it will take months to fully savor. Just being with people who have a common passion for Tarot was a natural high.
Marueen Murphy (Tarot reader and artist) mentioned:
Missing all of our fun times with such a wonderful group of new friends. Thank you for making my dream come true!
Fern Mercier (Tarot Facilitator in New Zealand, teacher, reader & author) shared:
Thank you. For all you've achieved this year in your tarot artwork and with the tarot tour. You are a living treasure. Sending much love and many blessings.
Michele Jackson (artist & originator of the Tarot Passages site), from our 2011 tour wrote:
It was a wonderful trip! You and Mike did a great job. I know it was a lot of work but you both were up to the challenge...I got to see and do more than I would have had Leroy and I gone on our own.
Janet & Peter Terry (Tarot reader & collector) wrote:
What a great trip and a lot of really nice people. Memories to last a lifetime. We appreciate all that the both of you did to accommodate everyone. Thank you and we hope to be on your list for the next trip.
Ellen O'Brien (non-tarot traveler on our 2012 tour) wrote:
It was an Amazing journey! And I couldn’t think of a better group of people to take this journey with. I learned a lot, saw a lot, experienced a lot! And mostly things I would probably never have known about. I thank you greatly, for such a wonderful experience. You guys are very good at this tour business, and I wish you great success in your future tours! And Morena, was wonderful as well. I learned a lot from listening to her talk about the various things and places we saw. Just Amazing. You and She make good Tour Guides! Just wanted to say thank you for a wonderful trip! I have already referred your tour to other folks I know who are very much into Tarot. So, maybe you’ll meet some of my friend’s in the future!
Dolphin (Tarot reader) wrote:
I'm still absorbing the trip, happily landing slowly...In talking about our time I am particularly struck by the amazingness of how easily we came together and jumped into overlapping lives and stories - enjoying and appreciating each other as much as la bella Italia. What a happy thing. I realize we were not a random sample of humanity, but still...I was interested in and happy to be with every single woman (and Jim) (and Michael, Border collie) on the trip. Each person was cool and fascinating, smart and funny. I enjoyed you all (especially when I imagine what it could have been like). I'm cheered with hope for humanity (just a little). The pre-trip connections certainly set the tone. The website, links and photos, Arnell's frank, chatty, and personable e-mail put me at-home before we ever met. The colorful collaged luggage tags were great. I found the packing suggestions to be helpful guidelines...The walking-around was not as strenuous as I had feared.
The chronology of the Duomos (Cathedrals) was, for me, perfect: going from the outrageous ornamentation of Milan to the surreal weird of Bologna, followed by the calmer 'black' and white geometries of Siena - and culminating finally in the small quiet 'church of light' in Pienza made for a fine storyline, revelatory somehow, tho like many Revelations, elusive. Morena is a rare jewel.
Diana Monti (artist, writer & dreamer...and my big Sis) shared:
So many good memories it was a magical time for sure! I am still dreaming of the sights and everything learned! Arnell, I LOVE to see how this tour...has brought all these people together in their creativity! AND now they are communicating/staying close, proof that it was a life altering tour!! You, Michael and Morena are amazing! For me, it was a trip of a lifetime so I am really loving all that you have shared. Thank you so much! :) Peace and love
