Alumni Travel Program

September 2025: Portugal

Alumni and friends are invited to participate in our first Alumni Travel Program trip to Portugal!

September 28 - October 6, 2025


Program Overview

Be captivated by Portugal’s best-kept secret; the beautiful Alentejo region dotted with olive and cork trees that boasts a first-rate reputation for outstanding cuisine and wines. Settle in for six nights at a deluxe hotel in Vila Viçosa, one of the Alentejo’s gleaming marble towns, and then set off to explore! See Elvas’ 17th-century fortifications, gaze over the gorgeous countryside from hilltop Monsaraz, and delight in Évora, the Alentejo’s capital city with a medley of stunning architecture that evokes Portugal’s richly layered history. You’ll also savor Portugal’s iconic fado music and wonderful culinary experiences, including a hands-on cooking lesson in a private home, a delectable meal at a family-owned winery, a special olive oil tasting, and a farmers market tour with tasty samples! Plus, enjoy one night in Lisbon to revel in its spectacular Old-World grandeur, and visit Spain to admire Mérida’s impressively preserved Roman ruins and lovely Olivenza. This small-group program features expert guides and lecturers and an ample meal plan with wine at dinner. Solo-friendly—no single supplement!

Geneseo's Melanie Medeiros, Professor of Anthropology, will accompany the trip. A dual citizen of Portugal and the U.S., Melanie grew up in an Azorean Portuguese immigrant community in Rhode Island before attending college at the American University in Washington, D.C. After completing a B.A. in International Relations, Melanie served more than 3.5 years as a rural health Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal, West Africa. She went on to receive her M.A. and Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Arizona's School of Anthropology. A Professor of Anthropology, Melanie has been a member of the Geneseo faculty since 2014.

If you have questions, please email Michelle Worden '92, Associate Director of Alumni Relations, worden@geneseo.edu or call 585-245-5157.

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