State Bar of Wisconsin members and their guests enjoying the Amalfi coast in Italy.

For several years, the State Bar of Wisconsin has partnered with CLE Abroad™, a provider of customized educational travel programs, to bring members a unique and engaging way to earn continuing legal education (CLE). Working with our PINNACLE team, CLE Abroad™ tailors legal educational content with extraordinary travel experiences. To date, State Bar members have experienced the law, culture, history, and politics of Cuba, Morocco, Scotland, and Italy.

My wife, Martha, and I participated in the State Bar’s April 2024 trip to Italy. Doing so allowed me to appreciate the singular travel experiences we create for members.

The trip far exceeded our expectations. Our immersive engagement with each community we visited created lifelong memories and a better understanding of the Italian people, their culture, and their relationship to the rule of law.

In Rome, we visited the Corte Suprema di Cassazione (Italian Supreme Court). Accompanied by representatives of the Rome Bar Association, we toured the court, learned about the Italian judicial system, and met with a justice. We also visited the Reboa Law Firm to discuss COVID-19’s effect on their legal practice and an overview of Italian civil and criminal law.

In Florence, we learned about fashion and intellectual property law and legal aspects of higher education and advanced legal studies and attended a presentation on public speaking for lawyers. In Chianti, we discussed the history of Italian citizenship. And in Naples, over pizza, we learned the history of the Mafia Napoletana.

Our trip also included visits to the Vatican, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Rome’s Jewish ghetto, museums, the ruins of Pompeii, Capri, Sorrento, and the Amalfi coast and meals at “off the tourist path” restaurants serving some of the best food I have ever eaten. And bonus, actor Stanley Tucci was staying at our hotel in Rome. Nice guy. We even celebrated as one of our members became engaged to be married.

The trip was well organized, and the venues, hotels, food, tours, experiences, and CLE programming were high quality. Great camaraderie developed among the 24 of us. We visited a remarkable number of sites in several cities but never felt rushed. I appreciated the balance between organized activities and free time. This was not a standard group tour but a well-thought-out, organized effort that created memorable experiences, learning opportunities, and friendships.

We will soon be planning our next educational travel adventure. Let me know where you want to go and then join us!