Join us on a fascinating tour through Tuscany and Umbria discovering the master works by the great artists of the Medieval and Renaissance periods. Using an effective combination of multimedia lectures and field trips, we learn about and visit fabulous works of Art, many of which are off the beaten-track and still in their original settings. This way we build a historical framework and open a window onto one of the richest and most intriguing periods in the history of Western European Art.
Painting, frescoes, sculpture, architecture, stained glass and manuscript illumination are all featured on this tour. Our lectures and excursions are stimulating and rewarding, helping you to both feel what the artist felt and understand the processes and techniques through which they expressed themselves.
We also discuss the society that the artists lived in, the political, social and religious climate, the rediscovery of classical antiquity, patronage and the world around them at this very dynamic time, for all of these profoundly influenced their work. There is a high level of educational content and our tutors have been chosen for their skill and approachable manner and will make your week interesting, stimulating, rewarding and enjoyable.
Finally, let’s not forget that there is another very important Italian form of art – Food! Each day you will be introduced to new and different tastes; fresh pasta & sauces, fine wine, pecorino cheese, truffles, wild boar: A delicious palate of local specialties to be enjoyed both at our enchanting accommodations and in local restaurants. There is even a musical soiree for you to relax and enjoy at our home. A journey is a precious moment and we are sure you will go home with memories to treasure forever.
Itinerary
Day 1
Arrival in Etruscan Cortona
We meet you between 14.00 and 16.00 at Cortona station, easily reached from Rome, Milan and Florence. Relax and settle in at Il Molino di Bordone our beautiful 17C country house which will become your home for the week. Enjoy a stroll around our gardens and then join us for a welcome cocktail party. While our local cook prepares dinner, listen to a short presentation of the week’s program.
Day 2
Arezzo & Cortona
Arezzo is a delight to stroll through with a beautifully preserved medieval square, Piazza Grande (where the film Life is Beautiful was filmed). Our main focus is the famous cycle of frescoes ‘The Legend of the True Cross’ by Piero della Francesca in the Basilica of San Francesco. We also visit the fine Romanesque church of Santa Maria della Pieve and the splendid Gothic Duomo. The afternoon is dedicated to strolling in Cortona to see the 13th century monastery of Le Celle and the Sanctuary of Santa Margherita, where the mummified body of St. Margaret is on view, and an overall look at this ancient city, its gates, walls and medieval houses. The works of Fra Angelico & Luca Signorelli are featured in the Museo Diocesano and San Nicolò.
Day 3
Monte Oliveto & Pienza & San Biagio
Perched in the midst of spectacularly eroded landscape, the Crete Senese, we find the 13c Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore and a fine cycle of Renaissance frescoes by Il Sodoma & Luca Signorelli depicting the life of St Benedict. We explore the tiny Renaissance town of Pienza, (the setting for the film ‘The English Patient’) probably the earliest example of town planning and built for architectural harmony by the humanist & scholar Pope Pius II Piccolomini. In the afternoon we stop to admire one of the most harmonious Renaissance churches in Italy, the Tempio di San Biagio, a masterpiece by Antonio da Sangallo based on unused plans by Bramante for the reconstruction of St Peter’s Rome. Evening lecture of on medieval art & architecture.
Day 4
Assisi & Perugia
Perugia is Umbria’s great artistic capital and the birthplace of the great Umbrian artist Il Perugino (Pietro Vannucci). The Corso Vannucci sports some of the most important medieval buildings in Italy. Guided tour of the art works in the Galleria Nazionale & Collegio del Cambio. In the afternoon we visit the Basilica di S.Francesco in Assisi to see Giotto’s masterpiece frescoes about the life of St. Francis and works by many others such as Cimabue & Lorenzetti. The range and quality of these worksof art gives the basilica a unique importance in demonstrating the development of Italian art of this period. After some leisure time we make our way to Montefalco, the balcony of Umbria, to discover some hidden treasures Benozzo Gozzoli and enjoy a wine tasting in the square.
Day 5
Orvieto
Morning lecture on cathedral building and free time to relax at Il Molino di Bordone.
Etruscan Orvieto sits spectacularly on a tabletop of volcanic tufa whose sheer sides drop to 325m. We begin our tour at the
famous Pozzo di San Patrizio (1527) with its fascinating double helix staircase 248 steps down and
62m deep designed by architect Antonio da Sangallo. From here we make our way through the narrow streets of the medieval town
to Lorenzo Maitani’s Duomo, one of the greatest gothic buildings in Italy to take a closer look at
the breathtaking bas relief sculpted on the façade. Once inside we enter the side chapel of S.Brizio, to feast our eyes on the
amazing frescoes of The Last Judgement by Fra Angelico & Luca Signorelli.
Day 6
Siena
Untouched by the bombings of WW2, Siena is the best preserved Gothic City in Italy. We visit the Duomo with masterpieces by Duccio, Pisano, Lorenzetti, Donatello and Michelangelo and frescoes by Pinturicchio in the Piccolomini library, the visual impact of which is stunning. After a break for lunch we continue with a visit to the Pinacoteca Nazionale Gallery and to the Palazzo Pubblico with the fresco of "Good & Bad Government" by Ambrogio Lorenzetti. Our visit to the city of Siena ends in Piazza del Campo, one of the most beautiful squares in Italy.
Day 7
Florence
The morning is devoted to the Duomo, Tower & Baptistery, in particular Ghiberti’s Doors of Paradise and a stroll through the heart of Florence over the Ponte Vecchio, past the Pitti Palace and along the river Arno to give us a taste of this Renaissance city. Our afternoon includes the Piazza della Signoria, an open-air museum of sculpture, the Uffizi Gallery, with works by da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian and Botticelli, and the Church of Santa Croce, highlighted by the impressive tombs of Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Dante and Galileo.
Day 8
Departure day
We say ‘arrivederci’. It is possible for us to help you book extra nights in Florence before you continue your journey in Italy.
