The Renaissance in Northern Italy: Verona, Venice and the Po Valley
May 27 – June 7, 2016
Our adventure begins in the splendid city of beautiful city of Verona. During our stay we will
visit the many distinctive monuments, both Roman and Renaissance, of this sophisticated city
while still allowing time for you to visit its distinctive coffee bars, roam through the piazzas, and
take in the views from its beautiful bridges. Verona, with its prime location within easy reach of
many of the sights we will enjoy, will be our base for the first half of our tour. (Sparing us all a
lot of packing and unpacking.)
From Verona, we will make a short trip west to scenic Lake Garda, the largest of Italy’s lakes.
Here we will tour the Sirmione Peninsula, a finger of land which projects into the lake and a
center of strategic importance since the stone age. During our time here we will visit the 13th C.
Rocca Scaligera and the Grotte of Catullo, a resort complex built for wealthy Romans in 1 BC as
well as enjoying the charming town and beautiful scenic walks with views of the tranquil lake at
the foot of the majestic snow capped Alps.
While traveling back to Verona we pass will through the heart of the Valpolicella wine district
stopping at a splendid Renaissance villa to enjoy a tasting of the most important wines of the
region.
Another day trip will be a to Vicenza the adopted home of the great architect Palladio (150880). In this splendid city, we will visit Palladio’s most famous works including the Teatro
Olimpico, the Villa Rotonda and the Villa Valmarana.
Slightly out of the Veneto and into the southeast corner of Lombardy lies the city of Mantua.
Like Verona, a Renaissance center of culture, the princely court of the Gonzaga family attracted
many of the great artists and intellectuals of the period. We will tour the magnificent Palazzo
Ducale, more of a city than a building, and see Mantegna’s masterpiece, the Camera degli Sposi
among many other riches.
Later in the week we will visit the city of Ravenna, once capital of the Roman Empire and
Byzantium. Ravenna was the last city of the ancient western empire and the first great city of
the medieval world. Justinian the Great, a Christian emperor of Byzantine and the last emperor
of Rome to speak Latin as his native language, sought to restore the crumbling western Roman
Empire by making Ravenna a bastion of civilization and culture. Within the churches and
monuments dating from the 5th Century are some of the most spectacular mosaics in the world.
Next we leave lovely Verona and traveling toward Venice , we visit Padua, a secular and sacred
pilgrimage city both for art lovers and followers of St. Anthony. Here, we will encounter
masterpieces of two of the greatest artists in Western art: Giotto’s breathtaking fresco cycle of
the Scovegni Chapel, his most fully complete and best preserved work; and Donatello’s
creations for the Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padova, including the astounding bronze
equestrian statue of “Gattamelata.” Later in the day, we will visit the historic University of
Padua.
Finally, we enter into the magical atmosphere of Venice, “La Serenissma”, where we will reside
for the final four nights of our tour. We will spend ourdays of exploring both its artistic
patrimony as well as perhaps the most fascinating urban environment ever devised by human
imagination. Among the sights we will visit are the Basilica of San Marco, the Doge’s Palace,
the Accademia, I Frari and still leave you plenty of free time to wander the city on your own
and experience the magic of Venice’s mysterious charm.
The tour leaders will be Associate Professor of Philosophy, Francis J. Ambrosio, Director, Doctor
of Liberal Studies Program, and Ms. Deborah Warin, Director, Renaissance Tours Company, LLC,
Georgetown University Instructor, former Director of Continuing Education and lecturer at
Georgetown University, and author of the forthcoming book, Battista Sforza and the Court of
Urbino. Together they have led more than 30 previous Liberal Studies tours to Italy.
Detailed Itinerary
Friday, May 27
Travelers arrive at our hotel in Verona for the first five nights of our tour. In the evening, we
gather for a welcome reception and orientation before walking to dinner together at a nearby
restaurant.
Saturday, May 28
We will spend today visiting the principal sites of Verona: the Arena, the Roman amphitheater
(accommodating an audience of 25,000), the Castelvecchio and the Museo d’Arte within it, the
work of Mantegna, Pisanello, the Bellini, and Stefano da Verona; Chiesa di Sant’ Anastasia with
its impressive frescoes and unique terracotta figures in the Cappella Pellegrini.
Sunday, May 29
From Verona we travel for the day to Vicenza, city of Andrea Palladio, the most influential and
imitated architect in the world. Vicenza, a UNESCO world heritage Site since 1994 is home to
Palladio’s best works, including the famous Teatro Olimpico. This sparkling Renaissance city
with its elegant Palladian palaces, beautiful piazzas, continues to thrive as the cosmopolitan
capital of the Veneto and one of the wealthiest cities in Italy. Our visit here will be especially
memorable as we are guided by a renowned Palladio scholar.
Monday, May 30
We travel a short distance to Lake Garda, the easternmost, largest and to many the most
beautiful of the Italian Lakes. Our trip will takes us through the gorgeous Valpolicella wine
district and of course, wine tasting will be a part of our excursion to the Sirmione Peninsula.
The Roman poet Catullus was born here in 84 BC. The Grotte de Catullo, a complex of ruins of
villas, baths, shops where wealthy Romans came to play. The Rocca Scaligera built in the 13th
Century still stands guard over the peninsula with its lakeside walkways, elegant spas, and
charming medieval streets.
In the afternoon we will visit the splendid Renaissance palazzo Villa della Torre now owned by
Allegrini one of the top producers of Amarone wine. Here we will have a seated wine tasting of
the distinctive wines from the Valpolicella region.
Tuesday, May 31
Mantova (Mantua) in Lombardy. Birthplace of Virgil (70 BC) is our destination. Home of the
Gonzaga family, Mantua like Verona became another great intellectual and artistic center of
Renaissance. We will visit the majestic and somewhat imposing Palazzo Ducale of the Gonzaga
including the very famous Camera degli Sposi (Room of the Spouses) with its celebrated
frescoes by Andrea Mantegna. Later, there will be an option to visit the Palazzo Te, built and
decorated in the Mannerist style or you may choose to spend your time strolling the lovely and
lively city.
Wednesday, June 1
Today is dedicated to visiting Ravenna. Once the capital of the Roman Empire and Exarchate of
Byzantium, Ravenna is home to the famous elaborate mosaics from the 5 th and 6th centuries.
These breathtaking mosaics are considered to be the last great work of art from the ancient
world and the first of the medieval world. In the Basilica di San Vitale, the Emperor Justinian, his
entourage, and, opposite, his wife Theodosia and her attendants, gaze at us across 1500 years
in the presence of a beardless Christ. Together we will visit the mid-5th C Mausoleo di Galla
Palacidia (considered by some to be the most beautiful and haunting of the sites), Basilica di
San Vitale, Basilica di Sant’Apollinare Nuovo and make a short journey to the Basilica di
Sant’Apollinare in Classe.
Thursday, June 2
Padua is our focus for the day, site of the Scrovegni Chapel with the superlative fresco cycle
painted in 1305-10 by Giotto. The 39 frescoes, the only fresco cycle of Giotto wholly intact,
illustrate the lives of Mary and Jesus and include Giotto’s Last Judgment. Recently restored, the
brilliance and sophistication of Giotto’s masterpiece is breathtaking. After, we will have an
extended visit to one of the most important pilgrimage churches, the Basilica of San
Antonio. Inside Il Santo with its magnificent nave, is the Capella dell’ Arco del Santo,the chapel
of the tomb of St Anthony by Tiziano Aspetti. On the high altar, are situated the dramatic
bronze statues and reliefs by Donatello. Outside the church is the famous equestrian statue of
the Venetian leader Gattamelata, a masterpiece by Donatello (1453) and the first Renaissance
bronze equestrian monument.
Later in the day we will visit the University of Padova’s one of the oldest in Europe (1222). Here
Galileo taught and here, Copernicus, Pietro Bembo, Tasso, Sir Francis Wallingham, Francis des
Sales, Casanova and many other famous names were students. Our visit here will center on
Palazzo Bo which holds the first anatomical theater as well as the lecture hall of Galileo.
In the late afternoon we will arrive in Venice where we will travel by private water taxis
through the mystical canals of the most romantic of cities arriving at the doorstep of our hotel
near the Piazza San Marco.
Friday, June 3 – Monday June 6
Over the course of the next three days, we will visit the Basilica of Mark and the Piazza San
Marco, the sacred and secular heart of the city, the Palazzo Ducale, which served as the
residence of doges and the seat of government from the 12-17C, and the Galleria dell’
Accademia, housing the most important Venetian art from 14-18C including the works of
Bellini, Titian, Giorgione, Mantegna, and Carpaccio. Together we will also visit the
monumental Church of Santa Maria dei Frari and view one of Titian’s most famous works The
Assumption of the Virgin as well as his Madonna di Ca’ Pesaro. Here too are Bellini’s Frari
altarpiece Madonna and Child with Saints and Donatello’s St. John the Baptist.
We’ve allowed plenty of free time in Venice to enjoy the legendary city La Serenissima (“the
most serene”) as you wander over its many bridges and canals and experience its changing
light and mood. Mysterious, regal, exotic, a labyrinth of streets and canals, for centuries the city
has exuded a power to transfix its visitors with its elusive, magical character.
Finally, on Monday evening June 6, we gather for our Cena Addio - our farewell dinner.
Tuesday, June 7
Breakfast and departure. Arrivederci e Buon Viaggio!
**N.B.: Although the tour officially concludes with dinner on Monday, June 2 the price of the
hotel stay that night and breakfast the following morning are included in the price of the
program.
Program Notes:
Participants are responsible for arranging their own transportation to Verona, arriving at
the hotel in Verona on Friday, May 27 for the opening reception beginning at 6:30 pm. The
welcome reception and dinner following is included in the price of the tour, as is the farewell
dinner on the last night of the tour in Venice. Breakfast is included each day in the Hotels. All
other meals are at the expense of participants. The tour officially concludes with the farewell
dinner in Venice. All arrangements for subsequent travel and accommodation are solely the
responsibility of the participant.
In addition to the accommodations specified below, the cost of the tour includes ground
transportation and admission fees for all activities included in the itinerary. Participants are
themselves responsible for all charges, including room charges and hotels, incurred in
connection with any activity not explicitly specified in the itinerary.
Level of Physical Activity: The nature of the tour program and the type of sites which
the group will visit make for a moderately strenuous routine; those who need to limit their
physical activity or who cannot easily walk longer distances are strongly encouraged to consult
with the tour leaders prior to reserving space. The Directors reserve the right to limit individual
participation in group activities at their sole discretion in cases where the group’s interests
might be adversely affected.
Accommodations: Cost is based on double occupancy in hotels. In some cases single
rooms might be available at the hotels for a supplemental charge. All hotels are three or four
star and have been carefully chosen for their location, comfort and quality of service. A list of
hotels will be provided separately to registered participants. Room assignments are made by
the hotel management. Breakfast is included each day at the hotel.
Reservations: Places on the tour are limited to a maximum of 18 participants to ensure
the comfort and focused attention of the group experience. As a result, places on the tour will
be reserved in the order in which deposits are received. Places may be reserved by completing
the application form in the "Make a Reservation" section of the website, either online or by
mail, and returning it with a deposit of one thousand dollars per person. Deposits are
refundable according to the terms specified on the Reservation Form. Payments may be made
by credit card or check. The balance must be paid in full by April 1, 2016. Refunds in the event
of cancellation are subject to the restrictions outlined in the Terms and Conditions section of
this website. Please be sure to read these carefully before submitting a deposit. Travelers are
strongly urged to purchase separate travel insurance including coverage for cancellation loss to
protect themselves in the event that they are unable to travel for any reason.
All details of the itinerary subject to change based on availability of accommodations,
changes in opening\closing schedules, acts of God and any other cause beyond the immediate
and direct control of the Tour Directors.