The Splendors of Rome and Florence

The Splendors of Rome and Florence (with the Columbia Museum of Art)

May 6-16, 2011

Join Dr. Todd Herman, Chief Curator and Curator of European Art at the Columbia (SC) Museum of Art, and Prof. Daniel Lesnick, owner/operator of Italy Adagio, for ten unforge ttable springtime days in Rome and Florence – traveling from the humble origins of Roman Antiquity to Classical Rome, through the mystical Middle Age and the glories of the Renaissance, to the thrilling counterpoint of the Baroque. As usual, we’ll be staying in lovely, centrally located 4- and 3-star lodgings.

Rome Highlights

  • The 1st-century-A.D. Colosseum and the Roman forums, the center of government, state religions, law, and commerce of ancient Rome.
  • The 3-level Church of San Clemente (ancient Roman, 4th-8th century, and 12th-15th century).
  • St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museums, focusing on the Etruscan Museum and the Pio-Clementine Museum, containing such masterpieces as the Apollo Belvedere, the Laocoön, and the Belvedere Torso.
  • Our private after-hours guided visit of the Sistine Chapel and Raphael Stanze in the Vatican Museums.
  • Piazza Navona (cite of the 1st-century Stadium of Domitian), with Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s “Fountain of the Four Rivers”.
  • Palazzo Spada, one of the most elegant examples of the Roman Baroque residence.
  • Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, including paintings by Raphael, Carracci, Velasquez, and Caravaggio.
  • The Pantheon, arguably the most awe-inspiring intact edifice of Classical Rome.
  • The Villa Farnesina, a lavish exemplar of High Renaissance villa/palace architecture and adorned with paintings by Raphael, Giulio Romano, Sebastiano del Piombo, and Sodoma.
  • The Villa Borghese Gallery, a veritable feast of masterpieces by Raphael, Caravaggio, and Bernini – to name just a few.

Florence Highlights

  • The Duomo (Cathedral), topped by Brunelleschi’s spectacular Cupola
  • The Romanesque Baptistery, with dazzling Venetian-Byzantine ceiling mosaics and, on the outside, Ghiberti’s Bronze Doors
  • The Signoria, the seat of Florentine government from the 1290s to the present day, and the adjacent ceremonial Loggia dei Lanzi (displaying ancient Roman statuary, Benvenuto Cellini’s bronze “Perseus with the Head of Medusa,” and Giambologna’s spiraling “Rape of the Sabine Women).
  • The Dominican cloister of San Marco, where Beato Fra Angelico frescoed each of the monks’ cells.
  • The Academia Gallery, with Michelangelo’s “David” and his “Slaves”.
  • The Medici Chapels, with the dazzling Chapel of the Princes and Michelangelo’s New Sacristy with monumental tombs surmounted by his sculptures of “Dawn and Dusk” and “Night and Day”.
  • The Bargello (National Sculpture Museum), the 14th-century Palace of the Captain of Justice and now the repository for works by Donatello, Ghiberti, the della Robbias, and Michelangelo.
  • Artigianato e Palazzo (a truly special annual event held in the garden of Palazzo Corsini al Prato), a spectacular display of handmade products by more than 80 master traditional artisans, who show their work and the secrets behind them, including iron-forging, woodcarving, glass blowing, artisanal jewelry, shoe making, and much more.
  • The Uffizi Gallery, arguably the world’s most spectacular collection of Renaissance Art, featuring paintings by Giotto, Piero della Francesca, Botticelli, and Leonardo da Vinci.
  • Daytrip in Tuscany, with visits to Siena, San Gimignano “delle belle torri” (of the beautiful towers – Tuscany’s most perfectly preserved medieval hill town), and a winery (with wine-tasting) in the Chianti Hills.
  • The Pitti Palace galleries, including paintings by Raphael, Titian, and Rubens – and an extraordinary collection of precious pieces including rock crystal vases and works in semi-precious stones, ivory, gems, cameos, silver, carpets, clocks, and chinoiserie).

Land Cost

$4,600 per person in double rooms.
$5,300 per person in single rooms.

The cost is for the Italy land portion of your tour only and is based on 20-25 group members and an exchange rate of €1.00 = $1.25. Cost is therefore subject to change.

Your tour cost covers all of this:

  • Rome airport-hotel and Florence hotel-airport group transfer.
  • Private air-conditioned motor coach for all program excursions and transfers.
  • 4- and 3-star hotels (or equivalent) for 10 nights (breakfasts included).
  • Four group dinners.
  • Special wine-tasting.
  • All private guided tours and related museum reservations and entrance fees.
  • Exclusive private after-hours visit of the Sistine Chapel.
  • Admission to Artigianato e Palazzo.
  • CMA curator escort (fluent in Italian) for entire tour.
  • Expert tour leader (fluent in Italian) for time in Italy, from airport pick-up to airport drop-off.

Payment Schedule & Cancellation Policy

Your $1,000 per person deposit secures your place on this limited-space tour.  Please send checks payable to “Italy Adagio”  to Prof. Daniel Lesnick, Italy Adagio, 2021 21st Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35209.  The balance of your tour payment is due, as above, by November 15, 2010.

Should Prof. Lesnick receive written cancellation of your trip by January 15, 2011, a full refund of recoverable costs, less a $1000-per-person cancellation charge, will be made. Cancellations received after January 15, 2011, are not eligible for refunds. (If you have any concerns about eventually having to cancel due to personal or family illness, it is strongly recommended that you purchase trip-cancellation insurance.)

For more information or to guarantee your place, click here.