Art Tour to Italy – Renaissance and Baroque Rome

Known to many as the "Eternal City", Rome is the capital of Italy, with an uninterrupted history spanning two and a half thousand years. As one of the founding cities of western civilization, Rome is filled with incredible historical sites. It is a city with many faces, encompassing medieval, renaissance, and modern. To define Rome is an impossible task, but to enjoy Rome is a wondrous experience.

This exotic palace was created by Carlo Maderna, Borromini and Bernini for Pope Urban VIII. Inside, the most famous feature is the Baroque Gran Salone, frescoed by Pietro da Cortona in the 17th century. The art collection on the first floor is one of Rome's best with works by Filippo Lippi, Rafael, Andrea del Sarto, El Greco, Holbein, Tintoretto, Caravaggio and Titian.

Enjoy an evening meal with your group.

Enjoy a guided tour through the spectacular remains of the Roman Empire. The Colosseum, considered to be the greatest symbol of Ancient Rome's power and glory, was completed under Titus in 80 A.D. We will also tour the ruins and excavations of the Roman Forum, which features the remains of magnificent temples, basilicas, and triumphal arches that once formed the heart of the Empire.

See the prison originally created as a cistern for a spring. It was typically reserved for higher-profile prisoners and those that posed a threat to the security of Rome; the most famous of these was St. Peter.

Enjoy a view of Trajan's Column and Market. Completed in 113 AD as a monument to the Emperor Trajan, the column is most famous for its spiral bas-relief. Also view the Victor Emmanuel Monument, a giant building created to honor the first king of a unified Italy.

Climb the long, sloping steps created by Michelangelo to Piazza del Campidoglio. Notice how it is a perfectly proportioned square highlighted by a bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius in the center.

Visit the Capitoline Museums, which house one of the greatest collections of classical sculpture in the world. Our visit includes the Picture Gallery, containing works from the 16th and 17th centuries by Caravaggio, Rubens, and Titian, among others.

Enjoy an evening meal with your group.

The Colosseum

The Colosseum could hold 55,000 spectators, on a par with many of today’s modern sports stadiums. Among the sights included is the Arch of Constantine, a triumphal arch finished in 315 A.D., commemorating the victory of Constantine I over Maxentius in the year 312 A.D.

Experience a specialist-guided tour of the Vatican City, including the Museums, home to one of the world's most impressive collections of art. Our tour includes the map tapestry rooms, the magnificent Raphael Rooms, and the spectacular Sistine Chapel, highlighted by Michelangelo's ceiling and his Last Judgment. We will continue into St. Peter's Square to visit St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the western world and the center of Catholicism. Highlights of our visit include Michelangelo's Pieta and Bernini's magnificent Baldacchino over the high altar.

Make a brief stop at the church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva to view Michelangelo’s The Redeemer, a marble figure of Christ with his arms around The Cross.

Visit Rome's best-preserved monument. The Pantheon is a masterpiece of architecture with its huge hemispherical dome. It also contains the tombs of the kings of Italy and that of the artist, Raphael.

This evening we will dine in the Piazza Navona area. Built on the foundations of Domitian's Circus, this magnificent square was designed by Borromini in the 17th century. It is full of life and is highlighted by one of Rome's most spectacular fountains, the Four Rivers designed by Bernini. The square is often filled with local artists. The surrounding neighborhood is also one of the best places in Rome to get a tasty tartufo or gelato ice cream.

The Vatican Museums

Founded in the early 16th century, the Vatican Museums contain approximately 70,000 works. Twenty thousand are on display in 54 different galleries.

 

Visit the Church of Santa Maria della Vitoria, highlighted by the Cornaro Chapel, featuring Bernini's The Ecstasy of St. Teresa.

Visit the museum that features an impressive collection that includes sculptures by Bernini, such as Apollo and Daphne, and masterpieces by 16th and 17th century Italian artists, such as Raphael, Correggio, Titian, and Caravaggio.

View the Piazza del Popolo en route to see the church of Santa Maria del Popolo. The highlight of this magnificent church is the Chigi Chapel, begun by Raphael and completed by Bernini. We will also view Caravaggio’s two works in the Cerasi Chapel, the Crucifixion of St. Peter and the Conversion of St. Paul.

See the Contarelli Chapel, featuring three paintings by Caravaggio based on scenes from the life of St. Matthew.

Enjoy an evening meal with your group.

Visit the cathedral church of the diocese of Rome. The interior is credited to Borromini, and remains believed to have been painted by Giotto have also been discovered.

See the influential baroque church designed by Francesco Borromini as part of a small monastery for a community of Spanish monks. Built on a cramped and difficult site at the crossroads of Quattro Fontane (Four Fountains), one of which is built into a niche in the church wall. This is the first church he built in Rome.

Here, we visit Sant'Andrea delle Fratte, rebuilt partly by Borromini in the 17th century. Although it contains wonderful work by the master, the Church is better known for the angels his rival Bernini carved originally for the Ponte Sant'Angelo, but housed in the Church since 1729.

Explore the seventeenth century Baroque church that faces onto the Piazza Navona. The church was built on the site where the early Christian Saint Agnes was martyred in the ancient Stadium of Domitian. The rebuilding of the church was begun in 1652 at the instigation of Pope Innocent X whose family palace, the Palazzo Pamphili, faced onto the piazza and was adjacent to the site of the new church. The church was to be effectively a family chapel annexed to their residence. Most of the design is attributed to two of the foremost Baroque architects of the day; Francesco Borromini and the sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini.

Across the Piazza Navona we see Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza. No other Baroque Church is quite like this one, with an astonishing geometrical design by Borromini of concave and convex walls and surfaces.

Our final visit is to San Giovanni dei Fiorentini in the Campo de' Fiori area. Although the principal architect was Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, the altar is by Borromini who is buried in the Church.

Enjoy an evening meal with your group.

Visit the church founded in the 5th century to house the chains that bound St. Peter in Palestine, now preserved under glass. We will also view the tomb of Pope Julius II, crowned by one of Michelangelo’s most famous sculptures, Moses.

Explore Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio di Loyola, which together with Il Gesu form the center of Jesuit Rome. The vast interior is lined with precious stones, marble, stucco and gilt work and the cupola that was never built is a fake perspective.

See what is was like to live in an 18th century palace. Around the central court we view the picture gallery with a memorable collection of frescoes, paintings and sculpture. Most important are the Portrait of Innocent X by Velasquez, Salome by Titian, works by Rubens and Caravaggio, the Bay of Naples by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, and a copy of Raphael's portrait of Principessa Giovanna d'Aragona de Colonna (who looks remarkably like Leonardo's Mona Lisa).

This evening we will dine near the spectacular Trevi Fountain where it is traditional to toss a coin into the fountain to ensure a safe return to The Eternal City. Spend time at Rome's meeting place, the Piazza di Spagna, home of the famous Spanish Steps. The Piazza and steps are both named in reference to a 16th century Spanish ambassador who lived here. English poet John Keats lived and died in the house to the right of the steps, which is now a memorial.