Festive Tuscany

The tour starts at 4.00pm on Thursday 4 December, at Hotel Brunelleschi, Florence.

The tour ends after breakfast on Monday 15 December, at Palazzo Dipinto, Lucca, followed by a coach transfer to Florence Airport.

Our tour commences at the hotel in the late afternoon before we embark on an orientation stroll around our neighbourhood, tracing the Roman origins of ‘Florentia’. This evening we enjoy a welcome dinner and drinks together in a local restaurant. Overnight Florence (D)

The ‘sacred axis’ – the trio of buildings in Piazza San Giovanni that form the religious heart of the city – immerses us in the early history of Florence. For centuries, Florentine citizens treasured their urban centre as a kind of theatre for sacred rituals, and we begin the day exploring the sculptures, architecture and art in Florence’s magnificent Duomo, one of the largest churches in the world, as well as the Baptistery and Giotto’s belltower. We will also visit the Duomo Museum, which showcases an impressive reconstruction of the cathedral’s original 14th-century façade, as well as masterpieces by Arnolfo di Cambio, Donatello and Michelangelo. After enjoying lunch together, we continue on to the prestigious workshop and restoration laboratory of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, where, guided by a specialist from the workshop, we will explore the art of ‘pietra dura’ – an intricate form of inlay work using precious and semi-precious stones – used to adorn the city’s buildings since the 16th century. We then return to the hotel where the evening is at leisure. Overnight Florence (B, L)

The city of Florence is synonymous with the name “Medici” – no other family has had such a tremendous impact on the history of the city or in shaping its identity. In the 14th century, the family rose as wealthy bankers, before achieving lofty heights as cardinals and even popes. To understand Florence, one must understand the Medici who embodied the grand ambitions of so many famous Renaissance dynasties. This morning is dedicated to the origins of the family, beginning with the Convent of San Marco. In the 15th century, the Medici financed the entire rebuilding of this convent, paying for Fra Angelico’s workshop to fresco every cell. We then continue to the nearby Palazzo Medici Riccardi, the family’s first grand Florentine home, and here we have time to admire Benozzo Gozzoli’s frescoes in the Cappella dei Magi, a private chapel that glorifies the cultural contributions of two famous Medici – Cosimo the Elder and Piero the Gouty. Finally, we visit the Medici Chapels in the San Lorenzo complex to admire the allegorical sculptures by Michelangelo and the magnificent stone inlay decorations that celebrate the Medici as Grand Dukes of Tuscany. There will be free time for lunch and to enjoy the city before we reconvene for a concert or opera in one of Florence’s theatres (performance schedules permitting). Overnight Florence (B)

Performance I
Venue: To be advised
Program: To be advised

Our tour today will explore two very different, but equally beautiful, Florentine palazzi. We begin with the Palazzo Davanzati – a rare example of a 14th-century family home, built by the predecessors of the Medici, the banker family of Davizzi. The Palazzo’s architecture reveals the shift from the traditional medieval tower house to a lavish Renaissance palace, with the colourfully frescoed Hall of Parrots and Chamber of Peacocks swirling with French chivalric motifs and narratives which show the popularity of French culture in medieval Florence. In the afternoon, we visit the most grandiose of Florentine palazzi: the Pitti Palace. Built in the mid 15th century, it was purchased in 1549 by Eleonora da Toledo, the future wife of the Grand Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici, thus becoming the official residence of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany and later the Italian royal family. The Pitti Palace is a treasure trove of art from the Medici collections, including works by Caravaggio, Filippo Lippi, Raphael, Rubens and Titian. Weather permitting, we’ll also take a leisurely stroll through the Boboli Gardens, created by the Medici in the 16th century as a harmonious fusion of greenery, statuary, lakes and fountains. This evening we hope to enjoy a second performance in one of Florence’s theatres (schedules permitting). Overnight Florence (B)

Performance II
Venue: To be advised
Program: To be advised

Today we make an excursion by coach to the medieval hill town of Siena, stopping en route to explore the spectacular medieval stronghold of Monteriggioni, encircled by well-preserved stone walls and towers. Known as the “gateway to the Middle Ages,” Monteriggioni is a quintessential medieval fortress originally built by the Sienese in the 13th century to protect their front line from their rivals, the Florentines. We continue our journey to Siena, a jewel in the heart of Tuscany. Stunning at any time of the year, Siena takes on a magical visage during the Christmas period, when shops and cafés sell traditional Christmas delicacies and the city is beautifully illuminated with festive lights. We will tour the iconic Piazza del Campo and wander through Siena’s winding streets, with free time for lunch. We then visit Siena’s majestic Duomo, one of Italy’s most illustrious Romanesque and Gothic Cathedrals, as well as the atmospherically frescoed crypt and baptistery. We return to Florence in the late afternoon, where the evening is at leisure. Overnight Florence (B)

While Florence’s Duomo dominates the landscape of the city, the nearby sacred complex of Santa Croce has played a vital role in the city’s religious and civic life over the centuries, and we spend the first part of the morning exploring this majestic Franciscan basilica, where Giotto, Donatello and Brunelleschi experimented in art and architecture for wealthy private patrons. The church later became the burial place for famous Tuscans, including Machiavelli, Michelangelo and Galileo, a testament to its importance to the city. Our tour also takes in the celebrated 15th-century Pazzi Chapel, a serene and sacred space which stands as a paradigm of Renaissance architecture and ideologies, designed by Brunelleschi to a commission by Andrea de’ Pazzi, a member of one of Florence’s most influential families and who later became deadly rivals of the Medici. We take a break from history after our visit, as the piazza outside the church is the stage for the annual Christmas market with its many stalls selling crafts, gifts and seasonal food, and the afternoon will be free to explore the market and to enjoy the city at leisure. In the evening, we reconvene for a convivial dinner together at a typical Florentine trattoria. Overnight Florence (B, D)

The Galleria degli Uffizi is one of the most important collections of Western painting in the world, assembled thanks to the good taste (and forced acquisitions) of the Medici Grand Dukes of Tuscany. The works exhibited here – including ancient Roman sculptures and Renaissance paintings – are the foundation of many of our ideas about what constitutes great art. We dedicate our day to this extraordinary complex, beginning with a tour through the Vasari Corridor (subject to its re-opening after restoration). Built in 1564, the corridor connects two Medici properties: Palazzo Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti. After time for lunch, we continue into the Uffizi Gallery for an in-depth tour focussing on works by Cimabue, Giotto, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Bronzino, Caravaggio, Artemisa Gentileschi, Titian and Rembrandt, setting them in their broader cultural, religious and social contexts. In the late afternoon, we return to the hotel where the evening is at leisure. Overnight Florence (B)

Today, we follow in the footsteps of some of the great Tuscan sculptors. We begin at Orsanmichele, the former grain market of the medieval city. Later transformed into a church, the upper floor is now home to a museum which showcases medieval and Renaissance sculpture. Next, we move to the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, housed in the oldest public building in Florence and home to one of the most important collections of Italian Renaissance sculpture in the world. We will have time to marvel at the bronze and marble versions of the statue of David by Donatello and Verrocchio, works which illuminate the importance of the Biblical shepherd-king in the context of Florentine art and politics. After pausing for lunch together, we continue to the Galleria dell’Accademia, which houses Michelangelo’s profoundly moving Prisoners as well as the consummate symbol of the Florentine Renaissance: the statue of David. To round out the day, we will wander through the evocative Gypsotech – an Aladdin’s cave of 19th-century plaster casts which takes us into the world of Italian Romanticism. The rest of the evening is at leisure to enjoy the festive spirit in Florence. Overnight Florence (B, L)

This morning we bid farewell to Florence and travel by coach to the fairytale-like Tuscan town of Lucca. After checking in to our hotel we enjoy an in-depth exploration of the town, commencing with a tour of its ancient Roman past as we take in San Michele in Foro, once the area of the ancient Roman forum. Moving through the centuries, we then tour some of Lucca’s churches – fine exemplars of the Tuscan Romanesque style. Visiting the majestic cathedral of San Martino, with its beautifully sculpted medieval font, we will have a chance to see the ‘miraculous’ crucifix known as the Volto Santo and Jacopo della Quercia’s moving Tomb of Ilaria del Carretto,
a 15th-century Italian noblewoman and second wife of Paolo Guinigi, the lord of Lucca. In a talk this evening in our hotel, we will hear more about Lucca’s growth in wealth and status as it rose to fame during the Middle Ages, thanks to its prominence for silk manufacturing and aided by its strategic location on the medieval pilgrim route from Canterbury to Rome, known as the Via Francigena. We end the day with dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight Lucca (B, D)

Today, we take in the scenery of the region by boarding a train for Pisa, a town known for its iconic landmarks and rich cultural heritage. While beautiful all year round, Pisa takes on a particular allure at this time of year when it is draped with Christmas lights and festive decorations. Once a thriving Roman port, its strategic position on the mouth of the River Arno allowed Pisa to grow in importance from the 11th century when it became one of Italy’s great maritime republics. Our tour will focus on the aptly named Campo dei Miracoli (The Square of Miracles), whose remarkable sacred complex – the Duomo, Baptistery, the leaning campanile and the monumental Campo Santo cemetery – makes it one of the most breathtaking piazzas in Italy. Exploring the cemetery also reveals how fundamental its ancient Roman sarcophagi and other sculptural antiquities were to the birth of Renaissance art. After free time for lunch, there will also be time to wander through the famed Christmas markets of Pisa and enjoy the cozy atmosphere throughout the town. We return to Lucca by train, where the evening is at leisure. Overnight Lucca (B)

We begin our final day today with a talk on Lucca’s most famous former resident: the great opera composer Giacomo Puccini, who was born in Lucca in 1858 and who was descended from four generations of Lucchese musicians. The talk will be followed by a tour of the composer’s birth house, now a small museum which contains portraits, manuscripts and memorabilia. In the afternoon, we’ll stroll round a section of Lucca’s imposing Renaissance fortifications which form the second longest city walls in all Europe.  From there, we’ll visit one of Lucca’s palatial Baroque mansions: Palazzo Pfanner and its scenographic Italian gardens. Afterwards, there’ll be some free time to browse the town’s elegant shops or simply enjoy Lucca’s café life and the festive decorations that illuminate the city during the Christmas period. We’ll end the day with a farewell dinner together. Overnight Lucca (B, D)

Our tour concludes after breakfast in our hotel and is followed by a coach transfer back to Florence airport. (B)