TOUR PROGRAM

Day 1
Renaissance day at Florence (accommodation for 2 nights)
Florence, cradle of Italian art. Describing Firenze from the artistic point of view in a complete way is really a great achievment, because of the extent of its wealth, which represents a treasure not only for Italy, but for the whole world. What we would like to do is to give at least a general picture of its wonders. An entire day dedicated to visit Uffizi Gallery, one of the most famous museums of paintings and sculpture in the world. Its collection of Primitive and Renaissance paintings comprises several universally acclaimed masterpieces of all time, including works by Giotto, Simone Martini, Piero della Francesca, Fra Angelico, Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Mantegna, Correggio, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo and Caravaggio. German, Dutch and Flemish masters are also well represented with important works by Dürer, Rembrandt and Rubens.
The Uffizi Gallery occupies the top floor of the large building erected by Giorgio Vasari.
The Vasari Corridor, the raised passageway connecting the Uffizi with the Pitti Palace, was built by Vasari in 1565. It is hung with an important collection of 17th-century paintings and the famous collection of artists self-portraits.

Day 2
Miracle Square day-trip
Pisa is one of the greatest Italian cultural centers and preserves a rich artistic heritage. The most important monuments of Pisa stand in Piazza dei Miracoli. In this square you can see: the Duomo, Santa Maria Assunta with the Leaning Tower, the Battistero, the Gallery that surrounds the Camposanto, the Cappella del Pozzo and all the monuments strictly made of white Carrara marble. In the Duomo Museum you can appreciate some artistic works that belong to all the town’s churches and the treasure of the Duomo. In Pisa you can also find the Domus Galileiana, where Galileo Galilei probably lived. Possibility to visit San Matteo National Museum and its precious picture-gallery, one of the most important in the world where are preserved paintings of Masaccio and Beato Angelico and sculptures of Donatello and Nicola Pisano.

Day 3
Genoa day (accommodation for 1 night)
From Tuscany we will move to Liguria. Genoa (166 km), region main town, is historically and culturally rich in beautiful monuments and special places, as the area of Porto Antico, a suburb which is dedicated to culture and free time. In this area you can find the Aquarius, the Antarctica Museum, the City of Children, made in the Cotton Palace, and the Sea Pavilion. Then you can visit the typical fishers’s suburbs and the lanes of the Old Town , next to the port, called carruggi.
The town centre is rich of medieval palaces: one of the most important palaces of the town centre is the Ducal Palace, the old seat of the Genoese Republic’s Government, dated back to the 13th century, and the the majestic Porta Soprana Towers.
Moreover, the imposing St Lawrence’s Cathedral, the aristocratic churches of St Siro, St Luke and St Peter in Banchi, with its ancient workshops incorporated in the same building, are worth visiting. We will visit the Rosso Palace, that preserves a wonderful collection of the greatest works of the Ligurian Seicento, the Gallery of Reale Palace, ex royal palace of the Savoy family and St Augustine’s Museum of Ligurian Architecture and Sculpture.

Day 4
Parmigianino day
Parma and its territory are places of artistic and naturalistic beauty. Parma is a frequently visited center for tourists because of its famous monuments and precious works of art. However, the city offers even more to the visitor: by offering a privileged documentation of the important schools over various periods. You can research the plentiful proof on the activity of Benedetto Antelami, the greatest sculptor-architect of the Medieval or the most important masterpieces of Correggio or the most meaningful moments of the creative painting of Parmigianino. A visit to the city needs to start with the marvellous view provided by Piazza Duomo, the cathedral square where the Baptistery and the Bishop’s Palace create a wonderfully evocative medieval setting. The Cathedral is one of the highest expressions of Romanesque architecture in the Po river plain. A wealth of masterpieces are housed inside, the most renowned are undoubtedly the cupola with its fresco by Correggio showing The Assumption of the Virgin, and the Deposition by Benedetto Antelami.

Day 5
Mantegna day at Mantova (accommodation for 2 nights)
Mantova, in Lombardy, keeps a lot of arts jewels: museums, churches, palaces of big and nobles families that determined the destiny of the city, historical suburbs, picture-galleries, picturesque streets and squares furnished by ancient monuments and buildings. Strolling through them we will discover the heart of the city, the Broletto and Erbe squares lived from markets plunged between ancient Podesta' and Region Palaces, the San Lorenzo Baptistery and Sant’Andrea Basilica built since 1472 for three centuries by a Leon Battista Alberti’s project. Inside is preserved the precious Jesus blood relic and the Mantegna’s mortal remains. Andrea Mantegna is strictly connected to Mantova where was called in 1460 from Gonzaga Family as personal painter. In those years he painted some of his most famous works and influenced many of next generations painters. We will admired them in Palazzo Ducale and Palazzo Te'.

Day 6
Ferrara day-trip
From Mantova we will reach Ferrara . Ferrara, declared World Heritage by Unesco, is an enchanting city suspended between middle ages and reinassance. The heart of the city is the medieval square where is located the Cathedral, harmonic miscellany of different styles. The Estense Castle was built on XIV century to defend Este Family from disorders and popular revolts. In the XVI, after restoration became official Duke’s House and one of the most beautiful and admired residences of period. Palazzina Marfisa is another luxury residence of Este Family and deserves a visit for the rich collection of fine arts objects and antiques furniture.

Day 7
Sightseeing at Venice (accommodation for 2 nights)
The last step of our tour will bring us in Veneto region. Venice, which was born in the 9th century in the Lagoon of Veneto, on the small Rialto island. Venice is an incredible synthesis of art and history that was built on the lagoon, an undisputed treasure of the culture of Veneto and of its artistic heritage. We will visit the most important sights and monuments like San Marco Square ,one of the most famous squares in Italy, the San Marco Basilica, the Clock Tower and the Ducale Palace, a 14th/15th century Gothic masterpiece. The rooms of this magnificent palace contain many masterpieces realized by great artists.

Day 8
Galleries and Museums at Venice
Venice also offers some splendid museums situated in sumptuous palaces that contain remarkable painting collections as the Gallery of Academy that preserves Veneto painting, the Museum Ca' Rezzonico with masterpieces by Guardi and Canaletto, the Guggenheim Collection and Grassi Palace, that is the seat of numerous exhibitions that vary throughout the year. Our city tour will end with a romantic gondola cruise!

Day 9
Departur day
Our last day in Venice ends with breakfast in our hotel, after check-out, individual departure.