Day 1 – To Rome: Fly from London
Heathrow to Rome with British Airways. This
afternoon, visit the church of Santa Maria del
Popolo, which features two famous canvases
painted by Caravaggio – the Crucifixion of
St Peter and the Conversion of St Paul – and
several sculptures by Bernini. Spend 4 nights at
the Hotel Veneto. Evening welcome dinner at
a local restaurant. (B, D)
Day 2 – Rome: Begin today at the Church
of San Luigi dei Francesi, which contains
Caravaggio’s world-renowned trio of canvases
dedicated to St Matthew. Proceed to Sant’
Agostino, one of Rome’s first Renaissance
churches, featuring Caravaggio’s Madonna with
Pilgrims, before a final morning visit to Piazza
Navona, a wonderful 15th-century market
square filled with baroque art and architecture,
including Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers.
Spend the afternoon at the Doria Pamphili Gallery, home to Rome’s finest private art
collection, with pieces by Caravaggio, Bernini
and Titian, as well as Velázquez’s Portrait of
Innocent X. (B)
Day 3 – Rome: Begin today with an exclusive
visit to the Casino Boncompagni Ludovisi
to see Caravaggio’s unique ceiling painting
– Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto – created for his
protector, the aesthete Cardinal del Monte.
Continue to the early 17th-century Palazzo
Barberini, whose Galleria Nazionale d’Arte
Antica houses Caravaggio’s Judith Beheading
Holofernes as well as works by Raphael and
contemporaries of Caravaggio and Bernini.
Proceed to Bernini’s Triton Fountain in the
Piazza Barberini before lunch. This afternoon,
visit the Piazza della Minerva to see Bernini’s
Elephant Carrying an Obelisk, one of Rome’s
most curious monuments, followed by a viewing
inside the Santa Maria sopra Minerva, which
houses Bernini’s Memorial to Maria Raggi.
Complete today’s activities at the San Francesco
alla Ripa church home to Bernini’s remarkable
theatrical project in the Altieri Chapel. (B)
Day 4 – Rome: Travel by coach to Bernini’s
Jesuit Church of Sant’ Andrea al Quirinale,
claimed by the architect to be his most favoured design, followed by a short walk
to the baroque church of Santa Maria della
Vittoria, home to Bernini’s Cornaro Chapel. A
masterpiece of high Roman baroque sculpture
and theatre, the central subject depicts the
Ecstasy of St Teresa, bringing together an
extraordinary mix of the devotional, dramatic
and sensual. The afternoon is spent at the
Galleria Borghese, where many of the most
important works by both Caravaggio and
Bernini were brought together by the avid art
collector, Cardinal Scipione Borghese. Evening
farewell dinner. (B, D)
Day 5 – To London: Follow the pilgrimage
route to St Peter’s, via Ponte Sant’Angelo
(Bridge of Hadrian), iconic for its photogenic
vista of the Castel Sant’Angelo. Enter the
Basilica of St Peter’s, whose Baldacchino
(bronze canopy) and Cathedra Petri (throne
of St Peter), along with many other sculptural
projects, were designed by Bernini. Time at
leisure to explore this monumental church
before a mid afternoon transfer to the airport.
Fly to London Heathrow with British
Airways. (B)
Meal Basis: (B) = Breakfast, (L) = Lunch, (D) = Dinner, (N) = No Meals
