Day 1 – To Venice: Fly from London Gatwick
to Venice with British Airways. Transfer to the
Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal / Hotel Bellini*
for 4 nights. Evening welcome dinner. (D)
Day 2 – Venice: Today begins with an
introduction to Venetian history and art. Visit
the Correr Museum, home to the woodcut
print of the city produced by Jacopo de’Barbari
in 1500 as well as a selection of Renaissance
paintings by Antonello da Messina, Giovanni
Bellini and Vittore Carpaccio. Continue
to the Marciana Library, one of the richest
Renaissance interiors in Venice, decorated
by the leading Venetian artists of the 16th
century. The final visit this morning is to
the Church of San Zaccaria, which contains
important altarpieces by Antonio Vivarini
and Giovanni Bellini. This afternoon, explore
the Castello district, including the Scuola di
San Giorgio degli Schiavoni, with wonderful
narrative paintings by Vittore Carpaccio, and
San Giovanni in Bragora, the parish church in which Vivaldi was baptised in 1678. Continue
to San Francesco della Vigna, a 16th-century
Franciscan church, and then visit the Arsenale
Gateway. This evening, there will be a private
visit to the Basilica San Marco. (B)
Day 3 – Venice: This morning, visit Santi
Giovanni e Paolo, the largest church in
Venice and burial site of doges, then see the
facade of the Scuola Grande di San Marco,
one of the most important facades of the
Venetian Renaissance. Continue to Santa
Maria dei Miracoli, one of Venice’s undisputed
architectural gems, as well as the architectural
masterpiece Santa Maria Formos by Mauro
Codussi. The morning visits conclude at San
Giovanni Crisostomo in the Rialto district. This
afternoon, visit the Ca d’Oro (House of Gold),
a late gothic palace on the Grand Canal, before
walking to the remote region of Cannereggio to
visit the Madonna dell’Orto and the church of
Gesuiti, home to one of Titian’s masterpieces,
the Martyrdom of St Lawrence. (B)
Day 4 – Venice: Start at Santa Maria Gloriosa
dei Frari, which houses many great paintings
in their original locations, including works
by Titian and Giovanni Bellini, as well as a
sculpture of St John the Baptist by Donatello,
the Florentine artist. Continue to the Scuola
Grande di San Rocco, which houses more than
50 paintings by Jacopo Tintoretto, followed
by a visit to the church of San Sebastiano,
Paolo Veronese’s masterpiece in Venice. This
afternoon, explore the Accademia, Venice’s
main art gallery, where the focus will be on
works that illustrate developments in Venetian
Renaissance painting as well as other definitive
works of the Venetian High Renaissance.
Evening farewell dinner. (B, D)
Day 5 – To London: Morning at leisure or
optional morning visit to Doge’s Palace,
dfi ned by Ruskin as ‘the central building of
the world’, and undoubtedly the finest secular
building of its era in Europe. Transfer to
the airport and fy from Venice to London
Gatwick with British Airways. (B)
Accessibility: A pedestrian and maritime city,
Venice is renowned for its lack of automobiles.
Thus, this trip includes a fair amount of
walking each day, with periods of standing in
each location.
Extensions: If you wish to extend your stay
in Venice for more independent sightseeing,
please contact us for details.
*Hotels: The March tour will stay at the Hotel
Monaco & Grand Canal while the October
tour will stay at the Hotel Bellini.
Meal Basis: (B) = Breakfast, (L) = Lunch, (D) = Dinner, (N) = No Meals
