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York Evening Decorative and Fine Arts Society
Tuscany
Frescoes and Sculpture
of the Renaissance
Thursday 07 - Thursday 14 May 2015
Thursday 07 May 2015
Independent travel arrangements to Florence, where our tour will begin. On arrival in Florence, we will check in to our 4 star
hotel in Florence, the Hotel Plaza Lucchesi, for 4 nights’ bed and buffet breakfast accommodation. After time to
freshen up, we will gather in the hotel reception at a designated time and set off on an orientation walk through
Florence. Florence, the bustling capital of Tuscany, may be known for its crafts - fashion, leather, metalwork and
furniture - but above all it is known for the Renaissance. This extraordinary flowering of urban culture resulted in the
creation of magnificent architecture, sculpture and painting, which can be seen today in the numerous churches and
splendid museums. Although most of Florence dates from the Renaissance, the eastern part of the city retains a distinctly
medieval air with its maze of tiny alleys and fine old buildings overlooked by the Duomo, the crowning centrepiece and
symbol of Florence. Central Florence is still more or less the same small city which embodied the Renaissance, and its
compact size makes it the most densely packed treasure-house of artistic riches anywhere in Italy. The city's most
famous dynasty, the Medici, were the greatest patrons of the arts Europe had ever known, financing the flowering of
the Renaissance and an essential part of it. Donatello, Botticelli and Michelangelo were only some of the most prolific
and renowned of the artists, architects and sculptors to create the jewel that is Florence. The remainder of the day will
be at leisure.
Friday 08 May 2015
After breakfast at the hotel, our morning will begin at the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine, which is
predominantly Baroque, replacing a 15th century church which was almost entirely destroyed by fire in 1771. The transept
chapels from the earlier church survive, one of which is the famous Cappella Brancacci with a series of frescoes by
Masaccio and his older colleague, Masolino, depicting the life of St Peter. Masaccio's simple style allows the viewer to
focus on the naturalistic and animated figures that are central to the frescoes, the grouping reflecting the artist's interest in
the sculpture of Donatello. The use of perspective, narrative drama and tragic realism of the figures places Masaccio in the
vanguard of Renaissance painters, the chapel often being visited by later artists such as Leonardo and Michelangelo, who
came to study his pioneering work.
We will then enjoy a pre-booked visit to the Uffizi - Italy's greatest art gallery. The Uffizi was built between 1560 and
1580 to accommodate Duke Cosimo I's offices (uffici). Masterpieces by every major Florentine painter are displayed
here in chronological fashion, enabling the viewer to trace the development of Florentine art from Byzantine to High
Renaissance and beyond. The octagonal Tribune, decorated in red and gold, contains the works most valued by the
Medicis. Among some of the numerous fine and famous works are Simone Martini's Annunciation, the unconventional
Holy Family by Michelangelo, portraits by Piero della Francesca, Botticelli's Birth of Venus, Titian's sensuous nude Venus
of Urbino, and Caravaggio's early Bacchus. The broad corridors around the inner side of the building exhibit numerous
fine Greek and Roman sculptures.
Saturday 09 May 2015
After breakfast at the hotel we will spend the morning in the Convento di San Marco, which was founded in the 13th
century, and enlarged in 1437, when Dominican monks from nearby Fiesole moved here at the invitation of Cosimo il
Vecchio. The simple cloisters and cells by Michelozzo provide the setting for a remarkable series of devotional allegorical
frescoes painted by Fra Angelico between 1438 and 1445. There are also two important works by Fra Angelico’s pupil,
Benozzo Gozzoli: Women at the Tomb and Adoration of the Magi (both (1440-41). There will be free time for lunch.
This afternoon will be spent exploring the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella with its spectacular frescoes by Massacio,
Ghirlandaio and Filippino Lippi. The lovely church of Santa Maria Novella was built by the Dominican order as a
counterbalance to the Franciscan Santa Croce. Behind the high altar, frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio on the lives of the
Virgin and St John the Baptist are bursting with detail and happy touches, the biblical episodes peopled with important
contemporary Florentines. The nave appears to be of exceptional length, an illusion created by the graduated spacing of the
piers towards the altar. Masaccio's mastery of perspective and portraiture is evident in the Trinity fresco in the nave, and in
the chapels are frescoes by Giotto, Lippi, and Nardo di Cione. The remainder of the day will be at leisure.
Sunday 10 May 2015
After breakfast at the hotel, this morning will be spent the Bargello. The Bargello was constructed in the 13th century as
the town hall, and has also seen service as a prison and the home to the chief of police. After extensive renovations, it was
opened in 1865 as one of Italy's first national museums and now houses magnificent applied arts and sculpture, ranking
second only to the Uffizi among Florentine museums. Italy's finest collection of Renaissance sculpture includes works by
Donatello, Michelangelo, Brunelleschi and Ghiberti, as well as superb bronzes by such masters as Giambologna and Cellini.
Fine ceramics and rugs, beautiful early ivories, silverware and other objets d'art are among the museum's other magnificent
collections. There will be free time for lunch.
This afternoon we will visit the Renaissance Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, which was created by Michelozzo for Cosimo
de’Medici. The palace houses an important fresco by Luca Giordano, art works from the Medicis’ private collection,
including a painting of Madonna and Child by Filippo Lippi, and the death mask of Lorenzo the Magnificent.
Michelozzo’s charming Chapel of the Magi houses delightful vivid frescoes by Gozzoli, which are well preserved.
The remainder of the day will be at leisure.
Monday 11 May 2015
We check out of our hotel after breakfast and transfer by coach to Siena, where we will meet a local guide. The
bejewelled and gentle hilltop town, once a capital city to rival Florence, is perfectly preserved and retains much of the
grandeur of the mid 13th to 14th centuries. Siena is quite probably the most beautiful city in Tuscany, gracing three hills
with cooling breezes in the evening. Most of its principal sights are clustered in the narrow maze of streets around the
famous fan-shaped Piazza del Campo and the great Duomo. Medieval, Gothic and Renaissance art and architecture abound
in the city. Our first visit will be to the Palazzo Pubblico, which is testimony to the history and beauty of Siena. There
is a magnificent art collection on display, including Simone Martini's Maestà and Ambrogio Lorenzetti's Effects of the Good.
There are also works by Taddeo di Bartolo, Sano di Pietro and Spinello Aretino. The interior of the Palazzo contains
collections of sculptures, portraits, prints, majolicas, weapons, armour and coins. This building is undoubtedly the most
important public building in Siena. We will also visit Siena's Duomo, one of Italy's greatest cathedrals. The striking
cathedral has a black and white carved Gothic façade and its interior houses a spectacular mixture of sculpture, paintings
and Romanesque-Gothic architecture, much influenced by Pisan style. Amongst the artwork in the Duomo’s Museum is
Duccio’s great Maestà – the huge altarpiece that once stood in the Cathedral. We will then walk back to the shell-shaped
Piazza del Campo, which lies at the heart of Siena and has served as a focus for life in the city for centuries. It is widely
regarded as the finest Medieval square in Europe and twice a year, in July and August, provides a splendid backdrop for the
Corsa del Palio, a fast and furious bareback horse race dating back to the 15th century. There will be free time for lunch in
the many cafés and restaurants which surround the beautiful Piazza.
This afternoon we will transfer by coach to Arezzo, and check in to our hotel, the 4 star Hotel Continentale, for 3
nights’ bed and buffet breakfast accommodation. The evening will be at leisure.
Tuesday 12 May 2015
After breakfast at the hotel our morning will begin in Arezzo, which is one of Tuscany's wealthiest cities whose
prosperity is based on a thriving jewellery industry. War damage led to many of the medieval alleys being replaced by
broad avenues, but Arezzo retains some outstanding sights, including the arcaded Piazza Grande by Vasari. We will
visit the 13th century Gothic-Franciscan Church of San Francesco, to view one of Italy's greatest fresco cycles - the
Legend of the True Cross by Piero della Francesca, in the Bacci Chapel in the apse. The beautiful frescoes depict the
writings of the Legenda Aurea by Jacopo da Varazze and were fully restored in the 1990s. We will then continue to the
small village of Monterchi, which is home to an icon of Renaissance painting - della Francesca’s exquisite Madonna del
Parto (1460), depicting the Madonna in the throes of labour flanked by two angels. There will be free time for lunch.
This afternoon we will travel to Sansepolcro, the birthplace of della Francesca, to visit the Civic Museum, which
houses two of his masterpieces: Resurrection (c1460) and Madonna della Misericordia (1445-62). An additional highlight
is Luca Signorelli’s Crucifixion. Our final visit of the day will be a short walk around the beautiful small medieval walled
town of Anghiari, where we will have time for dinner, before returning by coach to our hotel in Arezzo.
Wednesday 13 May 2015
After breakfast at the hotel, this morning will be spent in Arezzo’s State Museum of Modern and Medieval Art,
housed in the Palazzo Bruni-Ciocchi del Monte. The collection houses a real treasure trove of decorative and fine arts,
including frescoes by della Gatta, Aretino and della Francesca, alongside a fine array of majolica ceramics. There will
be free time for lunch in Arezzo.
This afternoon we will enjoy a visit to Montepulciano, a charming hilltop town famed for its wine, stunning views,
and important Renaissance churches and palaces. The top of the tower of Montepulciano’s town hall affords a perfect
panorama of the Tuscan landscape.
At the end of the afternoon we will return by coach to our hotel in Arezzo, and enjoy a final evening at leisure.
Thursday 14 May 2015
We check out of our hotel after breakfast and a coach transfer will be provided to Pisa Airport. Independent travel
arrangements for homeward journey.
As this tour has been planned many months in advance,
the final itinerary may vary slightly from the above.
Heritage Group Travel
Charlotte House
12 Charlotte Street
Bath BA1 2NE
Tel: 01225 466620
www.grouptravel.co.uk