Baroque Rome and Orvieto
Private View of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel
Jubilee 2025
24th – 28th February 2025
*Fully Booked*
Our focus will be on the drama of the High Renaissance and Baroque taking in historic Orvieto as well as the Eternal City, Rome. We will concentrate on the bold works of Signorelli, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Bernini and Borromini. The Vatican will be celebrating the Jubilee 2025 with the theme ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, we shall therefore be looking at the history of Pilgrimage and its impact on art and patronage. There will be the opportunity, for those who wish, to enter St. Peter’s through ‘The Holy Door’ opened by the Pope only during a Jubilee year.
In Orvieto we will concentrate on their leading artist Signorelli, whose Last Judgement cycle was so pivotal to Michelangelo. In Rome, we will study the master of drama, Caravaggio and the dramatic rivalry of Bernini and Borromini. The highlight of the trip will be the extraordinary experience of a private visit to the Vatican culminating in the Sistine Chapel and the Last Judgement by Michelangelo.
We will stay in two historic hotels, both in unbeatable locations. Add in good food, wine and company to create a perfect Winter escape.
Itinerary
Monday 24th February
We will land in Rome at midday and drive to our hotel. After we have dropped off our bags, we will head out for a light lunch. We will then set off via the Campo di Fiori, the site of one of many dramatic episodes in Caravaggio’s life, to San Luigi dei Francesi. Here we will spend time looking at Caravaggio’s first important ecclesiastical commission focusing on the Life of St. Matthew. Next, we will visit S. Agostino to see Caravaggio’s ‘Madonna of Loreto’. Nearby we will find Bernini’s charismatic elephant and finish with a quick visit to the Pantheon. In the evening, we will enjoy a spritz followed by dinner in Trastevere.
Tuesday 25th February
Very early in the morning we will meet the holder of the 300 keys to the Vatican and join them as they open each room. Our visit will take us through the main rooms including the Raphael Stanze and we will finish in the Sistine Chapel and watch as the custodian switches on the lights. Here we will have the rare opportunity to study the frescoes without the crowds. After a delicious breakfast in the Vatican before it opens, we will stay on to study some of the areas in more detail. For those who wish, we will pass through ‘The Holy Door of St. Peter’s’ (see below for more details). Alternatively, there will be an optional visit to Palazzo Spada to see important works by Artemisia Gentileschi and a special surprise by one of our architects or you can return to the hotel for a quick rest.
After a good lunch, we hope to visit the church that historically welcomed pilgrims to Rome, Santa Maria del Popolo, which plans to be newly reopened after recent renovations. We will end the day in Piazza Navona looking at the fountain designed by Bernini and Borromini’s Chiesa di Sant’ Agnese in Agone commissioned by the powerful Pamphili family. Dinner will be in a local place that specialises in modern Roman cuisine.
Wednesday 26th February
In the morning we will head to the Museo Borghese to study masterpieces by Caravaggio and Bernini, as well as other masters including Titian and Raphael. We will discuss Bernini’s greatest sculptural works; ‘Daphne and Apollo’ and ‘Pluto and Proserpina’. Here we will look at how artists interpret the drama of their narratives and use light in their works. We will then have lunch before boarding our coach to Orvieto, taking about an hour and a half.
On arrival in Orvieto, we will check into our hotel and orientate ourselves with a walk and discuss the history of the town over an aperitivo. This medieval city may be small, but it is packed full of historical delights. We may take a quick visit to the church of Sant’ Andrea among other views. Supper will be at an historic trattoria that contains a secret adventure.
Thursday 27th February
Our morning will be devoted to the magnificent Duomo, one of the greatest of all of Italy’s cathedrals, which has a stunning golden mosaic Gothic façade. The interior is no less striking and is full of treasures including frescoes by Luca Signorelli, which had such an important influence on Michelangelo’s work in the Sistine Chapel.
Lunch will be at a local favourite. We will then explore more of the city with a visit to a masterpiece of 16th century engineering at the Pozzo di San Patrizio, a well shaft with a double spiral staircase designed to supply the whole city with water. Dinner will be at an excellent trattoria.
Friday 28th February
We will have a leisurely start, allowing you to explore the city further or to pick up some treats to take home. We will then take our coach towards the airport, stopping enroute at the extraordinary ‘Sacro Bosco’ at Bomarzo. These dramatic gardens, also known as ‘Park of the Monsters’ were created in 16th Century by Vincino Orsini. This bizarre masterpiece, hidden deep in a wooded valley, was not rediscovered until the 20th century when Salvadore Dali put it back on the map. We will then have a late lunch before heading on to the airport for our flight home.
Further Details
Tuition
Cat Manson and Ed Aspinall will lead the trip. Both tutors know Rome and Orvieto well and are experts on where to find the best restaurants, shops and cafes.
Hotels
In Rome we stay in the Hotel Ponte Sisto, a four star palazzo in the heart of Rome with a roof terrace. In Orvieto we will stay in the best hotel available, the Palazzo Piccolomini, built by the Papal family in 16th century. The rooms are small and simple, but the communal spaces and location are unbeatable. In both hotels we have booked standard rooms and you can upgrade to a superior room at the Ponte Sisto plus a suite in the Piccolomini for £320 extra in total per room. Please let me know as soon as possible as these are subject to availability and limited in number.
Jubilee 2025
If you would like to enter through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s, please let me know as soon as possible. Full details for booking are not out yet, but we expect it will need to be booked and a ‘Pilgrim’s Card’ obtained. For more information please visit https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en.html
Flights
We do not book the flights thus allowing you to travel to suit your budget, use airmiles, travel between different airports or on different dates. However, we recommend buying the following flights with British Airways:
24th February 08.45 London Heathrow – Rome Fiumicino 12.20 BA0554
28th February 17.35 Rome Fiumicino – London Heathrow 19.20 BA0559
Transport
There will be a private coach for the airport transfer to meet the recommended flights. Private coach to Orvieto. We will mostly walk but may also take taxis.
There is quite a lot of walking on this trip, as well as slopes and uneven cobbles. As many of the streets are small you will need to walk from the coach to the hotel in Orvieto. As is the case for all our courses, there is a lot of standing while we discuss the works we are looking at.
Meals
Lunches are a set menu of two courses to include drinks. Dinner is by no means compulsory, but we book a table for the group each night at different restaurants and divide the bill equally between everyone. Sometimes these may also need to be a set menu but we try our best to avoid this. We will adjust the bill for those not drinking alcohol.
Cost
The fees are £1990 which includes accommodation and breakfast, all lunches, transfers for the recommended flight, transport when connected with teaching, entrance fees, the Vatican Private Visit, tuition, reading lists and local advice. The single room supplement is £190 (double room for single use). The upgrade supplement is £300 and subject to availability. Please state on the form if you would be happy to share. Not included are the flights, all suppers and travel insurance. The group will not exceed 16 people.
To register
Please complete the online registration form, having read our terms and conditions and pay a deposit of £600 via bank transfer. Your place is not confirmed until we have received the deposit.
If you have any queries please email charlie@arthistoryabroad or call 01379 871800 (302
NB you must buy your own flights
