Italian Renaissance Tour: In the Footsteps of Michelangelo & Da Vinci

Rome is a city of unbridled majesty that emanates from the shores of the Tiber River and the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. The end of the 15th century saw the flourishing of art and architecture based on the virtues of the past. Your flight will land at Rome Fiumicino Airport as your private transfer will meet you at baggage claim and escort you to the heart of the Eternal City at a hotel that overlooks the stunning Piazza della Repubblica. The natural spring waters once fed the Diocletian Baths on the opposite edge of the piazza, and the baths were so large that today they contain two churches, along with segments of a Carthusian monastery.

Renaissance master Michelangelo repurposed the former hot baths as the shell to house Santa Maria degli Angeli in the 16th century. The voluminous interior contains vaulted ceilings behind a simple entrance set inside a covered apse. Michelangelo had to raise the ground floor to the street level more than 90 feet with red granite flanked by Roman columns. Your guide will lead you along the cobblestones of the historical city center to reach the stunning figures of the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona. Renaissance palaces frame the piazza accentuate the marvelous details of the 17th century Fountain of the Four Rivers, a work of art erected upon the request of Pope Innocent X. In Rome, the beauty of history rises out of the open spaces and hides behind the grace of villa facades.

In the morning, locals head out eager to indulge in homemade pastries and lounge in the quiet courtyard. After breakfast, your guide will meet you in the hotel lobby and lead you across the Tiber River along the cobbled path crowned by the dominant figure of St. Peter’s Basilica. Michelangelo designed the nearly 450-foot tall dome after the remarkable classical dome of the Pantheon. Tuscan colonnades border the walkway and frame St. Peter’s Square to shape a captivating colonnade. Enter into the lavish Vatican Museums where the polished marble floors greet you and elegant statues and busts line the halls that lead to different galleries. Four rooms combine to form Raphael’s Rooms, an apartment on the second floor one belonging to Julius II della Rovere in the early 16th century.

Raphael incorporated the face of the next pope, Leo X, onto the frescoes that decorate the wall. In the Stanza della Segnatura, you will discover the fresco titled School of Athens, which depicts a mythical gathering of philosophers throughout the ages while also cataloging the great minds of the Renaissance. Your guide will point out Leonardo da Vinci as Plato and architect Bramante as Euclid. The end of your Vatican tour will take you into the Sistine Chapel, a gallery containing the most famous examples of Michelangelo’s paintings. The colorful display of biblical and mythological history radiates across the walls and ceiling and at the center, you will find the iconic image of the Creation of Adam and Eve.

The colors and images of the artwork in the Vatican Museums pass through your mind on loop, reminding you of the marvelous work in the galleries that captivated and absorbed you. In the morning, Rome fills with the aroma of freshly baked brioche accompanied by the scent of roasted coffee beans from brewing espresso. The rich and semi-bitter flavor of the drink brings you back to the present before you venture deeper into antiquity.

The Renaissance was not only a time of enlightenment but also a rebirth of classical thought, from philosophy to beauty. Your guide will whisk you away to the ancient heart of an empire at the Roman Forum to uncover the inspiration of a movement that changed the Western World. Pass beneath the drifting shadow of the Colosseum, cast by the more than 155-foot tall exterior walls. The Forum once acted as the religious, social, and political center of the former empire combining courts, assemblies, and temples.

The main path of the Via Sacra takes you to the steps of Temple of Antoninus Pius, which was erected in the 2nd century AD. Six of the original Corinthian columns remain and the Temple of Saturn was erected in the 5th century BC as the first temple on the Forum grounds. The Roman Republic kept the state treasury inside the temple. After uncovering the beauty of the Roman ruins, you will make your way to the Villa Borghese for a reminder of the wonders of the Renaissance as connected to the majesty of ancient Rome.

The 16th century Palazzo Spada continues to host the Italian State Council near the banks of the Tiber River. The small museum located on the grounds offers insight into the former wealth and lavish tastes of the Spada family through the exhibition of the family’s private art collection. Today you will leave behind the ancient, Renaissance, and contemporary beauty of Rome for Florence, where the birth of the Renaissance took place. The medieval city walls continue to wrap around the historical city center. The dome of the Cathedral towers over the antique homes and shops reaching a height of more than 375 feet.

The Cathedral remains the tallest building in the city more than 600 years after its completion. Former palaces line the cobblestone streets that connect Piazza del Duomo to Piazza della Signoria. Your guide will meet you at your hotel that overlooks the city’s Piazza della Repubblica. Florence is like an open-air museum as its elaborate history and artistic sensibilities are shown with pride. Your guide will lead you down the street to the wide-open space of Piazza della Signoria, crowned by the rising tower of Palazzo Vecchio.

The medieval fortress was built atop Roman ruins as Renaissance frescoes decorate the interior galleries making the structure into a microcosm of the city’s history. The palace remains a symbol of civic power for the city due to its construction over the ruins of a once wealthy family home. Artists such as Giorgio Vasari and Donatello decorated the interior rooms. Wander through the secret passages of the antique fortifications to follow in the footsteps of the Duke of Gualtieri along the nobleman’s hidden staircase.

In the morning, the sunlight will wash over the arcade of the 14th century Loggia dei Lanzi. The open space served as a stage for ceremonies and now features stunning sculptures that contrast with the forceful façade of the Palazzo Vecchio. After breakfast, your guide will lead you back to Piazza Signoria, passing the dual stone lions that guard the entrance to the Loggia dei Lanzi, and to the entrance of the Uffizi Gallery to view the stunning exhibitions of Renaissance art on display in what was once the Magistrates’ offices of Florence.

The structure was constructed in the 16th century and maintains its lavish interior that accentuates the works of master Renaissance artwork from the 14th to the 16th centuries. Climb the marble staircase at the entrance to reach the second story hall as busts and sculptures stand beside the elegant window frames, bathing in the abundance of natural light. You can follow the progression of art in both theme and style before you reach the first gallery that exhibits the Tuscan art of the Renaissance. Titian’s Venus of Urbino was painted in the 1530s with oil.

The work depicts the naked goddess lounging on a bed, staring back at the viewer unconcerned with her lack of clothing. The chiaroscuro helps balance the figures in the painting, along with drawing your eye to the main focus, that of Venus lounging. After exploring the galleries your guide extends your tour by taking you through the Vasari Corridor, a 15th-century passageway connecting the gallery to the Pitti Palace across the Arno River.

In the morning, crew members row against the current of the Arno River in view of the Vasari Corridor. The aroma of blossoming hydrangeas emanates from the flower boxes that decorate the windowsills of medieval homes. Your private transfer will meet you after breakfast and escort you north towards the fashionable and industrious city of Milan. En route you will stop in Ferrara, a city that once challenged Florence in artistic prestige during the Renaissance. A large moated castle looms over the historical center of town as the streets themselves emanate the artistic beauty of the Renaissance through the maintained integrity of the city’s design.

You can see the transition from medieval architecture to Renaissance palaces throughout the streets. The pink and white marble bell tower rises behind the Cathedral of Saint George, and the Cathedral Museum offers insight into the splendor of the city’s Renaissance artwork as depicted in a collection of 15th-century books illuminated by Jacopo Filippo Medici. After exploring the radiant majesty of Ferrara’s Renaissance, you will make your way to the city of Padua, known for its remarkable Prato della Valle, a public space with an oval shape decorated with an encircling double row of statues. A fountain at the heart of the square splashes down into the wide, circular pool.

You can wander along the streets of the city before you reach the Cappella degli Scrovegni. The chapel was once part of a larger Cathedral and was commissioned in the 14th century by the patriarch of the Scrovegni family. The interior includes elaborate frescoes painted by an early Giotto, who added humanistic qualities to biblical characters. Artists such as Dante and Leonardo da Vinci accredited Giotto with the beginning of the Renaissance through his depiction of the Kiss of Judas that decorates the chapel wall.

The enlightened artwork of the Renaissance remains hidden in Milan. The fashionable city has a more contemporary design, including warehouses filled with designer clothing and boutique shops that outline the main square of Piazza Duomo. The Gothic Cathedral was erected in the 14th century with 135 stone pinnacles and decorated with nearly 2,250 marble statues. The aroma of fresh pastries drifts out of the café at the corner of the piazza where your guide will meet you in the morning and escort you first to the Pinacoteca di Brera, a renowned art museum located inside a 19th-century monastery. A stunning two-story cloister wraps around an interior courtyard.

The galleries contain paintings by Caravaggio and Tintoretto, including Correggio’s fine 16th-century painting of Adoration of the Magi. After lunch, you will continue to the unassuming pink-brick church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. The 15th-century edifice contains a six-sided dome and represents an Early Renaissance style. The interior retains the spiced aroma of frankincense as you enter the adjoining refectory to find Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, Last Supper, decorating a large wooden plank. The large piece of artwork was created at the end of the 15th century with dimensions of 181 inches by 346 inches; the piece acts as the jewel adorning the crown of your journey through Italy’s Renaissance art.

In the morning, the sunlight will flicker off of the stoic water along the Naviglio Canal. Cafes set out tables and chairs alongside the water as boats traverse the water and dock on the wooden planks set beneath the looming buildings. Boutique stores open their doors to showcase local artists, jewelry, and hand-stitched clothing modeled after the latest Italian fashions. The majesty of the Renaissance feels far away, overtaken by the contemporary beauty of Milan as you take one last wander of the streets. After breakfast, your private transfer will escort you to Malpensa Airport for your flight home. Your trip may have ended, but the splendor of Italy’s Renaissance awaits your return.