Art & Study Retreats in Italy
Summary: In the Footsteps of Michelangelo
Rome – Perugia – Florence – Rome
Departure from the United States
Day One, morning arrival in Rome
Michelangelo’s Campidoglio at dusk, supper at Mario’s in Trastevere. Hotel Ponte Sisto
Day Two, Michelangelo in Rome
Morning discussion of Greek and Roman sculpture, Galleria Monte San Martino; Michelangelo’s Moses, San Pietro in Vincoli. Hotel Ponte Sisto
Day Three, Medieval and Renaissance Themes
Morning departure by private coach for Perugia. Fontana Maggiore: Dante and the medieval summa. College del Cambio: Perugino’s classical and Christian virtues. Lunch at La Piazzetta restaurant. Afternoon departure for Florence. Supper at Pensione Bencistà, Fiesole (Florence)
Day Four, From Dante’s Middle Ages to Michelangelo’s Renaissance
Baptistery: Mosaic ceiling: Dante and the Medieval worldview. Museo dell’ Opera del Duomo: “The Gates of Paradise,” Ghiberti’s panels from the Baptistery; Donatello’s prophets and Mary Magdalene; Michelangelo’s Pietà. Pensione Bencistà
Day Five, Masaccio and the Birth of Renaissance painting
Scenes from the Life of Peter, Brancacci Chapel, Church of Santa Maria del Carmine. The Trinity, Church of Santa Maria Novella. Pensione Bencistà
Day Six, From Donatello to Michelangelo
Bargello Museum: Donatello, St. George, David; Michelangelo, The Drunken Bacchus, Brutus Accademia: Michelangelo, David, Slaves, St. Matthew. Pensione Bencistà
Day Seven, Michelangelo’s Melancholy
Medici Tombs, Basilica of San Lorenzo. Palazzo Rucellai: lecture on Michelangelo. Pensione Bencistà
Day Eight, The Vatican Museums: the Renaissance Synthesis of Classical Forms and Judeo-Christian Beliefs
Morning departure by private coach for Rome. Afternoon, private tour of Vatican Museums: Belvedere Sculpture Court, Raphael’s Stanza della Segnatura, Sistine Chapel. Hotel Ponte Sisto
Day Nine, Michelangelo and the Basilica di San Pietro
The St. Peter’s Basilica and the Pietà. Arrivederci Michelangelo dinner, Hotel Ponte Sisto
Day Ten, morning departure