The Art Enthusiast’s Guide to Touring Italy

Explore. Enjoy. Reflect.

Italy is one of the world’s top travel destinations from an art appreciation perspective.

The entire country is virtually an open air art museum: ancient ruins, natural beauty, stunning architecture and icons of Christianity pop up everywhere you look.

The key to getting a fulfilling art appreciation

experience when visiting Italy is prioritization

- Know exactly where to go

and what to look for.

Rome

Italy’s capital city is one of the best places to

discover incredible artwork by some of the

world’s great masters at no cost at all.

Head to the Ponte d’Angeli leading to the Castel Sant’Angelo, Piazza Navona and Santa Maria della Vittoria for some of the most striking examples of Baroque artist Bernini’s sculptures, fountains and architecture.

Piazza Navona

Cantoria of the Santa Maria della Vittoria Church

For the Michelangelo fan, stand at the center of the ancient world in the Piazza del Campidoglio designed by the master in the mid-1500’s.

The statue of Moses inside the church of Saint

Peter in Chains was commissioned by Pope Julius

II in 1513 and it took him two years to sculpt.

Located just inside the green and tranquil Villa Borghese, the Galleria Borghese is a treasure chest of beauty.

The museum houses Bernini sculptures, 4th-

century mosaics down to a stunning Canova

sculpture of

Paolina Bonaparte Borghese, and

impressive Raphaels.

If you only have time for one museum in Rome, make it the Vatican Museums. There is more art housed here than you could possibly see in a lifetime.

Sistine Chapel

There are Etruscan and ancient Roman treasures here, too. The Gallery of Maps is a fascinating look at the different regions of Italy through larger-than-life, centuries-old frescoes.

Assisi

The picturesque and peaceful Umbrian hill

town of Assisi is a must-stop for an art

enthusiast’s tour of Italy.

The fresco cycle in the upper basilica of the church of Saint Francis has been attributed to both Cimabue and Giotto.

Florence The Renaissance city of Florence is one of the

world's greatest art locales.

Brunelleschi’s brick-red dome and Giotto’s striking bell tower are just the beginning.

In the Piazza Signoria, you can view imposing statues of Hercules, Perseus, Medusa and an exact replica of Michaelangelo’s David.

Once the private collection of the powerful

Florentine Medici family, the Galleria degli Ufizzi

became a museum during the late 1500’s.

This museum holds one of what might be the

most important Renaissance art collections

in the world.

Galleria degli Ufizzi

Venice The watery city of Venice, with its stunning

beauty, offers a vast array of exciting

contemporary works of art.

Inside the striking 18th century canal side palazzo is the Peggy Guggenheim collection, a multitude of 20th century art.

If you’re visiting during a Biennale year

(the next one will be in 2015), Campos, gardens,

churches and palazzos are transformed

into installation spaces.

Churches in Venice contain fascinating works of art by masters such as Tintoretto’s and Tiepolo which you can visit without paying for an entrance fee.

Milan Milan is not only Italy’s fashion and

financial district. It’s also a great

destination for art enthusiasts.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper was painted

on an enormous canvas measuring 15 x 29

feet and was completed in 1498. It’s

currently located in the dining hall of the

Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie.

The Milan Cathedral at Piazza del Duomo is also a stunning work of Gothic architecture.

Naples Naples is a great destination for classical and

contemporary art pieces.

The small Pious Mount of Mercy Church has been the home of the Acts of Seven Mercy by Caravaggio since the 1600’s.

photo credit: http://www.wga.hu

The Museo Cappella

Sansevero is home to the

Veiled Truth, a remarkable

statue created by the Venetian

sculptor Antonio Corradini. It

is almost impossible to believe

that the transparent veil is

carved from solid marble and

not a cloth elegantly draped

across the sculpture. photo credit: http://www.italianways.com

Also, an exciting new development is happening

underground in Naples. Some of the metro stations

have commissioned well-known contemporary

artists to create works.

The best way to really get a feel of Italian art

is to take the plunge and visit soon. Use this

outline for your trip and we guarantee that

it’s one you’ll never forget. Ciao!

For more information about travel to Italy,

visit our website www.touritalynow.com

or call our travel experts at 800.955.4418.