Renaissance of Journey catalog 2015

HISTORICAL TOURS 2015

if you look carefully you will see marvelous things


TOURS

HOW WE CRAFT OUR TOURS

eeling that itch to get away, letting the wanderlust build inside you, and finally resolving to make the trip happen is a process that takes time, sensibility and consideration.

When we start to plan a trip, we tend to be inundated with advice on where to go, but we find little or no information on how to go, nor, most importantly, why to go.The reasons why we travel are many, complex and not always obvious. What compels us to leave behind the comfort and safety of home to go off and discover the world? What are we looking for?Why are we interested in far-off places?Often, a journey begins with a dream – a country or a place that sparks a flight of fancy.But at a deeper level, we feel the need to break out of a daily routine we find suffocating, to escape the social and work constraints that would have us ever-stationary, always the same, when in fact we feel our identity is shifting and multi-faceted.

It is only by taking that trip that we will come to understand why we had to go, and a part of us that has yearned to emerge will find a voice.So, off we go.And in departing, we leave behind our everyday lives, our “old selves”; the world unfolds before our eyes, and we are carried away by sensations and emotions – we have become travelers. Travel brings out one of the best things about us: our desire to learn, to know new things, to lose ourselves in the immensity of the world.An itinerary is rather like a book: as we turn the pages, we discover the plot, and each leg becomes a journey within the journey. Its enchanted words mark the path, charting a personal, spiritual course.When, at journey’s end, we go back to our everyday lives, our baggage contains two new things: our book, and our new selves.This is how we craft our trips.

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ALL THE PRINCE’S MEN

I judge that the world has always been in the same condition

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rime and intrigue in Renaissance courts An exceptional witness. An in-depth exploration offering answers to many queries. An investigation that involves “All the Prince’s men”.C

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ALL THE PRINCE’S MENWHY CHOOSE THIS TOUR

affirm that the doctrine of Machiavelli is more alive today than it was four centuries ago, because, while the external aspects of life are greatly changed, no

profound modifications are perceptible in the merits of individuals or of races.” These words were spoken in 1924 by the new leader of the Italian government, Benito Mussolini.In 1922, the Soviet State found itself in difficult financial straits. To deal with the situation, Lenin opted for the controversial requisition of assets belonging to the Orthodox Church, and, citing “The Prince,” asserted that: “(…) if it is necessary to resort to certain brutalities for the sake of realizing a certain political goal, they must be carried out in the most energetic fashion and in the briefest possible time, because the masses will not tolerate prolonged application of brutality”.The continuing relevance of Machiavelli’s ideas has, however, been challenged in contemporary times by certain transforma-tive events. The most blatant example is the 1974 Watergate case, which saw US President Richard Nixon, twice elected to be “the most powerful man in the world,” obliged to resign

“merely” due to accusations of spying on the Democratic Party.In 1870, the great Italian scholar Francesco de Sanctis said of Machiavelli’s work: “certain means, (today) would no longer be tolerated (…) Political assassination, treason, fraud and conspiracy are means that are apt to disappear”.Machiavelli has for centuries been – and still is – a reference point for analysis of national and international political relations and decisions.To illustrate the context, personages and historical events that inspired his greatest work, “The Prince,” we propose a leap backwards in time to the period of the Renaissance, in the central Italy of the golden age that ran from 1400 to just after 1500. We are quite familiar with the artistic, literary and philosophical works of the period, but far less is known of its dark side, a world of fratricidal expansionist strategies, diplomatic accords, treason and vendetta, witnessed and documented by the works of Renaissance artists, from Piero della Francesca to Michelangelo.We invite you to delve into these hidden aspects of the Renais-sance, observed through the eyes of our exceptional specta-tor, Niccolò Machiaveli.

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ALL THE PRINCE’S MENTOUR PROGRAM

UrbinoFlorence

Magione

Senigallia

San Leo

Rome

FlorenceArrival in Florence, hotel check-in and welcome dinner.

Day 1

FlorenceDay 1 FlorenceIntroduction to the political and social circumstances in Florence in 1478. Visit to the Uffizi Museum, lunch then visit to Palazzo Pitti.

Day 2

FlorenceLeisure day*.

Day 3

Florence

Remarks on the motivations of Pazzi conspiracy and trip following the trail which illustrates the stages of the famous attack on Lorenzo and Giuliano De' Medici; visit to Palazzo Medici-Riccardi and the Duomo, lunch then visit to Palazzo

Vecchio and to the Bargello Museum.

Day 4

GubbioTransfer and accomodation at hotel.

Day 5


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San Leo - UrbinoVisit to the city-fortress of San Leo, scenery of many conquests. Lunch. Visit to the city of Urbino, in particular to Palazzo Ducale, from which the Duke of Montefeltro participated to the Pazzi

Conspiracy.

Day 6

ALL THE PRINCE’S MENTOUR PROGRAM

GubbioLeisure morning*. In the evening, the topic of Cesare Borgia

and Macchiavelli is introduced.

Day 7

Magione - SenigalliaVisit to the city of Magione and its castle, where Cesare Borgia's enemies reunited to plan his defeat. Currently the castle's owners are the Knights of Malta, and has been transformed into a farm. The visit also includes wine tasting. Lunch and transfer to Senigallia: tour of the city, followed by dinner with a re-enactment of Borgia's massacre of his enemies.

Day 8

RomeTransfer and accomodation at hotel.

Day 9

Vatican CityVisit to the Vatican Museum, in particular the Sistine Chapel.

Lunch and visit to Saint Peter's basilica.

Day 10

DepartureBreakfast. Transfer to airport. Departure.

Day 10

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RomeLeisure day*.

Day 11

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ALL THE PRINCE’S MENTOUR DESCRIPTION

FlorenceDay 1

ll the Prince’s men" is a journey through the intrigues and plots that blighted the Renaissance with illustrious deads.

This historical period is not characterized solely by the splendid, illuminated aspects we know so well, but has many facets, including a dark one, of ruthless political machinations.The “Pazzi conspiracy” is the era’s most celebrated story of intrigue, involving Italy’s most powerful princes, and even the Pope.Beginning in Florence, we will retrace the steps of the protago-nists of the “Pazzi conspiracy”, conjuring up the scene of the murder of young Giuliano de Medici and the wounding of Lorenzo the Magnificent in the Duomo of Florence. Time has revealed the maneuverings behind that attack, impugning eminent figures like Pope Sixtus IV and especially the “light of Italy”, Federico da Montefeltro.In view of his role, we will take you to explore Montefeltro’s historic homeland in central Italy. We will visit the fortress city of San Leo, theater of conquests by the very young Federico da Montefeltro in 1441, by Cesare Borgia in 1502 and by Pope Leon X (of the Medici clan) in 1516.

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ext we travel to Urbino, and Montefeltro’s

Ducal Palace. From his small study there, Federico administered his political affairs, playing a key role in 15th-century Italy’s political stability. We will visit Urbino’s National Gallery, which contains superb works by Piero della Francesca, including the “Flagellation”, an enigmatic painting that is thought to depict an atrocious murder committed by Federico Da Montefeltro himself, and thus revealing a far less virtuous character than

tradition would suggest.

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en years after the death of Federico da Montefeltro, the political scene underwent brusque changes: Pope Alexander VI, of the Borgia clan, rose to the Vatican

throne. During his pontificate, he sought to unify Italy under the papal flag, and did not disdain the use of force. His son Cesare carried forth these expansionistic ambitions, making

numerous enemies in the process, even within his own army.It was in Magione, specifically in the Castello della Magione, that Cesare’s officers met to plot his downfall. Today, the castle belongs to the Knights of Malta and has been transformed into a farm estate and winery, so we have the additional

pleasure of tasting wines produced here.From Magione we move on to Senigallia where, after visiting the Rocca Roveresca fortress, we will take part in the “Senigal-lia dinner”, a banquet that recreates the historic dinner to which the notorious Cesare Borgia invited a few of his conspir-ing enemies with the promise of a “reconciliation,” while his real objective was to capture and kill them. This brutal and diabolical episode was witnessed by the illustrious Florentine ambassador Niccolò Machiavelli, who recounted it to his superiors.

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ur journey concludes in Rome, at the Vatican Muse-ums. We will see the Sistine Chapel, so-named in honor of its builder Sixtus IV. About fifty years had

passed since the death of Giuliano de Medici.His posthumously-born son, Pope Clemente VII, appointed Michelangelo to paint the Universal Judgment. We will learn

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how, through Michelangelo’s masterpiece, Clemente VII avenged his father, putting an end to the long string of assassi-nations.This journey explores an unfamiliar aspect of the Renaissance, allowing us to relive the intriguing atmosphere of the diplomacy and ruthless political logic of Macchiavelli’s day.

ALL THE PRINCE’S MEN

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Notes:

(1) Ercole e Centauro Nesso, Giambologna - Florence.

(2) Sala della Rotonda, Vatican Museums - Vatican City.

(3) Fortress of San Leo - San Leo.

(4) View over the Historic Centre of Florence from Palazzo Vecchio - Florence.

(5) Palazzo Ducale - Urbino.

(6) Portrait of Pope Alexander VI, Cristofano dell'Altissimo, 59 x 44 cm, Corridoio Vasariano - Florence.

(7) The Last Judgment - detail, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Fresco, 1536 - 1541, Sistine Chapel - Vatican City.

(8) Procession of the Magi - detail (Lorenzo de’ Medici), Benozzo Gozzoli, Fresco, 1459–1460, Magi Chapel, Palazzo Medici Riccardi - Florence

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THAT “JE NE SAIS QUOI”

how many things we wouldn't be able to perceive if it weren't for feeling?

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t is elusive, enigmatic,

secreted in a thousand

forms, and yet, we can

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It is elusive, enigmatic, secret-

ed in a thousand forms, and

yet, we can still catch sight

of that mysterious something.

We will see it as we contem-

plate the life and work of

Raphael Sanzio in the heart

of the Italian Reinassance.

At the end of our jour-

ney, we will find that this

mysterious something is in-

separable from emotions.

And then, we may recall

the epigraph that reads:

“Si bene propicias

mira videre potes”

He who looks well

may see wonderfulthings.

THAT “JE NE SAIS QUOI”WHY CHOOSE THIS TOUR

erhaps you have had the experience of coming upon a place that nature has endowed to make altogether delightful and yet, its trees offer no delectable fruits, there

is nothing particularly exceptional in the gently flowing landscape, none of the inspired proportions that the designer’s art creates in gardens to enhance cities or villas Still, this place captivates you, and you simply don’t want to leave.What is it that sets such a place apart?It has that je ne sais quoi.You may have begun reading a book and immediately discerned that the author had a less-accomplished style than others you knew and yet, you could not tear yourself away from the story; his style charmed you.Why?The author had that je ne sais quoi.In spite of its elusive, enigmatic nature, in spite of the fact that is hides behind a thousand forms, we can still catch sight of that mysterious something.

Our journey offers you an opportunity to see it, discov-ering and contemplating the life and work of Raphael Sanzio in the heart of the Italian Renaissance.The divine painter will bring us closer to that je ne sais quoi.At the end of our journey, we will find that this mysteri-ous something is inseparable from emotions, as it pertains to the world of sentiment and not the world of reason; we can sense it and feel it, but we cannot define or explain it.

PAnd then, we’ll recall the words of the philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau:

“How many things are there which one perceives only through sentiment and which one cannot account for?”

And we will fully grasp the meaning of the epigraph we saw engraved on the Fontana Maggiore in Perugia:

“Si bene propicias mira videre potes”

“He who looks well may see wonderful things”.

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THAT “JE NE SAIS QUOI”TOUR PROGRAM

Rome

Siena

Urbino

Assisi

Florence

Arezzo ArezzoArrival in Arezzo, hotel check-in and welcome dinner.

Day 1

FlorenceDay 1 UrbinoArrival in Urbino. Visit to the birthplace of Raphael, lunch, then a

visit to the Ducal Palace. Return to the hotel and dinner.

Day 2

PerugiaArrival in Perugia. Visit to the Exchange Guild, lunch with food and

wine testing then visit to the Templar church of San Bevignate.

Day 3

ArezzoDay at leisure*.

Day 4

SienaArrival in Siena: tour of cathedral, especially the Piccolomini Library, lunch then a visit to Piazza del Campo and Palazzo

Pubblico.

Day 5

FlorenceArrival in Flroence. Visit to the church of Santa Maria del Fiore, The Brancacci Chapel, lunch then visit to the Bargello Palace

Museum and the Academy Museum.

Day 6


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THAT “JE NE SAIS QUOI”TOUR PROGRAM

FlorenceVisit to the Uffizi Museum lunch, then a visit to the Pitti Palace. Day 7

RomeArrival in Rome and hotel check-in.

Day 8

RomeVisit to the Vatican Museum, lunch, then a visit to St. Peter’s

Basilica.

Day 9

RomeVisit to the Villa Farnesina, lunch and then visit to the

Pantheon and the Ancient Rome.

Day 10

RomeDay at leisure* followed by farewell dinner.

Day 11

DepartureBreakfast, airport transfer and departure.

Day 12

* Several activities are possible such as shopping, wine tasting, cookery lessons, country walks and riding.

Your escorts will be available to help you at all times.

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THAT “JE NE SAIS QUOI”TOUR DESCRIPTION

FlorenceDay 1

t’s a rather curious thing, a tour with a name like “That je ne sais quoi” – it almost seems an admission that we don’t quite know exactly what we might be dealing with on the various

stops along the itinerary, and in a certain sense, that is in fact the case here. The itinerary of Renaissance of Journey’s fourth tour is inspired by the life and works of the painter Raphael, who was born in the sophisticated Urbino of “Il Cortegiano” (The Book of the Courtier), and later went to Perugia to become an apprentice to Il Perugino, one of the best-known and most vivid painters of early 16th-century Italy. But his efforts in Florence and Rome are what confirm Raphael as one of the greatest painters of all time, and in spite of his youth (he died at the age of just thirty-seven in 1520), he presented his patrons, includ-ing Pope Julius II, with master-pieces like the Stanza della Segnatura and the Madonna del Cardellino.But why “je ne sais quoi”?It all springs from a comment made by Lodovico Dolce, the great mid-16th-century critic and writer.

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THAT “JE NE SAIS QUOI”TOUR DESCRIPTION

omparing Michelangelo’s art with Raphael’s, Lodovico asserted of the latter that “besides invention, design, variety and the effects which all of his works have on

the spectator’s mind, there are found in them […] that je ne sais quoi, which serves to charm so much in painting as well as in poetry, insomuch that it fills the mind of the spectator or the reader with infinite delight, without our knowing what gives us

pleasure”.Just that one little phrase. And yet, behind the expression “je ne sais quoi” lies all the mystery of enchantment. We believe that in observing the evolution of Raphael’s work, one can perceive how at times, art is not beautiful, but is rather a fascinating mystery; it contains what reason cannot grasp: the seductiveness

of a dream.Like a waking dream, the images Raphael offers us shift our sensations into a dimension beyond reality, where harmony

sustains the naïve sentiment of artistic pleasure. A journey that touches Urbino, Perugia, Florence and Rome to savor the most exquisite examples of beauty and taste without

the awkward presence of “why?”s and judgments.A total aesthetic experience.

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Notes:

(1) Madonna della Seggiola, Raphael, 1513-1514, Oil on panel, 71 cm x 71 cm, Pitti Palace - Florence.

(2) Palazzo dei Priori - Perugia.

(3) Rome, Piazza Venezia - View of Trajan's Column.

(4) Self-portrait, Raphael, 1504-1506, Oil on board, 47.5 cm x 33 cm, Uffizi Musuem - Florence.

(5) School of Athens, Raphael, 1509-1510, Fresco, 500 cm x 770 cm, Apostolic Palace - Vatican City.

(6) Bargello Museum - Florence.

(7) Libreria Piccolomini frescoes detail, Bernardino Pinturicchio, 1502-1507, Cathedral of Siena - Siena.

(8) La velata, Raphael, 1514-1515, Oil on canvas, 82 cm x 60.5 cm, Pitti Palace - Florence.

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THE IDEAL TOWN

I call architecture frozen music

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A journey throught real cities in search of the Ideal City.

Walking throught tangible, phisical

spaces in search of the promise of a Utopia.

Where is Utopia? Walking, en route,

we will find it.

THE IDEAL TOWNWHY CHOOSE THIS TOUR

oday, the modern city seems degraded, unstable, disorganized. It seems to grow uncontrollably, its historical central districts dying due to the decreasing number of

residents and the increasing onslaught of traffic, and its sprawling suburbs devouring the surrounding countryside. In this state of affairs, the meaning of places and things is easily lost.And yet, the city is an unavoidable component of contemporane-ity: the world has been urbanized for decades, with nearly half of its population living in cities, and the other half – the world’s rural societies – judged according to their degree of connectedness to the urban global network. In an attempt to bring some clarity to this bewildering situation, the American urban planner and sociologist Lewis Mumford, in his book “The City in History”, asked: “Will the city disappear or will the whole planet turn into a vast urban hive? Is there still a living choice between Necropolis and Utopia: the possibility of building a new kind of city that will, freed of inner contradictions, positively enrich and further human development?”And so, the goal is Utopia - a city that places man at the center of history, and emphasizes the “back-to-basics” values of a rediscov-ered essentiality; respect for tradition in dialogue with progressive

urban planning; respect for nature in dialogue with technical-scientific progress. An authentic Renaissance, in which a re-found Humanism points the way like a compass.And Mumford continues:“Can the needs and desires that have impelled men to live in cities recover, at a still higher level, all that Jerusalem, Athens, and Florence once seemed to promise?”To find the answer, we must go back to the simplest, most basic of activities: walking. And along our itinerary, we will come to understand the impulses that have always compelled man to live in cities.Walking through tangible, physical space, we will grasp the significance of architecture, and step by step, the design of that promise of urban harmony that Florence once offered will fall into place. We will find ourselves walking purposefully in pursuit of our utopias. After all, as Mumford reminds us:“….As a matter of fact, it is our utopias that make the world tolerable to us: the cities and mansions that make people dream of are those in which they finally live…”So where is Utopia? At the end of our journey, we will have our answer.

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THE IDEAL TOWNTOUR PROGRAM

Siena

Civita diBagnoregioVulci

Florence

Monteriggioni

Terredel Tufo

Montalcino

SanGimignano

Pienza

Val d’OrciaArrival in Val d’Orcia, Siena. Hotel check-in and welcome

dinner.

Day 1

FlorenceDay 1 Vulci - Cività di BagnoregioArrival in Vulci, an important Etruscan city, which has been

rediscovered today in all of its splendour. Lunch, then arrival to Civita di Bagnoregio, also known as la città che muore, in

Italian “the dying city”, because of an extreme phenomenon of erosion that makes the city appear as if it is suspended in mid-air.

Day 2

Terre del Tufo. Sorano, Pitigliano, SovanaArrival to Sorano and visit to the ancient medieval cities built on

a plateau of tuff rock, known together as the “Terre del Tufo”.Lunch in typical restaurant and wine tasting in

wineries carved in tuff rock.

Day 3

Val d’OrciaDay at leisure*.

Day 5

Monteriggioni, S. GimignanoArrival in Monteriggioni, a city still fortified by its ancient walls.

Tour of the city, lunch, then arrival to San Gimignano.Visit to various monuments including the frescoes of Ghirlandaio

and Gozzoli.

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THE IDEAL TOWNTOUR PROGRAM

Val d’OrciaDay at leisure*.

Day 9

SienaArrival in Siena: Visit to Piazza del Campo, Palazzo Pubblico, and

the Duomo. Lunch, then a tour of the city.

Day 6

Montalcino, PienzaArrival in Montalcino: tour of the medieval village, visit to the

Romanesque Abbey of Saint Antimo, an example of monastic architecture. Lunch and a tour of the city of Pienza,

a unique and completely realised example of the Ideal City of the Renaissance.

Day 7

FlorenceTour of the historical city centre of Florence: Church of Santa Maria Novella, Church of Santa Croce, the antique Baptistery of St. John, The Duomo and Giotto’s Bell Tower, Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi Gallery. Lunch, then a visit to the Pitti Palace, the splendid royal ducal palace, where the Palatina Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art are both housed, then visit to the famous

Boboli Gardens.

Day 8

* Several activities are possible such as shopping, wine tasting, cookery lessons, country walks and riding. Your

escorts will be available to help you at all times.

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THE IDEAL TOWNTOUR DESCRIPTION

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erceiving the evolution of the city in man’s thinking is important if we want to understand the development of culture and society; we can recognize how beliefs, needs

and desires shaped territories, carved stone and erected buildings.The search for a place in which to feel “at home” and create a community of men with respect for individual freedoms has left

noteworthy marks in Italy.To begin to discover them, we will first take you to see cities dug into the ancient tufo rock, walking their streets is an evocative experi-ence that leads us to marvel at the tenacity of their builders, men

Pwho sought to meet the need for safety and the desire for freedom

and ease of movement considered indispensable since antiquity.The development of thought and culture in the Middle Ages led to the building of cities that were still bound to the earth, but that also expressed the need to rise to a higher dimension, satisfying desires for both power and spirituality through the construction of palaces,

castles and towers that reached skyward.The profile of San Gimignano is striking, with its modern skyline of

towers rising like proud, stalwart witnesses to the passing of time.


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THE IDEAL TOWNTOUR DESCRIPTION

he evolution and alteration of the city were also a reflection of the development of the populace’s concept of politics and the need for “good government”. We will take

you to see the magnificent, truly unique exemplar of Siena’s Piazza del Campo, the shell-shaped plaza that embraces the

pearl of the city, the Palazzo Pubblico (City Hall).The red brick recalls the color of the soil, a metaphor for the concrete concerns of the citizenry that awaited the attention of the Republic, and the white marble reminds whoever sets eyes on the palazzo that the members of government must never be sullied by injustice, but must be examples and leaders for all free

and honest citizens.Continuing our itinerary, we will take you to Pienza, where you will witness an inestimable example of how humanist ideas could

lead to the planning, creation and molding of an ideal city.Pienza was the brainchild of the humanist Pope Pius II, and was brought to life under the supervision of Bernardo Rossellino, the

famed Florentine architect.Obviously, our journey can only conclude with Florence, the “Athens on the Arno”. Walking through the historic city center, we will have the sensation of hearing the “frozen music” of its history,

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from a time when “(…) this most beautiful city, renowned for its wealth, its victories, its arts and its noble buildings, enjoyed

prosperity and peace” (Ghirlandaio – Santa Maria Novella).

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THE IDEAL TOWN

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THE IDEAL TOWN

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THE IDEAL TOWN

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Notes:

(1) Santa Trinita bridge - Florence.

(2) Florence Historic Centre.

(3) Civita di Bagnoregio - street view.

(4) Baptistery main door detail - Florence.

(5) PIazza Salimbeni - Siena.

(6) San Gimignano Historic Centre.

(7) Effects of Good Government on Town and Country datail, .Ambrogio Lorenzetti, 1338-1339, Fresco, Palazzo Pubblico, Siena.

(8) Pienza - View of the Val d’Orcia.

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THE GRACE

and beauty es a certain grace

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his is a journey in search of an answer.The question comes

from Dostoyevsky’s novelThe Idiot:

“What sort of beauty will save the world?”.

To which Dostoyevsky’s prince offers no response.

And so we go in search of many things, and try to put

them into some order.In due course, when

some-one asks us“So, what sort of beauty

will save the world?”all the pieces of the puzzle

will fall into place, andwe will know the answer.

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THE GRACEWHY CHOOSE THIS TOUR

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his is a journey in search of an answer.An answer, perhaps, like the one Ippolit awaits in vain from Prince Myshkin, in Dostoyevsky’s The Idiot: “(..) the

prince asserts that beauty will save the world, but I assert that the reason he has such playful ideas is that he is in love. What sort of beauty will save the world? (…) The prince looked at Ippolit attentively and made no answer”.Dostoyevsky offers the reader no easy answer, and we can perhaps intuit why he does not if we recall the words of Saint Augustine who, attempting to explain the concept of time, wrote in his Confessions: “What, then, is time? If no one ask of me, I know; if I wish to explain to him who asks, I know not”. So perhaps the search for a subjective, personal answer lies behind Prince Myshkin’s silence. Ippolit may be right in suggesting that love gives people funny ideas, but it may also be the key to under-standing our search. In his treatise De Amore (On Love), Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499), speaking of love, says: “When we say ‘love,’ we mean the desire for beauty (…) and beauty is a certain grace which, chiefly and most often, arises from the association of many things”. And so, we go in search of these “many things,” and will try to create a harmonic “association” between them, as in a

mosaic made up of scores of pieces placed side by side to form a single image, which we must observe from a specific distance – if we stand too close, we see only the individual pieces, but if we step too far back, the image gets lost in the glare.The right distance – the point of perfect equilibrium – reveals the true magic of the form, the perception of harmony. As we continue our search, we have the sensation of digging down to the source, getting to the root of things – a trip back in time.And if, back at home, someone should ask us what sort of beauty we think will save the world, we will contemplate our questioner in silence, and remember the many mosaic pieces we beheld – perhaps Florence’s Boboli Garden, which Dostoyevsky’s wife fondly recalled visiting while her husband completed work on The Idiot in that city: “(…) every day Fyodor and I went to the Boboli Garden where, although it was January, the roses were in bloom. Here we warmed ourselves in the tepid sun and dreamed of our future happiness”. Through our memories, the pieces will fall into place, the mosaic will take shape, and we will have found our point of equilibrium; then we will smile wordlessly at our interlocutor, knowing our answer.

THE GRACETOUR PROGRAM

Pisa

Ravenna

Assisi

Florence

Paestum

Rome

RomeArrival in Rome, hotel check-in and welcome dinner.

Day 1

FlorenceDay 1 Paestum

Arrival in Paestum , lunch, visit the archaeological site and museum.

Day 2

RomeLeisure day. Various activities are possible* with escorts at

your service.

Day 3

Florence

Arrival in Florence, hotel check-in.

Day 4

RavennaArrival in Ravenna. Visit the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo. Lunch, then visit San Vitale, the Mausoleum of Galla

Placidia and Dante Alighieri’s grave.

Day 5


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THE GRACETOUR PROGRAM

PisaArrival in Pisa and visit the Piazza dei Miracoli, lunch, then visit to

the National Museum of Pisa, the town.

Day 6

AssisiArrival in Assisi, lunch. Visit to the Basilica of San Francesco

ad Assisi. Tour of Perugia (time permitting).

Day 8

FlorenceLeisure day*.

Day 7

FlorenceVisit the Brancacci Chapel and Palazzo Pitti, lunch then visit the Bargello Museum. In the end visit to the Academy

Museum to conclude the theme.

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Your escorts will be available to help you at all times.

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THE GRACETOUR DESCRIPTION

Florence

e often hear it said that contemporary “advanced” societies have lost their traditional cultural reference points.

Today, we are seeing the worldwide diffusion of a model of

human being that is increasingly elementary and homologated, in stark contrast to the development of increasingly complex technical machinery. And yet, the traits of the pre-technological man persist in us, along with a accumulation of ideas and a stockpile of emotions. This technical age has dispelled that humanist scenario, and man has acquired a technical view of the world, losing the capacity to be amazed by things; but our questions about meaning remain, seeking a response.This tour is a journey of rediscovery of the pre-industrial humanist scenario, with its wealth of values and aesthetic impact that surely testifies to the soul’s deep-seated need to be amazed and naturally leads us to perceive that sensation of harmony in Nature and in the arts that the ancient Greeks called “grace.” We invite you to discover the evolution of that harmony over the course of this itinerary. The first stop is Paestum, which the Greeks called Poseidonia. This was one of the richest and most thriving colonies of Magna Grecia; walking its streets, one can admire works of impressive depth and quality, experiencing the emotion that classical works in particular arouse, exemplars of art that come close to touching our human essence.

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ur journey continues to Ravenna, the last capital of the western Roman Empire. The visit to the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia is a unique experience. Here, we witness

a step in the early evolution of pictorial art – inside the monument, we find ourselves the protagonists of a scene as if suspended between the heavens and earth, at the center of the universe represented in the splendid Byzantine mosaics. The mausoleum, a world heritage site, is stunningly beautiful.As we continue through Ravenna, we will encounter grand Byzantine monuments like the churches of San Vitale and Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, magnificent works with the most beauti-ful mosaics in the Christian world that testify to the divine charac-ter attributed to the Empire’s rulers, a power bestowed on the Emperor by the will of God. In these mosaics, men are depicted as metaphysical, superhuman figures, without volume or natural-istic qualities, and the world is crowned by divine gold.And this was the legacy taken up by Medieval art, which already had within it a tendency towards the tradition of classical art, as we can admire, for example, in a few deeply human scenes in Medieval works from the splendid National Museum in Pisa.

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t is one of the most famous cantos in history that takes us back to the human dimension, the grace of simple and beautiful language: with the canticle of the sun in praise of

all creatures, Francesco d’Assisi once again directs his gaze, and ours, towards “lesser” things.

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A bit later, Giotto frescoed the Basilica di San Francesco.Admiring its interior is an indescribable experience; here one begins to understand the painter’s attempt to recapture grace and harmony: the sky represented in the cupola opens above us as if to demonstrate man’s will to lay his claim on natural spaces.


his itinerary in pursuit of “grace” could only conclude in Florence, where Masaccio and Masolino’s Brancacci Chapel introduces the magnificence of Renaissance art,

and with a visit to the Accademia Museum, where David stands T

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defending the powerful grace of the perfect man. Thus, the rebirth is complete: man erects a monument to himself, using equilibrium and harmony as his language, and in marble, the abstract concept of grace takes concrete form.

THE GRACE

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Notes:

(1) Ratto delle Sabine, Giambologna - Florence.

(2) Bizantine mosaic detail, Galla Placidia Mausoleum - Ravenna.

(3) Leaning Tower of Pisa - Pisa.

(4) Roman statue, Archaeological Museum - Paestum.

(5) Church of San Vitale - Ravenna.

(6) Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi - Assisi.

(7) Statue of David, Michelangelo Buonarroti - Florence.

(8) Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, street view - Florence

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MICHELANGELO, AN HERETICAL PASSION

beauty is the purgation of superfluities

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hroughout Miche-langelo’s masterful

career, the papacy commissioned him to create many of its most important

pieces, including the frescos of the Sistine Chapel and

the Basilica of St. Peter. He spent his life glorifying the Church through his art. But

five centuries later, new finds are revealing a darker

side to the master artisan. Researches, especially in

the Vatican archives, led us to the relationship between Michelangelo and a clan-destine fellowship trying to

reform the Catholic Church from within.

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MICHELANGELO, AN HERETICAL PASSIONWHY CHOOSE THIS TOUR

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On July 14, 1564 a solemn funeral was held for Michelangelo

Buonarroti in his hometown of Florence. This ceremony, requested

by the Grand Duke of Florence, was remembered in history for

its grandiosity. It was a celebration fit more for a prince than an artist- an

artist that when he was alive was already considered a “divine” painter,

sculptor, and architect, capable of reaching unique creative heights.

The circumstances of his death were very different than those of his funeral.

On a cold and rainy day in February, in his humble home-workshop in a

popular neighborhood of Rome, surrounded by few friends, Michelangelo

took leave of his beloved Rome. On the same night the papal commissioners

broke into his house. They searched the laboratory for letters, books or

notes left by the artist. They found few things: some days before he died

Michelangelo had burned all his drawings and writings.

Then, by the Grand Duke of Florence came the order to bring home the

body of the illustrious Florentine citizen. At any cost.

The nephew of the great artist, under the circumstances, had to steal the

body in secret, in the night.

Why was the greatest artist of the Catholic Church, who enjoyed an

extraordinarily generous lifetime commission allocated to him by the

papacy, living in near poverty? Why was his only remaning friend arrested

for heresy because of a forbidden book? Why, days before his death, did

he burn all his papers? Why did he hastily dictate his autobiographies with

the description “false” regarding certain sculptures?

This is a journey in search of the answers to all these questions. An

investigation through letters and marble, in a search to discover

Michelangelo and his “heretical passion.”

“Even if my own father were a heretic I would gather the wood to make

him burn.” Paul IV, Pope and inquisitor.

Now, heretic is a term that derives from the ancient Greek and means one

who chooses. And never as in the sixteenth century could a person really

choose when it came to religion. The Christian world was splitting, and the

Alps formed the dividing line. Above it, a reformist current threatened the

central authority of the Catholic Church. Rome, fearing contagion, begins

to reorganize the old Inquisition. Cardinal Caraffa then takes command

and exerts a profound repression.

Between these two opposing worlds, in Italy, a group that surrounded

the most important woman of the 1500s organizes what you might call a

“third way”. This enlightened elite, composed of intellectuals, cardinals of

the first order, and the greatest artist of the moment , attempts a reform

from inside the church, without creating a rift. The most important exponent

of this group, Cardinal R. Pole, in the conclave of 1549, for one vote fails to

be elected pope. Instead, a few years later, his enemy Cardinal Caraffa

will succeed in becoming Paul IV. The rest is known history.

What might have been the course of history if the Cardinal Pole had won

the race to the papacy? If the group of intellectuals were not persecuted,

disjointed, the cast of characters lost in the archives of the Inquisition?

We could imagine several scenarios, assume different solutions. This

trip invites us to enter the heart of the Renaissance. A journey through

mysterious symbols and traces left in the marble in the search to discover

Michelangelo and his heretical passion.

dinner

Leisure day*.

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TOUR PROGRAM


Viterbo

Rome

Day 1

Day 1

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Florence

Florence

Mantua

Florence

Lucca

Viterbo

Arrival in Florence, hotel check-in and welcome.

Tour of the places where Michelangelo lived: hishouse and Santa Croce church. Lunch, then a visit

to the Dome’s Museo dell’Opera.

Tour of Ducal Palace and Te Palace, to get the sense of the power og Michelangelo’s friends.


Bringing inquisition into focus visiting Lucca’s villas and the town with its torture museum.

Who were «those from Viterbo»? Tour of the townand the papal palace. After lunch departure to Rome.

THE GRACE

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Notes:

(1) Ratto delle Sabine, Giambologna - Florence.

(2) Bizantine mosaic detail, Galla Placidia Mausoleum - Ravenna.

(3) Leaning Tower of Pisa - Pisa.

(4) Roman statue, Archaeological Museum - Paestum.

(5) Church of San Vitale - Ravenna.

(6) Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi - Assisi.

(7) Statue of David, Michelangelo Buonarroti - Florence.

(8) Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, street view - Florence

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Day 10

MICHELANGELO, AN HERETICAL PASSIONTOUR PROGRAM

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SRomeDay 7

Leisure day*.

RomeDay 8

RomeDay 9

RomeDay 10

RomeDay 11

Leisure day*.

Tour throught Michelangelo’s Rome: the district where he lived, Rione Monti, and the Colonna Palace. After

lunch visit San Peter in Chain church.

* Several activities are possible such as shopping, wine tasting, coockery lessons, country walks and riding.

Your escorts will be avaiable to help you at all times.

Private tour to Vatican’s museums and Sistin Chapel.

Breakfast, airport transfer and departure.

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Notes:

(1) Mosè, Michelangelo Buonarroti - S. Peter’s Basilica in Vincoli, Rome.

(2) S. Peter’s Basilica - Vatican City.

(3) Sala dei Giganti, Palazzo Te - Mantova

(4) Basilica of Santa Croce - Florence

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Via Balestra, 336900 LuganoSwitzerland

+39 [email protected]

www.renaissanceofjourney.com

LIFESTYLE TOURS 2015

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MASERATI: A UNIQUE BRAND EXPERIENCE

Discover the world behind the trident.A journey through the

most beautiful Italian land-scapes to taste the history that builds Italians excellen-ce. An experience of Masera-ti’s lifestyle, combining sport, leisure and luxury.

The only way to understand magic is to look at the ma-gician’s hands, so visiting Maserati’s factory and track is the chance to try out the incredible power of its cars.

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MASERATI: A UNIQUE BRAND EXPERIENCEWHY CHOOSE THIS TOUR

A journey designed to satisfy your driving passion. At the

wheel of a beautiful Maserati, the tour starts in Brescia,

the hometown of Mille Miglia race. You will cross the

Alp’s mountains and run along Adriatic coast until arriving

at Ravenna, an Emilia Romagna’s jewel. After retracing the

medieval roads of San Marino’s Republic and enjoy the Tuscan

hills of Chianti, the destination is: Maserati’s world at Modena.

The tour has in store for you an exclusive visit to the factory,

where the magic happens. You will live two days of thrills on the

track guided by expert Maserati drivers. Dedicated to those

who wish to gain a better understanding of these vehicles and

more advanced techniques for driving a high performance GT

in utmost safety. You will receives personalised training from their

tutors, while two days spent on the track enable you to assimilate

the advice they have been given. To conclude your journey

enjoy a full leisure day in Milan while visiting the finest stores and

having the most fashionable aperitif in town.

The best tour that combines Italian lifestyle with the amazing

Maserati’s world. You will spend your time staying in charming

hotels, delighting the best Italian food and driving a legendary

car.

Bassanodel Grappa

Milan

Modena

Brescia

Pienza

Firenze

BresciaDay 1

FlorenceDay 1 Bassano del GrappaDay 2

RavennaLeisure day. Various activities are possible* with escorts at

your service.

Day 3

Pienza - San Marino RepublicDay 4

Florence - ModenaDay 5


Ravenna

San Marino

Castellodella Pieve

Departure from Mille miglia Museumto Bassano del Grappa.

Arrival in Ravenna.

Driving day, passing throught San Marino Republic and having lunch in a real medieval village.

Arrival in Pienza.

TOUR

S Arrival in Brescia, hotel check-in and welcome dinner.

Driving throught Chianti region and visit to Florence.Lunch in typical Florentine restaurant.

Arrive to Modena.

MASERATI: A UNIQUE BRAND EXPERIENCE TOUR PROGRAM

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Modena

Florence

Milan

Day 6

Arrival at the track and staff welcome. Master GT driving theory. Lunch at the circuit restaurant.

On track with instructor on board. Debriefing. Return to the hotel.

Modena

Arrival at the autodrome. Start with practical exercises. On track with telemetry analysis - diving competition.

Lunch at the circuit restaurant. Group photo. Final driving session. Closing ceremony and

awarding of certificates and driving contest prize.

Day 8

Arrive to Milan. Day at leisure*.

Day 7

MilanDay 9

MilanDay 8

Breakfast, airport transfer and departure.

*Several activities are possible such as shopping, wine tasting, cookery lessons, country walks and riding.

Your escorts will be avaiable to help you at all times.

MASERATI: A UNIQUE BRAND EXPERIENCETOUR PROGRAM

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dreamDouble

DOUBLE DREAM

Embark in an alter-native still romantic escapade in Italy be-

fore your wedding day. This journey is conceived with a special feature: it is an opportunity to rediscov-er yourself and enjoy first class activities on your own, before meeting your part-ner in an exclusive spot to share your special week.

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DOUBLE DREAMWHY CHOOSE THIS TOUR

“Double dream” i s conce ived as a specia l

coup le ’ s wedding shower . Before walk ing

to the a i s le we would li ke to propose an

exci t ing and d i fferent journey : s tar t ing wi th an

adventure act iv i ty ( for example , parachute jumping ,

climbing , raft ing ) then the couple temporary

“ separates” to exper ience a charming and s ty li sh

persona l getaway . He will li ve one we ek as an

authent ic gent leman , hunt ing wi th fa lcons , tas t ing

fines t wines , dr iv ing v in tage cars and a powerful

Maserat i .

She will enjoy a we ek t reated li ke pr incess ,

be ing adv i sed of her lo ok and s ty le by an image

consul tant , re lax ing wi th beauty t reatments in

a Florent ine de luxe spa , and shopping wi th a

persona l s ty li s t in the very bes t bout iques of Milan .

The journey will conclude by me et ing together in

Como, the mos t romant ic lake spot in nor thern

I ta ly , to have an in t imate and pr ivate romant ic

d inner in a sa il boat .

Milan

Como

Firenze


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DOUBLE DREAM: FOR HERTOUR PROGRAM

FlorenceDay 1

FlorenceDay 1FlorenceDay 2

FlorenceSPA beauty day and image consulting.

Day 3

FlorenceDay 4

Breakfast and adventure activity. station for parachuting. Then the couple separates. Transfer to Florence.

City tour. Visit to Gucci Museum and Ferragamo museum. Shopping day with a personal shopper.

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Como

Florence

Day 5

Transfer to Como, check in hotel on the lakeside. Suggested activities for the day:

sailing, water skiing, bike riding, food/wine tasting.

Milan - Como

Transfer to Milan, shopping day with a personal shopper. Return to Como. Elegant

and romantic dinner with your partner.

Leisure day.

Day 6

MilanDay 9

ComoDay 7

Departure.

DOUBLE DREAM: FOR HERTOUR PROGRAM

Milan

Modena

Brescia

Cortona

Firenze

FlorenceDay 1

Day 1 CortonaDay 2

Cortona

Hunting and falconry. Visit to Cortona.

Day 3

CortonaDay 4


Breakfast and extreme sporting activity organized for the couple.

Transfer to Cortona.

Vineyards and cellars tour. Wine tasting, horse riding.

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DOUNLE DREAM: FOR HIMTOUR PROGRAM

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Modena

Florence

Milan

Day 5

En route with a vintage car up to Modena, for an exclusive experience

of driving a Maserati in a racetrack.

Milan - Como

Transfer to Milan, shopping day with a personal shopper. Transfer to Como, check in hotel on the lakeside.

Elegant and romantic dinner with your partner.

Day 8

Leisure day.

Day 6

ComoDay 8

ComoDay 7

Departure.

DOUBLE DREAM: FOR HIMTOUR PROGRAM

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COLLECTOR’S LOUNGE

Reinassance of Journey offers to art collectors a custom made tour ful-filling the keen desire of the guest:

exclusive visits to Art Galleries, private collections, auction houses, meetings and conversation with the artists and art deal-ers, studio-visit to contemporary artists. An unforgettable tour ,highly conducted by professional art experts, will take the guests to discover the beauties of Italy as a trea-sure to bring back home

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WEDDINGNOW JOIN YOUR HANDS, AND WITH YOUR HANDS YOUR HEARTS

Plan with us your dream wed-ding in Italy. Let us help you to make your celebration a day

you and your guests will fully enjoy. Together with a group of experi-enced wedding planners, we want to provide you with personalized and unique wedding packages designed to satisfy your specific requests. Cel-ebrated venues such as the Tuscan countryside, the Amalfi coast, the Lake of Como, and the cities of Rome, Florence and Venice are the perfect sites for your special day. Whether you choose an intimate or luxurious ceremony, we want to en-sure that this will be a memorable experience to cherish in the years to come.

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ABOUT YOUDISCOVERING YOUR ROOTS

Discover with us your family his-tory in Italy. Travel where your ancestors came from to under-

stand how their lives have shaped the world you live in today. Embark on a deep personal journey across your fam-ily past. A trip to realize who you really are, the lives your relatives lived, and their identity and place in their country of origin. Each journey will reveal the ex-traordinary, surprising and often moving stories of your ancestors. We can help you to plan your visit to towns and vil-lages where your family members lived, to assist you during your trip and to re-search your family tree, among other additional services you may request to make this journey unforgettable.

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TAILOR MADE

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TAILOR MADE

TOURS

We are glad to make your ide-al journey come

true. Your trip can be or-ganized according to your wishes and needs, also by combining activities from our list of tours. Do not hes-itate to contact us and treat yourself with an exclusive customized trip.

- Personal Itinerary- Enogastonomic Tour- Cooking Lessons- Luxury Wellness- Image consulting & Personal Stylist- Maserati Drive Experi-ence- Activities for the Family- Shopping Tour with Per-sonal Shopper.- Photoreportage and holidays photobook - Original Family potrait

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OUR HOTELS

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OUR HOTELS

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TAILOR MADE

HOTELS

OUR HOTELS

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OUR HOTELS

We always choose the finest and Lux-ury accommoda-

tion in each area our tours touch on, and guarantee comfort as well as excellent service. The quality of our hotels is excellent.Style, comfort and personal-ity are the main character-istic of the hotels we have chosen for our guest. The restaurants and win-eries have been chosen for their quality and atmo-sphere, so important to fully savour your Journey.

Renaissance of Journey catalog 2015

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Transcript of Renaissance of Journey catalog 2015