A bus tour taking in the sights of the eternal city will greet us on arrival before checking into our hotel. Once settled, we will take a short walk to stretch those jet lagged legs and visit Santa Maria Della Vittoria which houses Bernini's famous 'St Therese in Ecstacy', a highly theatrical marble and gold sculpture capturing intense spiritual emotion. It is characteristic of Baroque art where audience engagement is achieved through strong gestural movement and dramatic emotional expression within a stage-like environment that is highly adorned with marble, gold and painted imagery. A short walk further will take us to the Piazza Barberini, a large open space on Quirinal Hill, created in the 16th century and named after the Barberini family - one of whom became Pope Urban VIIII. The palace is located in an elevated position on the north side of the piazza. Bernini was commissioned by the Pope to create 'Fontana Del Triton' in 1642. Return to our accommodation for dinner.
Day 2: Rome's Ancient Past
Put on your walking shoes to visit Rome's ancient past of Emperors, gladiators and monuments of the empire. Visit the Colosseum, Roman forum, Trajan's Column, Capitoline Hill, the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. The piazza stands above an ancient stadium and houses Bernini's famous 'Fontana die Quattro Flumi'. We leave the ancient centre and head north east to the ever popular Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and the Via Condotti, and the Borghese Gardens.
Day 3: Vatican City
We travel by bus to Vatican city to experience the majesty of St Peter's Cathedral, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Ceiling and take a guided tour through the Vatican Museum. We pass Castel Sant'Angelo with its history dating back to 130AD as we walk to the subway for a train ride to the contemporary Maxxi Gallery before returning to visit Santa Maria della Concezione, which houses the skeletons of 4000 Capuchin monks.
A fast train journey via Naples to Pompeii will take us back in history to experience the mysteries of a city buried under the volcanic ash of Mt Vesuvius.
Day 5: Tuscany - Siena, Pisa, Florence
We leave Rome by bus travelling through the picturesque countryside of Tuscany passing medieval fortified villages and stopping for a brief look at Siena's Piazza del Campo and the famous cathedral and Duomo. We travel to the coastal medieval city of Pisa to see its Campo Dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles) with the decorative Baptistry, Duomo and famous leaning tower. We will also visit Santa Maria del Spina, known for housing a thorn from Christ's Crown of Thorns, and see a Keith Haring mural before travelling through the rolling countryside of Tuscany on our way to Florence.
Day 6: Florence
Florence is a monument to the Renaissance - an artistic and cultural reawakening inspired by the ancient Greeks and the human need to further our knowledge through education, discovery and creativity. Today we embark on a walking tour that will take in some of the highlights of this Renaissance city. We will visit Casa di Dante (Dante's Museum) to learn more about the Renaissance writer and his famous 'Inferno', before immersing ourselves in the wealth of Renaissance art at the Uffizi Gallery with notable works from Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael to name a few. While at the Piazza Della Signoria, the social and political hub of Florence, we will see the Palazzo Vecchio. We will then walk to Santa Croce which contains the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli before visiting the Museo Galileo. As we cross the Arno River over the Ponte Vecchio and Vasari corridor, we will walk to the Pitti Palace, Palatina Gallery and the Boboli Gardens.
Day 7: Florence
Our day starts with a visit to the Galleria dell'Accademia to see Michelangelo's marble sculptures including his famous 'David', as well as wide range of Renaissance art. We then head to Florence's magnificent Duomo, a major landmark on the city's skyline and the ornate Baptistry with Ghiberti's famous bronze doors, the 'Gates of Paradise'. The fit travellers amongst us may wish to climb the 400 plus stairs to the top of the Duomo the see the fantastic view over Florence. Santa Maria Novella, a short walk away, welcomes everyone with a stunningly beautifully black and white facade that is based on classical proportions and designed by Renaissance architect Leon Battista Alberti. We will also visit the convent of San Marco and the Museo di San Marco which house the colourful frescoes of Fra Angelico, and the Medici Chapel to see Michelangelo's notable sculptures, 'Night and Day' and 'Dusk and Dawn'. While in this area, we will visit the San Lorenzo markets, noted for their leather products.
Day 8: Florence - Ravenna - Venice
We leave Florence by bus and travel through the Emilia-Romagna region in central Italy to the historical city of Ravenna, once the capital of the Western Empire in 402AD after the decline of Rome. Ravenna is renowned for its glistening Byzantine mosaics, including 'The Good Shepherd' at the Mausoleo di Galla Placidia; and 'Emperor Theodore and his Attendants' in San Vitale. We then head north to the canal city of Venice and our hotel on Venice's Lido.
Day 9: Venice
A vaporetto ride from the Lido to the Piazza San Marco will start our day's Venetian adventure. We will experience the beauty of the Basilica di San Marco with its decorative architectural style, an eclectic mix of east and west, and the gothic elegance of the The Palazzo Ducale or Doges Palace, the official residence of each Venetian ruler. Connecting the Palazzo Ducale to the old prisons is the Bridge of Sighs, a white limestone enclosed bridge which took its name from the sighs of prisoners being lead to trial. Walking alongside the Grand Canal we cross the Ponte dell'Accademia, to see the Accademia, the world's greatest collection of Venetian painting including Giorgione, Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto as well as housing Leonardo da Vinci's famous 'Vitruvian Man'. A short walk back along the canal will lead us to the Penny Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art where works by Picasso, Salvador Dali, Jackson Pollock and major 20th Century artists can be found. A boat ride down the canal will take us past a number of historical palazzos to the famed Rialto bridge.
After our evening meal, we will board a vaporetto and take a picturesque ride along the Grand Canal to see the magic of Venice at night.
_Venice.jpg)
Day 10: Venice Islands
We will take a vaporetto ride to the islands of Burano, with its brightly coloured houses along the canals and traditional lace and linen, and Murano, known for its glassmaking industry since 1291. On Murano, we will also see a glass museum and visit Basilica Dei Santa Maria e Donato and see its 12th Century Byzantine mosaic pavement and the large bones behind the altar, said to belong to a dragon that Saint Donatus had slain. In the afternoon, we will visit Ca Pesaro Modern Art Gallery and the imposing Baroque cathedral Santa Maria della Salute.
Day 11: Venice to Dubai
We leave the shores of Italy for our Middle Eastern adventure in Dubai, arriving late in the evening. Before we leave, we will enjoy our last hours in Venice.
Day 12: Dubai
We take a morning walking tour of Dubai’s old quarter with a visit to Sheikh Saeed House - the residence of Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum, dating back to 1896. It houses a rare collection of memorabilia and
documents recording Dubai's history. We then stop at the House of Camels
and the Traditional House before heading towards Dubai's Creek to see the textile market, Hindu temple and Old Souk
area. The winding streets, dating back to the 19th century are lined with restored merchant houses, cafes, boutique hotels and art
galleries. We walk through the Bastakiya area making a brief stop at a local house to sample Arabian hospitality and a taste of
traditional gahwah. We will then board a
traditional abra (water taxi) to cross the Creek to the fragrant alleys of the spice souk and Dubai's famous Gold Souk. In the evening we embark on a Dune Dinner Desert Safari in 4WD vehicles. We will be taken on a thrilling journey across rolling dunes through the Dubai desert to see camels resting at their camp and then watch the sun set in its orange glow over the vast expanse
of rippling sand. We arrive at our Arabian camp conjuring up images of the Arabian nights with Bedu tents, comfortable low cushions, belly dancers, henna design hand painting and camel rides while feasting on grilled meats, fresh salads and delectable Arab
sweets served and under a galaxy of stars.
Day 13: Dubai - Sydney
An early departure from Dubai to head home to Sydney with our minds full of the experiences and memories of Italy and Dubai.
Fabulous work Sue - thank you so much. So much pleasure from any trip comes from the anticipation- it is going to be wonderful- thank you for all the great images and information.
ReplyDeleteJulie