ACE Autumn Bulletin 2022 | September 2021

ACE CULTURAL TOURS

AUTUMN BULLETIN 2022 Tour Releases

ACE CULTURAL TOURS Stapleford Granary Bury Road Stapleford 01223 841055 CAMBRIDGE ace@aceculturaltours.co.uk CB22 5BP www.aceculturaltours.co.uk

ACE CULTURAL TOURS

Contents

40 Welcome “I returned home elated that we were back up and running at last, and feeling very positive for the future” – ACE Tour Manager Sarah Kelk

As lockdown rules eased around the country, summer 2021 witnessed the start of something very special for ACE Cultural Tours – the gradual return of group travel. With memories of Orcadian seascapes and Welsh ruins, of local galleries and evocative medieval churches all still fresh in the mind, it is with great pleasure that we present a new collection of tours for 2022.

Among the many UK-based offerings are returns to Orkney, Anglesey, Cornwall, East Anglia and Northumbria. A brand new tour to the Cotswolds will unveil some of its most spectacular gardens, and we will also explore the natural history of the Scilly Isles and Shetland.

Looking beyond local shores, a range of international tours – from the music of Salzburg and Leipzig to the art of Venice, Switzerland and Sweden, and from Ireland’s beguiling history to three spectacular long-haul adventures to Japan, New England and Southern India – completes our collection.

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Cornwall Calling: The Artists of Newlyn, Lamorna & St Ives Mid-Century Modern in the Heart of England Great Bardfield & Beyond: Mid-Century Art & Design in East Anglia Isles of Scilly Gardens of the Cotswolds Artists of the North The Shetland Islands Ireland’s Ancient Heartland Prehistoric & Roman Anglesey & Snowdonia Wild & Ancient Orkney Northumbria in the First Millennium Mozart Festival in Salzburg Venice: The Triumph of Light & Colour Art Treasures of Dresden: Porcelain & Paintings Roussillon Sardinia: Birds, Flowers & Nuraghi Isle of Man: A Wild & Ancient Heritage Ancient Sicily Great Art Collections of New England Wagner in Leipzig Bach Festival in Leipzig Art & Landscape in Switzerland Swedish Palaces & Castles Wildlife of the Austrian Alps Art & Architecture of Puglia The Hanseatic League: An Artistic Legacy Serbian Monasteries Albania: From the Illyrians to the Ottomans Piero della Francesca Japan in Autumn: History, Art & Landscape Wonders of Southern India Tour Director Biographies 2022 Schedule Booking Terms & Conditions Booking Form

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UNITED KINGDOM

Cornwall Calling: The Artists of Newlyn, Lamorna & St Ives

• Gain a comprehensive and wellrounded understanding of historical and contemporary Japanese art and April 1–6, 2022 culture on this brand new tour • Visit fascinating temples, including from £1335 per person | with Yashima-ji and Zentsu-ji, both on the 88-temple Shikoku pilgrimage • Discover beautiful Japanese garden design, with visits to an array of sites including Okayama’s Koraku-en Garden

Sarah Burles

This tour will be led by Sarah Burles, MA, who studied History of Art at Cambridge University before going on to a career in museum and gallery education. This included 12 years at the Fitzwilliam Museum as well as work in other Cambridge museums.

Sarah has worked on the St Ives artists and their links to Kettle’s Yard, and has taught a short course on ‘The Art of Cornwall’.

Our tour also includes Penlee House Gallery and Museum in Penzance, where key works by Newlyn School artists reside, and the church at St Hilary with its series of unique paintings created by artists such as Dod and Ernest Procter and Roger Fry. We will stay throughout at the four-star Penventon Park Hotel in Redruth, an elegant Georgian mansion house set in private parklands.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: A good level of fitness is required for this tour, and participants should be prepared for a moderate amount of walking and standing during walking tours and gallery visits.

Disaster scene in a Cornish fishing village by Walter Langley Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time. We cannot guarantee the availability of all artworks mentioned.

• Discover the works of the Newlyn School artists, who were enchanted

by Cornwall in the late 19th century • Visit the seaside gallery of Tate St Ives and Barbara Hepworth’s atmospheric home and studio • Enjoy beautiful maritime views at Trelissick Estate, on the River Fal

The tour will begin in Truro, a predominantly Georgian town, where we will visit John Loughborough Pearson’s neo-Gothic cathedral and the Royal Cornwall Museum, home to a collection of Cornish paintings by artists from both the Newlyn School and the Lamorna Group.

The beauty of the countryside, the drama of the sea and the clarity of the light attracted a succession of artists to the Cornish fishing towns of Newlyn, Lamorna and St Ives in the late 19th and 20th centuries.

Perched above the River Fal, leading to the sea, the neoclassical columned house at Trelissick offers unparalleled, spectacular maritime views amidst beautifully landscaped gardens and woodland. We will continue to Falmouth Art Gallery, described as having “one of the leading art collections of Cornwall and the South West”, including works by Henry Scott Tuke.

Day 2 Morning lecture followed by visits in Truro: Royal Cornwall Museum and neo-Gothic cathedral. Afternoon: Lost Gardens of Heligan.

Reopened in 2017 after a £20 million transformation by Jamie Fobert Architects, Tate St Ives was the Art Fund’s Museum of the Year in 2018.

The gallery hosts a rich collection of modern art in a dramatic seafront setting, including pottery and stoneware by Bernard Leach and marine paintings by local artist Alfred Wallis.

Day 6 Tour disperses after breakfast.

The painters of the Newlyn School were led by Stanhope Forbes; they adhered to the principle of painting en plein air and found subject matter amongst the local fishermen and their families. In the 20th century, St Ives became a focus for leading avant-garde artists such as Ben Nicholson, Naum Gabo and Barbara Hepworth, as well as Patrick Heron, Roger Hilton and Peter Lanyon. Our tour will follow in the footsteps of the artists inspired by the Cornish land and seascapes from the 1800s to the present day.

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Day 1 Tour assembles 1730 at Penventon Park Hotel, Redruth, for five nights.

Day 3 Morning visit to Trelissick. Afternoon: Falmouth Art Gallery.

Day 4 Visits in Newlyn and Penzance.

Afternoon: St Hilary’s Church. Evening lecture.

Day 5 Whole day excursion to St Ives for Bernard Leach Pottery and Tate St Ives.

Afternoon: Barbara Hepworth Museum and Porthmeor Studios (visit subject to confirmation).

Cost of £1335 includes: accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, dinner with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, double room for single use supplement £125.

TOUR CODE: CORN22

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UNITED KINGDOM This tour will be led by Alan Powers, PhD, one of the UK’s leading architectural historians, who has published widely on all aspects of 20th century architecture and design.

Alan was Professor at the University of Greenwich School and lectures at New York University in London.

Mid-Century Modern in the Heart of England MATTBUCK / CC BY-SA 3.0

April 19–23, 2022 from £1265 per person | with Alan Powers

Cripps Hall

• Discover the fascinating 20th and 21st century public, commercial and domestic architecture of Leicester, Nottingham, Northampton and Coventry • View pioneering mid-century buildings at the universities of Leicester and Nottingham • Discover Leicester’s superlative collection of German Expressionist paintings and works of graphic art at the New Walk Museum & Art Gallery Across the East Midlands, many towns and cities developed distinctive manufacturing specialisms during the Industrial Revolution. Often overlooked by tourists, the region is home to a rewarding and varied array of Modernist buildings and art collections.

From a base in Leicester, we will span out across the region with a series of excursions to different towns and cities.

Our tour will focus particularly on the middle of the 20th century, while encompassing buildings from across the era, beginning with the Arts & Crafts and Expressionist collections at the New Walk Museum and Art Gallery in Leicester, and Stoneywell, a unique Arts & Crafts cottage designed by Ernest Gimson.

Our tour will feature a visit to the University of Leicester, home to one of the most globally celebrated British buildings of the early 1960s: the Engineering Building, designed by James Stirling and James Gowan.

At the University of Nottingham, Cripps Hall – a Hall of Residence designed in

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the 1950s – showcases the mid-century progressive classicism championed by architects Donald McMorran and George Whitby as a way forward for modern British architecture, in tune with the monumental classicist style of the interwar years.

Later design is represented by Leicester’s Curve Theatre, built in 2008 as part of the city’s new ‘Cultural Quarter’, and Foreign Office Architects’ John Lewis & Partners, where the monumental glazed exterior appears to be wrapped in patterned fabric, nodding to Leicester’s historical hosiery industry. Also evoking the region’s industrial past, Nottingham Contemporary, a RIBA award-winning gallery designed in 2004 by Caruso St John Architects, features a lace-patterned concrete design that references the city’s historical Lace Market quarter.

Northampton offers a fascinating diversity of architecture – from the National Lift Tower, dominating the city’s skyline, to 78 Derngate, the only house in England designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and St Matthew’s Church, which tells a remarkable story of wartime patronage in connection with Henry Moore, Benjamin Britten and Graham Sutherland.

We will stay throughout at the College Court Conference Centre & Hotel, a Grade II listed former Hall of Residence built in the 1960s for the University of Leicester to designs by architects Sir Leslie Martin and Trevor Dannatt.

College Court has now been transformed into a modern and comfortable centre for hospitality.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: This tour is not particularly strenuous, but will involve a moderate amount of walking and standing, so participants should have a good level of fitness. Please note that several of the rooms at Stoneywell are accessed via a spiral staircase, and there are exposed stone slabs and grassy slopes in the grounds which can become slippery if wet.

In addition, there are three flights of stairs at 78 Derngate.

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and owing to the special nature of many of the visits, some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time. We cannot guarantee the availability of all artworks listed.

Day 1 Tour assembles 1300 at College Court Conference Centre & Hotel, Leicester, or 1330 at Leicester Station. Afternoon visit to Leicester Museum & Art Gallery, New Walk. Four nights at College Court Conference Centre & Hotel.

Evening introductory lecture.

Day 2 University of Leicester (Engineering Building, Charles Wilson Building and Attenborough Tower – exteriors), Curve Theatre and John Lewis & Partners (exterior).

Afternoon: Stoneywell.

Day 3 Whole day excursion to Nottingham: Cripps Hall, Council House (visit subject to confirmation), Nottingham Playhouse and exterior view of Nottingham Contemporary .

Day 4 Whole day excursion to Northampton: National Lift Tower (exterior), Shoe & Boot Collection at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery (subject to reopening), Charles Rennie Mackintosh House at 78 Derngate and St Matthew’s Church. Evening lecture: Art & the Church in the Post-War Period.

Day 5 Morning visit to Coventry Cathedral.

Tour disperses c 1315 at hotel followed by c 1400 at Leicester Station.

Cost of £1265 includes: accommodation based on sharing a standard twin or double bedded room, breakfast, one lunch, dinner with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, standard double room for single use supplement £160.

TOUR CODE: MCMH22

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UNITED KINGDOM

Great Bardfield & Beyond: Mid-Century Art & Design in East Anglia May 3–7, 2022 from £1345 per person | with Alan Powers

This tour will be led by Alan Powers, PhD, who studied at the University of Cambridge and is one of the UK’s leading architectural historians.

A former Chairman of the 20th Century Society, Alan has published widely on all aspects of 20th century architecture and design. He was Professor at the University of Greenwich School, and has lectured at New York University in London.

His publications include Modern: The Modern Movement in Britain and Bauhaus Goes West: Modern Art & Design in Britain & America.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: This tour will involve a moderate amount of walking, so a good level of fitness is required, and it also involves coach journeys of up to an hour.

Two Women in a Garden by Eric Ravilious

• Discover the Great Bardfield artists and the environments within which they lived and worked • Enjoy a special visit to the Fry Art Gallery in Saffron Walden, home of the North West Essex Collection of Great Bardfield works • Gain an in-depth understanding of mid-century art and design across visits in Cambridge, Braintree and Bedford From 1930 to the early 1970s, the Essex village of Great Bardfield was home to a number of artists whose output has received growing recognition in recent years – most notably Eric Ravilious and Edward Bawden. Their work spanned painting, illustration and design, and they used traditional imagery and techniques with a modern inflexion.

The artists’ homes and gardens and the nearby scenery often served as the subject matter for their works, and the details of their lives and connections have come close to displacing the Bloomsbury Group as a subject of curiosity.

This tour adopts Cambridge as a base for exploring the sites, collections and private houses associated with the Great Bardfield artists, their contacts, and the parallel movements of their time.

Starting at the Fitzwilliam Museum, we will make a special study of watercolours and drawings by members of the group, and view items that reveal some of their influences.

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Our tour continues with a visit to the Fry Art Gallery in Saffron Walden, which has done more than any other institution to showcase this network of artists, and we will also enjoy a walking tour of Great Bardfield itself.

A further highlight will be a visit to the Warner Textile Archive, an important resource for textiles of the 1930s, and home to work by Marianne Straub, who lived at Great Bardfield. We will continue with a visit to Silver End, the garden village built between the wars, partly in a Modern style, by the Crittal family who were supporters of the Great Bardfield movement.

We also look forward to taking in the principal collection of Bawden’s graphic work at The Higgins Bedford, followed by a study session at Cambridge University Library. Here, we will discover the archive of the Curwen Press, which commissioned some of the earliest design work by Bawden and Ravilious, and acted as a major patron for other artists.

Please note that the below itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change. Due to the special nature of the visits, some details may be confirmed nearer the time.

Day 1 Tour assembles 1400 at the Hilton Cambridge City Centre Hotel for four nights.

Afternoon visit to the Fitzwilliam Museum to view items from the Prints and Drawings Archive (sources of inspiration for the Great Bardfield artists, and works by Bawden, Ravilious and others). Introductory lecture.

Day 2 Morning excursion to Saffron Walden for visit to Fry Art Gallery. Afternoon walking tour of Great Bardfield (visiting Bawden Room and viewing sites related to the artists).

Day 3 Morning excursion to Braintree for visit to Warner Textile Archive. Afternoon: Silver End Village (nationally important village of 1920s ‘Modern Movement’ architecture) for walking tour and visit to Heritage Centre. Free evening.

Day 4 Morning: The Higgins Art Gallery & Museum, Bedford (focusing on Bawden).

Afternoon: Cambridge University Library (viewing archival items from the Curwen Collection).

Day 5 Morning lecture followed by visit to the house at Kettle’s Yard. Tour disperses c 1230.

Our tour concludes with a visit to Jim Ede’s Kettle’s Yard, where paintings and sculptures in a domestic setting tell a parallel story of interwar art and taste.

We will stay throughout at the four-star Hilton Cambridge City Centre Hotel, conveniently located in the heart of Cambridge.

Cost of £1345 includes: accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, one lunch, three dinners with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, double room for single use supplement £310.

TOUR CODE: GRBB22

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UNITED KINGDOM

Isles of Scilly

ANNIE SPRATT / UNSPLASH

May 10–17, 2022 from £2095 per person | with Peter Exley and Diana Ward

Bryher

• Explore the botanical and ornithological highlights of the tranquil Isles of Scilly in the company of expert ecologists • Visit the famous sub-tropical gardens of Tresco, home to a rich diversity of exotic plants • Take in archaeological sites, wetland birdlife and maritime-influenced vegetation More peaceful and relaxed than mainland Britain, Scilly embraces five inhabited islands and dozens of rocky outcrops, rich in sea birds.

The archipelago’s location and singular maritime micro-climate endow this Atlantic haven with great botanical and ornithological interest; with over 350 days of the year warm enough for plant growth, flora from the Canaries, South Africa, South America, Australia and New Zealand flourish across the islands, and a unique list of migratory birds finds a feeding refuge on the last outpost of south western Britain.

We will take in the islands’ spring highlights, with a particular focus upon their flora, in the company of ecologists Peter Exley and Diana Ward. On coastal paths and nature trails, we will discover the exotic vegetation that makes these islands the subject of such great botanical interest. A particular highlight will be Bryher, the smallest community on the Isles of Scilly: the west and north coasts are wild and rugged with superb coastal vegetation and wind-pruned ‘waves’ of

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This tour will be led by Peter Exley, BSc, and Diana Ward, MSc, CBiol, MCIEEM. Peter is an ecologist and ornithologist who works for the RSPB, and has previously held posts with BirdLife International and the Albatross Task Force in South Africa.

Diana is an ecologist and wildlife specialist: her company, Ward Ecology Ltd, carries out ecological assessment work, and she has worked for many years on Sites of Special Scientific Interest and river restoration projects.

Day 1 Assemble 1800 at St Mary’s Hall Hotel and check in for seven nights. Welcome and introduction.

heather; the east, sheltered and mild, flourishes with exotic vegetation.

Day 5 By ferry to Bryher: superb coastal vegetation (search for rare dwarf pansies) and heather moorland on Shipman Head Down with visits to prehistoric entrance graves and promontory fort.

We stay at the three-star St Mary’s Hall Hotel on St Mary’s, an elegant townhouse originally built for an Italian noble family.

Travel to and from St Mary’s is not included in the cost of this tour.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: A very good level of overall fitness is required for this tour.

Participants must be able to walk for a minimum of four miles over rough and uneven ground, and be comfortable with getting in and out of small boats. Walks will be taken at a reasonable pace, and participants should be aware that weather and climate can be unpredictable at times.

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time. Our itinerary will be flexible to allow for tides, weather conditions and local reports of bird arrivals.

Day 2 By ferry across St Mary’s Sound to St Agnes (superb maritime heath) and Gugh (spectacular coastline walks).

Day 3 Walk (wetland birdlife and coastal vegetation) to Bant’s Carn (Bronze Age burial chamber), Halangy Down (Iron Age settlement), Holy Vale, Higher Moors and Porth Hellick Down (Bronze Age grave and burial chamber).

Return along coastal path over Salakee Down to Old Town and church.

Day 4 By charter boat to Western Rocks (seals, coastal birds) and Samson (largest of uninhabited isles with abandoned village) – sea and weather conditions permitting.

Day 6 By charter boat to Eastern Isles (cobble bars linking small isles, undisturbed coastal and heath vegetation, seals, birds) with visit (sea conditions dependent) to island of St Helen’s: remains of St Elid’s hermitage (8th century chapel), 18th century Pest House.

Day 7 Morning: excursion by ferry to Tresco Abbey Garden (sub-tropical gardens). Afternoon free in St Mary’s or optional walk on Castle Down, Tresco.

Day 8 Tour disperses after breakfast.

Cost of £2095 includes: accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, dinner with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: return travel, travel insurance, double room for single use supplement £365.

TOUR CODE: ISCY22

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UNITED KINGDOM

Gardens of the Cotswolds

Hidcote Manor Gardens

• Discover beautiful gardens spanning centuries of garden design in one of Britain’s best-loved landscapes • Hear insights from the Head Gardener at Bourton House Garden, and the Director of Painswick Rococo Garden during a private visit • Visit some of the world’s finest Arts & Crafts-inspired gardens, including those at Hidcote Manor and the Miserden Estate The Cotswolds are a truly special place for garden-lovers. Exquisite planting schemes are bathed in the glow of golden stone buildings, and rolling hills – the ‘wolds’ – form an idyllic backdrop to some of the world’s most famous garden designs. This brand new tour explores a handpicked selection of some of the Cotswolds’ finest gardens, with a focus on those in Gloucestershire, and features insightful tours including some with Head Gardeners.

Kiftsgate Court Gardens are the creation of three generations of female gardeners.

Famous for its roses, Kiftsgate also features a sunken white garden, a double border comprising shrubs, small trees and herbaceous plants in shades of pink, mauve and grey, and stunning views towards the Malvern Hills, as well as a wild garden. One of the most recent additions is a striking new water garden, where sculptural gilded bronze leaves 6

This tour will be led by Caroline Hannah, BA, who has a degree in English Literature & History of Art as well as a university-accredited Garden Design Qualification from the University of Essex/Writtle University College. For many years and prior to joining the team at ACE Cultural Tours, Caroline ran her own garden design business and has undertaken both commercial and residential projects. She has given talks on garden design, and also conducted a live question and answer session on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. move gently in the breeze against an elegant backdrop in an enclosed space once occupied by a tennis court.

Heather Muir, who began creating the garden at Kiftsgate in the 1930s, was in part responding to the design of neighbouring Hidcote. A lifelong friend of Lawrence Johnston of Hidcote Manor, she sought to develop a more feminine feel at Kiftsgate, in contrast to Johnston’s masculine lines, refraining from undertaking detailed formal planning and instead allowing her garden to take shape more idiosyncratically.

Hidcote’s series of Arts & Crafts-inspired and carefully crafted ‘garden rooms’ are famous across the world for their beauty, intricacy and impact upon subsequent garden design. The garden features

numerous plants collected by Johnston – an American horticulturalist – on his travels.

The influence of the Arts & Crafts movement will continue to be felt on visits to Snowshill Manor & Garden and Miserden Park Gardens. Snowshill, cared for by the National Trust, is a charming example of a small Arts & Crafts garden, and we also hope to enjoy a visit to the intriguing Grade II* listed manor house, containing an eclectic collection amassed by the house’s former resident, Charles Paget Wade, in the 20th century.

Miserden Gardens, meanwhile, are situated at the heart of a family-run estate that takes a particular interest in environmental sustainability. The gardens feature stunning flowering beds, shrubs and topiary, some elements of which were designed by Edwin Lutyens.

Stepping back further in time, a remarkable 19th century garden can be found at Sezincote, near Moretonin-Marsh. Here, a landscape garden designed by Humphrey Repton at the heart of a privately-owned 3500-acre estate is the setting for a house built in the style of an ‘Indian palace’. A visit to the house in 1807 is said to have inspired the Prince Regent to create Brighton Pavilion. The gardens at Sezincote feature Mughal references, including planting that is evocative of a paradise garden.

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MARK WORDY / CC BY 2.0

June 19–23, 2022 from £1565 per person | with Caroline Hannah

UNITED KINGDOM

PATRICK GRUBAN / CC BY 2.0

Painswick Rococo Gardens

We also look forward to a private outof-hours visit to the Grade II listed Painswick Rococo Garden, a unique place that is of great interest to garden historians, where we will enjoy a guided tour led by the Director. The only surviving garden in the rococo style open in the UK, this pleasure ground was originally designed in the 1740s by Benjamin Hyett, and features serpentine paths and enchanting follies as well as vignettes of the surrounding countryside.

By the 1980s, the garden had long been abandoned and was in an overgrown state. A charity was set up to restore it, using sources including a 1748 painting by local artist Thomas Robins the Elder to inform the project.

This tour will be based at the fourstar Hare & Hounds Hotel near the charming historical wool town of Tetbury. Built in Cotswold stone and surrounded by manicured lawns, the hotel’s rooms are beautifully designed in a classic country style.

“A fundamental principle in Garden Design is respect for the ‘Genius Loci’ (the sense of place and its unique properties). On this tour, we explore some of the most stunning gardens in the country. We look at gardens that complement the unique architecture of the buildings they surround, enjoy Arts & Crafts gardens, and those that have a quiet magic and spirituality – such as Malmesbury Abbey Gardens.

We explore different planting styles, borrowed vistas, and the use of garden ‘rooms’ that actively entice and draw you in.

At many of the gardens, we will have expert tours, including with Head Gardeners, who will share their in-depth plant knowledge and also provide fascinating insights into the history of the gardens and how they continue to evolve. This is a tour that promises to feed all of the senses, and the soul.”

Day 1 Tour assembles 1700 at the Hare & Hounds Hotel, Tetbury, for four nights. Welcome and introduction.

Day 2 Morning: Hidcote Manor Gardens (influential Arts & Crafts garden with linked garden ‘rooms’ of hedges, trees, shrubs and herbaceous borders). Afternoon: Kiftsgate Court Gardens (created by three generations of women gardeners over the 20th and 21st centuries).

Day 3 Morning: Snowshill Manor & Garden (small Arts & Crafts garden and former home of eccentric collector Charles Paget Wade).

Afternoon: Painswick Rococo Garden (unique restored garden providing insights into early 18th century garden design).

Day 4 Morning: Sezincote Gardens (19th century landscape garden with Indian influences).

Afternoon: Bourton House Garden (imaginative topiary and exotic herbaceous borders) and Batsford Arboretum (wide range of plants with particular emphasis on specimens from the Far East).

Day 5 Morning: Miserden Gardens (Arts & Crafts garden in a family-run estate) and Abbey House Gardens, Malmesbury (private gardens adjacent to Grade I listed house). Tour disperses approx 1430 at hotel followed by approx 1500 at Kemble Station.

– Tour Director Caroline Hannah FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: A good level of fitness and mobility is required for this tour, as it will involve significant amounts of time spent on foot outdoors, walking and standing in gardens.

The terrain may be uneven, with steps, stone paths, bridges (which may be slippery when wet) and slopes (some of which are steep) to navigate.

Some of the gardens are located on multiple levels, and several feature ponds, pools and streams. Handrails and benches are sometimes available but cannot be guaranteed.

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Cost of £1565 includes: accommodation based on sharing a very good twin or double bedded room, breakfast, three lunches, dinner with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, good twin/double room for single use supplement £100, very good twin/double room for single use supplement £220.

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and due to the special nature of the visits, some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time. Timings and the nature of certain visits may be adjusted on the ground by the Tour Director, depending on local conditions, particularly the weather.

TOUR CODE: GCOT22

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UNITED KINGDOM

Artists of the North May 23–26, 2022 from £995 per person | with Suzanne Fagence Cooper

Work by Ford Madox Brown

• Learn about the artistic heritage of Yorkshire and Lancashire, home to four of Britain’s most important 20th century artists: Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, David Hockney and L S Lowry • See works by Henry Moore in the open air at Yorkshire Sculpture Park • Explore Manchester Art Gallery, home to fine paintings by the PreRaphaelites The Yorkshire landscape has famously influenced the work of Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth, and its geological forms have continued to inspire a contemporary generation of sculptors.

Our tour of the northern counties visits galleries that have been dedicated to four of the most important British 20th century artists. The Henry Moore Institute in Leeds and the Hepworth Wakefield form part of the ‘Yorkshire triangle’ alongside the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Britain’s most celebrated collection of outdoor artworks. The Hepworth Wakefield was the Art Fund’s Museum of the Year 2017, while the Yorkshire Sculpture Park achieved the accolade in 2014.

At the spectacular 18th century park we will see permanent pieces by Moore and Hepworth, and others including David Nash, Anthony Gormley and Andy Goldsworthy. We will travel further north where Jonathan Silver, a close friend of David Hockney, amassed a collection of over 300 pieces by the artist, now occupying a converted mill in Sir 8

Titus Salt’s model village of Saltaire.

Manchester Art Gallery contains important 20th century works by artists ranging from Augustus John to Lucian Freud. We will take a particularly in-depth look at its holdings from the late 18th and 19th centuries, including paintings by the Pre-Raphaelites, and Ford Madox Brown’s iconic Work (1865), which helped to inspire the commissioning of a series of paintings for Manchester Town Hall.

We will experience the largest public collection of works by the artist L S Lowry, including Coming from the Mill and Going to Work on our visit to The Lowry, a quayside arts centre in Salford.

The artist spent much of his life in Salford and his works are closely linked to the city.

Our tour also includes a visit to the Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery, which is part of the University of Leeds and since 2008 has been home to its exceptional collection of art.

Our base will be the four-star Radisson Blu Hotel in the heart of Leeds, located very close to Leeds Art Gallery and town hall. Extra nights at the hotel at the end of the tour can be arranged through ACE on request at a supplement.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: A good level of fitness is required for this tour, and participants should be prepared for a moderate amount of walking and standing during tours and gallery visits. There will be options for participants to take shorter routes on our visit to Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

This tour will be led by Suzanne Fagence Cooper, MA, PhD, a lecturer and historian who specialises in British art history. Suzanne was a curator and Research Fellow at the V&A Museum for 12 years, during which time she collaborated with many of Britain’s regional museum collections. She now lives and works in Yorkshire, and has a particular interest in the rich artistic traditions of the north of England. Suzanne writes on Victorian and 20th century painting, decorative arts and sculpture; she is the author of To See Clearly: Why Ruskin Matters (2019) and curated the 2019 exhibition Turner, Ruskin & the Storm Cloud at York Art Gallery. An accredited Arts Society lecturer and experienced Tour Director, Suzanne looks forward to introducing another ACE group to the Artists of the North.

Please note that the below itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some visits may be subject to change or confirmation. We cannot guarantee the availability of all artworks listed.

Day 1 Assemble 1430 at Radisson Blu Hotel, Leeds, for three nights. Afternoon visit to Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery. Evening introductory lecture.

Day 2 Morning: orientation walking tour of central Leeds and visit to Leeds Art Gallery followed by optional independent visit to the Henry Moore Institute (world recognised centre for the study of sculpture, with contemporary exhibitions). Afternoon excursion to Yorkshire Sculpture Park (landscaped park including works

by Hepworth and Moore). Evening lecture.

Day 3 Whole day excursion to Manchester: Manchester Art Gallery (featuring works by Gainsborough, the Pre-Raphaelites and Ford Madox Brown) followed by The Lowry (the largest public collection of the artist’s work in the world, including Coming from the Mill and Going to Work) and Salford Quays. Evening lecture.

Day 4 Morning: Saltaire (World Heritage site).

Afternoon: Hepworth Wakefield. Tour disperses c 1730 at Leeds Station, followed by hotel.

Cost of £995 includes: accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, dinner with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, double room for single use supplement £175.

TOUR CODE: ARNH22

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UNITED KINGDOM

June 6–13, 2022 from £1995 per person | with Peter Exley

Unst

• Explore the wonderfully atmospheric, uninhabited island of Mousa, home to seabirds and waders including storm petrels • Absorb the remarkable history of Shetland, from Neolithic settlements to Viking remains • Make an excursion to the island of Unst to visit the Keen of Hamar Nature Reserve, with its otherworldly appearance and rare plantlife The Shetland Islands remain little changed since man first set foot on their far-flung shores. This remote, unspoilt archipelago is an ideal place to study seabirds, observe sea mammals and identify wild flowers – the three main themes of our summer tour.

Our tour will cover the full length of Shetland, from Sumburgh Head in the south where we will look for colourful puffins, to the northern island of Unst.

Here we will visit the remote Hermaness Reserve, over 2000 acres of dramatic coastal scenery and wild moorland with thousands of nesting seabirds, including the UK’s largest great skua colony. Just south of here lies the Keen of Hamar, a unique lunar-like landscape of fractured serpentine rock home to some of Britain’s rarest plants.

The island of Mousa welcomes many seabirds and waders, notably the storm petrel. We will look at the vegetation and geo-morphology of the spectacular sandy causeway – known as a tombolo – that leads to St Ninian’s Isle, famed for the hoard of Pictish treasure uncovered in the ruins of the 12th century church.

We also hope to encounter something of Shetland’s very early history, including Jarlshof, where the original Stone Age dwellings are topped by Pictish

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Travel to and from Shetland is not included in the cost of this tour. We recommend that you plan to arrive in Shetland either before June 6, or in time for a morning departure from Lerwick (if travelling by ferry) or airport pick-up at around noon (if travelling by air) on June 6. The visits on Day 1 will be in close proximity to the airport so a later flight arrival is also possible, however you may miss some of the day’s itinerary. Final transport arrangements, including our return on June 13, will depend on flight and ferry schedules for 2022 – we would be happy to advise you on this once more information is available.

wheelhouses, Viking longhouses and the remains of a 16th century mansion.

We will stay initially at the three-star Glen Orchy Guest House, a converted convent based in a quiet location a short walk from the centre of Lerwick.

Whilst the accommodation is of a basic standard, it is clean, comfortable and characterful. Its location in Lerwick is also ideal for many of our daytime visits as well as evening walks.

We will then transfer to the threestar Brae Hotel, a comfortable and welcoming establishment perfectly positioned at the northern end of the mainland. Brae will be our base for our explorations north, to the islands of Yell, Fetlar and Unst.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: This tour will involve frequent walks, some short and others of up to four miles, mostly over paths but occasionally along cliff tops and over rough ground. The longest walk is around three hours, and participants should be prepared for periods of standing and have a good level of fitness.

Cost of £1995 includes: accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, five lunches (mostly packed), dinner with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: return travel, travel insurance, double room for single use supplement £330.

TOUR CODE: SHET22

LIA TZANIDAKI / UNSPLASH

The Shetland Islands

This tour will be led by Peter Exley, BSc, an ecologist and ornithologist who currently works for the RSPB. Peter has also held posts with BirdLife International and the Albatross Task Force in South Africa. He has led and managed many ACE tours in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Algarve, New England, Madeira, the Faroes and Shetland.

Day 1 Tour assembles 1045 at Glen Orchy Guest House, Lerwick, or 1200 at Sumburgh Airport. Afternoon: Sumburgh Head (puffins, guillemots, kittiwakes with possibility of seals and humpback whales) and Jarlshof prehistoric site (time permitting). Transfer to Lerwick for four nights at Glen Orchy Guest House. Welcome and introduction.

Day 2 South Mainland for St Ninian’s Isle then by boat to uninhabited island of Mousa (broch with towering walls): seals and seabirds.

Day 3 Tingwall: valley (wild flowers) and loch (whooper swans), Althing (Viking parliament), 18th century Tingwall Kirk and Scalloway Museum & Castle (time permitting). By ferry to island of Whalsay (centre of Shetland fishing industry): Yoxie and Beenie Hoose (Neolithic houses), restored Hanseatic booth (warehouse).

Late night excursion to Mousa to view storm petrels (weather permitting).

Day 4 By boat to bird cliffs of Noss (guillemot, gannet, Shetland wren, rock pipit) followed by walking tour and free time in historical Lerwick (esplanade, 17th century Fort Charlotte, Victorian town hall).

Day 5 North Mainland: moorland and coastal scenery around Ronas Hill with visits to Mavis Grind (regular crossing point for otters) and Urraforth Ayre. Evening talk. Three nights at Brae Hotel.

Day 6 By ferry via Yell to Fetlar (waders, whimbrels): Houbie, Loch of Funzie, serpentine moorland. Return by ferry from Fetlar to Toft.

Please note this day is subject to updated ferry schedules and local weather conditions.

Day 7 By ferry via Yell to Unst for visit to Hermaness National Nature Reserve (puffins, gannets, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes) and Keen of Hamar (serpentine desert landscape).

Please note this day is subject to updated ferry schedules and local weather conditions.

Day 8 Depart hotel by coach for Sumburgh via Lerwick. Arrive Sumburgh Airport in time for afternoon flight (subject to scheduling). Please note today’s itinerary will depend on updated flight and ferry information for 2022.

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation. Visits in Shetland depend heavily on weather conditions; to make the most of our stay, the Tour Director may need to adjust the order and nature of the visits on the ground. Ferry and flight schedules, which are released nearer the time, may also affect elements of our itinerary.

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IRELAND

Ireland’s Ancient Heartland July 4–11, 2022 from £2075 per person | with Mike King

Clonmacnoise

• Venture into Irish mythology and history as we explore the country’s ancient past • Explore the remarkable passage tombs of Newgrange and Knowth • Visit evocative monastic sites, including Monasterboice with its exquisite high crosses Stepping into the shadowy world of Newgrange Passage Tomb – believed to be over 5000 years old – it is easy to conjure up possible images of the past, yet much harder to reach any firm conclusions. Ringed by megalithic carvings, the mastery of the tomb’s architecture inspires both wonder and curiosity about its role in Irish history, folklore and legend. Part of the Brú na Bóinne UNESCO World Heritage site, Newgrange is regarded as one of the most important megalithic structures in the world and a fitting start to our journey into Ireland’s history.

Our explorations will be based in County Meath, named after the former kingdom, and home to a wealth of historical sites from prehistory to the modern era. As well as illuminating Ireland’s past, many of these places aid our understanding of Europe’s religious, artistic and cultural heritage more generally.

The mystery of Newgrange is mirrored at nearby Knowth, also part of the UNESCO Boyne Valley complex. The atmospheric Hill of Tara, meanwhile, retains its status as fabled seat of the High Kings of Ireland and possesses at least twenty diverse monuments erected over hundreds if not thousands of years.

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Images of the past become a little clearer as we explore Ireland’s early Christian history. The unassuming grounds of Monasterboice include three 10th century high crosses, among them Muiredach’s High Cross, richly decorated with biblical carvings and widely regarded as the finest monument of its kind in Ireland.

The extensive site of Clonmacnoise on the banks of the River Shannon boasts the ruins of a cathedral, several churches, round tower and high crosses; while Old Mellifont Abbey was the first Cisterician abbey and example of Gothic ecclesiastical architecture built in Ireland.

Later, during our visit to Kells, we will linger at the evocative 10th century oratory named after St Columba.

As we step into the later medieval period, we will explore the remains of Trim Castle, the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland and once used as a centre for administration for the Lordship of Meath; its position on the site of an earlier monastery points to the importance of the area in the surrounding landscape. We will also learn more about this region’s role in early modern Irish and British history at a museum dedicated to the Battle of the Boyne.

We will stay at the three-star Newgrange Hotel in the charming and historical town of Navan, close to most of the sites on our tour.

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time.

This tour will be led by Mike King, BA, MA, a museum professional for over 30 years who has worked in both Northern Ireland and Scotland. Mike is currently Heritage Manager for Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. He is interested in engaging travellers in archaeology and history, especially Irish archaeology, the early medieval culture of Britain and Ireland, European pilgrimage and Rome’s legacy in early medieval Europe. He is particularly fascinated by carved stones, and created an exhibition on the megaliths of Northern Ireland.

Mike lectures, guides and publishes widely.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: This tour involves many visits to outdoor archaeological sites or ruins. Participants should therefore have a good level of overall fitness and mobility, and be comfortable navigating uneven and sometimes rugged ground. The Hill of Tara involves a gentle incline to reach the main sites and the steps to access the keep at Trim Castle are steep. The interiors of the chambered tombs, where accessible, are dimly lit; those who feel uncomfortable going inside have the option to remain outside.

Day 1 Depart London Heathrow 1035 on British Airways, arriving Dublin 1210. Transfer to Navan for seven nights at the Newgrange Hotel, Navan. Welcome and introductory talk: Meath through Time.

Day 2 Morning: Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre for exhibitions and guided visits to Newgrange and Knowth. Afternoon visit to Fourknocks Chamber Tomb. Evening talk: Passage Tombs and the Prehistory of the Boyne Valley.

Day 3 Morning: Monasterboice (magnificent high crosses, round tower and ruined churches) and Old Mellifont Abbey. Afternoon: Hill of Slane including shrine, friary church and medieval college. Evening talk: The Art of Irish High Crosses.

Day 4 Morning: Hill of Tara. Afternoon: Donaghmore Round Tower and Church followed

by Duleek (high crosses). Evening talk: Irish Monasteries and Abbeys.

Day 5 Morning visit to Kells: four high crosses, round tower and St Columba’s House.

Afternoon: Cavan County Museum.

Day 6 Morning talk: Medieval to Early Modern Meath. Visits to Trim Castle and Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre.

Day 7 Morning: Clonmacnoise Monastery (visitor centre, churches, high crosses and round tower). Afternoon: Fore Abbey.

Day 8 Depart Dublin 1255, arriving Heathrow 1425.

Cost of £2075 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, one lunch, dinner with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, double room for single use supplement £325.

TOUR CODE: IRAH22

aceculturaltours.co.uk

UNITED KINGDOM Bryn Celli Ddu

Prehistoric & Roman Anglesey & Snowdonia

RSTERIM64 / CC BY-SA 4.0

July 18–22, 2022 from £1095 per person | with Mark Corney

• This evocative tour explores the remnants of forts left behind by the Roman occupation of North Wales • Delve into Iron Age settlements including the ‘sacred lake’ at Llyn Cerrig Bach, where workmen discovered a large metalwork hoard • Discover the Neolithic chambered tomb of Bryn Celli Ddu, one of the most famous prehistoric sites in Anglesey North Wales and the island of Anglesey are rich in remains of the prehistoric and Roman periods, many set against the magnificent landscape of the Snowdonia National Park.

Journeying deep into Anglesey’s past, our tour will visit a rich variety of these sites and examine the wealth of the Iron Age societies who regarded the island as a sacred landscape.

The Roman occupation left behind many well-preserved remains of forts, spanning the late first to early fifth centuries AD. At Tomen y Mur the visible outlines of a Roman fort, amphitheatre and parade ground evoke the power and ostentation of the Roman Army on the fringes of the Empire. At Holyhead, the walls of a late Roman coastal fort still stand to full height.

We shall visit the Iron Age huts at Ty Mawr and the ‘sacred lake’ at Llyn Cerrig

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This tour will be led by Mark Corney, BA, FSA, a specialist in Roman history and former presenter on Channel 4’s Time Team. An honorary research fellow at Bristol University, Mark is a former investigator with the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England.

Bach where a large hoard of Iron Age metalwork was discovered during the Second World War. In addition to site visits, the tour will present the results of the latest archaeological research, and examine new theories on the Iron Age and Roman period in this atmospheric landscape.

Please note that the accommodation for this tour will be confirmed nearer the time, at which point we will also be able to advise on station transfers for those travelling by train.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: The majority of visits on this tour are outdoors, and participants should be comfortable walking over open, rough pasture. A good level of fitness and stamina is required, as sites can be located some distance from the road, sometimes involving an uphill climb.

Please note that the below itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time.

Day 1 Tour assembles at hotel for four nights.

1800 welcome and introductory talk.

Day 2 Anglesey: Din Lligwy Hut Group (well-preserved Romano-British settlement), Holyhead Roman Fort, Ty Mawr (Iron Age settlement with well-preserved hut circles), Llyn Cerrig Bach (site of a Late Iron Age ‘sacred grove’), Bryn Celli Ddu (Neolithic chambered tomb).

Day 3 Conwy Valley: Caerhun (former Canovium, Roman fort site), Church of St Tudclud (important early Christian inscribed stones), Tomen y Mur (Roman fort with extensive remaining earthworks and partial reconstruction including parade ground and military amphitheatre). Return via Llanberis Pass and remains of a Roman marching camp.

Day 4 Dinas Dinlle (hillfort), Segontium (Roman fort built to command the Menai Straits), Hen Waliau (small Roman fort) and Caernarfon town walls and castle.

Day 5 Morning visit to Beaumaris Castle. Tour disperses at the hotel at around midday.

Cost of £1095 includes: accommodation based on sharing an executive twin or double bedded room, breakfast, dinner with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, standard double room for single use supplement £150.

TOUR CODE: PRAS22

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UNITED KINGDOM

Wild & Ancient Orkney July 2–9, 2022 | with Andrew Wilson & Peter Exley July 12–19, 2022 | with Andrew Wilson & Marcus Kohler from £2095 per person

These tours will be led by Andrew Wilson, BA, BD, FSAScot, an archaeologist and historian with a particular interest in his native Scotland, and member of the Pictish Arts Society. On our first departure, Andrew will be joined by Peter Exley, BSc, a conservationist and naturalist who works for the RSPB. On our second departure, he will be joined

by Marcus Kohler, BA, an ecologist and ornithologist who works as an international wildlife consultant.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: Some sites require walking on rough, often boggy ground, and access to some cairns can be challenging.

Participants should therefore have a good level of overall fitness.

Day 1 Check in to Standing Stones Hotel, Orkney, for seven nights (teas and coffees available from 1600). Tour assembles 1830 at the hotel. Evening talk Neolithic Orkney.

Marwick Head

• Survey the spectacular archaeological treasures of the Orkney Islands, whose Neolithic monuments are a UNESCO World Heritage site • Take ferries over to Rousay, Westray and Papa Westray, for an introduction to island life in the extreme north of Britain • Enjoy the special Orcadian flora and fauna, from marine mammals and seabird ‘cities’ to the rare and delightful Scottish primrose Separated from the Scottish mainland by the stormy Pentland Firth, the Orkney Islands bristle with Neolithic treasures: chambered cairns, ceremonial stone circles and one of Europe’s most remarkable early villages.

This tour encompasses the whole range of the islands’ history, from prehistory at Skara Brae, through the Pictish and Norse periods, to 20th century events associated with Scapa Flow, which has been one of the great natural anchorages of the world since Viking times. Poetry, sagas and music will also feature during our travels, giving added resonance to these magnificent landscapes and seascapes. Much of the tour will be on the ‘Mainland’, but we will also enjoy the opportunity to take small ferries over to Rousay, Westray and Papa Westray, visiting fishing and crofting settlements to meet locals and begin to understand 12

some of the challenges of island life in the extreme north of Britain.

We will also be privileged to survey the unique and special Orcadian wildlife.

The waters around the islands are rich in marine life, supporting grey and common seals, cetaceans, and teeming seabird ‘cities’ of fulmars, kittiwakes, puffins and guillemots. Inland, rich moorland and farmland are home to curlews and oystercatchers, as well as majestic birds of prey such as the rare hen harrier and short-eared owl. They are also home to one of the UK’s few endemic plants, the rare and delightful Scottish primrose.

We will stay throughout at the Standing Stones Hotel, boasting stunning views over the Loch of Stenness.

Depending on weather and local factors, some visits may be adjusted nearer the time.

Travel to and from Orkney is not included in the cost of this tour. Advice can be provided on travelling by ship and air – please contact the ACE office for further information.

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer. Ferry schedules and tide times can affect travel, and some visitor sites can close at short notice, so some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time.

Day 2 Whole day tour of Neolithic Orkney: Stones of Stenness (3rd millennium BC Neolithic stone circle), Ring of Brodgar (ceremonial stone circle and RSPB nature reserve), Skara Brae (Neolithic village), Unstan Chambered Cairn, Maeshowe (Neolithic chambered cairn tomb).

Evening talk: Island Wildlife.

Day 3 Kirkwall for 17th century St Magnus Cathedral (begun in 1137), Earl’s Palace, Bishop’s Palace (dating from 12th century). Afternoon: Orphir Round Church, Stromness (Museum, Pier Arts Centre, Scapa Flow) and Yesnaby (Orcadian geology).

Day 4 Morning talk: Viking Orkney. Rennibister Earth House, followed by ferry from Tingwall to small island of Rousay: Taversoe Tuick and Blackhammer (chambered tombs), optional visit to Knowe of Yarso (cairn). Afternoon: Midhowe Broch and Midhowe Cairn.

Day 5 Marwick Head (seabird colonies and Kitchener Memorial), Kirbuster Farm Museum, Iron Age Broch of Gurness, view of Earl’s Palace and Brough of Birsay (Pictish/Norse village).

Return via Hillside to look for birds of prey.

Day 6 By ferry to Westray (Noltland Castle, St Mary’s Church) and tiny island of Papa Westray: Knap of Howar (earliest standing house in Europe, possible guillemots and Arctic terns).

Day 7 South Ronaldsay: Churchill Barriers (series of causeways), Italian Chapel (beautiful chapel created by Italian POWs), Isbister Chambered Cairn (‘Tomb of the Eagles’), St Margaret’s Hope, coastal walk to Deerness (early Christian/Viking promontory site).

Day 8 Tour disperses after breakfast.

Cost of £2095 includes: accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, dinner with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: return travel, travel insurance, double room for single use supplement £315.

TOUR CODE: ORK122 / ORK222

aceculturaltours.co.uk

UNITED KINGDOM

Northumbria in the First Millennium August 22–26, 2022 from £1045 per person | with Imogen Corrigan

“Imogen was great – hugely knowledgeable and good at imparting that information” “First class in every way” “I have been long looking forward to a tour led by Imogen and it was every bit as good as I had anticipated – and even more” – ACE customers on the 2020 Northumbria in the First Millennium tour

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: While this tour is not particularly strenuous, some visits will involve walking over rugged or uneven ground, and church interiors may be dimly lit. Participants should have a good overall level of fitness.

Day 1 Tour assembles 1730 at the Durham Marriott Hotel Royal County for four nights.

Evening lecture: The Age of Bede.

Lindisfarne

• Uncover the world of St Cuthbert and St Bede as we investigate the history of Northumbria after the Romans left and before the Normans arrived • Highlights include Escomb Saxon church, the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, and the twin monastery of Monkwearmouth-Jarrow, once home to Bede and itself a UNESCO World Heritage site • Spend an afternoon at Durham Cathedral, taking in its architecture, treasury and museum Far from being the Dark Ages, AngloSaxon England glitters, not just with artefacts and manuscripts, but with characters. This tour will set out to find some of them, whether it’s the arrogant St Wilfred in Hexham, Benedict Biscop, founder of Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Priory, or St Cuthbert, who would become the most powerful saint in the north. Of course, our investigations would hardly be possible without the guiding light of the Venerable Bede, one of our greatest scholars.

Our itinerary will unearth clues about our Anglo-Saxon past in a range of contexts, including at parish churches, such as Escomb – one of northern Europe’s finest examples of early Christian architecture. We will follow in

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This tour will be led by medieval historian Imogen Corrigan, BA, MPhil, FRSA. Following almost 20 years in the army, Imogen obtained a first-class degree in Anglo-Saxon and Medieval History from the University of Kent and subsequently an MPhil from the University of Birmingham. Her first book, Stone on Stone: The Men who Built the Cathedrals, was published in 2019

by Robert Hale. She is an accredited Arts Society lecturer, and a Freeman of the Company of Communicators.

the footsteps of pilgrims on our journey to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, and will spend time at the glorious cathedral in Durham, examining the building’s interior and exterior, and enjoying the cathedral’s collections in its dedicated museum.

From June 793, the Vikings inflicted terror and misery for some 22 decades on the northern kingdom, but they also brought with them their own culture.

It influenced church art until roughly 1200, and some of the results can still be seen today.

We will stay throughout at the fourstar Durham Marriott Hotel Royal County, with splendid views of Durham’s cathedral and historical quarter.

Day 2 Morning lecture: Viking Art & Myth followed by St Paul’s Church, Jarrow and St Peter’s Church, Monkwearmouth. Evening lecture: The Lindisfarne Gospels.

Day 3 Excursion to Lindisfarne: St Mary’s Church (reputed site of original monastery) and Priory (home of St Cuthbert). Continue to Bamburgh for visit to St Aidan’s Church and Rothbury for All Saints’ Church (font stands on part of a 9th century Market Cross). Precise timings for this day will depend on tide times.

Day 4 Morning visit to Escomb church (dating from c 675). Return to Durham for afternoon at the cathedral (including Cathedral Museum).

Day 5 Chester-le-Street (St Cuthbert’s Church and Anker’s House Museum) followed by Hexham Abbey. Tour disperses 1530 at Durham Station followed by the hotel.

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time. Some visits may be reordered, for example our excursion to Lindisfarne, which is subject to tides and local conditions.

Cost of £1045 includes: accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, dinner with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, double room for single use supplement £110.

TOUR CODE: NFMN22

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AUSTRIA Tour Director John Bryden, MA, ARCM, ARCO is an organist and pianist who has performed internationally as a soloist, accompanist and chamber musician.

Mozart Festival in Salzburg

Day 1 Depart London Heathrow 1050 on British Airways, arriving Munich 1345. Transfer to Hotel Imlauer & Bräu Salzburg for six nights.

Welcome and introduction.

Grosses Festspielhaus auditorium

• Experience a specially chosen selection of Mozart’s music with a particular focus on his works for string instruments • Hear some of the most celebrated performers of Mozart in the world, including the Vienna Philharmonic, Daniel Barenboim and the Hagen Quartet • Enjoy a spectacular semi-staged performance of Così fan tutte conducted by Sir András Schiff

viola, and what is sure to be a stunning performance of sonatas courtesy of Daniel Barenboim on piano with Michael Barenboim on violin.

Building on its remarkable legacy of excellent performances over many years, the annual Mozart Festival returns for a celebration of the composer’s work with a special focus on string instruments and the violin in particular.

We will stay at the four-star Hotel Imlauer & Bräu Salzburg.

Our first evening concert will launch us into the festival in spectacular style as Sir András Schiff takes to the conductor’s podium for a semi-staged performance of Così fan tutte. Later we will hear from the incomparable Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim, who will perform three further concertos – the composer’s only surviving Concerto for Bassoon, his Violin Concerto No 1 and his Piano Concerto No 9 – with Sophie Dervaux on bassoon, Rainer Honeck on violin and Barenboim himself on piano.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: This tour involves a significant amount of walking to our daytime visits and concert venues, however this is mainly over flat ground, some of which is within the pedestrian zone of Salzburg. While this makes for a relaxing overall experience, participants should be aware of the amount of walking as well as the possibility of snow and ice at this time of the year. Some terrain is cobbled and the pavements in Salzburg can be tricky to navigate. Participants should have a good overall level of fitness.

Interspersed with these larger works, we will hear a variety of more intimate chamber concerts including string quartets from the award-winning Hagen Quartet, quintets from Quatuor Van Kuijk with Adrien La Marca on 14

© SALZBURGER FESTSPIELE / MARCO BORRELLI

January 27 – February 2, 2022 From £2995 per person | with John Bryden

Uncovering Salzburg’s musical heritage, we will explore Mozart’s birthplace and Wohnhaus and enjoy a unique private tour of original manuscripts. Our tour also includes a visit to the 17th century Residenz and an excursion to visit the Kaiservilla, summer residence of Emperor Franz Joseph I.

Please note that this tour flies out of London Heathrow and returns to London Gatwick.

Day 2 Morning lecture followed by performance at the Stiftung Mozarteum featuring the Hagen Quartet: Mozart Quartet in B major, K 458, Quartet in D major, K 499, Quartet in D major, K 575. Afternoon: guided tour of the original archives in the Mozarteum’s Autograph Vault. Evening performance at the Felsenreitschule featuring Cappella Andrea Barca, Salzburg Bach Choir and soloists under Sir András Schiff (conductor): Mozart Così fan tutte (semi-staged).

Day 3 Morning lecture followed by guided walking tour of Salzburg to include Mozart’s birthplace and cathedral, and afternoon visit to Mozart’s Wohnhaus. Evening performance at the Grosses Festspielhaus featuring the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra with Daniel Barenboim (conductor, piano), Rainer Honeck (violin) and Sophie Dervaux (bassoon): Mozart Concerto in B major for bassoon and orchestra, K 191, Concerto in B major for violin and orchestra, K 207, Concerto in E-flat major, K 271 ‘Jeunehomme’.

Day 4 Whole day excursion to the Salzkammergut area including private visit to the Kaiservilla (summer residence of Emperor Franz Joseph I), and visit to church in St Wolfgang. Free evening.

Day 5 Morning lecture followed by visit to Salzburg Residenz. Afternoon performance at the Siftung Mozarteum featuring Daniel Barenboim (piano) and Michael Barenboim (violin): Mozart Sonata in B major for piano and violin, K 378, Sonata in A major for piano and violin, K 526, Six variations on ‘Hélas, j’ai perdu mon amant’, K 360, Sonata in E-flat major for piano and violin, K 481.

Day 6 Morning lecture followed by performance at Salzburg Residenz featuring Quatuor Van Kuijk with Adrien La Marca (viola): Mozart String Quintet in D major, K 593, String Quintet in E-flat major, K 614, String Quintet in G minor, K 516. Evening performance at the Siftung Mozarteum featuring Kristian Bezuidenhout (fortepiano), Isabelle Faust (violin), Simone Jandl (viola) and Christoph Dangel (cello): Mozart Trio in G major, K 564, Piano Quartet in G minor, K 478, Piano Trio in G major, K 496, Piano Quartet in E flat major, K 493.

Day 7 Depart Salzburg 1105, arriving London Gatwick 1205.

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time. Performances are subject to confirmation by the festival office and some visits are weather dependent.

Cost of £2995 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a superior twin or double bedded room, performances as described, breakfast, one lunch, five dinners with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, superior double room for single use supplement £305.

TOUR CODE: MOZS22

aceculturaltours.co.uk

ITALY

Venice: The Triumph of Light & Colour March 1–7, 2022 From £2395 per person | with Tom Abbott

This tour will be led by Tom Abbott, BA, MA, an independent art and architectural historian associated with the Foundation of Prussian Palaces and Gardens. Tom is an accomplished lecturer and tour leader, with extensive experience directing cultural and art tours in Europe including in Italy.

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time. Historical buildings in Italy sometimes undergo restoration at short notice, and visits may be reordered. We cannot guarantee the availability of all artworks listed.

Day 1 Depart London Gatwick 1235 on British Airways, arriving Venice 1540. Transfer by water taxi to Hotel Ca’ dei Conti for six nights.

The Glory of St Dominic by Giambattista Tiepolo

• Explore Venice’s mosaics, monasteries and magnificent artistic creations • Visit the beautiful Ca’ Rezzonico, a museum of 18th century art and furniture housed in a palazzo overlooking the Grand Canal • Enjoy a visit by private boat to the island of San Francesco del Deserto for a guided tour of the monastery This exploration of Venice, one of Europe’s richest cultural cities, will take in a wonderful array of art and architecture, across palazzi, galleries and churches.

Located in the middle of the Venetian Lagoon, the city today bears witness to its heritage as the Republic of Venice – a major financial and maritime power lasting from medieval times, through the Renaissance, until the eighteenth century.

We will begin with a tour of the Doge’s Palace – where the work of the Venetian administration was carried out, and where the architecture and adornments speak of its function as a symbol of the city.

The Galleria dell’Accademia, located in the Dorsoduro district, houses the largest single collection of Venetian art, and offers an opportunity to view a range of paintings showcasing the Venetian masters’ accomplished use of

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colour. Whilst the concept of ‘disegno’ underpinned the Florentines’ approach to art during the Renaissance, in Venice, ‘colore’ was key. This involved not only the choice of colours themselves, but also their mode of application by layering and blending.

Our exploration of the richness of the Venetian palette will continue as we discover the city’s fine churches. The Scuola Grande di San Rocco contains superb decorative schemes by Tintoretto, a notable member of the Venetian school, while the Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni is home to an exquisite cycle by Carpaccio, a student of Gentile Bellini.

We will also enjoy excursions by boat to the islands of Burano, San Francesco del Deserto and Torcello: the latter is home to vivid Byzantine mosaics in the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta.

This tour will be based at the four-star Hotel Ca’ dei Conti, an elegant 18th century building located close to the Basilica di San Marco.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: Please note that a good level of fitness is required for this tour, as many of our visits will be made on foot, and will involve navigating steps and bridges. A number of journeys will be made by boat, so participants must feel comfortable on water and when embarking and disembarking boats, which may be unstable.

Day 2 Morning visits to Doge’s Palace and Museo di San Marco. Afternoon: San Giorgio Maggiore for Palladio church followed by visit to San Zaccaria. Evening lecture.

Day 3 Morning: Galleria dell’Accademia.

Afternoon visits to Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni, Dominican Church of Saints Giovanni & Paolo (San Zanipolo, fine altarpieces) and Santa Maria dei Miracoli. Evening lecture.

Day 4 Morning: Gothic Ca’ d’Oro, Church of Santa Maria Assunta (known as I Gesuiti, with stunning Baroque interior), Gothic Church of Madonna del Orto. Afternoon visit to Jewish Museum followed by coffee & cake at Ca’ Sagredo. Free evening.

Day 5 Morning: Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Scuola Grande di San Rocco. Afternoon: Scuole Grande dei Carmini and Church of San Sebastiano.

Day 6 Island of San Francesco del Deserto for guided tour of Franciscan monastery, followed by island of Torcello for Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. Afternoon on island of Burano including Lace Museum. Independent dinner followed by private evening visit to Basilica di San Marco (subject to confirmation).

Day 7 Morning: Ca’ Rezzonico. Transfer by water taxi to Venice airport for 1630 flight to Gatwick, arriving 1745.

Cost of £2395 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, one lunch, four dinners with wine, water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, double room for single use supplement £335.

TOUR CODE: VENI22

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GERMANY This tour will be led by Lars Tharp, MA, FSA, an art historian, lecturer and broadcaster who is well known for his work on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow.

Lars is a ceramics specialist who has curated or overseen exhibitions at York Art Gallery and London’s Foundling Museum. He is the author of several works including Hogarth’s China, and has led tours to Dresden, Copenhagen and China.

Art Treasures of Dresden: Porcelain & Paintings

Porcelain vases in the Zwinger Palace

• Visit the city described as the ‘jewel box’ of Germany, discovering a wealth of cultural riches, including magnificent collections of porcelain • Explore the outstanding collections of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, which has recently undergone refurbishment • Enjoy an excursion to Meissen, a medieval medley of red-tile and stucco architecture, and go behind the scenes to view a demonstration at the celebrated porcelain factory “There are unbelievable treasures of all kinds in this beautiful place,” wrote Goethe of Dresden, where the magnificent Baroque dome of the reconsecrated Frauenkirche, in which Bach and Wagner once performed, vies with Augustus the Strong’s Zwinger Palace as the city’s dominant landmark.

Dresden’s Royal Palace, the former seat of the Saxon government, hosts the fabulous Green Vault treasure chamber. The gilded and mirrored Baroque chambers of the Historic Green Vault reveal items collected by Augustus the Strong.

The Zwinger is a vast complex of formal gardens, ornate fountains and grand pavilions. It is home to the Porcelain Room, which, flooded with natural light, displays the Dresden porcelain collection assembled by Augustus the Strong.

We will also visit the refurbished Old Masters Picture Gallery, with works by 16

Raphael (notably his Sistine Madonna), Botticelli, Velázquez, Dürer, Vermeer and Rembrandt.

Meissen, a medieval hotch-potch of red-tiled roofs and stucco architecture, is Saxony’s oldest town. It was once home to the alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger, who discovered the formula for creating white porcelain in 1708. Here we will tour the Gothic cathedral and visit the celebrated porcelain factory for a demonstration of the manufacturing process and an opportunity to view an exhibition of their wares.

Further highlights will include a guided visit to Charlottenburg Old Palace with its Porcelain Cabinet.

We will stay throughout at the Hyperion Dresden am Schloss, a stylish hotel conveniently located in the heart of Dresden in the city’s old town.

“We couldn’t have had a better guide – informative, interesting and witty” “Lars is hugely knowledgeable and informative. His guided tour of the Zwinger was a masterclass” – ACE customers on previous Art Treasures of Dresden tours

JORGE ROYAN / CC BY-SA 3.0

March 21–26, 2022 From £1995 per person | with Lars Tharp

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: Please note that this tour requires a good level of fitness, as it involves a moderate amount of walking, including over sometimes uneven ground and cobbles that can be particularly challenging if wet. We will also spend periods of time standing in galleries. Lifts are not always available at sites so participants must feel comfortable using stairs. Our visit to Meissen will involve navigating steep steps.

Day 1 Depart London Heathrow 1010 on British Airways, arriving Berlin 1305. Transfer to Dresden for five nights at Hyperion Dresden am Schloss. Welcome and introduction.

Day 2 Morning walking tour of Dresden including Frauenkirche, Meissen Wettin dynasty tile frieze and synagogue (exteriors) followed by visit to the Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments (located in the Zwinger Palace). Afternoon: Augustan porcelain collection at the Zwinger Palace.

Day 3 Morning visit to the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Master paintings). Afternoon: New and Historic Green Vaults (located in the Royal Palace).

Day 4 Whole day excursion to Meissen for visits to Albrechtsburg (castle), citadel cathedral and modern Meissen Factory (demonstration of manufacturing process, exhibition of wares and Meissen shop). Free evening.

Day 5 Morning lecture followed by visit to the Panometer. Free afternoon.

Day 6 Transfer to Berlin with visit en route to Charlottenburg Old Palace (Porcelain Cabinet) and New Wing (time permitting). Depart Berlin 1945, arriving Heathrow 2040.

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time. We cannot guarantee the availability of all artworks listed.

Cost of £1995 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, two lunches, four dinners with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, double room for single use supplement £245.

TOUR CODE: ATDR22

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FRANCE

Roussillon March 28 – April 4, 2022 From £2315 per person | with Juliet Heslewood

This tour will be led by Juliet Heslewood, MA, an author and art historian who lived in France for nearly 30 years where she devised and led study tours in six different regions.

Juliet studied at the universities of London and Toulouse, and she has written many books, including most recently Van Gogh: A Life in Places.

In addition to leading tours, Juliet frequently lectures at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.

Please note that the below itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time.

Day 1 Depart London Heathrow 1400 on British Airways, arriving Toulouse 1650. Transfer to Hotel Les Jardins du Cèdre, Port Vendres, for seven nights.

Besalú

• Visit Céret, once home to iconic 20th century artists such as Picasso, Braque and Matisse • Delve into Dalí’s Surrealist mind by visiting his unmissable Teatro-Museo in Figueres • Explore the Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes and view its remarkable Romanesque architecture Nested between France and Spain, Roussillon – a former county of the Principality of Catalonia – boasts diverse landscapes and a unique identity. This French gateway to Spain inspired and welcomed several artists from the 20th century avant-garde, such as Picasso, Miro, Matisse, Dalí and Braque.

The village of Céret drew Picasso and Braque as well as other leading artists including Matisse, and this creative emulation led to the foundation of a rich Musée d’Art Moderne. In addition to exploring collections of Cubism, Fauvism and Surrealism, we will also devote time to exploring the Musée d’Art Hyacinthe Rigaud in Perpignan, encompassing fine examples of regional art from the Gothic period through to modern times.

As well as the art collections, our stay in Roussillon will enable us to study Romanesque architecture and sculpture.

Highlights include the Abbey of Saint Michel de Cuxa, Serrabone Priory, the Musée du Maître de Cabestany and the Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes –

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decorated by the Maître de Cabestany’s workshop in the 12th century.

We will cross into Spain, taking the opportunity to look at the restored stonebuilt town of Besalú with its complex fortified bridge. Indeed, the defensive architecture of this frontier zone, studded with 17th century strongholds, is one of the region’s most fascinating aspects.

Forteresse de Salses, keeping watch over the border with Spain, is a masterpiece of 15th century military architecture. We will also look at Dalí’s theatrical works in his purpose-built Teatro-Museo in Figueres.

We will stay on the Mediterranean just outside the fishing port of Port Vendres, once home to Charles Rennie Mackintosh, at the comfortable and simply furnished three-star Hotel Les Jardins du Cèdre. The terrace enjoys panoramic views overlooking the sea and the hotel is particularly noted for its excellent restaurant. All the twin/ double rooms are deluxe category located in the brand new building of the hotel opened in May 2020. Double for single use rooms are either standard or comfort category located in the hotel’s 19th century Catalan mansion.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: This tour involves a significant amount of walking on cobbled and uneven surfaces. Because of the age of many of the buildings, steps can be of differing sizes and depths. Lifts are not available at many of the sites. Participants must therefore have a good level of mobility.

Day 2 Introductory lecture followed by visits in Collioure: harbour and Church of Notre Dame des Anges. Continue to Elne (pre-Roman Iberian citadel of Ilíberis).

Day 3 Morning: Prats de Molló and St Joan de les Abadesses. Afternoon: stone-built town of Besalú in Spain.

Day 4 Whole day excursion to Catalonia: Figueres (Dalí Museum) and Sant Pere de Rodes (superb Romanesque monastery).

Day 5 Morning: Church of St André de Sorede followed by Chapelle St-Genis-des-Fontaines and Céret (provincial town frequented by turn of the century artists) for the Musée d’Art Moderne (subject to confirmation). Afternoon: Church of St Martin de Fenollar.

Day 6 Morning: Serrabone Priory followed by a walking tour of Villefranche-de-Conflent.

Afternoon: Abbey of St Michel de Cuxà (10th century Romanesque church).

Day 7 Forteresse de Salses (huge complex built to withstand early artillery) followed by Musée d’Art Hyacinthe Rigaud in Perpignan and Cabestany (Musée du Maître de Cabestany).

Day 8 Transfer to Toulouse for visit to Basilica of St Sernin (time permitting). Depart Toulouse 1735, arriving Heathrow 1825.

Cost of £2315 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a deluxe twin or double bedded room (new building), breakfast, dinner with wine, water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, standard or comfort double room for single use supplement (main building) £185, deluxe double room for single use supplement (new building) £420, on request.

TOUR CODE: ROU122

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ITALY

Sardinia: Birds, Flowers & Nuraghi April 5–12, 2022 from £2195 per person | with March Welch and Harriet Allen

Supramonte

• Discover Sardinia’s wonderful flora and fauna in a variety of habitats • Examine the island’s Bronze Age civilisation through their characteristic circular towers – Nuraghi • The lagoons at Mari e Pauli and Sale Porcus offer opportunities to see uncommon water birds

Based in the lakeside town of Cabras, where local fishermen still set out to sea in traditional reed boats, and Cala Gonone, bordering one of the most scenic stretches of the Mediterranean, this tour takes in Sardinia’s coastal waters and rugged interior on an exploration of its natural history and archaeology.

At the lagoons of Marina di Torre Grande, we are likely to see flamingos, stilts and ospreys. At Mari e Pauli and Sale Porcus we may spot water birds like the purple gallinule, great white egret and red-crested pochard. On the high basalt plateau of Gesturi we will meander through forests of cork oaks looking for spring flowers like cyclamen and survey the bountiful streams and pools for migrant birds. We also hope to encounter a variety of orchids and the island’s wild ponies, and look out for dung beetles rolling their dung balls.

The most striking evidence that survives of the island’s indigenous Bronze Age Nuraghic civilisation are the circular stone towers – Nuraghi – that are dotted across the island. The Nuraghic finds at the museum in Cabras, which we will visit on our first full day, are perhaps the most important in Sardinia.

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This tour will be led by Mark Welch, BSc, PhD, and Harriet Allen, MA, MSc, PhD. Mark is a professional research scientist in the Department of Earth Sciences at the Natural History Museum in London. He has a PhD in geosciences from Edinburgh University and has held research fellowships at Edinburgh and Cambridge Universities.

Harriet is a Geographer and Fellow and Director of Studies at Girton College, Cambridge. She has been leading field excursions for over thirty years, and has extensive experience of flora and birds across the world.

Day 1 Depart London Stansted 1755 on Ryanair, arriving Alghero 2125. Continue to lakeside town of Cabras for four nights at Villa Canu.

OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATION AT STANSTED Owing to the late flight arrival time at the end of this tour, we are able to offer an additional overnight at a Stansted Airport hotel on the night of April 12 for those who wish, at no extra cost. Please let our Sales team know if you would like us to arrange this for you when you make your booking.

We will also discover the substantial Punic and Roman ruins at Tharros, standing high above the Mediterranean, and the pilgrimage town of San Salvatore, where the local church bestrides an underground sanctuary once dedicated to pagan worship.

We will explore the UNESCO-protected complex at Su Nuraxi di Barumini, comprising a defensive stronghold and surrounding village.

In Cabras we will stay at the three-star Villa Canu, a small and simple familyrun hotel, and in Cala Gonone at the four-star Hotel Costa Dorada.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: This tour will be taken at a relaxed pace, however there will be a number of walks over rugged terrain, as well as visits to sites with uneven steps and surfaces.

Participants should be comfortable standing and walking for two hours at a time, and also embarking and disembarking small sea-going boats. Our visit to Su Nuraxi (Day 4) involves a steep descent and those who suffer from claustrophobia or lower levels of mobility may prefer to opt out. Participants should have a good level of fitness.

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some visits and excursions may be weather dependent and subject to change or confirmation.

Day 2 Morning: lagoons at Marina di Torre Grande, 5th century church of San Giovanni di Sinis. Afternoon: Tharros on beautiful Mediterranean peninsula, Cabras Museum.

Day 3 Morning: Lagoons of Mari e Pauli and Sale Porcus and Church of San Salvatore. Afternoon: Su Pallosu for walk through coastal garrigue vegetation of dunes and cliffs to Aragonese defensive tower.

Day 4 Morning: Museum of Casa Zapata, Barumini, and high basalt plateau of Gesturi for walk through cork oak woodland. Afternoon: Su Nuraxi.

Day 5 Via Nuraghic site of Santa Cristina and giant’s tomb of S’Ena e Thomes to beautiful coastal village of Cala Gonone for three nights at Hotel Costa Dorada.

Day 6 Whole day spent exploring the surroundings of Cala Gonone. Depending on local conditions, we hope to take a boat trip and gorge walk at Cala Luna and visit the Bue Marino caves (stalagmites & stalactites). If the weather does not permit this, we will visit the Cala Gonone Aquarium, which showcases fascinating insights into the hidden off-shore world near the east coast of Sardinia.

Day 7 Supramonte Mountains (eagles, Barbary partridge, wildflowers) followed by walk around clifftop site of Nuraghe Mannu with Nuraghic tower and village. Evening: traditional dinner on local farm.

Day 8 Transfer to Alghero via impressive nuraghe at Santu Antine for 2150 return flight, arriving Stansted 2320.

Cost of £2195 includes: return airfare, overnight accommodation (room only) at a London Stansted Airport hotel on April 12, tour accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, two lunches, six dinners with wine, water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, double room for single use supplement £150.

TOUR CODE: SARD22

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ISLE OF MAN This tour will be led by Kevin Hand, MSc, MCIEEM, a conservationist and environmental consultant with a special interest in birds, mammals and ecotourism. Kevin has led many projects linking nature and communities, and is President of the Cambridge Natural History Society.

Isle of Man: A Wild & Ancient Heritage May 18–25, 2022 from £1875 per person | with Kevin Hand

Hen harrier

• From rugged coastal heathland to dramatic mountain views, explore the geology and landscape of this UNESCO Biosphere Reserve • Discover a diversity of seabirds, plant and marine life – including some of Europe’s largest hen harrier and chough populations • Human and natural history intersect as we learn more about the island’s Celtic, Viking and early Christian past Nestled in the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man boasts a unique accolade: an independent crown dependency, it is the only entirely self-governing territory to have been awarded UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status, reflecting a harmonious relationship between people and nature.

Visitors to its shores soon discover why: the island’s remarkable human history, dating back to 6500 BC, has left evocative traces on the landscape alongside some of the most captivating seascapes and clifftops in the world.

Our tour has been carefully designed to reflect this balance between humans and nature. From a base in historical Castletown – the island’s former capital – we will explore several of its most rewarding natural environments. The heather moorland of Dalby Mountain Reserve will introduce us to a wide variety of birdlife including chough, hen harrier, snipe and red grouse; while a rich array of wildlife will greet us at the Ballaugh Curraghs Ramsar wetland, an internationally recognised site of biodiversity. A visit to coastal areas in the south will present some of the best

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opportunities to see seabirds including kittiwakes, fulmars and black guillemots; and in the north, the stark beauty of the landscape will come alive as we walk along the rare lichen-rich coastal heathland of the Point of Ayre.

Providing a cultural counterpoint to the natural elements, our tour will also touch on the island’s 10,000 year-old social and political history. Founded in the 5th century AD, Maughold parish church is home to several historically important Celtic crosses: the Pillar Cross displays one of the oldest ‘three legs of man’ – or triskelions – on the island.

We will engage further with the island’s past with a visit to Douglas’s Heritage Museum, which touches on more recent WWI and WWII history, and the Leece Museum in Peel, home to a fascinating array of local objects including the last birching stool to be used on the island.

Our excursion to this picturesque fishing port will also take us via Tynwald Hill in St John’s, thought to be the oldest continuous parliament site in the world, originally founded by Norse settlers.

We will stay at the historical threestar George Hotel in Castletown, conveniently located for many of our visits.

Please note that the below itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or reordering nearer the time.

Certain visits – including the boat trip to the Calf of Man – are weather permitting, and we cannot guarantee the presence of all the wildlife mentioned.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: This tour includes several walks, some of up to two and three miles, often over rough terrain. Minibuses or additional walks will sometimes be required to access certain sites. While options will be given for those who would prefer not to do the full walks, participants should have a good level of fitness and be prepared to be flexible. They should also feel comfortable negotiating uneven steps and occasionally dark interiors, and getting in and out of boats during a possible visit to the Calf of Man. Please note facilities on the Calf of Man are very limited.

Day 1 Tour assembles 1815 at the George Hotel, Castletown, for seven nights. 1830 welcome and introduction to the tour.

Day 2 Morning walk in and around Castletown including the bay area and Langness Peninsula.

Optional visit to Castle Rushen. Afternoon: continue to Scarlett for visits to old lime kilns and quarry.

Day 3 Colden Hill followed by Douglas for Heritage Museum. Free evening in either Douglas or Castletown.

Day 4 Ramsey and Maughold for slate cliffs and seabirds, including Maughold parish church.

Afternoon: Point of Ayre walk and lighthouse.

Day 5 Dalby Mountain Moorland Nature Reserve. Afternoon: Niarbyl and Ballaugh Curraghs Ramsar wetland site.

Day 6 Morning: visit by boat to Calf of Man (weather permitting) for seabirds and history.

Afternoon: village of Cregneash. Please note today’s itinerary is weather dependent and might be adjusted to include alternative visits if it is not possible to visit the Calf of Man. Day 7 Whole day excursion via Tynwald Hill to Peel: Leece Museum, St Patrick’s Isle (Manx Natural Heritage tour of castle).

Day 8 Tour disperses after breakfast.

Cost of £1875 includes: accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, two lunches (one packed), six dinners with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: return travel, travel insurance, single room supplement £175, double room for single use supplement £245.

TOUR CODE: ISMN22

19

ITALY

Ancient Sicily

Taormina

Even the most worldly surveyor of ancient civilisations is mesmerised by the monumental grandeur of Agrigento – “Athens with improvements”, according to one 19th century visitor. Our circuit of historical Sicily, starting in the heart of Palermo, travels via Agrigento and Syracuse to Taormina – Goethe’s “patch of paradise”, characterised by idyllic coastal vistas.

As well as absorbing the monumental magnificence of Sicily’s classical heritage, we will examine later cultural influences, from the extraordinary Arabo-Norman architecture of Palermo to the UNESCOlisted Norman-Byzantine Cathedral of Monreale, built by William II. 20

This tour will be led by Oliver Kenzie, BA, MRes, a Cambridge-based archaeologist and ACE bursary student who studied at the University of Birmingham. Specialising in Early Iron Age Greece, Oliver’s postgraduate research specifically focused on the development of Doric architecture on the mainland. He has conducted study at the British School at Athens, undertaken excavations at Helike in the Peloponnese, and continues to write and research independently as a member of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society.

Palermo, like Monreale, reveals a fusion of Islamic, Byzantine, Norman and Romanesque traditions. The city’s Palatine Chapel in the Palazzo dei Normanni is distinguished, above all, by its overwhelming Byzantine mosaics, rivalled by the golden masterpieces on display in the cathedral in Monreale.

The Temple of Olympian Zeus at Agrigento was amongst the largest in the entire Greek world, presenting an astonishing display of wealth and power.

The highlights of Syracuse, “the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all” in the opinion of Cicero, include the vast Archaeological Park and

the Island of Ortygia, where the Baroque façade of the cathedral barely conceals the Doric columns of the ancient Temple of Athena.

The Roman Villa del Casale at Piazza Armerina contains some of the finest mosaics in existence, with remarkable depictions of mythological figures and ancient life.

We will stay in hotels of a four-star standard throughout the tour.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: This tour requires a good level of fitness as it involves a significant amount of walking. Please note that many sites have uneven ground or require walking through low-lying vegetation. The tour is taken at a pace that allows for breaks and reflection.

Mosaic ceiling in La Martorana

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© OLIVER KENZIE

• Step into the Villa del Casale to view its stunning Roman mosaics, widely regarded as one of the richest collections in the world • Uncover remarkable architectural fusions, from William II’s NormanByzantine Cathedral of Monreale to the Palatine Chapel in Palermo, resplendent with Byzantine mosaics • Syracuse offers a wealth of cultural delights including the Archaeological Park with its Roman amphitheatre, Greek theatre and forbidding quarries

© OLIVER KENZIE

May 10–19, 2022 from £2995 per person | with Oliver Kenzie

© OLIVER KENZIE

ITALY

Noto

Day 1 Depart London Gatwick 0605 on Easyjet, arriving Palermo 0955. Transfer to Palermo for three nights at Hotel Plaza Opera.

Day 2 Morning: National Archaeological Museum, Oratorio del Rosario di Santa Cita, churches of La Martorana and San Cataldo and Phoenician wall. Afternoon excursion to ancient site of Solunto followed by Sicilian puppet show (recognised by UNESCO as part of World Intangible Cultural Heritage).

Day 3 Short morning talk followed by Palermo Cathedral (exterior) and Palazzo dei Normanni (Palatine Chapel). Continue to Monreale for visit to cathedral.

Day 4 Morning: Segesta (including temple and theatre). Continue to Marinella for visit to Selinunte. Transfer to Agrigento for two nights at Colleverde Park Hotel.

Day 5 Short morning talk followed by visits in Agrigento: Temple Ridge, Archaeological Museum and adjoining excavation areas.

Day 6 Transfer to Piazza Armerina for Villa del Casale (famous for its remarkable mosaic floors depicting hunting scenes, mythological characters and sporting events) and Morgantina archaeological site. Continue to Syracuse for four nights at Grand Hotel Ortigia. Free evening.

OVERNIGHT STAY AT GATWICK AIRPORT Owing to the early flight time on Day 1, we are able to offer an additional overnight stay at Gatwick Airport on May 9 for those who wish, at no extra cost. Please let our Sales team know if you would like us to arrange this for you when you make your booking.

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“Sicily teeters on the fault line between the colliding tectonic forces of the ancient and medieval world’s most powerful states – there are few places where the melting pot of colonisation, conquest and cultural exchange is as palpable. Fully enclosed within the Mediterranean basin of ancient commerce, it is no wonder that antiquity’s two chief seafarers – the Phoenicians and the Greeks – sought out Sicily as a land of opportunity. A millennium of harassment, invasion and occupation followed, but left in its wake a gloriously diverse material culture that barely seems to fit all on one island. This is the brilliance of Sicily, and this tour, traversing coast-tocoast, unpacks it all: from Greek temples to Baroque cathedrals and everything in between. I’d come to Sicily for the temples alone – especially the golden columns of Selinunte – but they’re ‘one a penny’ here, and you can decide on this tour which is your favourite!”

– Tour Director Oliver Kenzie

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time.

Day 7 Whole day excursion to ancient Naxos (early Greek colony) and Taormina (GrecoRoman theatre with superb coastal views). Free evening.

Day 8 Short morning talk followed by visits in Syracuse: Catacomb of San Giovanni, Paolo Orsi Archaeological Museum and Archaeological Park.

Early evening walking tour of Ortygia including sacred spring of Arethusa and Piazza Duomo (Temple of Athena).

Day 9 Morning: visit to Temple of Apollo followed by excursion to town of Noto (fine example of Sicilian Baroque architecture).

Afternoon: Villa del Tellaro (4th century with fine mosaics) and Castello Maniace.

Day 10 Depart Catania 1210 on British Airways, arriving Gatwick 1430.

Cost of £2995 includes: return airfare, overnight accommodation (room only) at a London Gatwick Airport hotel on May 9, tour accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, two lunches, seven dinners with wine, water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, double room for single use supplement £315.

TOUR CODE: ANSI22

21

USA Antiphellos Theatre

Great Art Collections of New England

KING OF HEARTS / CC BY-SA 4.0

May 16–24, 2022 from £3995 per person | with Sarah Burles

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

• Visit the historical university collections of Harvard and Yale, featuring major Old Master, American and British paintings • Explore the treasures of Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts and the unique Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum • Learn about the collectors and philanthropists who founded public art galleries in Hartford, Connecticut and Williamstown, Massachusetts For any art lover, the museum and gallery collections of New England are a must-see. Their rich holdings of European and American paintings are staggering not only for the quality and quantity of works on display, but also for the beautiful buildings and settings that house them. This tour will allow us to explore these collections in depth, discover their histories and the extraordinary patrons who created them, and, of course, revel in their treasures and masterpieces – by artists ranging from Rembrandt to Renoir.

Our journey starts in Connecticut, where we will visit the extensive university art collections at Yale and America’s oldest public art gallery, the Wadsworth Atheneum. By contrast, works of art 22

This tour will be led by Sarah Burles, MA, an art historian and museum educator who studied History of Art at Cambridge University before gaining a Masters degree at University College London. Sarah’s career in museum and gallery education included 12 years at the Fitzwilliam Museum as well as work in other Cambridge museums.

Sarah is particularly interested in the lives of the collectors whose legacies have shaped the museums we see today. She is an accredited Arts Society lecturer and over the past year has run a series of online art history courses and lectures. Sarah looks forward to returning to New England with an ACE group in 2022.

by Monet, Degas and Mary Cassatt are housed in a domestic setting at Hill-Stead in Farmington, a Colonial Revival house designed by Theodate Pope Riddle, one of America’s earliest female architects.

We will then head north to rural Massachusetts, spending a day in and around Stockbridge. This picturesque New England town was home to Norman Rockwell, whose images for the cover of The Saturday Evening Post chronicle 20th century American life, and Daniel

Chester French, who designed the famous image of the seated President Lincoln for his memorial in Washington.

The Clark Institute in Williamstown was founded by Sterling and Francine Clark in 1955 to house their extensive art collection. The museum has recently been enhanced by a beautiful new extension designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando that provides space for temporary exhibitions and sits serenely in the Clark’s rural setting. Meanwhile, just down the road in North Adams is MASS MoCA, one of America’s largest museums of contemporary art, which opened in 1999 in a series of redeveloped industrial buildings. It is home to large-scale works by leading contemporary artists such as James Turrell, Louise Bourgeois and Anselm Kiefer, and sparks discussion about the role of museums in urban regeneration.

The Mohawk Trail, a historical route with spectacular views once used by Native Americans, will take us back towards Boston. The collections of the Museum of Fine Arts are world-class and wide-ranging: the ancient world, the Renaissance, the Art of the Americas and works from the Far East are all well represented in this stunning museum

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USA

WHY.ARCHITECTURE / CC BY-SA 4.0

Port Sunlight War Memorial

Harvard Art Museum

building, its central rotunda featuring frescoes by John Singer Sargent. A short walk from the MFA is the astonishing Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, named after the woman who created her own Italian Renaissance palazzo to house her collection of art.

A final highlight will be a visit to the Harvard Art Museum. The wonderful collection of paintings and sculpture to be found here includes works by Botticelli, Fragonard, Whistler and Picasso. There will also be time to enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of Harvard Square and the university.

Our tour begins with three nights at the traditional Simsbury Inn in Hartford, followed by two nights at the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Williamstown.

We will conclude with two nights at the Sheraton Commander Hotel in the Cambridge area of Boston, an elegant and classically decorated hotel conveniently located for Harvard.

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time. We cannot guarantee the availability of all artworks listed.

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“Sarah was an excellent tour leader” – ACE customer on a previous Great Art Collections of New England tour FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: This tour is not anticipated to be particularly strenuous, but participants will need to be prepared for spending periods of time walking and standing in museums and galleries, some of which are large. Stools are sometimes available but cannot be guaranteed. This tour involves a moderate amount of travel by coach and three separate hotel stays. Participants should have a good level of overall fitness.

Day 1 Depart London Heathrow 1115 on British Airways, arriving Boston 1335. Transfer to Hartford for three nights at the Simsbury Inn. Welcome and introduction.

Day 2 Whole day excursion to New Haven for Yale University Art Collection (Old Masters and American paintings), lunch at Mory’s (historical restaurant for Yale University professors) and Yale Center for British Art (Gainsborough, Reynolds, Stubbs, Turner and Constable).

Day 3 Morning excursion to Hill-Stead near Farmington (French Impressionists). Afternoon: Wadsworth Atheneum (Old Masters and 19th century American paintings).

Day 4 Transfer to Stockbridge for visit to Chesterwood (house, studio and gardens of

Daniel Chester French) and walking tour of historical Stockbridge (including the Old Mission House). Afternoon: visit to nearby studio and museum devoted to the illustrator Norman Rockwell. Continue for two nights at the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Williamstown.

Day 5 Morning: Clark Art Institute (English silver, early Italian and Flemish paintings, French Impressionists, Winslow Homer). Afternoon: Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA, with large scale works by Sol LeWitt, Anselm Kiefer and James Turrell).

Day 6 Transfer to Worcester via the Mohawk Trail for visit to Worcester Art Museum (significant collections of Old Master paintings, 19th century American art, Paul Revere silver).

Continue to Boston for two nights at Sheraton Commander Hotel.

Day 7 Morning: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Afternoon: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (housed in an Italianate palazzo filled with paintings, tapestries and furniture).

Day 8 Morning: Harvard Art Museum (Old Masters, American and French 19th century, modern and contemporary paintings). Depart Boston 1915.

Day 9 Arrive Heathrow 0650.

Cost of £3995 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, two lunches, seven dinners with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities for group services.

Not included: ESTA, travel insurance, double room for single use supplement £620.

TOUR CODE: GANE22

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GERMANY

Wagner Festival In Leipzig June 29 – July 4, 2022 from £2595 per person | with Sandy Burnett

Leipzig Opera House

• Attend three of Wagner’s most acclaimed works – Lohengrin, Tristan und Isolde and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg – in the city of his birth • Take a day trip to Dresden, home to the splendid Semper Opera House where Wagner premiered several works • Enjoy the wider musical delights of Leipzig, from the Mendelssohn House Museum to the celebrated Bach-Archiv Born in 1813 in Leipzig, Richard Wagner undertook much of his musical education in the city, and its myriad of musical offerings left a significant mark on his own development. Indeed, it was while attending Leipzig University that Wagner embarked upon the first of his major compositions, the beginning of a lifelong career that would encompass his majestic Ring as well as numerous other works.

Given his connection with the city, it is hardly surprising that Wagner’s music has come to play an integral role in Leipzig’s operatic calendar; 2022 takes things one step further, however, as the city prepares to present all thirteen of the composer’s operas in the order in which they were written. We are delighted to be able to 24

This tour will be led by musician and broadcaster Sandy Burnett, MA. A graduate of St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, Sandy spent a decade as one of the core team of presenters on BBC Radio 3, where he hosted the breakfast programme, presented live from the Proms and Edinburgh Festival, and interviewed many of the world’s finest musicians. Conducting credits include a complete cycle of Bach cantatas as well as work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal National Theatre and in London’s West End. As a double bassist he collaborates with many leading musicians from the UK and beyond.

He is the author of The Idler Guide to Classical Music, runs an online music Listening Club, and was appointed the Academy of Ancient Music’s Hogwood Fellow for the 2018/19 season. attend a part of this very special event, taking in three of his most celebrated works: Lohengrin, Tristan und Isolde and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.

Arriving at Leipzig’s stunning opera house, which traces its musical heritage back to the late 17th century, we will take our seats for each of the three

performances spread over a five-night period. Our first was composed in Dresden prior to Wagner’s exile to Switzerland: inspired by medieval German romance, layered with tension between the godly and the mundane, we will experience the desperation of Elsa to know the true name of her protector – the Swan Knight Lohengrin – who is doomed to leave her if she asks.

Tristan und Isolde also takes its cue from chivalric romance, however its music – inspired greatly by the philosophy of Schopenhauer – was well ahead of its time, helping to lay the groundwork for much of what was to come in the 20th century.

We end with a change both of tone and of scene: Wagner’s only comedy, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, is a riotous tale of tradition versus innovation wrapped around a simple love story, in a work that truly showcases the composer’s versatility and dramatic genius.

We will be joined for these performances by our Tour Director, musician and broadcaster Sandy Burnett, who will help us to look beyond the surface of these famous works in a series of expert lectures. Sandy will also accompany us on a range of cultural visits, as well as

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GERMANY

© KIRSTEN NIJHOF | ULF SCHIRMER

Port Sunlight War Memorial

Ulf Schirmer

giving us opportunities to explore our surroundings independently.

Day 1 Depart London Heathrow 1050 on British Airways, arriving Berlin 1340. Transfer to Seaside Park Hotel, Leipzig, for five nights.

Welcome and introduction.

Leipzig is a treasure trove of musical delights, from a museum dedicated to Mendelssohn’s life and musical career in the city, to one of the most important centres for Bach scholarship in the world. Journeying to Saxony’s capital of Dresden – Wagner’s home for more than twenty years, and where he was working as Kapellmeister when he composed Lohengrin – we will explore the composer’s musical development over time. We will take in the city’s Frauenkirche, a spectacular example of Protestant sacred architecture, in addition to a tour of the Semper Opera House (subject to confirmation), which has staged several Wagnerian premieres including Tannhäuser and The Flying Dutchman.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: This tour will be taken at a relaxed pace with free time around the performances. Participants should be comfortable undertaking short walking tours in Leipzig and Dresden, sometimes involving cobbles and uneven surfaces, and should meet our usual fitness requirements.

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Day 3 Morning lecture followed by visit to the Mendelssohn House Museum for guided tour.

Free afternoon. Early evening performance at Leipzig Opera House: Tristan und Isolde.

Day 4 Whole day excursion to Dresden, including visit to the Frauenkirche, guided tour of the Semperoper (subject to confirmation) and free time for exploration. Free evening.

Day 5 Morning lecture followed by visit to Bach Archive Museum (the world’s pre-eminent centre of Bach scholarship). Early evening performance at Leipzig Opera House: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.

Day 6 Köthen Castle (where Bach served as Kapellmeister for Prince Leopold – time allowing). Continue to Berlin for 1645 departure, arriving Heathrow 1745.

Daniel Kirch (Tristan) 2019

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time.

© TOM SCHULZE

We stay in the centre of Leipzig at the Seaside Park Hotel, a four-star Art Deco residence situated within easy walking distance of the opera house.

Day 2 Morning lecture followed by orientation walking tour of Leipzig, including Wagner statue and Nikolaikirche. Free afternoon. Early evening performance at Leipzig Opera House: Lohengrin.

Cost of £2595 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, performances as described, breakfast, three lunches, three opera plates, one dinner with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, single room supplement £185.

TOUR CODE: WFLP22

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GERMANY

Bach Festival in Leipzig June 13–20, 2022 from £2965 per person | with John Bryden

Thomaskirche

• Join this spectacular annual festival as it celebrates a ‘family reunion’ of Bach performers from all over the world • Acclaimed international pianists Sir András Schiff and Angela Hewitt, OBE, will present The Well-Tempered Clavier across two concerts • Further highlights will include the St John Passion, a series of motets and choral cantatas, and the timeless Mass in B minor Leipzig lies at the heart of the classical music tradition: Wagner was born here, Mendelssohn died here and Bach spent nearly three decades as Kapellmeister at the Thomaskirche. It is fitting, therefore, that Leipzig plays host to a magnificent annual festival centred on Bach and the composers he inspired.

Postponed from 2020, the 2022 festival promises to be a great celebration not only of Bach’s music but also the ‘extended family’ of Bach musicians, choirs and societies that regularly perform his works all over the world.

We will begin with a performance of the St Matthew Passion from renowned Swiss choir and orchestra of the J S Bach Foundation of St Gallen under Rudolf Lutz. Mid-way through our tour, we will be privileged to experience The Well-Tempered Clavier performed by not one but two highly acclaimed artists, Sir András Schiff and Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt, OBE – one of the most celebrated living performers and interpreters of J S Bach in the world.

Interspersed with these famous works, we will enjoy a concert of motets by Bach 26

This tour will be led by John Bryden, MA, ARCM, ARCO. A former member of the National Youth Orchestra of Britain, John has played across Britain and Europe as a soloist, accompanist and chamber musician. himself as well as those connected to him: Johann Schelle, former Kantor of the Thomaskirche, and Johann Christoph Altnickol, Bach’s son-in-law and a composer, organist and singer. Later, the Nikolaikirche will host us for what is sure to be a spectacular performance of choral cantatas courtesy of the Netherlands Bach Society. Our tour builds towards the festival’s magnificent closing concert, Bach’s Mass in B minor, in the stunning surroundings of Leipzig’s Thomaskirche.

We will stay throughout the tour in the centre of Leipzig at the Seaside Park Hotel, a four-star Art Deco residence.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: This tour involves several excursions to museums, as well as walking tours, and participants should therefore feel comfortable staying on their feet for extended periods of time. A good general level of fitness is required for this tour.

Day 1 Depart London Heathrow 1050 on British Airways, arriving Berlin 1340. Transfer to Seaside Park Hotel, Leipzig, for seven nights.

Welcome and introduction.

Day 2 Morning lecture followed by walking tour of Leipzig including Altes Rathaus and Baroque Barthels Hof (exteriors). Free afternoon followed by evening festival performance at the Thomaskirche featuring Julia Doyle (soprano), Alex Potter (alto), Daniel Johannsen (tenor), Peter Harvey (bass), Matthias Helm (bass), choir and orchestra of the J S Bach Foundation of St Gallen under Rudolf Lutz (conductor): J S Bach St John Passion, BWV 245.

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time.

Day 3 Whole day excursion to Dresden including visits to the New Green Vault and Old Masters Picture Gallery, with opportunity for independent visit to the Frauenkirche. Evening festival performance at the Thomaskirche featuring Stuttgart Chamber Choir under Frieder Bernius (conductor): motets by J S Bach including Komm, Jesu, komm, BWV 229 and Jesu, meine Freude, BWV 227; motets by Johann Schelle and Johann Christoph Altnickol.

Day 4 Morning lecture followed by visit to Schoenefeld Memorial Church. Schumann House Museum, including private recital by the Tour Director (subject to confirmation). Evening festival performance at Leipzig Gewandhaus featuring Sir András Schiff (piano): J S Bach The Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1 – Preludes & Fugues, BWV 846-869.

Day 5 Morning lecture followed by visit to the Bach Archive Museum. Afternoon festival performance at Leipzig Gewandhaus featuring Angela Hewitt (piano): J S Bach The WellTempered Clavier Book 2 – Preludes & Fugues, BWV 870-893. Some free time.

Day 6 Morning lecture followed by guided tour of the Museum of Historical Musical Instruments including a short recital by the Tour Director (subject to confirmation). Afternoon: guided tour of the Mendelssohn House Museum with piano recital by the Tour Director (subject to confirmation). Evening festival performance at the Nikolaikirche featuring Isabel Schicketanz (soprano), Franz Vitzthum (alto), Thomas Hobbs (tenor), Felix Schwandtke (bass) and the Netherlands Bach Society under Shunske Sato: choral cantatas by J S Bach including Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80, In allen meinen Taten, BWV 97, Sei Lob und Ehr dem höchsten Gut, BWV 117, and Nun danket alle Gott, BWV 192.

Day 7 Optional morning service in the Thomaskirche followed by afternoon visit to Leipzig Fine Arts Museum. Independent dinner followed by evening festival closing performance at the Thomaskirche featuring Hanna Herfurtner (soprano), Lucia Cirillo (soprano), Margot Oitzinger (alto), Bernhard Berchtold (tenor), Klaus Mertens (bass), the Choir of Radio and Television of Italian Switzerland and I Barocchisti under Diego Fasolis (conductor): J S Bach Mass in B minor, BWV 232.

Day 8 Köthen Castle (where Bach served as Kapellmeister for Prince Leopold). Continue to Berlin for 1645 departure, arriving Heathrow 1745.

Cost of £2965 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, performances as described, breakfast, three lunches, six dinners (two light) with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, single room supplement £235.

TOUR CODE: BACH22

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SWITZERLAND

Art & Landscape in Switzerland June 20–25, 2022 from £2345 per person | with Suzanne Fagence Cooper

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time. We cannot guarantee the availability of all artworks mentioned.

Meanwhile, Basel is a historically important city on the Rhine, renowned for its iconic architecture, world-famous ART Basel festival and wealth of galleries and art museums. Here, we will visit the impressive Kunstmuseum, Switzerland’s largest public art collection.

Basel is also home to a museum dedicated to the work of Swiss painter and sculptor Jean Tinguely.

Lake Geneva as seen from Chexbres by Ferdinand Hodler

• Explore a wealth of artistic treasures within Switzerland’s stunning natural and urban environments, including works by Klee and Picasso • Visit internationally important museums of fine art, including the Kunstmuseum in Basel • Become immersed in the beauty of the Swiss landscape, from Lake Lucerne to Gurten mountain The landscapes of Switzerland – its lakes, Alpine peaks and elegant cityscapes – have long captured the imaginations of travellers and artists, and today, the country is home to some of the world’s finest collections of art. This brand new tour explores art within Switzerland’s beautiful surroundings, considering how these twin themes are profoundly intertwined, and will take as a particular focus the art of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The Swiss capital, Bern, will be our base.

Mountains watch over the medieval architecture of its UNESCO-listed old town, complete with Gothic-style Minster and 13th century Clock Tower.

The city’s Kunstmuseum is the repository for an important collection of works of art dating from the 15th to the 20th centuries, including pieces by Monet, Picasso and Klee, as well as the famed 19th century Swiss painter Ferdinand Hodler.

The Victorian critic, patron and artist John Ruskin observed the Alpine landscape as it changed over the course of 40 years, and his preoccupation with

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This tour will be led by Suzanne Fagence Cooper, MA, PhD, an Arts Society accredited lecturer, historian and curator who specialises in 19th and 20th century art. Currently Research Curator at York Art Gallery, Suzanne was previously a curator and Research Fellow at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. Her recent work has focused on Ruskin’s observations of the changing Alpine landscape.

the poetic qualities and environmental importance of Switzerland’s natural landscape still resonates today. We will consider these questions as we travel by train, taking in views of mountains, vineyards and Lake Geneva, and by boat as we cruise around Lake Lucerne.

The picturesque city of Lucerne presents layers of Swiss elegance: the medieval old town, eponymous lake and dramatic mountainous backdrop combine to provide a fitting home for another significant art collection. The Rosengart Collection was amassed by Swiss art dealer Siegfried Rosengart and his daughter Angela, a close friend of Picasso, and is now on public display.

Featuring modern art by the likes of Bonnard, Braque, Picasso, Kandinsky and Klee, to name but a few, the collection attests to the passion, taste and generosity of its founders.

The most important global collection of works by Klee is to be found in a museum dedicated to the artist in Bern.

Our tour concludes with an opportunity to become truly immersed in the Swiss landscape with an excursion up Gurten, Bern’s ‘local’ mountain, which visitors have been able to ascend by funicular railway since 1899.

We will stay throughout at the four-star Best Western Plus Hotel Bern, located in the centre of the old town.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: A good level of fitness is required for this tour, as it will involve a significant amount of walking and standing, including over cobbled streets and uneven surfaces. The itinerary incorporates several journeys made by public transport, including train and tram. We also hope to feature a journey by funicular to Gurten Mountain, as well as a cruise on Lake Lucerne.

Day 1 Depart London Heathrow for Geneva.

Transfer by train along the length of Lake Geneva and up into the mountains to Bern for five nights at Best Western Plus Hotel Bern. Evening lecture: 19th Century Encounters with the Alps.

Day 2 Morning walking tour of Bern: arcades, Rathaus, Zytglogge, Bern Minster (exterior), Bear Garden. Afternoon visit to Kunstmuseum Bern.

Day 3 Whole day excursion by train to Basel: visit to Kunstmuseum, Minster (exterior), Old Town, Museum Tinguely.

Day 4 Whole day excursion by train to Lucerne: visit to Rosengart Collection and cruise upon Lake Lucerne. Free evening in Bern.

Day 5 Morning lecture: 20th Century Modernism followed by visit to Paul Klee Museum. By coach and funicular to Gurten mountain.

Day 6 Flight from Geneva to Heathrow.

Cost of £2345 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a double bedded room, breakfast, four dinners with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, double room for single use supplement £305.

TOUR CODE: ALSW22

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SWEDEN

Swedish Palaces & Castles July 3–9, 2022 from £2895 per person | with Charles Hind

Gripsholm Castle

• Explore the rich collection of historical houses and palaces to be found in Sweden’s capital city and its hinterland • Wander the streets of Stockholm’s picturesque Old Town – the island nucleus of Gamla Stan • Visit grand country estates to view fine architecture and interiors, from the moated Gripsholm Castle to the Baroque palace of Drottningholm

The French Empire style is best seen at Rosendal Palace, whilst the Rococo phase can be admired at the suburban villa of Svindersvik and the Baroque at the royal palace of Drottningholm. Here, we will also view the enchanting Chinese Pavilion and the celebrated Court Theatre.

Further highlights of the tour will include Gustav Vasa’s great moated castle

of Gripsholm; the massive quadrangular Skokloster, with its extraordinarily wellpreserved 17th century interiors; and the exquisite neoclassical interiors in Sweden’s own Gustavian style at Tullgarn Palace.

Our tour also includes a number of private visits. Tureholm features remarkable Baroque and Rococo interiors, and Catherine the Great’s court

The city of Stockholm, one of Europe’s most beautiful capitals thanks to its position at the western end of the Stockholm archipelago, is our base for this tour exploring some of the outstanding architecture to be found in Sweden.

Spanning the period from the 16th century, when under Gustav Vasa Sweden established its independence from Denmark and began to experiment with Renaissance classicism, through to the early 19th century, when the arrival of a new royal dynasty – the Bernadottes – helped to popularise the French Empire style, this tour features an array of important houses, palaces and castles.

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Drottningholm Palace

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SWEDEN

RAPHAEL ANDRES / UNSPLASH

Port Sunlight War Memorial

Stockholm

This tour will be led by architectural historian Charles Hind, MA, FSA, who is Chief Curator and H J Heinz Curator of Drawings at the Royal Institute of British Architects. Charles has published widely on architectural history from the 16th to the 20th centuries. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, a Visiting Fellow at the Centro Palladio in Vicenza, and a Trustee of the Georgian Group, the Lutyens Trust and the Great Dixter Charitable Trust. architect Quarenghi designed Elghammar for a retired Swedish ambassador to St Petersburg. We will also spend time in the cathedral and university city of Uppsala, visiting the garden created by the great botanist Linnaeus. There will be a number of opportunities to sample delicious Swedish food, including a dinner cruise around the Stockholm archipelago.

We will stay at the four-star Victory Hotel, situated in picturesque Gamla Stan (Old Town), the original island nucleus from which the city of Stockholm grew.

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FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: This tour will involve a moderate amount of walking and standing, including over uneven ground and steps, so participants must have a good level of fitness. The tour also features an evening dinner cruise around Stockholm archipelago.

Day 1 Flight from London Heathrow to Stockholm. Transfer to the Victory Hotel in Stockholm Old Town for six nights.

Day 2 Whole day excursion to Drottningholm Palace (home to Sweden’s royal family): Baroque palace, Chinese Pavilion and Court Theatre.

Evening dinner cruise around Stockholm archipelago.

Day 3 Morning excursion to Gripsholm Castle (lakeside castle with interiors dating from the 16th and late 18th centuries and neoclassical theatre). Afternoon: private visit to the mansion of Elghammar (owned by the Duke d’Otrante).

Free evening.

Day 4 Sturehov (1780s house with painted interiors and collection of faience stoves) followed by Tullgarn (summer palace of the royal family with interiors in the Gustavian style) and Tureholm (on the shores of the Baltic Sea, with Baroque, Rococo and Chinoiserie painted wall decorations).

Day 5 Excursion to Uppsala for medieval cathedral (Renaissance tomb of Gustav Vasa) and Linnaeus Garden (laid out in 1745). Afternoon: Skokloster Castle (quadrangular mansion with well-preserved late 17th century interiors). Free evening.

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change. Owing to the special nature of the visits, some may be confirmed nearer the time. Working palaces may close fully or partially at short notice due to events.

Day 6 Morning: historical walking tour of Gamla Stan with visit to the cathedral (Storkyrkan).

Continue to Svindersvik (1740s summer retreat) followed by Rosendal Palace (Empire interiors) and Vasa Museum (well-preserved 17th century warship).

Day 7 Flight from Stockholm to Heathrow.

Cost of £2895 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, five lunches (three light), four dinners with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, single room supplement £265, small double room for single use supplement £430.

TOUR CODE: SWPC22

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AUSTRIA

Wildlife of the Austrian Alps July 11–18, 2022 from £2595 per person | with Kevin Hand

Golden Oriole

• Wander the meadows and forests of one of Europe’s most stunning regions, nestled between Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland • Look out for a rich variety of birdlife, from snowfinch and alpine chough to red crested pochard and golden oriole • Delve into the wetlands around Lake Constance and enjoy a relaxing boat trip Perched on the far western tip of Austria, nudging against the borders of Switzerland, Germany and Liechtenstein, the state of Vorarlberg is a cultural visitor’s paradise. Alpine meadows cluster around dramatic mountain peaks; modern architecture mingles with medieval cityscapes; and stretches of tranquil forest still play host to a variety of traditional crafts and customs, not to mention a captivating array of wildlife.

Based in the charming medieval town of Feldkirch, this tour will go in search of some of the most rewarding outlooks and natural environments the region has to offer. We will seek out a variety of birdlife, flowers, mammals and insects as well as cultural highlights, exploring the ways in which this predominantly mountainous landscape has harboured human life throughout its history.

A particular highlight will be an excursion to the area around Lake Constance and the Rhine delta. Walking through the serene wetlands overlooking the lake, we may catch sight of red crested pochard, golden oriole, black kite, flycatchers, orchids and the rare yellow-bellied toad.

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This tour will be led by Kevin Hand, MSc, MCIEEM. A conservationist and environmental consultant, Kevin has a special interest in birds, mammals and ecotourism. He has led many projects linking nature and communities, including a Darwin Initiative on the taiga forests in Siberia and a programme to identify sustainable use of forest resources in the Ecuadorian Amazon. He was a Director of the Tree Council and ran National Tree Week in the UK for 13 years. In 2017 Kevin was appointed President of the Cambridge Natural History Society.

We will also take a boat trip on the lake from Friedrichshafen to Bregenz.

The flower-filled alpine meadows near Warth will be teeming with gentians and mountain butterflies during our visit, not to mention birdlife including nutcracker, water pipit and alpine chough. A wander through the beautiful nature reserve of Bangs-Matschels on the border of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, meanwhile, will introduce us to a remarkable variety of meadow flora and rare butterflies including the dryad.

Surrounded by awe-inspiring scenery, we will gaze at snowy alpine peaks reflected in the blue mirror of the Lünersee (Moon Lake), and the Kanisfluh massif, voted one of the most beautiful mountains in the Austrian Alps.

This region is particularly well known for its local produce, and we hope to include opportunities to sample the gastronomy of the region, from its cheese to its wines.

Austria’s past, meanwhile, will come alive at the ancient convent of St Peter’s in Bludenz. Founded in 1286, the site has borne witness to stormy waves of human history, from the plague and peasant revolts to the Nazi occupation, and it was restored and revived as a Catholic community in 1997.

We will stay throughout the tour at the Best Western Plus Central Hotel Leonhard. This comfortable four-star establishment is situated in a quiet area in the medieval town of Feldkirch.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: Participants should have a good overall level of fitness for this tour. Vorarlberg is a mountainous region, however our visits will be taken at a leisurely pace, with high-up sites accessed by road or cable car. Although most walks will be over flat ground, participants should be comfortable ascending mild slopes and walking across rugged terrain. They should also be prepared for walks at high altitude, which may be chilly even during the summer months.

Day 1 Depart London Heathrow 0925 on British Airways, arriving Zurich 1220. Transfer to Best Western Plus Central Hotel Leonhard, Feldkirch, for seven nights. Welcome and introduction.

Day 2 Visits along the shore of Lake Constance: Rheinholz, Bangs-Matschels nature reserve.

Day 3 Excursion to Lünersee via cable car for guided walk followed by late afternoon visit to St Peter’s Priory, Bludenz.

Day 4 Whole day excursion to Liechtenstein: walk along the Sassweg trail followed by local wine tasting at the Princely Wine Cellars.

Day 5 Visit to Eriskircher Ried followed by a Lake Constance ferry cruise from Friedrichshafen to Bregenz.

Day 6 Guided walk along the shores of Lake Korber, followed by afternoon visit to the Rüfikopf via cable car. Free evening.

Day 7 To Mellau for explorations in the Kanisfluh area with chances to spot ibex, alpine chough and golden eagle.

Day 8 Depart Zurich 1550, arriving Heathrow 1640.

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation. Certain visits are also weather dependent.

Cost of £2595 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, two lunches, six dinners with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, double room for single use supplement £250.

TOUR CODE: WIAA22

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ITALY

Art and Architecture of Puglia September 20–26, 2022 from £2095 per person | with Andrew Spira

This tour will be led by art historian Andrew Spira, MA, who studied at the Courtauld Institute of Art and City University, London. For several years Andrew was a specialist in Byzantine and Russian icons at the Temple Gallery, London, before working as a curator at the Victoria & Albert Museum. He was subsequently Programme Director at Christie’s Education, and has been leading tours to cultural sites across Europe for over 20 years.

Please note that the below itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time.

Historical sites in Italy can often undergo restoration work at short notice, which may have an impact on our itinerary.

Alberobello

• Explore the diverse artistic and architectural heritage of Bari, Barletta, Ostuni and Otranto • Visit the Basilica di San Nicola, the south’s first Norman church and a model for many later churches in Puglia • Discover one of southern Italy’s most amazing 15th century narrative fresco cycles, covering every inch of the walls of the Romanesque Church of Santa Caterina d’Alessandria Nestled in the heel of Italy lies Puglia – or Apulia as it was originally named – the most prosperous region in the south of the country, but surprisingly one of its least visited parts. The diversity of its architectural heritage – Greek, Roman, Romanesque, Norman, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque – reflects its multifaceted past and importance on ancient trading and pilgrimage routes.

On our tour of this cosmopolitan region, which borrows elements from classical antiquity, the Islamic Orient and the north European Cistercian Gothic, we stay in the charming towns of Andria and Brindisi. From these bases we will discover the art and architecture of the region, starting in the port town of Bari.

Here, we will explore the Romanesque Cathedral, Basilica of San Nicola, and Pinacoteca Provinciale, home to a distinguished collection of Old Master paintings, sculptures and 19th century Italian art.

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We will enjoy a day’s excursion to the ‘white city’ of Ostuni and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Alberobello, characterised by its dense concentration of trulli – dry stone whitewashed buildings with unusual conical roofs.

In the cathedral of the captivating coastal town of Otranto we will see the 12th century Tree of Life mosaic.

This extraordinary mosaic floor design contains biblical references alongside signs of the zodiac, references to Greek mythology and even images of King Arthur and the pre-Islamic Persian lion of the Sassanid Empire. On our final day in Lecce, the ‘Florence of the South’, our walking tour takes in its piazzas, churches and Roman remains.

Our first three nights will be spent in Andria at the four-star Cristal Palace Hotel and our final three nights in Brindisi at the four-star Hotel Orientale, situated in the heart of the city.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: This tour has a full itinerary and will require a good level of fitness. There is a moderate amount of standing and walking involved, including uphill and over cobbled and uneven ground.

Day 1 Flight from London to Bari. Transfer to Cristal Palace Hotel, Andria, for three nights.

Evening introductory lecture: Puglia – Ancient & Medieval.

Day 2 Whole day excursion to Bari: Romanesque cathedral and Basilica di San Nicola.

Afternoon: Pinacoteca Provinciale (distinguished collection of Old Master paintings, sculpture and 19th century art). Evening lecture: Puglia – The Baroque & Beyond.

Day 3 Morning in Barletta: Romanesque/ Gothic Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore and Pinacoteca De Nittis (housed in Palazzo della Marra). Afternoon in Trani: Cathedral of San Nicola and Museo della Macchina Per Scrivere.

Free evening.

Day 4 UNESCO World Heritage site of Alberobello, capital of trulli country. Continue to Ostuni (walking tour of old centre including 15th century cathedral). Transfer to Brindisi via 14th century Church of Santa Maria del Casale for three nights at Hotel Orientale.

Day 5 Morning: Soleto for Church of Santo Stefano and Galatina for Church of Santa Caterina d’Alessandria (15th century frescoes).

Continue to Otranto: cathedral (12th century Tree of Life floor mosaic) and Byzantine Church of St Peter. Free evening.

Day 6 Lecce: walking tour including Castello di Carlo V, Piazza Sant’Oronzo, Roman theatre and amphitheatre, Church of Santa Chiara, Vittorio Emmanuele II, Piazza del Duomo and cathedral, Church of Santa Irene, Basilica di Santa Croce and Palazzo dei Celestini (exteriors). Afternoon: visit to Santa Maria di Cerrate (13th century frescoes).

Day 7 Transfer to Bari for flight to London.

“Andrew Spira was the ideal Tour Director – extremely knowledgeable, patient and friendly” – ACE customer on a previous Art & Architecture of Puglia tour

Cost of £2095 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, four dinners with wine, water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, double room for single use supplement £170.

TOUR CODE: AAPU22

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GERMANY

The Hanseatic League: An Artistic Legacy July 27 – August 4, 2022 from £2945 per person | with Tom Abbott

Lübeck

• Discover the history of the Hanseatic League from the three major merchant centres of Hamburg, Bremen and Lübeck, and review their artistic heritage • Explore medieval church architecture in an array of locations, including the Church of St Mary in Lübeck, which epitomises the north German Brick Gothic style • Visit fascinating museums and galleries, including Hamburg’s Kunsthalle and the European Hansemuseum in Lübeck The Hanseatic League, which in medieval times dictated trade from the Baltic to the North Sea, left a rich legacy in art, architecture and of course maritime tradition. Dominating the townscapes even today are soaring brick-built Gothic churches, glories of medieval architecture, built at a time when such edifices were unknown in contemporary England.

Hamburg, home to the third busiest port in Europe, we will survey the city’s historical buildings and formulate an understanding of the context of the trading association during our museum visits. A particular highlight of our time here will be a visit to Hamburg’s Kunsthalle, which houses works of art dating from medieval times to the present day.

Lüneburg was an important salt-trading town, and boasts one of the most magnificent and best-preserved town

halls in Germany. It was through the vast waterways of Europe that the League built up its trade, and on our way north we will pass through the harbour cities of Stade and Bremerhaven. The latter is home to the outstanding German Maritime Museum.

At the important Hanseatic city of Bremen, we will survey the collection of European painting and sculpture on display at the Kunsthalle, and visit the medieval cathedral, before continuing to Lübeck. Once the capital of the League, Bismarck Monument

The League started with the collaboration of Hamburg, Lübeck and Lüneburg in the 13th century, before becoming a union of north European trading cities with the most efficient sailing ships of their time.

Our tour is based in three of the major merchant centres that initiated the first trading associations of ‘Hanses’: Hamburg, Bremen and Lübeck. In 32

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GERMANY

JOACHIMKOHLERBREMEN / CC BY-SA 4.0

Port Sunlight War Memorial

Kunsthalle, Hamburg

This tour will be led by Tom Abbott, BA, MA, an independent art and architectural historian associated with the Foundation of Prussian Palaces and Gardens. Tom has extensive experience leading cultural tours in Europe, to destinations including Germany, Poland, France and Italy.

His expertise concerning art and architecture ranges widely, and he is particularly fascinated with medieval art and architecture, as well as the Baroque, Rococo and Romantic movements.

Lübeck is one of the best preserved of all the Hanseatic towns, with a fine array of Brick Gothic buildings. Here, we will visit the European Hansemuseum, and discover some fascinating churches.

Excursions to the town of Wismar in former East Germany, famed for its 17th century Wasserkunst waterworks, and to Bad Doberan, where we will visit the minster and enjoy a journey on a historical steam train, will complete our tour.

In Hamburg we will stay at the four-star Hotel Baseler Hof in the centre of the city. We will spend a night in Bremen at the four-star Atlantic Grand Hotel, within walking distance of the city’s town hall, followed by four nights in Lübeck at the Atlantic Hotel, located in the old town.

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FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: Please note that a good level of fitness is required for this tour, as it has a full itinerary involving three separate hotel stays and a journey made by ferry.

Participants should expect to spend a moderate amount of time on foot during historical walking tours, and standing in galleries and museums.

Day 1 Depart London Heathrow 1040 on British Airways, arriving Hamburg 1320. Transfer to Hotel Baseler Hof, Hamburg for three nights.

Afternoon visits to Museum of Hamburg History and St Michael’s Church.

Day 2 Morning lecture followed by visit to Hamburg Kunsthalle. Afternoon walking tour to include exterior views of Chile House, Kontorhaus, Speicherstadt (1880s warehouse and harbour district) and short opportunity to visit Internationales Maritimes Museum.

Continue walk through HafenCity (new development on old container harbour) with exterior view of Elbephilharmonie. By ferry to Landungsbrücke and return by coach via Rathaus (exterior).

Day 3 Morning excursion to Lauenburg: Palmschleuse (the first chamber lock in Europe on the Stecknitz Canal, which brought salt from Lüneburg to Lübeck). Continue to Lüneburg: St John’s Church, exceptionally preserved Rathaus, Lüne Kloster (abbey and museum).

Day 4 Depart for Bremen via Stade (Schwedenspeicher Museum, Church of Saints Cosmas & Damian) and Bremerhaven (German Maritime Museum). Overnight at the Atlantic Grand Hotel, Bremen.

Day 5 Bremen: Böttcherstrasse (brick Expressionist buildings – exteriors), Kunsthalle, cathedral. Transfer to Lübeck for four nights at the Atlantic Hotel.

Day 6 Walking tour of Lübeck including Church of St Peter (exterior), 13th century Church of St Mary, Salzspeicher (16th-18th century salt warehouses – exteriors) and Rathaus.

Afternoon: visit to cathedral followed by some free time. Evening lecture: The Art & Architecture of the North – Past & Present.

Day 7 Whole day excursion to Wismar with visits to Church of St Nicholas, Wasserkunst (water supply) and Church of St George.

Afternoon: Bad Doberan (visit to minster and walking tour) followed by historical steam train to Heiligendamm on the Baltic Sea (renowned white architecture).

Day 8 Morning visit to Hansemuseum.

Afternoon: Museum Behnhaus Drägerhaus (neoclassical art gallery) and walking tour including Church of St Catherine (exterior), Church of St Jacob, Heiligen-Geist-Hospital (Brick Gothic) and Burgtor (exterior).

Day 9 Morning visit to St Annen-Museum (large collection of medieval sculpture). Continue to Hamburg for 1645 departure, arriving Heathrow 1725.

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time. We cannot guarantee the availability of all artworks listed.

Cost of £2945 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, two lunches, dinner with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, double room for single use supplement £425.

TOUR CODE: HANS22

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SERBIA

Serbian Monasteries September 19–30, 2022 from £2645 per person | with Alex Koller

Belgrade Fortress

• Enjoy access to remote monasteries and churches in the unspoilt countryside of Serbia • View outstanding pieces of medieval European art such as the White Angel fresco situated at Mileševa Monastery • Visit one of the oldest churches in the Balkans, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Novi Pazar, with 14th century foundations

Some of the most important monastic buildings are located in central Serbia, where they are invariably situated in extremely scenic locations, often quite isolated among mountains and forests.

Many belong to the Morava and Raška schools, which feature varying architectural outlooks and monumental schemes of wall paintings. Particular highlights will include the frescoes of Sopoćani, Studenica and Mileševa.

The unspoilt sweeping countryside and authentic small towns of Serbia are little visited and provide the perfect backdrop for its wealth of culturally significant monastery complexes.

To put these religious buildings into context, our journey also takes in the country’s most important historical towns, including Kruševac, Novi Pazar and Niš, birthplace of the Emperor Constantine.

Located at the heart of the Balkan Peninsula, Serbia has historically been influenced both by the Byzantine East and Central European West, which led to the creation of an extremely sophisticated artistic culture in the high and late Middle Ages and a flurry of intensive monastic building projects. The majority of the nation’s art treasures are therefore assembled in Orthodox monasteries and include some outstanding pieces of medieval European art.

Our tour begins in the northern region of Vojvodina and its capital, Novi Sad, where the nearby Fruška Gora mountain range is home to a large number of beautiful monasteries that were founded

by Serbian migrants fleeing from the 16th century Turkish conquest.

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We will stay in hotels of three to fivestar quality during the tour, including the Hotel Vrbak in Novi Pazar with its unique 1970s architecture.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: This is one of ACE’s more strenuous tours and requires a good level of fitness. We have a full itinerary, making the most of our time in Serbia to take in a wealth of sites. The tour will involve walking (including uphill and over uneven ground) and standing for significant periods of time. Participants should be prepared for several hotel changes, some early starts and coach journeys of up to 2 hours in duration. During the visit to the City Museum on the Petrovardin Fortress, the group may have the opportunity to visit the underground military galleries; please note that these underground galleries are in corridors approximately 900m in length, and those suffering from claustrophobia may prefer to opt out of this visit.

This tour will be led by Alex Koller, PhD, expert in art history and architecture. Born in Vienna, Alex has lived and studied in Vienna, Salzburg and Cambridge, where he gained his PhD in History of Art from Magdalene College and where he has also lectured and supervised. An accomplished linguist and experienced Tour Director, Alex has travelled extensively throughout Europe and the Far East and has been leading tours since 1998. He looks forward to returning to Serbia with an ACE group in 2022.

“A fascinating variety of monasteries and churches, many in remote places. We always enjoy travelling with Alex Koller who is invariably well informed and thoroughly efficient – and good company too!”

– ACE customer on a previous Serbian Monasteries tour Cost of £2645 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, two lunches, ten dinners with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, single room supplement £275.

TOUR CODE: SERB22

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SERBIA Please note that the below itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation. Sites can sometimes be closed at short notice and adjustments may be made on the ground to allow for time.

Day 1 Depart London Heathrow 1330 on Air Serbia, arriving Belgrade 1710. Transfer to Novi Sad for two nights at Hotel Leopold I. Day 2 Morning in Novi Sad: Orthodox and Catholic cathedrals, St Nicholas’s Church, Petrovaradin Fortress. Afternoon excursion to nearby historical town of Sremski Karlovci for Lady of Peace Chapel, Orthodox Cathedral of St Nicholas, Main Square, Upper and Lower Churches and Krušedol Monastery (restored 16th century murals).

Studenica Monastery

STUDY TOUR Serbia’s cultural heritage is focused around its ecclesiastical sites, making an art and architecture tour naturally an exploration of its monasteries. Tour Director Alex Koller explains: “The highlights are in the south of today’s Serbia: the monasteries of Mileševa, Sopoćani and Studenica in particular, which contain in their frescoes examples of Byzantine classicism that cannot be found anywhere else in the Orthodox world. Durdevi Stupovi, on the other hand, shows Serbia as being in touch with the eastern as well as the western traditions from the beginning of its golden age in the 12th century.

Until the end of the medieval Serb state, brought about by the military conquest at the hand of the Muslim Turks, the production of the finest works of architecture and decorative painting continued, as particularly Ravanica and Manasija demonstrate.

While the tour naturally focuses on the glories of medieval Serbian culture, it also confronts us with the country’s often difficult and painful history. The great fortress of Belgrade, Kalemegdan, is a mixture of Serbian, Ottoman and Austria works and thus a testimony to the coming and going of conquerors.

Not only did crusading and conquering armies pass through Serbia, the whole

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nation had, at times, to up sticks to resettle in safer territory.

The first part of the tour takes place in one such area, Vojvodina, which is, in contrast to the south, flat, fertile and culturally decidedly Central European due to centuries of Hungarian influence.

The city of Novi Sad, the Fortress of Petrovaradin, the churches of Sremski Karlovci and the monasteries of the Fruška Gora Mountains throw a different light again on the meeting of traditional Orthodox and western elements.

European history is palpable at the Peace Chapel in Sremski Karlovci where the Ottomans were eliminated as a military threat to Central Europe for good in 1699 and at the Kalemegdan in Belgrade from where the site of the first shots of the First World War can be seen. Belgrade is an impressive example of the transformation of an oriental Ottoman town into a European capital in the 19th century.

The tour ends with the Monastery of Poganovo, and goes on to Sofia for a viewing of the uniquely precious icon from Poganovo and the frescoes at Boyana. It shows the shared Byzantine heritage of Orthodox nations in the Balkans that once produced some of the most outstanding works of art in Europe.”

Day 3 Excursion to monasteries of the Fruška Gora mountain range: Beočin, VrdnikRavanica, Jazak, Novo Hopovo and Staro Hopovo. Continue to Belgrade for two nights at Courtyard by Marriott Belgrade City Centre Hotel.

Day 4 Belgrade: Kalemegdan Fortress, St Michael’s Cathedral, Residence of Princess Ljubica, Bajrakli Mosque, Church of St Sava (one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world).

Free evening.

Day 5 Monasteries of Manasija (15th century) and Ravanica (14th century). Continue to Čačak for overnight at Hotel Beograd.

Day 6 Morning visit to Church of Jesus Ascension in Čačak. Continue to Monastery of Blagoveštenje and the medieval Nikolje Monastery, both located in the Ovčar-Kablar Gorge, followed by Arilje Church. Afternoon: open-air museum of Sirogojno. Continue to Zlatibor for overnight at Hotel Buket.

Day 7 Banja Monastery (14th century frescoes) and Mileševa Monastery (home to the 13th century White Angel fresco). Transfer to Novi Pazar for two nights at Hotel Vrbak.

Day 8 Morning: Church of Saints Peter and Paul (one of the oldest churches in the Balkans, with 4th century foundations) followed by monasteries of Sopoćani and Đurd- evi Stupovi (13th century frescoes). Afternoon in Novi Pazar: fortress and 16th century Altun-alem Mosque.

Day 9 Morning visits to Nova Pavlica Monastery and Gradač Monastery. Via monasteries of Studenica (13th and 14th century Byzantine frescoes) and Žiča to Vrnjačka Banja for overnight at Hotel Slatina.

Day 10 Depart for monasteries of Ljubostinja, Kalenič and Veluće (fine examples of the Morava school of architecture). Afternoon in Kruševac: ruins of Lazar’s Palace and Lazarica Church.

Continue to Niš for overnight at Ambasador Hotel.

Day 11 Morning in Niš: 18th century fortress and Orthodox cathedral. Via 14th century Poganovo Monastery (16th century wall paintings) and across the Serbo-Bulgarian border to Sofia for overnight at Grand Hotel Sofia.

Day 12 Morning: National Archaeological Museum (14th century Poganovo icon) and Boyana Church (13th century frescoes). Depart Sofia 1720 on British Airways, arriving Heathrow 1850.

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ALBANIA Tour Director Carolyn Perry was Manager of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, UCL. She frequently lectures on various aspects of the ancient Mediterranean and Islamic world and is a regular contributor to the British Museum’s public programme.

She also has experience as a practical archaeologist.

Albania: From the Illyrians to the Ottomans

Originally an Illyrian settlement, Shkodër is one of Albania’s oldest towns, and played an important part in the resistance to the Ottoman invasion. Here we will take in the Great Mosque and English clock tower, and visit nearby Rozafa Castle.

Gjirokaster

• Travel the length of this mountainous country, discovering layers of historical wonders • Explore the complex of Apollonia, once home to a famous school of oratory • Delve into the extensive archaeological remains at Antigonea Naturally stunning, spanned by majestic mountains and dazzling coastlines, Albania is home to some of Europe’s most remarkable archaeological treasures.

Our journey begins in the bustling port city of Durrës. This multi-layered centre – which has assumed roles in both trade and conflict – began life as a Greek colony known as Epidamnos, and its walls have since witnessed centuries of Albanian history. Home to Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman remains, the old town centre still bears many Italianate buildings from the first half of the 20th century.

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ENVI TARAKU / UNSPLASH

September 21–30, 2022 from £2295 per person | with Carolyn Perry

Moving south, we will journey on to Krujë, the city of George Kastrioti, or Skanderbeg, Albania’s national hero. Dramatically located against a mountainous backdrop, Krujë houses a museum devoted to Skanderbeg in a historical citadel. It is paired in the afternoon with a visit to the city of a thousand windows: Berat. A fine example of an Ottoman town, Berat houses a partially inhabited citadel alongside the Byzantine Church of St Mary.

Two further UNESCO-listed sites are included on our journey: Gjirokastër, originally an Illyrian settlement and now an impressively preserved Ottoman town dominated by its pre-12th century castle; and the ancient city of Buthrotum (Butrint), described by Virgil as ‘Troy in miniature’.

A scenic drive through the ‘Albanian Riviera’ takes us via the intriguing castle at Porto Palermo to Fier. From here we make our final excursions including to the ancient site of Apollonia.

We stay throughout in comfortable hotels of three and four-star quality.

Cost of £2295 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, eight lunches (some packed), refreshments on arrival, six dinners with water, wine or beer & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, single room supplement £165.

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: Please note this tour has a very full itinerary involving a significant amount of walking, often over uneven and rugged ground at extensive archaeological sites.

Visits often include a lot of steps and relatively steep inclines, for example at castles, and the terrain requires careful negotiation, including the cobbles in Berat, which can become slippery when wet. Participants should have a good level of overall fitness and be able to walk for up to 2 hours at a time. As our itinerary has been designed to make the very best out of our stay in Albania, we will be undertaking a lot of travel, and there will be a number of hotel changes across the tour.

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time.

Day 1 Depart on flight from London to Tirana.

Transfer to Durrës for three nights.

Day 2 Morning lecture: An Introduction to Albania & the Illyrians. Morning walking tour of Durrës, including forum and amphitheatre.

Afternoon: archaeological museum.

Day 3 Lezhë followed by Rozafa Castle and Shkodër (walking tour including Great Mosque and English clock tower). Evening lecture: Skanderbeg followed by free evening.

Day 4 Morning visits in Krujë including Skanderbeg Museum, ethnographic museum and Ottoman bazaar. Afternoon in Berat including citadel, Church of St Mary and Onufri Museum (time permitting). Overnight in Berat.

Day 5 Morning visits in Berat including Mangalemi quarters and Gorica Bridge, followed by archaeological site at Byllis. Continue to Gjirokastër for visits to castle and ethnographic museum. Overnight in Gjirokastër.

Day 6 Antigonea followed by ‘Blue Eye’ cold water spring. Continue to Sarandë for two nights. Evening lecture: The Greeks & Romans in Illyria.

Day 7 Morning in Butrint: 4th century BC walls, sanctuary to Asklepios, theatre. Afternoon: Ksamil followed by free time in Sarandë. Evening lecture: From the Byzantines to the Ottomans followed by free evening.

Day 8 Scenic drive through the ‘Albanian Riviera’ to Porto Palermo Castle. Continue to Vlorë for afternoon visits: Mosque of Sinan, Independence Square. Transfer to Fier for overnight stay. Evening lecture: The Long Road to Independence.

Day 9 Morning: Apollonia Archaeological Park.

Afternoon: Monastery of Ardenica. Continue to Tirana for overnight stay. Evening lecture.

Day 10 Morning visits in Tirana (time permitting) including Skanderbeg Square and National Museum of History. Depart on flight from Tirana to London.

TOUR CODE: ALBN22

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ITALY

Piero della Francesca October 24–31, 2022 from £2245 per person | with Lucrezia Walker

Flagellation of Christ by Piero della Francesca

• Discover the abundance of paintings and sites relating to the great artist Piero della Francesca situated along the eponymous trail stretching through Tuscany, Umbria and the Marches • Trace the artist’s beginnings in his birthplace of Sansepolcro, and explore his mature work in Arezzo and Urbino, including the Legend of the True Cross and Flagellation of Christ • Learn about other artists who have lived in the region, with visits to Raphael’s House in Urbino and the Burri Foundation in Città di Castello

This tour will be led by Lucrezia Walker, BA, MA, an author and art historian who has studied in Venice and Perugia, and has lived and worked in Rome. Lucrezia is a lecturer at the National Gallery, and has 20 years’ experience leading cultural tours in major European cities. Lucrezia was previously Galleries Correspondent for The Tablet and Lay Canon (Visual Arts) at St Paul’s Cathedral, where she continues to serve on the Visual Arts Committee. Lucrezia looks forward to introducing another ACE group to the Piero della Francesca trail in 2022.

The Piero della Francesca trail offers visitors to Italy glimpses of rural villages and medieval walled towns that have changed little since the 15th century.

hosts the Madonna della Misericordia polyptych and the Resurrection of Christ, “the best painting in the world”, according to writer and philosopher Aldous Huxley.

Our tour will follow in the footsteps of Piero as we see his work in situ in the region’s palaces, churches, chapels and museums. We will trace Piero’s development from his artistic beginnings at Sansepolcro, through the important commissions he carried out at Arezzo, to the final flowering of his art at the enlightened court of Urbino.

We will enjoy a whole day excursion to Urbino, where the beautiful Ducal Palace is graced with one of the most sublime courtyards in Renaissance Italy.

The palazzo’s rich collection of paintings includes works by Uccello, Raphael and Titian as well as Piero’s iconic and enigmatic Flagellation of Christ.

In Arezzo’s 14th century Church of San Francesco we will view one of the most outstanding of all Renaissance fresco cycles: Piero’s Legend of the True Cross.

The medieval walled town of Sansepolcro

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The hamlet of Monterchi in the Tiber Valley is home to Piero’s Madonna del Parto, one of the earliest depictions of a pregnant Madonna. In the ancient hill town of Cortona, we will discover the enchanting art collection in the Museo Diocesano, which includes Fra Angelico’s Annunciation.

We will stay throughout at the fourstar Hotel Tiferno, a converted palazzo situated in the heart of Città di Castello near Perugia.

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time. We cannot guarantee the availability of all artworks mentioned. Historical sites in Italy can sometimes be closed at short notice for restoration works, which may affect our itinerary.

“Thoroughly enjoyable and informative” “A wonderful input from Lucrezia… who went out of her way to inform us fully” – ACE customers on a previous Piero della Francesca tour with Lucrezia Walker FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: This tour requires a high level of fitness, as most days involve visits to hilltop towns, which are steep and have many cobbled roads. It is necessary for the coach to park in designated coach parks at the bottom of these towns, and although Perugia and Urbino have lifts/escalators to assist in reaching the top, once in these towns, participants will be required to navigate hilly and steep streets. Arezzo and Cortona must be accessed on foot and there are steep climbs.

Day 1 Depart London Heathrow 0820 on British Airways, arriving Pisa 1130. Transfer to Città di Castello for seven nights at Hotel Tiferno. Evening lecture.

Day 2 Morning excursion to Sansepolcro: Piero della Francesca’s house, Romanesque-Gothic Duomo and Civic Museum. Afternoon: hamlet of Monterchi and Museo della Madonna del Parto.

Evening lecture.

Day 3 Whole day excursion to Perugia: Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria, Collegio del Cambio, Merchants’ Guild, Sala dei Notari, Duomo and some free time.

Day 4 Città di Castello: San Francesco, Duomo, Palazzo Communale, San Domenico, Palazzo Vitelli alla Cannoniera, Burri Foundation (devoted to the 20th century artist Alberto Burri). Evening lecture.

Day 5 Whole day excursion through Apennine Mountains to Urbino for Ducal Palace (inspiration for Castiglione’s Book of the Courtier): ducal apartments and Galleria Nazionale.

Afternoon: Raphael’s House.

Day 6 Whole day excursion to Cortona: guided walking tour and visit to Museo dell’Accademia Etrusca. Afternoon: Museo Diocesano and some free time.

Day 7 Whole day excursion to Arezzo: walking tour including 14th century Town Hall and Piazza Grande, Vasari’s Palazzo delle Logge, San Francesco and San Donato.

Day 8 Depart Pisa 1220, arriving Heathrow 1345.

Cost of £2245 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, dinner with wine, water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, double room for single use supplement £135.

TOUR CODE: PIER22

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JAPAN

Japan in Autumn: History, Art & Landscape October 18 – November 3, 2022 from £6495 per person | with Alex Koller

Nijo- Castle

• Gain a comprehensive and wellrounded understanding of historical and contemporary Japanese art and culture on this brand new tour • Visit fascinating temples, including Yashima-ji and Zentsu-ji, both on the 88-temple Shikoku pilgrimage, and Horyu-ji, the oldest surviving temple in Japan, containing important early Buddhist art treasures • Discover beautiful Japanese garden design, with visits to an array of sites including Okayama’s Korakuen Garden, one of Japan’s best landscape gardens, and experience the country’s breath-taking natural scenery Japan is a country of cultural riches and varied landscapes: while it is famed for traditions such as the tea ceremony as well as its modern technological achievements, a closer inspection reveals to the visitor a much broader range of traditions and aesthetic sensibilities. For centuries, the arts of Japan were synonymous with Buddhist culture, and these will be a focus of our tour, with visits to the art collections of Tokyo and Nara, and the temples of Kyoto and its environs.

Japan’s history is palpably experienced at castle sites such as Inuyama, Himeji and Edo – now the Imperial Palace – at the very centre of Tokyo. Military architecture of this type can be related 38

to vernacular building traditions that survive in the form of traditional farmhouses in mountain settlements like Shirakawa-go.

We will also encounter historical vernacular architecture at open-air museums such as Gasshozukuri Minkaen and Shikoku-mura, and in surviving historical districts in Kanazawa and Kurashiki.

We hope to include a special opportunity to stay overnight at a UNESCO-listed traditional house in the mountain village of Shirakawa-go. The group would be split between two houses, with one group accompanied by the Tour Director and the other by our local guide. The stay would involve sharing Japanese-style rooms with futons, split by gender, with 3-4 people per room. The facilities comprise shared bathrooms and toilets, separated by gender. This authentic and immersive experience will offer participants the opportunity to see Shirakawa-go without the crowds, and enjoy dinner prepared by the hosts and served at the houses in Japanese style. This accommodation will be confirmed nearer to the departure.

We will stay at hotels of three and four-star standard during the rest of the tour.

The richness of Japanese garden design is evident at a number of temple and castle sites but especially at the large-scale strolling gardens of the Edo period, such as Kenroku-en in Kanazawa, Ritsurin in Takamatsu and Koraku-en in Okayama.

Koraku-en is regarded as one of Japan’s three best landscape gardens, with its winding paths, ponds and views of the reconstructed Okayama Castle serving as ‘borrowed scenery’.

As well as art, architecture and garden design, this tour will delve into the rich heritage of Japanese applied arts, with visits to a Kutani kiln and a gold leaf workshop in Kanazawa.

Nara

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JAPAN Day 6 By coach and bullet train to Inuyama.

Continue to Shirakawa-go for overnight stay at a UNESCO-listed traditional house (subject to confirmation).

Port Sunlight War Memorial

Day 7 Morning walking tour of Shirakawa-go and visit to Gasshozukuri Minkaen open-air museum. Continue to Toyama for visit to Zuiryu-ji. Afternoon transfer to Kanazawa for two nights.

Day 8 Full day of visits in Kanazawa: Kutani Kosen kiln, Ninja-dera, Samurai district, Kenrokuen Garden, optional walk around Kanazawa Castle site and Higashi Chaya ‘Geisha area’ with visit to Shima Geisha establishment and gold leaf workshop. Free evening.

SUYASH AGRAWAL / UNSPLASH

Day 9 Transfer by bullet train to Kurashiki via Himeji (castle) for two nights in Kurashiki.

Evening lecture.

Kyoto

This tour will be led by art historian Alex Koller, PhD. Alex studied in Vienna, Salzburg and Cambridge and is an accomplished linguist. He has been leading tours since 1998, and his experience ranges from Japan and Southeast Asia to Russia and Eastern Europe. As a result of his travels to the Far East, Alex has developed a keen interest in Buddhist art and architecture.

Japan is notable for its highly varied countryside, and we will experience a selection of beautiful scenery during our journeys and excursions. We will also take in the mountains of central Japan and, weather permitting, hope to enjoy views of Mount Fuji.

In addition to exploring traditional culture, this tour offers an opportunity to gain an understanding of the transformation of old Edo into modern Tokyo, and to get a feel for life in contemporary Japan, with the chance to enjoy local cuisine and to use its highly efficient public transport system in Tokyo and the well-known Shinkansen ‘bullet train’. Kyoto Railway Station, the ‘floating’ Kansai Airport and the Seto-Ohashi Bridge between the main island and Shikoku demonstrate the achievements of modern Japanese design and engineering.

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FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: This is a comprehensive tour and will require a good level of fitness. Participants should be prepared for a moderate amount of walking and standing. Many of the visits, including most of the gardens, are easy to navigate, although some sites require walking uphill and up narrow steps (including at Tosho-gu Shrine).

The tour features several hotel changes and some long coach journeys of up to 3 hours in duration, so a good level of stamina is required.

Please note that we will make use of local trains and the Shinkansen (bullet train) high-speed rail network. Our visits in Kanazawa will also be made using public transport (buses), an efficient way to travel around the city.

Day 10 Cross over the Inland Sea to island of Shikoku. Visits to Shikoko-mura and Takamatsu followed by Yashima-ji, Ritsurin Garden and Zentsu-ji. Return to Kurashiki.

Day 11 Morning walking tour of Kurashiki and visit to Ohara Museum of Art. Transfer by train to Nara via Okayama for visit to Koraku-en Garden. Two nights in Nara.

Day 12 Full day of visits in Nara: Kofuku-ji Temple, Kasuga Taisha, Nara National Museum, Todai-ji. Optional further visits to Hokke-do and Shin Yakushi-ji. Free evening.

Day 13 Morning temple visits: Yakushi-ji, Toshodai-ji, Horyu-ji. Afternoon: Uji Byodo-in.

Continue to Kyoto for three nights.

Day 14 Full day of visits in Kyoto: Nijo Castle and garden, Kyoto-gosho, Ginkaku-ji, Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji. Free evening.

Day 15 Excursion to Mount Hiei followed by Ohara for Sanzen-in and tea-drinking at the sub-temple of Hosen-in. Return to Kyoto via Shisen-do for scenic walk through Kyoto suburbs to Manshu-in.

Day 16 Some free time in Kyoto for optional independent visits. Bullet train to Tokyo for overnight stay at airport hotel.

Day 17 Depart Tokyo 1235, arriving Heathrow 1610.

Day 1 Depart London Heathrow 1530 on British Airways.

Day 2 Arrive Tokyo 1055 and transfer to Asakusa for three nights. Afternoon walking tour of Asakusa followed by optional visit by train to Meiji Shrine.

Day 3 Full day of visits in Tokyo: Edo Castle ruins and Imperial Palace (including gardens), Hama-rikyu Garden, Tokyo National Museum, Ueno Park, Tosho-gu Shrine and Asakusa Kannon Temple.

Day 4 Whole day excursion to Nikko: Toshogu Grand Shrine, Chuzenji Lake and Kegon waterfalls. Free evening.

Day 5 Transfer to Kamakura for visits to Engaku-ji Temple, Kencho-ji Temple, Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine and Daibutsu. Continue to Hakone, close to Mount Fuji, for overnight stay.

Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time.

Cost of £6495 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room (except overnight stay in Shirakawa-go), breakfast, six lunches, eleven dinners with water & tea/coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities.

Not included: travel insurance, single room supplement (except overnight stay in Shirakawa-go) £695.

TOUR CODE: JAAU22

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INDIA

Wonders of Southern India

Brihadeshwara Temple,Thanjavur

• Visit the UNESCO monuments of Mahabalipuram, including Rivage Temple resplendent with thousands of sculptures dedicated to Shiva • Explore the stunning monuments of Thanjavur, from the 11th century Brihadeshwara Temple to the Saraswati Mahal Library, one of the oldest of its kind in the world • Stay in some of South India’s heritage properties This 17-day tour of Southern India offers a visual and sensory feast for all tastes.

Spanning the width of the southern half of the subcontinent, our journey will take in some of India’s great architectural, religious and cultural highlights.

Author and travel writer Cosmo Samuel Brockway will be our guide as we explore the treasures of this varied and beguiling region, from the historical monuments of Chennai to the atmospheric colonial settlements of Pondicherry and Tharangambadi. Remnants of some of India’s greatest empires will be seen in Thanjavur, once capital of the Chola dynasty, and the seafront Pallava Kingdom temple complex of Mahabalipuram.

The elaborately designed temples of Madurai and Kanchipuram will provide glimpses into the story of Hinduism both past and present, while the churches of 40

“In many ways, the biggest asset was the presence and leadership of Cosmo Brockway. Personable, unflappable, kind, thoughtful… just some of his many qualities that, added to his knowledge of the history, culture and people of India, enhanced the whole experience” – Traveller on a previous tour with Cosmo Brockway

Chennai and Fort Kochi will bring to life the journey of Christianity across the subcontinent.

We will enjoy the astonishing scenery and serenity of Kerala’s Malabar Coast, elephant spotting from the lake at Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary and cruising its famous backwaters on a traditional houseboat, before experiencing a melting pot of cultures at Fort Kochi, home to Chinese fishing nets, tiled synagogues and glorious period buildings.

The energetic city of Mumbai will reveal its many treasures, including the famed UNESCO World Heritage site of Elephanta Island with its 5th century cave carvings, as well as a dawn heritage walk

through Jewish built markets and Gothic edifices, and a curated tour of a leading museum collection.

Interactions with local figures will give the tour a personal flavour as we hear stories from lives led across South India, and learn about some of the most ancient and colourful communities in the world.

Opportunities will also be taken to sample South India’s appetising cuisine, including a ‘food walk’ through the lively streets of Madurai.

OUR ACCOMMODATION India is rightly famed for its wonderful hotels, including heritage properties that immerse travellers in the architectural splendours of the past and offer fascinating insights of their own. Tempting us onward at every stage, our accommodation will range from Chennai’s Taj Connemara Hotel, bursting with history, to the stunning surroundings and city views of The Gateway Hotel Pasumalai in Madurai, and from the relaxing natural surroundings and wildlife of CGH Earth Spice Village to the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai. The majority of hotels are of a four or fivestar standard.

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RAMAKRISHNAN NATARAJ / UNSPLASH

November 12–28, 2022 from £5395 per person | with Cosmo Samuel Brockway

INDIA Tour Director Cosmo Samuel Brockway has been travelling across India for the last 16 years as a travel journalist, tour leader and, most recently, author of the award-winning book Glorious Hotels of India (2019). He is a South Asia specialist and editor for Ampersand Travel, and writes for leading publications on Indian culture and design.

“I am looking forward to introducing groups to some of the lesser-known treasures and scenes across India.

My passion is to take travellers away from the well-trodden paths and show them a very personal glimpse of India, both historic and vibrantly flourishing.”

FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: Participants should meet ACE’s usual fitness requirements.

Some visits will involve walking across uneven or rugged ground, as well as the occasional incline.

The visit to Tiruchirappalli will involve a climb up to a rock temple. The visit to Elephanta Island in Mumbai will include a 120-step ascent to the site entrance, however there is an option to be carried by chair for those who wish. The tour involves several walking tours and participants must be comfortable spending up to two and a half hours on their feet. We will undertake a number of long coach journeys (with stops) and hotel changes, and some environments (such as the Sassoon Docks and Flower Market) may also be crowded.

Please note that the below itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and certain elements (including our accommodation) may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time.

Day 1 Depart London Heathrow 1400 on British Airways.

Day 2 Arrive Chennai 0535 and transfer to the Taj Connemara Hotel for overnight. Welcome and introduction followed by orientation coach tour of Chennai including Fort St George, Cathedral of San Thome and Government Museum.

Day 3 UNESCO monuments of Mahabalipuram: 7th century seaport of the Pallava dynasty. Some free time. Two nights at Taj Fisherman’s Cove Resort & Spa. Day 4 Morning visit to Kanchipuram followed by opportunity to visit bazaars and some free time.

Free evening.

Day 5 Transfer to Pondicherry for two nights at The Promenade Hotel. Afternoon walking tour of the French Quarter including White Town Promenade, Cluny Embroidery Centre,

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Tiruchirappalli

Arulmigu Manakula Vinayagar Temple, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and Pondicherry Museum (time permitting).

Day 6 Further visits in Pondicherry including Auroville Ashram: meditation temple (matrimandir) and artisan workshops. Free afternoon and evening.

Day 7 Via Chidambaram (Parvati Temple) and Tharangambadi (former Danish colony) to Thanjavur. Two nights at the heritage Svatma Hotel, Thanjavur (beautiful heritage hotel).

Day 8 All day visits in Thanjavur: Brihadeshwara Temple, Maratha Palace, Saraswati Mahal Library.

Free evening.

Day 9 To Madurai via ancient city of Tiruchirappalli (time permitting). Two nights at The Gateway Hotel Pasumalai Madurai. Evening: night ceremony at the Meenakshi Temple (subject to confirmation).

Day 10 Morning visits in Madurai (IndoSaracenic Thirumalai Nayak Palace, Meenakshi Temple) followed by free afternoon. Evening: South Indian ‘Food Walk’ featuring various tastings of local cuisine.

Day 11 To Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary for overnight at CGH Earth Spice Village. Afternoon lake boat excursion (subject to confirmation) looking out for elephants and possibly tigers.

Day 12 To the Malabar Coast for scenic houseboat cruise along backwater canals (including lunch). Continue by coach to Kochi for three nights at Fragrant Nature Hotel.

Day 13 Morning lecture: The History of Fort Kochi and its Communities. Visits in Kochi including Church of St Francis, old ‘Dutch’ Mattancherry Palace, synagogue, convent school.

Evening performance by Kathakali dancers and independent dinner.

Day 14 Morning motorboat excursion from Fort Kochi Harbour, including tour of Kochi Harbour and Bolgatty Island. Free afternoon.

Day 15 Morning flight to Mumbai for two nights at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel (Tower Wing). Afternoon visit to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.

Day 16 Optional dawn visit to the Sassoon Docks and Flower Market, followed by boat trip to Elephanta Island for its Hindu Cave Temples.

Day 17 Depart Mumbai 1315, arriving Heathrow 1800.

Cost of £5395 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, eleven lunches with water, eleven dinners with water & tea/ coffee, excursions, gratuities.

Not included: visa, travel insurance, twin or double room for single use supplement £1250.

TOUR CODE: WSIN22

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MOHAMED JASIM / UNSPLASH

– Tour Director Cosmo Samuel Brockway

Our Experts View our full list of Tour Directors and their tours online at aceculturaltours.co.uk/tour-directors

Tom Abbott Tom Abbott, BA, MA, is an independent art and architectural historian associated with the Foundation of Prussian Palaces and Gardens. A resident of Berlin for over 30 years, Tom is a proficient lecturer and tour leader, and has led many cultural and art tours to destinations including Germany, Italy, France and Poland.

Sandy Burnett Sandy Burnett, MA, is a musician and broadcaster who spent over a decade as one of the core classical music presenters on BBC Radio 3, interviewing many of the world’s finest musicians. Sandy has conducted numerous orchestras and choirs, and has masterminded a complete cycle of J S Bach’s sacred cantatas.

Harriet Allen Harriet Allen, MA, MSc, PhD, is a Geographer and Fellow and Director of Studies at Girton College, Cambridge. She has been leading field excursions for over 30 years, and has extensive experience of flora and birds in multiple countries. A focus for her research is long term environmental change, as well as contemporary forest ecology.

Mark Corney Mark Corney, BA, FSA, is a specialist in Roman history and a former presenter on Channel 4’s Time Team. Mark is an Honorary Research Fellow at Bristol University and a former investigator with the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England.

Cosmo Samuel Brockway Cosmo Samuel Brockway is a travel and interiors journalist, tour leader, and awardwinning author of Glorious Hotels of India (2019). He writes for leading publications on interiors, culture and design, including Architectural Digest, The World of Interiors and The Telegraph. Cosmo has led tours across the world, from India to Norway, and the Holy Land to the Greek island of Patmos. He is also well acquainted with many of the finest private country estates in England, Scotland and Ireland.

John Bryden John Bryden, MA, ARCM, ARCO, is a member of the Dartington Piano Duo and has played across Britain and Europe as a soloist, accompanist and chamber musician. For many years he coached at the Dartington International Summer School, where he performed in masterclasses given by Jacqueline du Pré, and he has given concerts in venues ranging from California to Kathmandu via Wigmore Hall.

Sarah Burles Sarah Burles, MA, studied History of Art at Cambridge and gained a Masters at University College London before going on to a career in museum and gallery education.

This included 12 years at the Fitzwilliam Museum as well as work in other Cambridge museums. An accredited Arts Society lecturer, Sarah runs art tours and courses in and around Cambridge, as well online art history courses to audiences worldwide.

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Imogen Corrigan Imogen Corrigan, BA, MPhil, FRSA, is a medieval historian and Arts Society accredited lecturer. Following almost 20 years in the army, from which she retired in the rank of Major, Imogen obtained a firstclass degree in Anglo-Saxon and Medieval History from the University of Kent and subsequently an MPhil from the University of Birmingham.

Peter Exley Peter Exley, BSc, is an ecologist and ornithologist who works for the RSPB. Peter has also held posts with BirdLife International and the Albatross Task Force in South Africa.

He has led and managed many ACE tours in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Algarve, New England, Madeira, the Faroes and Shetland.

Suzanne Fagence Cooper Suzanne Fagence Cooper, MA, PhD, is an Arts Society accredited lecturer, historian and curator who specialises in 19th and 20th century British art. She was a curator and Research Fellow at the Victoria & Albert Museum for 12 years, during which time she collaborated with many of Britain’s regional museum collections. She recently curated the exhibition Turner, Ruskin & the Storm Cloud at York Art Gallery.

Kevin Hand Kevin Hand, MSc, MCIEEM, is a conservationist and environmental consultant with a special interest in birds, mammals and ecotourism. Kevin led a Darwin Initiative project on the taiga forests in Siberia, a project on sustainable forest use in the Ecuadorean Amazon with the Yachana Foundation, and ran National Tree Week in the UK for 13 years. He is President of the Cambridge Natural History Society.

Caroline Hannah Caroline Hannah, BA, has a degree in English Literature & History of Art as well as a university-accredited Garden Design Qualification from the University of Essex/ Writtle University College. For many years Caroline ran her own garden design business, and has undertaken both commercial and residential projects. She has given talks on garden design, and also conducted a live question and answer session on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

Juliet Heslewood Juliet Heslewood, MA, is an art historian, writer and tour leader who lived in France for 30 years. She studied at the universities of London and Toulouse, and, now returned to England, lectures widely for organisations including the Arts Society and the Ashmolean Museum. She has published many books, including most recently Van Gogh: A Life in Places.

Charles Hind Charles Hind, MA, FSA, is Chief Curator and H J Heinz Curator of Drawings at the Royal Institute of British Architects. He has published widely on architectural history from the 16th to the 20th centuries, and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, a Visiting Fellow at the Centro Palladio in Vicenza and a Trustee of the Georgian Group, the Lutyens Trust and the Great Dixter Charitable Trust.

Oliver Kenzie Oliver Kenzie, BA, MRes, is a Cambridgebased archaeologist and ACE bursary student specialising in Early Iron Age Greece.

He has excavated in Greece, including at Helike in the Peloponnese in 2019; has conducted study at the British School at Athens; and continues to write and research independently as a member of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society.

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Mike King Mike King, BA, MA, is a museum professional with over 30 years’ experience, who has worked in both Northern Ireland and Scotland. He is currently Heritage Manager for Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, and lectures, guides and publishes widely. He is interested in engaging travellers in archaeology and history, especially Irish archaeology, the early medieval culture of Britain and Ireland, European pilgrimage and Rome’s legacy in early medieval Europe.

Marcus Kohler Marcus Kohler, BA, is an ecologist and ornithologist. Formerly of BirdLife International, Marcus now works as an international wildlife consultant, supporting conservation projects as well as leading wildlife tours across the world. He is also Managing Director of MKA Ecology, an ecology consultancy he founded in 1998.

Alex Koller Alex Koller, PhD, is an expert in art history and architecture. Born in Vienna, Alex has lived and studied in Vienna, Salzburg and Cambridge, gaining his PhD in the history of art from Magdalene College, Cambridge.

Alex is an accomplished linguist and has travelled extensively throughout Europe and the Far East.

Carolyn Perry Carolyn Perry was Manager of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, UCL; has lectured in Ancient History and Mythology at Queen Mary, University of London; and also worked in the Education Department at the British Museum. She has experience as a practical archaeologist, and frequently lectures on various aspects of the ancient Mediterranean and Islamic world.

Alan Powers Alan Powers, PhD, is one of the UK’s leading architectural historians, and has published widely on all aspects of 20th century architecture and design. Alan was Professor at the University of Greenwich School and currently lectures at New York University in London. His books include Bauhaus Goes West: Modern Art & Design in Britain & America.

01223 841055

Andrew Spira Andrew Spira, MA, studied at the Courtauld Institute of Art and City University, London.

For several years he was a specialist in Byzantine and Russian icons at the Temple Gallery, London, before working as a curator at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Andrew was subsequently Programme Director at Christie’s Education, and has been leading tours across Europe for over 20 years.

Andrew Wilson Andrew Wilson, BA, BD, FSAScot, is a specialist in archaeology and ancient history with a particular interest in Roman frontier systems and Byzantine mosaics. Andrew is a member of the Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. He is also a member of the Hadrianic Society and the Pictish Arts Society.

Lars Tharp Lars Tharp, MA, FSA, is an art historian, lecturer and broadcaster who is particularly well known for his work on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, as well as Hidden Treasures and Art of the Baroque. A former Director of the Foundling Museum, Lars is a ceramics specialist who has also worked on exhibitions at York Art Gallery. He is the author of several works including Hogarth’s China.

Lucrezia Walker Lucrezia Walker, BA, MA, studied in Venice and Perugia and has lived and worked in Rome. She is a lecturer at the National Gallery and teaches the London Art History Programme for the University of North Carolina. Lucrezia has 20 years’ experience leading cultural tours in major European cities, and is the author of several books on 19th and 20th century art movements.

Diana Ward Diana Ward, MSc, CBiol, MRSB, MCIEEM, is an ecologist and wildlife specialist. Her company, Ward Ecology Ltd, has carried out ecological assessment work across the UK, and she has worked for many years on Sites of Special Scientific Interest, as well as river restoration projects.

Mark Welch Mark Welch, BSc, PhD, has worked as a professional research scientist in the Department of Earth Sciences at the Natural History Museum in London for over 25 years. He has held research fellowships at the universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge, and has led many field trips as a geologist and naturalist.

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2022 Schedule Overview Some details may be subject to change. Please visit www.aceculturaltours.co.uk for more information.

January

21–26

Art Treasures of Dresden: Porcelain & Paintings

17–21

Wildlife of Suffolk: Minsmere & Orford Ness

28–04/04 Art Treasures of St Petersburg

27–02/02

Mozart Festival in Salzburg

28–04/04 Roussillon 28–07/04

February 09–12

Somerset Levels in Winter

17–20

Bath Bachfest

21–26

Early Christian & Medieval Rome Elgar, Birmingham & Worcester

March 01–07

Venice: The Triumph of Light & Colour

07–12

Aquileia: City of Antiquity

07–14

Art on the Côte d’Azur

14–18

Roman & Byzantine Ravenna

15–27

Algeria: Rome Meets the Sahara

21–24

Art Collections of Liverpool

Jordan: Kingdoms of the Desert

May 03–07

Great Bardfield & Beyond: MidCentury Art & Design in East Anglia

09–13

The Vienna Secession

28–08/04 Jazz: From New Orleans to Memphis

10–17

Isles of Scilly

10–19

Ancient Sicily

April

11–18

Gardens of the Republic of Ireland

01–06

Cornwall Calling: The Artists of Newlyn, Lamorna & St Ives

16–21

Dutch Masters: Van Gogh, Rembrandt & Mondrian

05–10

Flemish Painting: From van Eyck to Rubens

16–24

Art & Architecture of the Tyrol

16–24

Great Art Collections of New England

16–26

Cyclades: Ancient Islands of the Aegean

05–12

Sardinia: Birds, Flowers & Nuraghi

12–18

Festtage: Mozart in Berlin

19–23

Mid-Century Modern in the Heart of England

17–21

Northamptonshire Country Houses

19–26

Crete: Birds, Flowers & Minoans

18–25

Isle of Man: A Wild & Ancient Heritage

20–27

Douro River Cruise on the Royal Barge

25–09/05 Lycian Cruise 29–05/05

Pompeii with Herculaneum Shakespeare at Stratford

Art Treasures of St Petersburg

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aceculturaltours.co.uk

Douro River Cruise

23–26

Artists of the North

24–27

The Pre-Raphaelites in Oxford

27–04/08

June 06–13

The Shetland Islands

13–20

Bach Festival in Leipzig

13–25

Northern Greece

14–20

Irish Houses, Castles & Gardens

14–29

Southern Russia: Kossacks, Kalmyks & the Caucasus

19–23

Gardens of the Cotswolds

20–25

Art & Landscape in Switzerland

21–26

Bauhaus: German Modern Art & Design

29–04/07

Wagner in Leipzig Aldeburgh Festival

July

19–30

Serbian Monasteries

20–26

Art & Architecture of Puglia

Buxton Opera Festival

21–30

Constable & Gainsborough in Suffolk

Albania: From the Illyrians to the Ottomans

26–01/10

Aquileia: City of Antiquity

Verona Opera Festival

Edinburgh: Scottish Houses, Castles & Interiors

York Early Music Festival

Mendelssohn in Scotland

August

Sibelius Festival in Finland

02–05

Churches of Norfolk: An Appointment with Angels

October

08–12

Dorset Country Houses

03–07

Bruges

08–12

Romney Marsh Churches

13–23

Ancient Cyprus

18–22

International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival in Harrogate

17–27

Athens, Delphi & the Peloponnese

22–25

Artists’ Houses in Sussex

18–03/11

22–26

Northumbria in the First Millennium

Japan in Autumn: History, Art & Landscape

24–31

Piero della Francesca

29–07/09

Danube River Cruise

02–09

Wild & Ancient Orkney

03–09

Swedish Palaces & Castles

04–11

Ireland’s Ancient Heartland

11–15

Churches of Suffolk

11–18

Wildlife of the Austrian Alps

12–19

Wild & Ancient Orkney

05–09

18–22

Prehistoric & Roman Anglesey & Snowdonia

05–10

18–22

Romney Marsh Chuches

23–27

Hereford Three Choirs Festival

27–31

Hereford Three Choirs Festival

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The Hanseatic League: An Artistic Legacy

30–03/09 Art Collections & Stately Homes of the West Country Schubert in Schwarzenberg

Glyndebourne Wexford Opera Festival

November 07–14

Renaissance Florence: City of Wonders

Derbyshire Halls & Houses

12–28

Wonders of Southern India

Isle of Wight

16–20

Bath Mozartfest

05–11

Oberammergau Passion Play

19–02/12

Archaeology of Morocco

12–16

Roman & Byzantine Ravenna

Music & Opera in Vienna

19–23

Country Houses of North Norfolk

Oxford College Chapels & Organs

19–26

Art on the Côte d’Azur

September

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BOOKING PROCEDURE AND CONDITIONS

Booking Procedure and Conditions Please complete the booking form and return it with the deposit required.

Alternatively, you can either book online or by telephone.

Upon receipt of your deposit we will send you a confirmation/invoice with, in most cases, a reading list. An itinerary, practical information and travel documents (if applicable) will be sent to you three weeks before the commencement of the tour.

INTRODUCTION ACE Cultural Tours meets or exceeds all the requirements of the Package Travel Regulations 2018, full details of which can be found online at: www.legislation.gov.uk/ uksi/2018/634/contents/made In addition, flight-inclusive tours benefit from the financial protection afforded by our Air Travel Organiser’s License (ATOL 10204), whilst UK and other tours without flights are protected through the Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT). We are also long-term members of the Association of Independent Tours Operators (AITO). For your own safety and financial security we do not recommend you book a holiday that does not benefit from the above protection.

The Package Travel Regulations 2018 together with the following booking information and our promotional material form the basis of your contract with ACE Cultural Tours. We have tried to keep this as concise and simple as possible, so please read all the following paragraphs to make sure you understand and are happy with the terms of your booking.

PAYMENT All tours and courses costing up to £250 per person must be paid in full at the time of booking.

If you are booking 10 weeks or more before departure, the following deposits are payable at the time of booking: £250 per person for UK tours. £350 per person for all European tours. £450 per person for Worldwide tours.

The balance must be received by us not less than 10 weeks prior to departure.This date will be shown on the confirmation invoice.

Reminders are not sent, so please make a note of the date in your diary.

If you are booking less than 10 weeks before departure, full payment for all tours must be made at the time of booking.

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NO SURCHARGES Tour prices are confirmed at the time of booking and thereafter will not be subject to any surcharge. We have forward purchase of currency and other precautions in order to guarantee your holiday is not affected by fluctuations in fuel or currency rates. In the event of extraordinary circumstances making the tour unviable we would offer you a full refund or credit note or an alternative tour.

CANCELLATION BY YOU You may cancel your booking at any time before departure. Notice of cancellation must be in writing and because we incur costs from the time we confirm your booking, the following charges will apply (for which we suggest you purchase appropriate insurance): Notice period

Cancellation charge

70 days or more

Deposit only

69-29 days

60% of total booking value

28-15 days

90% of total booking value

14 days or less

100% of total booking value

COVID-19 If you have to cancel as a result of COVID-19 the above charges will not apply, subject to receipt of a medical note or other official proof of restriction of movement due to COVID-19.

CANCELLATION BY US We reserve the right to cancel your booking if there are insufficient bookings on your tour (this will depend on tour type and destination) or for other unforeseen operational reasons. In such an event, we will provide you with at least 70 days’ notice of cancellation and provide you with a full refund.

Very occasionally, due to extraordinary circumstances in the immediate vicinity of the destination, it may be necessary to cancel the tour with less than 70 days’ notice, in which case we will likewise provide you with a full refund.

Note that in either situation we cannot reimburse any incidental expenses you may have incurred (for example, train fares, additional accommodation or connecting flights). If you are buying your own flights, please liaise with the office before committing to significant expenditure.

CHANGES BY US We do our utmost to ensure that all the arrangements and visits are as described.

However, it is in the nature of travel that changes are sometimes inevitable, although most of these will be minor in nature. In the event that a particular visit is not possible, we will aim to replace it with another of equal interest. If we have to make more significant changes to the itinerary in advance of departure, we will provide you with a choice of a refund, credit note or an alternative itinerary.

ACCOMMODATION Accommodation in hotels is in twin/double bedded rooms, the majority of which have private bath/shower and toilet.

On cruise ships, accommodation is in cabins with shower and toilet only.

Single rooms: despite the fact that single rooms carry a supplement, such accommodation is sometimes not of the same standard as twin/double accommodation. Single rooms may not always be in the same area of the hotel as a twin/double and the single supplement does not necessarily mean a twin/double room will be provided for single occupancy. Please note that ACE Cultural Tours very much welcomes single travellers and we make no profit from single room supplements.The costs are simply down to the economics of running a hotel.

Porterage is included on overseas tours where available.

FLIGHTS & TICKETS Specific instructions relating to the departure and travel arrangements will be sent with your air and/or other travel tickets approximately 2 weeks before departure.

It is essential that you check your tickets carefully immediately upon receipt to ensure you have the correct flight times.

Occasionally carriers will make late changes to departure times but we will contact you as soon as possible if this occurs.

We will always aim to provide you with the name of your likely airline and flight times when you make a booking. However, flight schedules are set by the airlines and outside our control. We therefore reserve the right to change the actual carrier and flight times for your tour.

In accordance with the regulations, we are required to bring your attention to the Community List of air carriers subject to an operating ban within the UK & EU: https://

aceculturaltours.co.uk

BOOKING PROCEDURE AND CONDITIONS ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/air/safety/airban/search_en.

HEALTH & SAFETY We operate a safety audit system and work hard with our suppliers to ensure the safety and comfort of our travellers. However, please note that some of the destinations to which we travel have lower requirements and standards than those of the UK. It is therefore essential that you follow any instructions and guidance provided by your tour manager or director.

FITNESS All tours involve a significant amount of walking, often over uneven paths, hillsides or steps.You should be prepared to walk at a reasonable pace for at least 60 minutes and additionally stand for at least 30 minutes without requiring a rest.

MEDICAL CONDITIONS OR DISABILITY We aim to provide authentic cultural experiences and to maximise the time spent on tour. As a result, the majority of itineraries are quite intensive and can be tiring. They may involve a significant amount of walking, uneven surfaces at outdoor sites or in historic buildings, long journeys, and uncomfortable climatic conditions which might exacerbate existing medical or mobility issues. Destinations include many countries with lower standards of health and safety than the UK and limited adaptations for people with reduced mobility. Some destinations do not (and cannot reasonably be expected to) provide emergency and/or health care to the standard that travellers with mobility and/or health conditions may require in the event of any form of incident or emergency.

DIETARY AND SPECIAL REQUESTS Please advise us at the time of booking of any food allergies or special dietary requirements you may have for medical or religious reasons and we will do our very best to assist.We are also happy to cater for vegetarians or pescatarians. It is not, however, possible to offer extensive choices at every meal to cater for food preferences as many of our menu selections are fixed.

Inclusion of the dietary or special request on your booking confirmation or any other documentation is not a guarantee that the request will be met.

For the above reasons, our holidays may not be suitable for people with certain disabilities, medical conditions or significantly reduced mobility.

HEALTH REQUIREMENTS Whilst we will provide details of any compulsory health requirements applicable

If we feel that we cannot reasonably accommodate your needs, we reserve the right to decline your booking or, if full details are not given at the time of booking or the condition/ disability develops after booking, cancel when we become aware of these details.

to British citizens for your tour, it is your responsibility to ensure you are aware of all recommended vaccinations and health precautions in good time before departure.

Please check with a doctor or clinic not less than ten weeks prior to departure to ensure that you have met the necessary requirements and have the applicable information.The following website may also be helpful: travelhealthpro.org.uk For tours in the EU/EEA you should obtain an GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) prior to departure from https://www.ghic. org.uk/Internet/startApplication.do. Please note that an GHIC is not a substitute for travel insurance.

You must be in possession of all necessary travel and health documents before departure (and pay for any related costs).

We regret that we cannot accept any liability if you incur fees or are refused entry onto any transport or into any country due to failure on your part to carry all required documentation.

01223 841055

If you suffer from any medical condition, disability or reduced mobility (including any which affect the booking process) or have any special requirements as a result, please tell us before making your booking so that we can assist you in considering the suitability of the arrangements and in order that we can assess the potential risks to your welfare and health and safety.

When we refer to reduced mobility, this means any material reduction in mobility whether this is permanent or temporary and whether caused by age or by physical or mental disability or impairment or other cause of disability.

INSURANCE We consider comprehensive travel insurance essential for all tours (UK and abroad), including cover for medical expenses, infectious diseases, repatriation and personal liability, as well as cancelled, delayed and missed departure and loss or damage to personal possessions. Whilst accidental damage is a rare occurrence, your insurance should also cover any damage or loss caused by you and cover any resultant claims made against you or us. For overseas tours, you must give us details in writing of your insurance, preferably on your booking form but in any case no later than before the departure date of your tour. If you fail to do so, we reserve the right to cancel your booking.

We recommend that insurance premiums are paid as soon as possible as cover (in particular cancellation cover) will not be effective until you have done so. Please read your policy details carefully and take them with you on holiday. It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance cover you purchase is suitable and adequate for your particular needs.

We cannot accept responsibility for any services which do not form part of this contract, for example, any additional services or facilities that you agree directly with a local hotel or other supplier. Please make sure you have adequate insurance to cover such services and the acts of other third parties.

CONSIDERATION FOR FELLOW TRAVELLERS One of the great pleasures of ACE tours is meeting other people with shared interests and making new friends. This has always depended on mutual consideration for your fellow travellers. We therefore reserve the right that in the unlikely event you cause danger, upset or distress to any third party, we are entitled, without prior notice, to terminate your tour without liability for any expenses or costs incurred as a result of the termination.

PASSPORTS & VISAS Whilst we will provide guidance for each individual tour and help where we can, your specific passport, visa and other immigration requirements are your responsibility and you should confirm these with the relevant embassy or consulate. In particular, if you are not a British Citizen or hold a non-British passport, you must check the requirements for all countries to or through which you are intending to travel. Requirements may change and you must check the up to date position in good time before departure.

For some tours and destinations we will require a copy of the picture page of your passport.

ISSUES If you are unhappy with any element of your tour or the arrangements, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can attempt to resolve the issue. If you are on tour you should speak directly to your tour manager or tour director and not wait until you return home, when it may be impossible for us to help. In the unlikely event that we cannot agree a satisfactory outcome between us, we will ask AITO’s Independent Dispute Settlement Service to find an amicable solution.

Our contract with you is subject to English law (and no other) and the jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales only.

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ACE CULTURAL TOURS

AUTUMN BULLETIN 2022 Tour Releases

ACE CULTURAL TOURS Stapleford Granary Bury Road Stapleford 01223 841055 CAMBRIDGE ace@aceculturaltours.co.uk CB22 5BP www.aceculturaltours.co.uk

ACE CULTURAL TOURS