HOTEL ED EN IN T HE F OOT ST EPS OF L E GENDAR Y AR T I ST S
Caravaggio
From the hotel overlooking the Eternal City, this is one of a series of walking tours with Hotel Eden following in the footsteps of legendary artists in Rome. LET THE DIS CO VE R Y B E G IN
CAR AVAGGIO – REBEL AND ROME Filled with talent and turbulence in equal measure, Caravaggio’s extraordinary life takes us on a journey through late 16th century Rome, allowing us to discover the full breadth of the city’s charms, from its narrow cobblestoned alleys to its grandest palazzos and piazzas. Our journey begins with the story of Caravaggio’s only known ceiling painting, located a mere stone’s throw away from Hotel Eden, in a grand building that was originally part of the aristocratic Villa Ludovisi Estate, and on whose original land our hotel now stands. The work was commissioned by the artist’s erudite patron and protector, Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte, for a small room dedicated to his alchemical experiments.
CARAVAGGIO, THE CARDSHARPS Oil on canvas, circa 1595 Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
This is just one of the many extraordinary characters that Caravaggio rubbed shoulders with. Your guide will introduce you to countless other members of his colourful cast of acquaintances, be they patrons, barbers, apprentices, artists or courtesans, as well as his artistic and romantic rivals. Simultaneously shocking and delighting his contemporaries, he was particularly inspired and seduced by the bawdier characters he came across, from alluring courtesans to young fortune tellers and card cheats gambling in the grubby tavernas, a great many of whom were immortalised in his paintings. Though he was born and received his early artistic training in Milan, this was an artist whose rise to fame could only have taken place in Rome. His ground-breaking work and somewhat chaotic life is inextricably linked with the Eternal City. The bustling city of Rome, capital of the arts and of artistic inventiveness in its day, proved to be fertile ground both for his artistic development and in crystallising his magnetic and tumultuous character. It’s a story of rags to riches, which ultimately circles back to rags.
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Against the backdrop of a city dominated by religious zeal and libertine liaisons, Caravaggio arrived in Rome as a young apprentice in 1596, penniless to the extent that he could often be found sleeping on workshop floors. His natural talent meant that it wasn’t long before he was brought under the wings of affluent patrons. Caravaggio’s distinctive style, both as an artist and as a man, meant that he was quickly regarded as a disruptor and his impressive body of work overhauled the history of art in an exceptionally short time span. With a newly elevated social status, Caravaggio was granted not just a more comfortable bed to sleep in but also an increased sense of security and protection given to him by his powerful patrons. With a sword by his side – a cherished and cursed object which, mixed with his belligerent character, would initiate countless brawls – Caravaggio was never too far from trouble. In 1606, one such unfortunate brawl ended with a dead man and a Papal death sentence. He fled to Naples to escape arrest and remained a fugitive for the rest of his short life. He died a few years later in the summer of 1610 – aged just 38 – allegedly on a beach off the Roman or Tuscan coast. A life story just as dramatic as his paintings.
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CARAVAGGIO, SELF-PORTRAIT AS BACCHUS (SICK BACCHUS) Oil on canvas, circa 1596 Galleria Borghese, Rome.
CARAVAGGIO, CALLING OF SAINT MATTHEW Oil on canvas, 1598-1601 Contarelli Chapel, Church of San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome.
Caravaggio’s shocking ‘realism’ attracted admiration and outrage alike. It was his unconventional choice of models and unorthodox pairing of religious scenes with the gritty reality of city life that paved the way for a radical new approach to painting. Celebrated for his mastery of the chiaroscuro technique (whose literal translation is ‘light-shade’), his art enthrals to this day. With its highly theatrical lighting lending his works a distinctive luminescence and sense of drama, Caravaggio’s style would become much-copied in the years and centuries to come, influencing old-master painters – including Rubens and Velázquez – photographers and filmmakers alike. In the words of Martin Scorsese, “Caravaggio would have been a great film-maker, there’s no doubt about it.” During your guided walk, you’ll retrace some of the most significant moments of Caravaggio’s life, including the newest discoveries, supported by recently unearthed court documents and lawsuits. Visit the sites of the workshops where Caravaggio trained, and stand in the very spot where he murdered his rival Ranuccio Tomassoni after a game of real tennis. Find out how the seasoning of a plate of artichokes led to a formal police complaint and why one of his first supporters was nicknamed Monsignor Insalata, ‘Mr Salad’. Seek out the spot where Caravaggio painted two of his most important commissions, and find out about a peculiar request in his rental agreement that led his irate landlady to confiscate all of his possessions. Marvel at two striking chapels, home to four Caravaggio paintings hung in the very same place for over 400 years.
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Enjoy a private walking tour created exclusively for guests of Hotel Eden. Equipped with images of paintings and fascinating archival material to transport you back in time, your guide will talk you through Caravaggio’s epic Roman sojourn, vividly bringing to life all these stories and more. Your passionate, knowledgeable guide has over ten years of experience in the art world and can adapt the pace and content of the tour to you. For all levels of interest, from the mildly curious, seeking easy conversation and a stroll through the evocative, cobbled streets of Rome, to Caravaggio aficionados wanting to quite literally follow in the footsteps of the legendary artist and find answers to their burning questions.
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CARAVAGGIO, THE FORTUNE TELLER Oil on canvas, 1596-1597 Musei Capitolini, Pinacoteca Capitolina, Rome.
Your experience includes:
ONE-NIGHT STAY IN A PRESTIGE ROOM OR A SUITE FULL BREAKFAST TWO-HOUR EXPERT GUIDED TOUR
FROM €1,070 FOR TWO PER NIGHT
For reservations or information, please contact Hotel Eden: + 39 06 8938 6470 reservations.HER@dorchestercollection.com
For a supplement, tours can be extended to a full day or split over two half-days on request. Reservations at Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica di Palazzo Barberini, Galleria Borghese, Galleria Doria Pamphilj and the Vatican Museums can also be arranged. Offer subject to availability and terms & conditions.
IMAGE CREDITS: Ottavio Leoni, Ritratto di Michelangelo Merisi detto Il Caravaggio, circa 1621-1630. BMF Dis. Vol. H n. 4. Biblioteca Marucelliana, Florence. By concession of the Ministero della Cultura / Biblioteca Marucelliana of Florence. Further reproduction or duplication by any means is prohibited. Photograph: Donato Pineider, GAP Firenze 2021. Caravaggio, The Cardsharps, circa 1595. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, USA. © 2021. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas/Art Resource, New York/Scala, Florence. Caravaggio, Self-Portrait as Bacchus (Sick Bacchus), circa 1596. Galleria Borghese, Rome. © MiBACT Galleria Borghese. Caravaggio, Calling of Saint Matthew, 1598-1601. Contarelli Chapel, Church of San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome. © 2021. Photo Scala, Florence. Caravaggio, The Fortune Teller, 1596-1597. Musei Capitolini, Pinacoteca Capitolina, Roma. Archivio Fotografico dei Musei Capitolini. © Roma, Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali – Musei Capitolini.