Update: October 2023

Dear traveller,

Autumn sees the highest number of our tours depart, and as such the highest number of feedback forms received. We spend a long time reading and analysing these, aware there is always room for improvement. Your comments help to shape future tours in every respect and we are always grateful for this feedback.

We are also very touched by the generosity of some of the responses – ‘complex logistical task managed seamlessly and with charm’; ‘everything of the first order, and beautifully organised’; ‘MRT delivered above expectations, great trip, immaculately organised.’ Does it lead to complacency? Absolutely not, but we’d be a rare breed not to feel gratified by the good bits. And knowing what works well is important too.

All of this will feed into the 180+ tours, festivals, chamber music breaks, symposium and London Days we have planned for 2024, helping to lift the experience above expectation each and every time. You can see a full calendar towards the back of this Update. I draw your attention to some tours we have not run for quite a few years: Gardens of Madeira, Ancient & Islamic Tunisia, Minoan Crete, Krakow & Silesia, and our comprehensive tour of Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania. Among the new, Gastronomic Asturias & Cantabria, Stockholm Modern, Scottish Houses & Castles, Bulgaria, Brno & the Janáček Festival.

If you would like us to send you full details of any of the tours listed, please contact us. We can post or email them. You can also find all details on martinrandall.com

We hope you will join us again next year.

With best wishes,

Fiona Charrington | Chief Executive October 2023

Martin Randall Travel Ltd

10 Barley Mow Passage, London W4 4PH

Tel +44 (0)20 8742 3355

info@martinrandall.co.uk

From North America: Tel 1 800 988 6168 (toll-free)

usa@martinrandall.com

ATOL 3622 | ABTOT 5468 | AITO 5085

Cover: The Douro, lithograph 1813.

Left: Delhi, the Qutb Minar (Gate of Alladeen), wood engraving c. 1880.

The Western Balkans

Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro

13–26 May 2024 (mk 278)

14 days • £5,770

Lecturer: Professor Cathie Carmichael

A ground-breaking journey through one of the most politically complex and fissiparous yet fundamentally similar regions of Europe. Rural villages, imposing capitals, and magnificent mountainous landscapes.

Exquisite Byzantine wall paintings in the fortresslike monasteries of Southern Serbia, Ottoman mosques, Art Nouveau architecture.

This journey takes us to borderlands where, for much of their history, the South Slavs have been divided by competing empires and cultures. In Serbia, the Nemanjić dynasty flourished from the 12th until the 14th centuries and built monasteries that combined Byzantine and Romanesque influences. But from the early-15th century until the mid-19th century, the Ottoman Turks ruled Serbia, Bosnia and much of Slavonia. Meanwhile, the Habsburg Empire reached south into Croatia, and Venice dominated the cities of the Adriatic coast.

The modern politics and structure of the Western Balkans were defined by the Congress of Berlin in 1878; the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, which created the first Yugoslavia; the Second World War, which ravaged the region and gave birth to Tito’s Yugoslavia; and, most recently, the maelstrom of the 1990s and the emergence of the present seven independent states.

What are the Western Balkans like now? There has been a major change in the past two decades. The capitals and main cities that we shall visit are all lively and welcoming, but each retains a distinct character. Croatia is prosperous and joined the EU in the summer of 2013. Its historic links to Vienna and Budapest can be seen clearly. Our other destinations are more complex and multi-layered. Belgrade is historically the extension of a strategic Ottoman citadel overlooking the Danube and Sava. Sarajevo

combines mosques, Orthodox churches, squares and kafanas in a mountainous setting. Its troubled history is not far below the surface.

The smaller Bosnian towns on our route (Višegrad, Mostar and Trebinje) have great charm. Kotor – in Montenegro – is a small fortified Venetian port city with a Romanesque cathedral on the shore of a fjord. A feature of this tour is that it takes in remote and functioning Serbian Orthodox monasteries that are of exceptional architectural and artistic interest.

With some long days and much driving through hilly terrain, the late-spring and autumn departures will show the countryside at its best.

Itinerary

Day 1: Zagreb. Morning flight (British Airways) from London Heathrow to Zagreb.

Day 2: Zagreb. The westernmost place on this tour, the capital of Croatia ranks with the loveliest cities of Central Europe.

Day 3: Zagreb, Osijek. Overnight Osijek (Croatia).

Day 4: Ilok, Novi Sad. First of two nights in Belgrade (Serbia).

Day 5: Belgrade.

Day 6: Belgrade, Manasija. First of two nights in Kraljevo (Serbia).

Day 7: Studenica, Sopoćani.

Day 8: Višegrad, Sarajevo. First of two nights in Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina).

Day 9: Sarajevo.

Day 10: Sarajevo, Mostar. Overnight Mostar (Bosnia-Herzegovina).

Day 11: Stolac, Trebinje, Tivat. First of three nights in Tivat (Montenegro).

Day 12: Kotor, Perast.

Day 13: Cetinje, Njeguši.

Day 14: Tivat. Fly from Dubrovnik, arriving at London Gatwick in the afternoon.

Mostar, Photo by Joshual Balzani on Unsplash.

Finland: Aalto & Others

20th-century architecture and design

27 June–5 July 2024 (mk 341)

9 days • £3,980

Lecturer: Professor Harry Charrington

A survey of the Finnish works of Alvar Aalto, ‘the poet of International Modernism’.

See major buildings by other Finnish architects and look at wider areas of design and art.

Professor Harry Charrington is author of the award-winning Alvar Aalto: the Mark of the Hand

Finland has always occupied an ambiguous space when viewed from central Europe. The land was populated from the East by Fennic tribes and Swedes crossing the Baltic. Gradually absorbed into Sweden in the Middle Ages, the country was marked by a sparse population and shifting borders, leaving behind a legacy of timber architecture, churches and castles, and a few coastal towns. In 1809, Finland was defined as an entity for the first time, becoming an autonomous Grand Duchy in the Russian Empire and acquiring a new monumental Neo-Classical capital in Helsinki.

After Independence and the subsequent constructions and reconstructions of the Finnish Republic, one name stands out: Alvar Aalto. It is reasonable to consider his practice as the most successful of the 20th century, dealing with the complexities and contradictions of modernity in every kind of project, from emergency housing to factories to concert halls, with subtlety and grace.

Itinerary

Day 1: Helsinki. Fly at c. 10.15am (Finnair) from London Heathrow to Helsinki. A walk through the heart of the city. First of four nights here.

Day 2: Helsinki. Visit the Katajanokka district, Saarinen’s Railway Station (1919), Rautatalo office building (1951–5), Ateneum art museum. Private tour of the National Pensions Institute (1952–6). Dine at the Savoy Restaurant designed by Aalto.

Day 3: Otaniemi, Tuusula, Helsinki. Visit the Technical University campus at Otaniemi, much of it designed by Aalto, with special access to several buildings. Travel to Sibelius’s villa on Tuusula Lake. In Helsinki visit ‘Oodi’, the Helsinki Central Library (ALA, 2018).

Day 4: Helsinki, Seurasaari. Visit The Aalto House and Studio (special arrangement), the family home and office. On Seurasaari island the open-air museum shows the history of Finnish vernacular building. Free time in the afternoon.

Day 5: Muurame, Säynätsalo, Muuratsalo, Jyväskylä. Drive into the Finnish Lakeland. See Aalto’s Muurame church (1928), and town hall at Säynätsalo (1952). At Muuratsalo, see his experimental summer house (1954) on the shores of Lake Päijanne. Overnight Jyväskylä.

Day 6: Jyväskylä, Petäjävesi, Seinäjoki. Aalto established his first independent practice in Jyväskylä. Representative of his early buildings is the Worker’s Club (1923–5). The Teachers’ Training College (1952–7), is one of the finest manifestations of his ‘red’ period. Visit the Alvar Aalto Museum and UNESCO-listed Petäjävesi wooden church (1765). Overnight Seinäjoki.

Day 7: Seinäjoki, Noormarkku, Turku. Seinäjoki has a striking complex by Alvar Aalto (1960–8): the Cross of the Plains church, parish hall, town hall-cum-theatre, and library. See the Villa Mairea (1939) (special arrangement) in Noormarkku. First of two nights in Turku.

Day 8: Turku, Paimio. Visit the cemetery and Resurrection Chapel (1940) by Erik Bryggman. Walk through Turku, Finland’s oldest city. In Paimio is Aalto’s Sanatorium (1929–33), a classic of modern architecture.

Day 9: Hvitträsk, Helsinki. Drive to Hvitträsk home and studio (1903) by Gesellius, Lindgren and Saarinen. Fly from Helsinki to London Heathrow, arriving at c. 5.00pm.

Helsinki Central Library (‘Oodi’), photo by Vadim Morozov on Unsplash.

Versailles: Seat of the Sun King

The greatest palace & garden

24–27 May 2024 (mk 313)

4 days • £2,190

Lecturer: Professor Antony Spawforth

Focused tour examining the most influential of European palaces and related buildings.

A study not only of art, architecture and gardens but also of history and statecraft. Includes a performance of Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail at the Versailles Opéra Royal.

Versailles was the grandest and most influential palace and garden complex in Europe, and arguably the most lavish and luxurious and most beautifully embellished too.

It was much more than a building to house the monarch, his family and his court. It was conceived as the seat of government when France was at the apogee of her power, and as a structure to demonstrate and magnify the power of Louis XIV, to subdue his subjects and to overawe foreigners. A study of Versailles encompasses not only architectural history and garden history but also political science and the psychology of power.

Built and altered by five French kings, Versailles is several palaces. Even during Louis XIV’s reign elements changed constantly, reflecting not only changes of taste but also political realities as they changed from decade to decade. Indeed, at its core it remains a small-scale hunting lodge built by his father (surely meant to be demolished in due course), and apartments were refurbished and parts added right up until the Revolution.

Enlarging the understanding of Versailles and to set it in context we also visit the château of Vaux-le-Vicomte, in many ways its inspiration. Attention is likewise paid to the town of Versailles, first laid out by Louis XIV, as well as to the park and gardens at Versailles.

Itinerary

Day 1: Versailles. Leave London St Pancras at c. 9.30am by Eurostar for Paris. Drive to Versailles where all three nights are spent. Spend the afternoon immersed in the grandeur, the beauty and the symbolism of the King’s and Queen’s apartments, which culminate in the Hall of Mirrors.

Day 2: Versailles. Morning lecture followed by a walk to view the grand approach to the palace and some of the its dependencies in Versailles town. Continue with a guided tour of the apartment of Madame du Barry, the last maîtresse-en-titre of Louis XV. Evening performance at the Opéra Royal (the château’s opera house): Die Entführung aus dem Serail (W.A. Mozart).

Day 3: Versailles. Explore the palace’s gardens, which remain largely as Le Nôtre created them, the parterres, basins and sculpture around the palace and the avenues and canal which seem to stretch to infinity. Then visit the family retreats of Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon and the Domaine de Marie Antoinette.

Day 4: Vaux-le-Vicomte, Paris. The greatest country house and garden complex of its time (1656–61), Vaux-le-Vicomte was built by Nicholas Fouquet, Louis XIV’s finance minister. It is in many ways the predecessor of Versailles, for Louis XIV, after arresting Fouquet for corruption, plundered the property and later employed its chief designers and craftsmen at Versailles. Continue to Paris for the Eurostar arriving at St Pancras at c. 6.30pm.

Illustration: Chateau de Versailles, copper engraving c. 1750.

Music in Berlin

Art, architecture and music in the German capital

10–15 April 2024 (mk 227) 6 days • £3,610 (including tickets to 4 performances)

Lecturer: Barry Millington

Deutsche Oper Berlin: Fidelio (Beethoven).

Staatsoper Unter den Linden: Tosca (Puccini) and Lohegrin (Wagner).

Berlin Philharmonie: Sibelius’s 7th Symphony, Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto, conducted by Hannu Lintu, with Vilde Frang (violinist).

Walks, museum and gallery visits with a Berlinbased local guide, including excursions to Potsdam and Charlottenburg.

Itinerary

Day 1. Fly at c. 1.15pm from London Heathrow to Berlin (British Airways). By coach, view the New Embassy quarter, Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, Pariser Platz and Unter den Linden.

Day 2. Visit the Neues Museum, the stunning home to the Egyptian Museum, and the Alte Nationalgalerie which houses the finest collection of German Romantics. Evening concert at the Philharmonie conducted by Hannu Lintu, Vilde Frang (violin): Messiaen, ‘Le Tombeau Resplendissant’; Stravinsky, Violin Concerto; Kaija Saariaho, ‘Ciel d’hiver’; Sibelius, Symphony No.7.

Day 3. Visit Schloss Charlottenburg, an outstanding Baroque and Rococo palace with splendid interiors. Evening performance at the Deutsche Oper: Fidelio (Beethoven) with Stephan Zilias (conductor), David Hermann (director), Philipp Jekal (Don Fernando), Markus Brück (Don Pizarro), Valentyn Dytiuk (Florestan), Flurina Stucki (Leonore) Tobias Kehrer (Rocco), Lilit Davtyan (Marzelline), Gideon Poppe (Jaquin).

Day 4. Europe’s greatest building project in the 1990s, Potsdamer Platz showcases an international array of architects (Piano, Isozaki, Rogers, Moneo). Scattered around the nearby ‘Kulturforum’ are museums, the State Library and the Philharmonie concert hall (Hans Scharoun 1956–63). The Gemäldegalerie houses one of Europe’s major collections of Old Masters. Free afternoon. Evening performance at the Staatsoper unter den Linden: Tosca (Puccini) with Alvis Hermanis (director), Andrés Orozco-Estrada (musical director), Maria Agresta (Tosca), Michael Fabiano (Cavaradossi), Christopher Maltman (Scarpia), Friedrich Hamel (Angelotti), Jan Martiník (Sacristan), Florian Hoffmann (Spoletta), Dionysios Avgerinos (Sciarrone).

Day 5. Excursion to Potsdam which in the 18th century developed into Brandenburg-Prussia’s second capital and acquired fine buildings, parks and gardens. Sanssouci, created as a retreat from the affairs of state by Frederick the Great, is among the finest 18th-century complexes of gardens, palaces and pavilions to be found anywhere. Visit his single-storey palace atop terraces of fruit trees, the Chinese Tea House and the orangery, and see the city centre with its Dutch Quarter and Neo-Classical buildings. Early evening performance at the Staatsoper unter den Linden: Lohengrin (Wagner) with Alexander Soddy (musical director), Calixto Bieito (stage director), Günther Groissböck (Heinrich der Vögler), Klaus Florian Vogt (Lohengrin), Camilla Nylund (Elsa of Brabant), Wolfgang Koch (Friedrich of Telramund), Marina Prudenskaya (Ortrud), Adam Kutny (The King’s Herald).

Day 6. Fly from Berlin to London Heathrow, arriving at c. midday.

Illustration: Berlin, Staatsoper, copper engraving c. 1750.

Minoan Crete

History and archaeology

29 March–6 April 2024 (mk 216)

9 days • £3,380

Lecturer: Dr Christina Hatzimichael

Whitley

Concentrates on the extraordinary civilisation of the Minoans, but also pays attention to Classical and later cultures.

Time spent at Knossos and the main sites, but also many remote and little-visited ones. Wonderful, contrasting landscapes at a beautiful time of year on the island.

The contrasts in the landscape, vegetation and people are dramatic. Crete has its ‘deserts and jungles, its arctic and its tropics’. The high mountains and upland plains are bleak and remote; the gorges in the highly erosive limestone are lush. Lying between Europe, Africa and the Near East, variety also marks Crete’s cultural legacy. The tour will focus primarily on the Bronze Age civilisation of the Minoans, the first great palace civilisation of Europe, which flourished in the second millennium bc Wonderfully expressive, the art and influence of the Minoans spread throughout Greece, Egypt and the Near East. Pottery, sealstones, frescoes and architecture reached peaks of excellence unforeseen in the prehistoric Aegean.

Mycenaean, Hellenistic, Classical Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Turkish domination followed. The volumes written on the island’s Second World War history fill a bookshelf alone. And yet throughout millennia of foreign occupation and domination, Crete retained its own unique and captivating character.

Itinerary

Day 1. Fly London Gatwick to Heraklion via Athens (Aegean). First of five nights in Heraklion.

Day 2: Knossos, Heraklion. The capital of Minoan Crete and centre of the Bronze Age Aegean, at its peak Knossos comprised a

magnificent palace with courts, religious buildings and mansions. Visit the Archaeological Museum in Heraklion, which houses the island’s largest collection of Minoan art.

Day 3: Malia, Gournia, Agios Nikolaos. The Minoan Palace at Malia is the third largest and most provincial on the island. At Gournia, excavations of the Minoan town reveal over 70 cramped houses over the hillside with a minipalace at the top. Free time at Agios Nikolaos.

Day 4: Arhanes, Heraklion. Arhanes possesses remarkable archaeological remains and one of the best excavated cemeteries on Crete, Phourni. Some free time in Heraklion.

Day 5: Gortyn, Phaestos, Agia Triada. A day in the Mesara, a rich agricultural plain along the south coast. Gortyn was the Roman capital of Crete. On a ridge, Phaestos is the second largest Minoan palace. Agia Triada, interpreted as the summer resort for Phaestos, has architecturally elaborate villas. Fifth and final night in Heraklion.

Day 6: Rethymnon, Chania. The Venetian fortress overlooking Rethymnon was built as an outpost against the Ottomans. The Minoan cemetery of Armeni contains over 200 chamber tombs. Continue to Chania, the spiritual capital of Crete, where the following three nights are spent.

Day 7: Aptera, Chania. One of the most powerful Greco-Roman city states, Aptera is a huge site with Roman ruins, a theatre and a Turkish fort. View the Commonwealth War Cemetery at Souda Bay. Return to Chania for a guided walk.

Day 8: Chania. The newly renovated Archaeological Museum opened in 2022 and houses c. 3,500 objects. Moni Agias Triadas has some of the finest monastic architecture on the island. Third and final night in Chania.

Day 9. Fly to London Heathrow via Athens, arriving c. 3.30pm.

Illustration: ladies of the Minoan Court, after J. Duncan c. 1910.

The Art of Florence

Cradle of the Renaissance

18–24 March 2024 (mk 202)

7 days • £3,060

Lecturer: Dr Flavio Boggi

The world’s best location for an art history tour: here were laid the foundations of the next 500 years of western art.

Architecture, painting and sculpture – all the arts are examined, the lecturer’s commentary geared to maximise your appreciation.

The Renaissance is centre stage, but medieval and other periods also feature. Avoids the crowds of busier months.

A first visit to Florence can be an overwhelming experience, and it seems that no amount of revisiting can exhaust her riches, or stem the growth of affection and awe which the city inspires in regular cultural pilgrims.

For hundreds of years the city nurtured an unceasing succession of great artists. No other place can rival Florence for the quantity of first-rate, locally produced works of art, many still in the sites for which they were created or in museums a few hundred yards away. Giotto, Brunelleschi, Donatello, Masaccio, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo – these are some of the artists and architects whose works will be studied on the tour, fully justifying Florence’s epithet as the cradle of the Renaissance. Though the number of visitors to Florence has swelled hugely in recent years, it is possible during the quieter months, and with careful planning, to explore the city in relative tranquillity.

Itinerary

Day 1. Fly at c. 11.30am (British Airways) from London City to Florence. In the late afternoon visit the chapel in the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, which has exquisite frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli.

Day 2. Visit Michelangelo’s Laurentian Library, whose architectural components would herald the

onset of Mannerism. A Medici morning includes S. Lorenzo, the family parish church designed by Brunelleschi and their burial chapel in the contiguous New Sacristy with Michelangelo’s enigmatic sculptural ensemble. In the afternoon see the Byzantine mosaics and Renaissance sculpture in the cathedral baptistry, and the superbly renovated cathedral museum.

Day 3. Brunelleschi’s Foundling Hospital was the first building to embody stylistic elements indisputably identifiable as Renaissance. See Michelangelo’s David, the ‘Slaves’ in the Accademia and the frescoes and panels by Fra Angelico in the Friary of S. Marco. Piazza della Signoria contains masterpieces of public sculpture. Continue to the Uffizi which has masterpieces by every major Florentine painter.

Day 4. In the morning visit S. Maria Novella, the Dominican church with many works of art (Masaccio’s Trinità, Ghirlandaio’s frescoed sanctuary). See the Rucellai Chapel in the deconsecrated church of S. Pancrazio, now part of the Museo Marino Marini. Free afternoon.

Day 5. Visit the Bargello, housing Florence’s finest sculpture collection with works by Donatello, Michelangelo and others. Walk to the vast church of S. Croce, favoured burial place for leading Florentines. Lunch is at a restaurant on the Piazzale Michelangelo before a visit to S. Miniato al Monte, the Romanesque abbey church with panoramic views of the city.

Day 6. Palazzo Pitti houses several museums including the Galleria Palatina. See S. Spirito, Brunelleschi’s last great church, and the Boboli Gardens, at the top of which is an 18th-century ballroom and garden overlooking olive groves. See the Masaccio/Masolino fresco cycle in the Brancacci Chapel, a highly influential work of art.

Day 7. See the Renaissance statuary at the church-cum-granary of Orsanmichele (exterior. A second, selective visit to the Uffizi. Fly from Florence to London City, arriving at c. 9.15pm.

Drawing 1936 by Valfredo Vizzotto after the sculpture by Michelangelo in the Medici Chapel, Basilica di S. Lorenzo, Florence.

Titian, Tintoretto & Veronese

Celebrating three Renaissance masters in Venice

26 February–3 March 2024 (mk 179)

7 days • £3,230

Lecturer: Professor Antonio Mazzotta

Based in Venice throughout, where all three painters were based for much of their lives. An excursion to see Palladio’s Villa Barbaro at Maser, with superb frescoes by Veronese. Sets the artists in the context of a wider-ranging survey of Renaissance art.

The second half of the 16th century was a traumatic period for Venice. As an international centre of commerce and publishing it had become a hotbed of religious dissent, ferociously suppressed by the Inquisition. Two years after the Catholic naval victory at Lepanto in 1571, the Venetians lost Cyprus to Islamic expansion. Their global dominance in maritime trade was further undermined by the rise of the Atlantic economies. Major fires in 1574 and 1577 destroyed nearly all the paintings by the Bellinis, Carpaccio and others in the Doge’s Palace. Then came a catastrophic plague in 1576 in which about a third of the population died, including the aged Titian. This tour examines Titian’s transition to a darker mode of painting in his ‘late style’; the emergence and triumph of Tintoretto, and his rivalry with Veronese; all set against the work of their ‘Mannerist’ contemporaries and in the wider context of the turbulent age in which they lived. We see all their major masterpieces in Venice, and there is an excursion to Palladio’s Villa Barbaro at Maser on the Venetian mainland, decorated by Veronese with one of the greatest of all allegorical fresco cycles. Paradoxically, this era of profound crisis witnessed the final great flourishing of Venetian Renaissance painting.

Itinerary

Day 1. Fly at c. 1.00pm (British Airways) from London Heathrow to Venice and cross the lagoon by motoscafo (water taxi).

Day 2. Visit the church of I Frari: Titian’s Assumption and his Pesaro altarpiece are seen here. Behind, the Scuola Grande di S. Rocco is decorated with a magnificent cycle of canvasses by Tintoretto. The church of S. Polo houses a Tintoretto Last Supper and a Marriage of the Virgin by Veronese. S. Rocco contains more Tintoretto; S. Pantalon has Veronese’s final work.

Day 3. A morning in the Gallerie dell’Accademia where all three artists are well represented. Later, visit the church of S. Sebastiano, almost entirely decorated by Veronese; see another Tintoretto Last Supper in S. Trovaso. The church of S.ta Maria della Salute was built in 1631–81 by way of thanks for the deliverance of Venice from the plague: see several works by Titian, and Tintoretto’s Marriage at Cana in the sacristy.

Day 4. Travel to Maser to see Andrea Palladio’s Villa Barbaro. Built for two highly cultivated Venetian brothers, Daniele and Marcantonio Barbaro, it contains Veronese’s most important fresco cycle. In Venice, the Marciana library at the Museo Correr holds paintings by all three artists.

Day 5. Visit the Palazzo Ducale, with its lateRenaissance gilded halls and paintings by Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese. Tintoretto’s Il Paradiso is one of the world’s largest paintings. Visit S. Zaccaria, with Bellini’s superb late altarpiece, and Tintoretto’s Birth of the Baptist. Visit Palladio’s island church of S. Giorgio Maggiore, with another Tintoretto Last Supper

Day 6. Focus today on the church of the Madonna dell’Orto, burial place of Tintoretto and which contains two of his laterali, and Presentation of the Virgin Mary. The flamboyant church of the Gesuiti, S.ta Maria Assunta houses Tintoretto’s Assumption and Titian’s Martyrdom of St. Lawrence. See more Titian at S. Salvatore. San Francesco della Vigna was designed by Sansovino with altarpieces by Veronese and Bellini.

Day 7. Free time. Fly from Venice to London Heathrow, arriving at c. 6.30pm.

The Assumption’, steel engraving c. 1870 after the painting by Titian in S. Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice.

Civilisations of Sicily

Mediterranean crossroads: three thousand years of creativity

6–18 May 2024 (mk 264)

13 days • £5,940

Lecturer: Dr Mark Grahame

All the main sights and many lesser-known ones. The whole gamut – Greek, Roman, Norman, Renaissance, Baroque and 19th century. Several special arrangements to visit places not normally open to the public.

Sicily is the pre-eminent island in the Mediterranean – the largest as well as the most eventful historically, it is a stepping stone between Europe and Africa and a refuge between the Levant and the Atlantic. Throughout history Sicily was viewed as a fortuitous landfall by migrating peoples and a prized possession by ambitious adventurers and expansionist princes. And as the Mediterranean has been the catalyst and disseminator of a greater variety of civilisations than any other of the world’s seas, the island has accumulated an exceptionally rich and varied inventory of art, architecture and archaeology.

Itinerary

Day 1: Palermo. Fly from London City to Palermo, via Milan. Palermo has been capital of Sicily since the Saracenic occupation in the ninth century. First of six nights in Palermo.

Day 2: Palermo. A walk includes the Palazzo Abatellis and Norman buildings. Lunch is at a private palace, by special arrangement. View the Greek sculpture in the Archaeological Museum. Then an out-of-hours visit to the Palatine Chapel.

Day 3: Monreale, Cefalù. Monreale cathedral, one of the finest Norman churches on the island. Cefalù, a charming coastal town, has another Norman cathedral with outstanding mosaics.

Day 4: Agrigento. The remains of the Greek colony of Akragas is one of the greatest sites bequeathed by the ancient world. From 580 bc, it

rose rapidly to riches. Its eight peripteral temples, are the most numerous group in the Greek world.

Day 5: Segesta, Selinunte. The fascinatingly unfinished fifth-century temple at Segesta sits in unspoiled landscape. Selinunte, founded c. 650 bc, is famous for its many temples and acropolis.

Day 6: Palermo. The cathedral, with grand royal and imperial tombs, then to San Giovanni degli Eremiti, a Norman church. Il Gesù boasts the grandest of Palermo’s Baroque interiors.

Day 7: Palermo, Piazza Armerina. Visit Castello della Zisa, an Arab-Norman Palace. At Piazza Armerina are the remains of one of the finest villas of the late-Roman Empire. Continue to the east coast for the first of three nights in Taormina.

Day 8: Taormina. Free day in this extremely pretty town. Our hotel has shaded gardens which spill down a series of terraces. (The swimming pool is usually open between March and October).

Day 9: Messina, Reggio di Calabria. Messina was one of Caravaggio’s Sicilian refuges, and in the art gallery there are two paintings by him. Cross the Straits of Messina to Reggio di Calabria on mainland Italy to see the Riace Bronzes.

Day 10: Catania, Siracusa. Sicily’s second city, Catania was largely rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693. Special arrangements to see a magnificent private palazzo and a Byzantine chapel. Continue to Syracuse for the first of three nights.

Day 11: Noto, Siracusa. The hill town of Noto is one of the loveliest Baroque towns in Italy. Visit the convent of Santa Chiara, the cathedral and San Carlo, then Syracuse Archaeological Park.

Day 12: Siracusa. Morning visit to the mainland to Santa Lucia al Sepolcro, the church for which Caravaggio painted the Burial of Saint Lucy. The afternoon is free.

Day 13: Siracusa. Visit the Castello Maniace. Fly from Catania, via Rome, arriving London Heathrow at c. 4.00pm.

Contact us: +44 (0)20 8742 3355 | info@martinrandall.co.uk | www.martinrandall.com

Palermo, Palatine Chapel, photo by Dimitry B on Unsplash.

Classical Turkey

Greeks and Romans in Anatolia

29

April–8 May 2024 (mk 256)

10 days • £4,060

Lecturer: Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

The finest collection of Hellenistic and Roman city ruins to be found anywhere. Includes all the major sites, many of which are off the beaten track or difficult to get to.

The coastal strip of western Anatolia contains many of the most brilliant expressions of the Ancient World. It was the meeting place of two worlds, a maritime one of commerce, intercultural contact and innovatory ideas and an inland realm of agricultural wealth and imperial power. Hittites, Assyrians, Persians and, following the conquests of Alexander the Great, Macedonian Greeks were successive ruling civilisations in these regions.

Yet long before, in the centuries following the end of the Bronze Age from c. 1100 bc onwards, Greeks settled along the coast, Aeolians in the north, Ionians further down and Dorians yet further south. They founded cities all along the Aegean and Mediterranean seaboards and penetrated the river valleys; most of the local peoples absorbed and adopted Greek culture.

Roman city-building was a continuation of Greek, eased by the way local communities worked within the Roman empire. Their leaders and plutocrats adorned their cities with monuments, tapping into the architectural and sculptural traditions of the region. Most of what remains today is of Hellenistic and Roman origin, though there is much also from the Byzantine era.

With a falling away of maritime commerce, however, and severe disruption in the wake of Arab incursions in the seventh century ad, the ancient cities toppled into decline. Two millennia after Alexander, the Ottoman Turks arrived to create an empire that lasted for five centuries until the birth of modern Turkey.

Itinerary

Day 1. Fly at c. 11.30am (Turkish Airlines) from London Gatwick to Izmir, via Istanbul. First of three nights in Izmir.

Day 2: Pergamon. Under the Hellenistic Attalid dynasty, Pergamon became the most powerful city-state in Asia Minor. On a steep-sided hill are remains of Attalid palaces. The Asclepieon and ‘Temple of Serapis’ lie on flat ground below.

Day 3: Sardis, Izmir. Drive inland to Sardis, capital of the Kingdom of Lydia, whose last independent ruler was the fabulously wealthy Croesus (560–546 bc); it later became an important Roman city. Overnight Izmir.

Day 4: Ephesus. Ephesus is the most extensively excavated site of the ancient world, and probably the one with the greatest range of standing remains. First of three nights in Kușadasi.

Day 5: Priene, Didyma, Miletus. The hillside remains of Priene date largely from the Classical and Hellenistic periods. Didyma has impressive remains of the colossal Temple of Apollo. Miletus has a massive Roman theatre and baths.

Day 6: Kuşadasi, Selçuk, Ephesus. Return to Selçuk to see the Basilica of St John at the top of Ayasuluk Hill, the Isa Bey mosque at the foot. The option to return to Ephesus.

Day 7: Aphrodisias. Drive into the interior of Anatolia. Aphrodisias was the centre of a Roman cult of Aphrodite. First of three nights in Antalya. Day 8: Antalya. The morning is spent exploring the old town with its restored Ottoman period houses, followed by a free afternoon.

Day 9: Perge, Aspendos, Antalya. Perge has Hellenistic and Roman gates and colonnaded streets. The Roman aqueduct at Aspendos is a highlight. Visit Antalya’s archaeological museum.

Day 10. Fly from Antalya to London Gatwick, via Istanbul, arriving at c. 4.15pm.

Ephesus, Library of Celsus, photo by Nicolas Gavrilenko on Unsplash.

Gardens in the Highlands

Horticulture and garden design in northern Scotland

24 June–2 July 2024 (mk 332)

9 days • £3,960

Lecturer: Colin Crosbie

Wonderful, varied gardens set in some of the loveliest and most dramatic scenery in Britain.

Famous sites and little-known treasures in the northern counties of Scotland, from Aberdeenshire to Caithness and Wester Ross.

Walled gardens a speciality – providing protection against the Scottish wind for a vast range of both edible and ornamental plants.

Stay in five-star hotels in Aberdeen and Inverness.

Itinerary

Day 1: Aberdeen. The tour begins with dinner in the hotel. First of four nights in Aberdeen.

Day 2: Fyvie, Pitmedden. The 18th-century walled garden at Fyvie Castle has been gloriously renewed and the house is an Edwardian dream of a Scottish castle. The formal Baroque garden at Pitmedden is one of the finest examples of this style: intricate hedging filled with colourful bedding and an orchard with over 200 fruit trees.

Day 3: Arbuthnott, Crathes. Originally laid out in the 17th century, the walled gardens of Arbuthnott House have evolved through the years and now show a strong Arts & Crafts influence. 16th-century Crathes Castle also has a walled garden in Arts & Crafts style, lovingly referred to as ‘The Sissinghurst of Scotland’. A guided tour of the castle before returning to Aberdeen.

Day 4: Balmoral, Aberdeen. Set in stunning Deeside landscape, the gardens at Balmoral were developed under the supervision of Prince Albert and have been expanded and improved by successive members of the Royal Family. In Aberdeen, an optional visit to the Winter Gardens at Duthie Park, one of the finest displays of ornamental plants under glass in the country.

Day 5: Haddo, Gordon. Traverse the Grampians. Haddo House is a stately home built by William Adam in the 1730s; the terraced garden is Victorian – formal herbaceous borders, walks, lakes, monuments. Gordon Castle, spiritual home of Clan Gordon, has one of the oldest and largest walled gardens in Britain, restored to its former glory with a modern design by Arne Maynard. First of four nights in Inverness.

Day 6: Cawdor, Old Allangrange. The walled garden at Cawdor Castle has been planted with a holly labyrinth with a Minotaur in the centre; see its Flower Garden and Wild Garden. Guided tour of the house. The garden at Old Allangrange surrounds the 17th-century lime-washed house with a formal landscape naturalistically planted and organically gardened, with formal hedges for structure and framing wonderful views.

Day 7: Dunbeath, Dunrobin. Dunbeath Castle enjoys spectacular views over the Moray Firth, has two distinct walled gardens, the southern designed by Xa Tollemache in 1999 and the northern redeveloped in 1997 with ornamental grasses, primula, iris and roses. Dunrobin Castle, home of the Earl of Sutherland, is the most northerly of Britain’s great houses, externally largely the work of Sir Charles Barry. He designed the formal gardens in Italianate style in 1850.

Day 8: Inverewe, Dundonnell. Inverewe is one of the most famous gardens in the British Isles and our finest subtropical garden. With wonderful views across Loch Ewe, and benefitting from the Gulf Stream, Inverewe is a haven for plants from around the world. Sitting amid Highland scenery, the gardens of Dundonnell House consist of a series of rooms. Also kitchen garden, fine borders and a William Pye water feature.

Day 9: Inverness. Disperse after breakfast.

Note that appointments for some visits cannot be confirmed until January 2024.

Dunrobin Castle and gardens, photo by Jack Spellingbacon via Wikimedia Commons

CELEBRATING MUSIC AND PLACE

There surely can be few greater musical pleasures than listening to music in the places most closely associated with the composer or the first performance. Linking the music to the places so central to the composers’ lives, and providing the historical context, is at the heart of all our planning, as is ensuring that the music itself is performed by artists of the highest international standing.

The audiences on our classical music festivals are formed of participants who take a package which includes access to all the private concerts, accommodation, flights from the UK and transfers, meals with wine, talks by a musicologist, tips and much else.

Martin Randall Festivals in 2024:

SALZBURG STRING QUARTET FESTIVAL

7–12 May 2024

MOZART ALONG THE DANUBE

28 July–4 August 2024

THE DIVINE OFFICE: CHORAL MUSIC IN OXFORD

30 September–4 October 2024

OPERA IN SICILY

18–24 October 2024

Watch our video of the 2019 festival at martinrandall.com/music-festivals

Contact us for more information or visit martinrandall.com

Photo ©Ben Ealovega 2019.

Calendar | 2023–4

Our programme from November 2023 to December 2024 is given below. To find the full details for any tour listed, visit our website: www.martinrandall.com.

If you find that a tour you are interested in is not showing on our website, this means that it is not yet available to book – please contact us to register your interest.

November 2023

2– 5 Les Années Folles (mj 100) Patrick Bade

3– 5 The Consone Quartet at The Castle Taunton (mj 101) Dr Katie Campbell

7–11 Venetian Palaces (mj 105)

Dr Michael Douglas-Scott

9–20 Japanese Gardens (mj 108)

Yoko Kawaguchi

13–19 Art History of Venice (mj 110)

Dr Susan Steer

13–20 Gastronomic Sicily (mj 111)

Marc Millon

15–19 Art in Madrid (mj 112)

Dr Xavier Bray

20–26 The Art of Florence (mj 120)

Dr Flavio Boggi

20–27 The Printing Revolution (mj 116)

Dr Michael Douglas-Scott & Stephen Parkin

21–29 Celebrating Picasso (mj 125)

Gijs van Hensbergen

28 Advent Choral Day (lj 130)

30–13 Essential South India (mj 132)

Asoka Pugal

December 2023

20–27 Florence at Christmas (mj 141)

Dr Michael Douglas-Scott

20–27 Turin at Christmas (mj 145)

Dr Luca Leoncini

21–27 Prague at Christmas (mj 150)

Martina Hinks Edwards

21–27 Paris at Christmas (mj 148)

Patrick Bade

21–28 Verona at Christmas (mj 142)

Dr Susan Steer

21–28 Munich at Christmas (mj 154)

Tom Abbott

28– 3 Music in Berlin at New Year (mj 155)

Tom Abbott

January 2024

10–15 Valletta Baroque Festival (mk 160)

Professor John Bryan

25– 4 Oman, Landscapes & Peoples (mk 165)

Dr Peter Webb

29– 3 String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam (mk 168) Leo Samama

30– 5 Mozart in Salzburg (mk 167)

Richard Wigmore

February 2024

13–17 Opera in Paris (mk 173)

Dr Michael Downes

18–22 Hamburg: Opera, ‘Elphi’ & Exhibition (mk 175) Dr John Allison

25– 8 Vietnam: History, People, Food (mk 181)

Dr Dana Healy

26– 2 Connoisseur’s Rome (mk 182)

Dr Michael Douglas-Scott

26– 3 Titian, Tintoretto & Veronese (mk 179)

Antonio Mazzotta

27– 4 Essential Rome (mk 183)

Dr Thomas-Leo True

March 2024

2– 7 Gardens of Madeira (mk 188)

Dr Gerald Luckhurst

4–14 Essential Andalucía (mk 189)

Dr Philippa Joseph

6–16 Art in Texas (mk 190) Gijs van Hensbergen

8–10 The Mandelring Quartet at The Castle

Taunton (mk 191) Richard Wigmore

8–10 Welsh National Opera (mk 192)

Simon Rees

9–22 Cambodia by River (mk 194)

Freddie Matthews

10–15 The Story of Venice (mk 196)

Dr Susan Steer

11–15 Ravenna & Urbino (mk 200)

Dr Luca Leoncini

18–24 The Art of Florence (mk 202)

Dr Flavio Boggi

19–27 Normans in the South (mk 204)

John McNeill

25– 3 Minoan Crete (mk 216)

Christina Hatzimichael

26–30 Venetian Palaces (mk 214)

Dr Michael Douglas-Scott

April 2024

2– 7 Opera in Vienna (mk 218) Dr John Allison

2–14 Civilisations of Sicily (mk 221)

Dr Philippa Joseph

5–11 Gardens of the Riviera (mk 225)

Steven Desmond

8–20 Decorative Arts of Iberia with HALI (ek 226) Gijs van Hensbergen

10–15 Music in Berlin (mk 227) Barry Millington

10–17 Romans & Carolingians (mk 229)

Dr Hugh Doherty

11–20 Extremadura (mk 230) Chris Moss

11–22 Morocco (mk 232)

Professor Amira Bennison

12–19 Courts of Northern Italy (mk 231)

Dr Michael Douglas-Scott

13–21 Essential Jordan (mk 220)

Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

15–20 Pompeii & Herculaneum (mk 234)

Dr Mark Grahame

17–26 Albania: Crossroads of Antiquity (mk 240) Carolyn Perry

18–24 Gardens & Villas of the Italian Lakes (mk 241) Steven Desmond

18–30 Samarkand & Silk Road Cities (mk 243)

Dr Peter Webb

19–21 William Howard & the Carducci String

Quartet at The Castle Taunton (mk 242)

20–26 Genoa & Turin (mk 245) Dr Luca Leoncini

22–28 Malta: prehistoric to present (mk 252)

Juliet Rix

22–29 Western Andalucía (mk 235)

Gijs van Hensbergen

23– 1 Cornish Houses & Gardens (mk 250)

Anthony Lambert

24– 2 The Cathedrals of England (mk 251)

Dr Hugh Doherty

25–29 Tom Abbott’s Berlin (mk 255)

Tom Abbott

29– 6 The Heart of Italy (mk 257)

Dr Michael Douglas-Scott

29– 6 Habsburg Austria (mk 258)

Dr Jarl Kremeier

29– 8 Classical Turkey (mk 256)

Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

Illustration: Bukhara, late-19th-century watercolour.

May 2024

6–18 Civilisations of Sicily (mk 264)

Dr Mark Grahame

7–12 SALZBURG STRING QUARTET FESTIVAL (mk 262)

10–17 Madrid & Toledo (mk 271)

Gijs van Hensbergen

10–17 Art in Scotland (mk 272)

Christopher Baker

11–20 Classical Greece (mk 270)

Professor Antony Spawforth

13–20 Gastronomic Le Marche (mk 276)

Marc Millon

13–26 The Western Balkans (mk 278)

Professor Cathie Carmichael

14–19 Palladian Villas (mk 281)

Dr Michael Douglas-Scott

16–22 Yorkshire Houses (mk 279)

Christopher Garibaldi

16–28 Samarkand & Silk Road Cities (mk 283)

Dr Peter Webb

19–26 Medieval Heart of Portugal (mk 284)

John McNeill

20–25 Friuli-Venezia Giulia (mk 290)

Dr Carlo Corsato

20–26 Great Swedish Houses (mk 285)

Ulrica Häller

24–27 Versailles: Seat of the Sun King (mk 313)

Professor Antony Spawforth

24– 5 The Road to Santiago (mk 300)

Dr Richard Plant

26–31 A Festival of Impressionism (mk 301)

Dr Frances Fowle

28– 2 Stockholm Modern (mk 305)

Professor Harry Charrington

28– 4 Great Houses of the South West (mk 302)

Anthony Lambert

29– 3 Czech Opera in Prague (mk 303)

31– 7 Krakow & Silesia (mk 306)

Dr Agata Gomółka

The Dresden Music Festival

June 2024

3– 9 Lucca & Vicinity (mk 310) Dr Flavio Boggi

3–11 Cyprus: stepping stone of history (mk 311) Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

5–12 Gastronomic Veneto (mk 322)

Cynthia Chaplin & Dr R.T. Cobianchi

7–14 Gastronomic Asturias & Cantabria (mk 315) Gijs van Hensbergen

8–15 Medieval Burgundy (mk 316) John McNeill

11–17 Leipzig Bach Festival (mk 320)

Professor John Butt OBE

14–22 Great Irish Houses (mk 321)

Anthony Lambert

16–23 The Schubertiade (mk 323)

Dr Michael Downes

19–23 Flemish Painting (mk 326) Dr Sue Jones

24–28 Medieval West Midlands (mk 330)

John McNeill

24–30 Vienna’s Masterpieces (mk 334)

Tom Abbott

24– 2

Gardens in the Highlands (mk 332)

Colin Crosbie

27– 3 Normans & Plantagenets in Northern

France (mk 339) Dr Marc Morris

27– 5 Finland: Aalto & Others (mk 341)

Professor Harry Charrington

West Cork Chamber Music Festival

Glyndebourne & Garsington

Modern Art in Yorkshire

July 2024

1– 5 The Welsh Marches (mk 343) John McNeill

1– 6 Walking to Derbyshire Houses (mk 344)

Anthony Lambert

1– 6 In Churchill’s Footsteps (mk 345)

Katherine Carter

1– 7 French Gothic (mk 346)

Dr Jana Gajdošová

2– 8 Orkney: 5,000 Years of Culture (mk 347)

Professor Jane Downes & Julie Gibson

7–11 Savonlinna Opera (mk 352)

Dr John Allison

8–14 Western Ireland Archaeology (mk 355)

Professor Muiris O’Sullivan

8–14 Gastronomic West Country (mk 360)

Marc Millon

10–19 Scottish Houses & Castles (mk 361)

Christopher Baker

13–21 Danish Art & Design (mk 358)

Dr Shona Kallestrup

19–26 Franconia (mk 369) Dr Ulrike Ziegler

22–29 The Ring in the Austrian Alps (mk 370)

Barry Millington

28– 3 Walking the Danube (mk 372)

Richard Wigmore

28– 4 MOZART ALONG

THE DANUBE (mk 373)

Hindsgavl: Chamber Music in Denmark

Opera in Munich & Bregenz

August 2024

4– 9 King Ludwig II (mk 376) Tom Abbott

11–24 Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania (mk 380)

Aliide Naylor

27– 2 The Schubertiade with Hill Walks (mk 394) Richard Wigmore

27– 2 Maritime England James Davey

29– 5 The Hanseatic League (mk 395)

Andreas Puth

September 2024

2– 8 Connoisseur’s Prague (mk 411)

Dr Zoe Opačić

2– 9 Gastronomic Basque Country (mk 398)

Gijs van Hensbergen

3– 9 Cave Art in Spain (mk 399) Dr Paul Bahn

5–17 Samarkand & Silk Road Cities (mk 403)

Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

6–12 Sardinia (mk 404) Dr R.T. Cobianchi

7–16 Classical Greece (mk 405) Dr Dan Jolowicz

9–16 The Etruscans (mk 409) Dr Nigel Spivey

9–21 Civilisations of Sicily (mk 410)

Dr Luca Leoncini

11–20 Albania: Crossroads of Antiquity (mk 426) Carolyn Perry

13–23 West Coast Architecture (mk 420)

Professor Neil Jackson

14–20 Gastronomic Emilia-Romagna (mk 422)

Marc Millon & Dr R.T. Cobianchi

15–22 Dark Age Brilliance (mk 424) John McNeill

15–25 Georgia Uncovered (mk 425) Ian Colvin

16–21 Ancient Rome (mk 427) Dr Mark Grahame

16–22 Walking a Royal River (mk 430)

Sophie Campbell

16–23 Footpaths of Umbria (mk 431)

Nigel McGilchrist – watch our tour video at martinrandall.com/footpaths-of-umbria

17–20 Historic Musical Instruments (mk 429)

Professor Robert Adelson

18–25 English Georgian Towns

Andrew Foyle

Illustration opposite: Sculpture at Selinunte, engraving c. 1880.

23–28 Pompeii & Herculaneum (mk 435)

Dr Nigel Spivey

23–29 Raphael (mk 437)

Dr Michael Douglas-Scott

23–30 Granada & Córdoba (mk 434)

Gijs van Hensbergen

24–28 Arts & Crafts in the Cotswolds (mk 436)

Janet Sinclair

25–29 Modern Flemish Masters

25– 3 The Cathedrals of England (mk 428)

Dr Hugh Doherty

28– 7 Bulgaria (mk 474) Dr Nikola Theodossiev

30– 4 THE DIVINE OFFICE (mk 464)

30–10 Frank Lloyd Wright (mk 477) Tom Abbott

Beethoven in Bonn

Neanderthals in France

October 2024

2–10 Two Spains: The Spanish Civil War & its Aftermath Giles Tremlett

4–11 Courts of Northern Italy (mk 481)

Dr Fabrizio Nevola

4–12 Basilicata & Calabria (mk 482)

John McNeill

7–13 Malta: prehistoric to present (mk 485)

Juliet Rix

8–15 The Douro (mk 489)

Martin Symington

10–16 Gastronomic Puglia (mk 545)

Christine Smallwood

10–16 Gardens & Villas of the Italian Lakes (mk 491) Steven Desmond

10–18 Berlin, Potsdam, Dresden (mk 505)

Dr Jarl Kremeier

11–14 Connoisseur’s Pompeii (mk 507)

Dr Sophie Hay

12–17 Palermo Revealed (mk 508)

Dr Luca Leoncini

12–20 Le Corbusier (mk 509) Richard Plant

14–20 Italian Design in Turin & Milan (mk 412)

Dr Philippa Joseph

14–21 Walking in Southern Tuscany (mk 510)

Dr Thomas-Leo True

14–23 Castle & León (mk 511)

Gijs van Hensbergen

16–22 Art in the Netherlands

18–24 OPERA IN SICILY (mk 525)

18–24 Roman & Medieval Provence (mk 524)

Dr Alexandra Gajewski

22–28 Modern Art on the Côte d’Azur (mk 530)

Mary Lynn Riley

26– 3 Essential Jordan (mk 480) Felicity Cobbing

26– 4 Sicily: from the Greeks to the Baroque

John McNeill

28– 4 Gastronomic Catalonia (mk 544) Gijs van Hensbergen

30– 3 Art in Madrid (mk 550)

30– 3 Florentine Palaces (mk 551)

Dr Michael Douglas-Scott

31– 5 Brno& the Janáček Festival (mk 552)

Wexford Festival Opera

Istanbul Revealed

November 2024

2– 9 Ancient & Islamic Tunisia (mk 555)

Dr Zena Kamash

5– 9 Venetian Palaces (mk 558)

Dr Michael Douglas-Scott

6– 8 History Symposium:

Roman Britain (mk 556)

8–19 The Making of Argentina (mk 560)

Chris Moss

9–22 Essential India (mk 572) Dr Giles Tillotson

11–16 Venice Revisited (mk 565) Dr Susan Steer

19–23 Ravenna & Urbino (mk 575)

Dr Luca Leoncini

Art in Paris

December 2024

Please contact us to register your interest in our Christmas & New Year tours – either call us, or send an e-mail to alerts@martinrandall.co.uk

Making a booking

Either: on our website

To provisionally hold a space online, click ‘Book this tour’ on any tour page. Fill in your details and consent to the booking conditions. All you then need to do is pay the deposit (10% of your total booking price) or full balance if booking within 10 weeks of departure – we will contact you automatically with details of how to pay.

Or: by telephone or e-mail

Call or e-mail us to make a provisional booking, which we hold for up to seven days. Within that time, we require you to complete a booking form (we can provide this electronically or by post) and pay the deposit or full balance if booking within 10 weeks of departure.

Confirming your booking

Once you have completed the above steps, we will send you a formal confirmation. Your deposit is then non-refundable except under the special circumstances mentioned in our booking conditions.

Booking conditions

It is important that you read these before committing to a booking. We will direct you to these when you book, but you can also find them online: www.martinrandall.com/terms

Fitness

Ensure also that you have read ‘How strenuous’ in the ‘Practicalities’ section of the tour description – and that you have taken our fitness tests, available at martinrandall.com/ about-us under ‘Fitness’.

Announcing our new partnership with the Royal Philharmonic Society

We are delighted to let you know about a new partnership between Martin Randall Travel and the Royal Philharmonic Society. The RPS is one of the UK’s foremost music charities, and plays a vital part in supporting classical musicians.

To celebrate this new relationship, we jointly held a free online talk with baritone Roderick Williams at the start of October. For those of you who missed this, you can access a recording via our website. For more details visit martinrandall.com/online-talks.

We hope that this may be the start of many such collaborations with the RPS. Watch this space.

Roderick Williams ©Theo Williams.

If undelivered, return to:

Martin Randall Travel Ltd

10 Barley Mow Passage

London W4 4PH

United Kingdom

Online talks with expert speakers

The Normans in Europe: Architecture from Durham to Jerusalem

John McNeill

Tuesdays, 5 December–23 January

Six talks – £75

Lost Civilisations: Why cultures collapse and historic communities disappear

Professor John Darlington

Wednesdays, 1 November–6 December

Six talks – £75

Gustav Mahler, his music and his life

Paul Max Edlin

Wednesdays, 11–25 October

Three talks – £45

Talks are broadcast live on Zoom at 4.30pm (London time). Recordings are then available exclusively for subscribers to view for up to eight weeks after the end of a series.

www.martinrandall.com/online-talks

The Himalayas: how geography has shaped the history of the Indian Sub-continent | Raaja Bhasin

Five talks – £65 | View until 31st October

Paris, City of Light and city of pleasure

Patrick Bade

Four talks – £55 | View until 30th November

Sir Christopher Wren, Polymath and Starchitect | Simon Thurley

Three talks – £45 | View until 11th December