Spring newsletter 2018

Spring Newsletter 2018 See inside for: lecturers’ news, staff travel reports, newly-launched tours including Christmas 2018, Chamber Music Retreats, London Days and more.

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018

The leading provider of cultural tours

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Martin Randall Travel has the widest range of tours and events offered by any cultural travel organiser, as well as the largest number. We operate in over fifty countries.

Most of the hotels we use are 4- or 5-star, we only use full service airlines, and the restaurants we choose are among the best in the region. While our itineraries are full, they are not rushed.

We enrich lives

Additional tour staff

Our aim is to provide the circumstances which lead to a deeper understanding of a place or subject matter, and an enhanced appreciation of the culture of civilisations around the world.

Our tours are accompanied by a trained tour manager, sometimes a member of our full-time staff. In many parts of the world local guides feature with varying degrees of prominence.

The best lecturers

Care for our clients

Expert speakers are a key ingredient.

Selected with great care, they not only have deep knowledge of their subject but also the ability to convey their learning to educated lay people.

We aim for faultless administration from your first encounter with us to the end of the holiday, and beyond. In three successive years, 2014, 2015 and 2016, we won the British Travel Award for Best Holiday Company for Customer Service.

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After travelling with us, if you choose to fill out our online feedback form instead of returning the paper version, you will be entered into an annual prize draw to win £1,000 towards another of our holidays.

In 2017, we were delighted to award the £1,000 to Dr Linda Keen, whose name was drawn at random.

Find our feedback form online at http://mrt.feedback.sgizmo.com/s3/.

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If you choose to travel with us, our recently updated privacy policy explains what information about you we will collect and how we will use it. The revisions have been made in order to comply with new data protection regulations.

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Assiduous research and reconnaissance underlie our itineraries, which are imaginatively conceived, meticulously planned – and original.

Due attention is given to practical as well as academic matters to ensure a smooth-running experience.

We aim for excellence Our clients have voted us Best Special Interest Holiday Company at the British Travel Awards for the last three years, yet we ‘have a habit of divine discontent with our performance’: complacency does not corrode our desire to strive ever to be the best.

Special arrangements All our events include ingredients which are not available to the general public such as out-of-hours opening or access to private properties. Some events consist entirely of these special experiences.

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This newsletter was designed in-house by Jo Murray and Rosanna Reade. Articles were written by our staff and lecturers, and edited by Charlotte Crow. Tour descriptions were written chiefly by members of staff and Martin Randall. It went to print on 9th March 2018.

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ABTA No.Y6050

Spring Newsletter 2018 News and articles by staff and lecturers, details of our Christmas tours and a couple of other newly-launched tours in 2018, and information about the 2019 season – we hope you enjoy this Spring Newsletter.

Contents News From our lecturers.....................................4–8 Sustainable tourism....................................... 9 From our staff................................................ 9 Partnerships................................................. 10 Staff travels.............................................11–13

Newly-launched in 2018 & 2019 Christmas and New Year......................14–19 Chamber Music Retreats & Symposia in the UK..........................20–21 Tours in mainland Europe...................22–29 Tours in the Middle East......................30–31 Tours in Asia..........................................32–38 Tours in the Americas...........................39–41

London Days London Days by date.................................. 42 The Golden Age of British Painting.......... 43 The Tudors.................................................... 43

Lecture Afternoons

Prices

Making a booking

Newly-launched: London Lecture Afternoon in October 2018........................ 44

The prices listed in this newsletter include:

1. Booking option. We recommend that you contact us to make a booking option which we will hold for 7 days. To confirm it please send the booking form and deposit (10% of your total booking price) within this time. Alternatively, you can make a definite booking straight away online.

Booking details Booking form.........................................45–46 Booking conditions..................................... 47

Tours by date, 2018–2019 An up-to-date overview of 2018, with tours and events planned for 2019 (several of which are now available to book)..........................48–52 Journeys by water........................................ 52 Martin Randall Festivals: update............... 52

The services of the lecturer and often a tour manager – sometimes also local guides.

Hotel accommodation as described.

All admissions to museums, galleries and sites visited in the itinerary.

If it is a music tour, good tickets to all included performances.

Return air or rail travel between London and the destination for tours outside the UK (there are some exceptions – if flights are not included, this is always clearly stated).

Travel by private coach for all included excursions, and airport or railway station transfers (if we include flights or trains).

All breakfasts.

Illustrations. Left: Segovia, the Roman aqueduct, watercolour by Frank Brangwyn, publ. 1915. Above right: Villa Pratolino, colossal statue of the Appenino by Giambologna, etching c. 1653. Front cover: Église SaintMartin de Chapaize, lithograph c. 1850.

Most lunches and dinners, including wine or beer, water, soft drinks and tea or coffee.

All tips for waiters, porters, drivers, guides.

All state and airport taxes.

2. Definite booking. Fill in the booking form and send it to us with the deposit.

It is important that you read the Booking Conditions at this stage, and that you sign the booking form. Full payment is required if you are booking within ten weeks of departure.

3. Our confirmation. Upon receipt of the booking form and deposit we shall send you a confirmation of booking. After this your deposit is non-returnable except in the special circumstances mentioned in the Booking Conditions. Further details about the tour may also be sent at this stage, or will follow shortly afterwards.

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | News from our lecturers

Lecturers’ news round-up Books, articles and other news Professor Robert Adelson leads a new Italy tour for MRT, Historic Musical Instruments, in October. He has recently curated ‘The Harp: from MarieAntoinette to the Present’, the inaugural exhibition of a museum of historical harps at the Château d’Ancenis near Nantes. Lately published articles include: ‘A Museum of its own: The Musical Instrument Collection of Antonio Gautier (1825–1904) in Nice’, in The Galpin Society Journal and ‘Inside an 18th-Century Instrument Builder’s Workshop: Erard’s Letter Copy Book (1791–1797)’ in The Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society. Meanwhile, his 2001 book, Women Writing Opera: Creativity and Controversy in the Age of the French Revolution has been published in a new French translation.

Gustav Klimt at Home by Patrick Bade was published

by Quarto Books in February.

Patrick is currently working on a project with the French CD firm Malibran which celebrates opera houses during the Second World War, including Chicago, Buenos Aires and Paris. He leads Munich’s Masterpieces in September and Art in Paris in October.

Professor Tim Blanning’s George I: The Lucky King was published in the Penguin Monarchs series in late 2017.

Tim lectures on A Festival of Music in Prague in June and Frederick the Great the same month, and also on our Music in Franconia Festival in August.

Congratulations to Professor John Bryan, whose book (co-authored with Michael Fleming) Early English Viols: Instruments, Makers and Music (Routledge, 2016) has won the 2018 Nicholas Bessaraboff Prize by the American Musical Instrument Society.

According to the judges, ‘the book stands out for its exceptional in-depth scholarship, and brings fresh perspectives to our understanding and appreciation of early English viols’. John lectures on our Festivals Music in the Cotswolds in May and Music in Bologna in November.

Dr Jana Gajdošová has written a number of articles over the past two years which have been published in the Journal of the British Archaeological Association, The Burlington Magazine and Decorated Revisited: English Architectural Style in Context 1250 –1400. Mediaeval Specialist at the Sam Fogg Gallery in Mayfair, Jana also sits on the Council of the British Archaeological Association. Born in Slovakia, she leads our Journey through Slovakia in May, Walking in Bohemia and Kraków & Silesia in June 2018.

The Sagrada Familia: Gaudí’s Heaven on Earth by Gijs van Hensbergen is published in paperback by Bloomsbury this spring. As well as several art tours in Spain and gastronomic tours in Galicia, Valencia and Madrid, Gijs is also leading Galleries of the American Midwest in June and Art in Texas in 2019.

Dr Alexey Makhrov is undertaking an ADFAS Hume Circuit tour in Australia this July, lecturing on the following: The Art of the Icon, St Petersburg in the 18th and early 19th centuries, Summer Palaces of the Tsars, Russian Art of the Middle Ages and Russian Orientalism in the 19th century.

In 2018 Alexey is leading three MRT tours to St Petersburg, Moscow & the Golden Ring in May and Art in Switzerland, where he lives.

John McNeill has coedited the third in the British Archaeological Association’s Romanesque series, Romanesque Patrons and Processes (Routledge, March 2018) and convenes a conference on ‘Romanesque and Regional Identity’ in Poitiers in April. John leads a number of tours this year, including Normans in the South, Civilisations of Sicily and Art in the Po Valley, as well as two London Days, Mediaeval Art in London.

NEWS

Amanda Patton will exhibit her Romanian garden design at the Chelsea Flower Show in May this year. The garden celebrates 100 years of Romanian independence, featuring cultural motifs and a stylised meadow planting based on the flora of Transylvania.

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Illustration: from ‘The Foreign Tour of Messrs Brown, Jones & Robinson’ by Richard Doyle, Publ. 1854.

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | News from our lecturers

Gavin Stamp 1948–2017

Amanda Patton’s showgarden design for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2018.

Professor Jan Smaczny recently published chapterlength studies on Dvořák as a performer, and musicians in the salons of 19th-century Prague.

In August he led a Proms Extra discussion for BBC Radio 3 about music in the Czech Reformation. Jan will give lectures about the music on our Festival of Music in Prague, 13–19 June 2018.

Professor Antony Spawforth.

Tony’s forthcoming book Civilization: A History of the Classical World will be published by Yale University Press this autumn. In his acknowledgements Tony writes: ‘I was lucky to have had the chance to try out some ideas for how to write the book while a speaker on cultural tours run by the Cultural Travel Company [and] Martin Randall Travel…. I am grateful to the guests on these tours for their patience, their interest and their observations, which were far more valuable than they sometimes seem to think.’ Tony leads Classical Greece in May and two London Days, Ancient Greece in the British Museum in October and December.

Gavin Stamp died of cancer on 30th December 2017. He was 69. In his last months, he periodically summoned up his remaining strength to lead a London Day for us, the baldness of his prominent pate masked by an eccentric selection of caps.

His knowledge and understanding of many aspects of British architecture was unrivalled, his gifts as an architectural journalist, critic and polemicist were unsurpassed. One of the many obituaries described him as ‘the eminent architectural writer of our time’.

When I asked him whether there was substance to the rumour that he was ‘Piloti’, the Private Eye columnist, I was met by a glacial stare, but he it was. Through this column, which he took over from John Betjeman in the 1970s, he revealed and castigated venality, corruption, jobbery, environmental ghastliness and architectural bad taste. Taking these columns with his other numerous writings and talks, it is possible he had as much influence in the last forty years on restraining further degradation of the built environment in the UK as anyone else.

I first met him in 1977, when I hitchhiked across Europe to attend a debate on taste at the Architectural Association (impelled by my fascination at the time with art theory and visual perception). There he robustly championed Giles Gilbert Scott’s red telephone boxes against the utter banality of their successors (defended by the modernists as easier to clean).

I was really delighted when, after havering tantalisingly, he agreed to lead Architecture of the British Raj in 2013, and its second outing

a couple of years later. He was one of the very few architectural historians who had made a serious study of western architecture in India.

He also led many of our London Days – Great Railway Termini, Hawksmoor and Seven Churches & a Synagogue among them. In 2017 we set up a George Gilbert Scott day for him, which he was only able to lead once.

My Christmas present to myself in 2013 was a collection of his essays first published in Apollo – Anti-Ugly: Excursions in English Architecture and Design. I wrote to him to complain that it spoiled my Christmas; so compelling was it that I repeatedly crept away from family festivities to read another chapter.

Few writers in his field wrote so well. Many regard The Memorial to the Missing of the Somme as his masterpiece – indeed, his own finest memorial. He badgered us for years to set up a tour to the First World War memorials in France, but my opinion was that it should be delayed until after the centenary of the Armistice. Sadly, this turned out to be a wrong decision. I also regret deeply that I never joined one of his London Days. Stupid. Always too busy, I suppose, but this has taught me to reconsider my priorities.

He died too young.

Martin Randall.

Further obituaries can be found online at: www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/ jan/07/gavin-stamp-obituary www.apollo-magazine.com/a-tribute-to-gavinstamp-1948-2017/ Photograph ©Bill Knight 2012.

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NEWS

In November 2017 Barnaby Rogerson published In Search of Ancient North Africa: A History in Six Lives (Haus Publishing), which he describes as ‘entirely aimed at the sort of intelligent traveller on an MRT tour, whom I have taken to Morocco, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria over these last thirty years’. Barnaby leads our ever-popular London Backstreet Walk on 16 May and 25 July.

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | News from our lecturers

Albanian adventures The archaeologist Carolyn Perry, who leads MRT tours to Albania and Iran, explains why she has recently upped sticks and relocated to Albania.

I grew up in the Midlands of England and as a child it seemed to me that Stourbridge must have been the furthest place in the world from the sea.

This may be why there has always been something deeply alluring about the latter for me, culminating in a decision to move to the coast. I am now in the process of that move and as I look up from my laptop I can see the very blue and calm Adriatic lapping against the shores of the northerly part of the Bay of Durrës in Albania.

Being Albania, it is no surprise that I can also see the remains of a bunker, one of more than 173,000 (estimates vary) built across the country as part of Enver Hoxha’s plan to defend the increasingly isolated country from invasion. There aren’t as many bunkers now as when I first came here more than a decade ago, since there has been a concerted effort to break up and remove thousands of them, but I sometimes wonder if I am not actually developing ‘bunker blindness’, whereby I don’t really ‘see’ them anymore unless they are right in the middle of an archaeological site.

NEWS

Preparation for my move has included attending evening classes at UCL to learn Shqip, but I must admit that the Albanian language is a challenge. There are 36 letters in the alphabet, and it’s a fine line between a postage stamp (pullë postare) and a postage chicken (pulë postare). I’ve managed to get that one right so far, but the fact that, for example, the word mesoj can mean both ‘learn’ and ‘teach’ has been a little confusing.

A common reaction when I speak Shqip is for people to laugh, but I like to think this is because they are surprised at my speaking it at all rather than because my grasp of the language or pronunciation is actually risible.

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One of the reasons that I came to Albania is to be able to take my research to the next level and I’ve already seen enough to sense that I’ll be able to make a considerable contribution to current scholarship. Anyone who has travelled with me will know that I am fascinated by walls, and there are plenty here in Durrës dating back to various points over two and a half millennia. Hellenistic, Byzantine, mediaeval, Venetian and Ottoman walls can be traced or seen in the city. Some sections are like complex puzzles with layers of building and rebuilding, and fascinating spolia.

Recently I recorded a section that contained, among other things, a fragment of drapery

from a statue and part of an octagonal column drum. The latter is very interesting since octagonal columns are a feature of Hellenistic (or ‘Illyrian’) period stoas at the sites of Apollonia and Byllis. We don’t yet know about the existence of a stoa in Hellenistic Durrës.

We are now in the ‘Year of Skanderbeg’ marking 550 years since the death of the Albanian national hero on 17th January 1468. The Bank of Albania is showing a temporary exhibition on the depiction of Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu on the currency of Albania and I was delighted to be able to attend the opening in the Bank’s museum.

The Bank is housed in a building designed by the Italian Rationalist architect Vittorio Ballio Morpurgo and inaugurated in 1938, during the period when Albania was a de facto protectorate of Italy. The building has a sympathetic modern extension wrapped onto the circular core of Morpurgo’s design that still allows a considerable amount of the original structure to be seen.

Visitors to the museum are also able to visit a good part of Morpurgo’s building, including the central circular hall with its wall mosaic by Giulio Rossi, which shows people engaged in different modes of work across the millennia, particularly farming and fishing, and then exchanging the fruits of their labours. The guide explained to us that the mosaic represents the idea that ‘treasure’ or wealth comes from the earth and that through hard work and by working together society becomes enriched. It struck me that this explanation was rather more suited to

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the Communist period than the time of the mosaic’s conception.

Moving here is a voyage of discovery in more ways than one and, though Albania may be an unusual destination for a relocation, it is and has always been a wonderful and welcoming place for visitors. I am following in the footsteps of Lord Byron, Colonel Leake, Edward Lear and Edith Durham, to name but a few, and am eagerly anticipating welcoming fellow travellers on the Albania: Crossroads of Antiquity tour later this year.

Albania: Crossroads of Antiquity, 11–20 April and 12–21 September 2018. Please contact us for full details or visit www.martinrandall.com.

We will also offer two departures in 2019, in April and October. Please contact us to register your interest.

Photographs of Durres ©Carolyn Perry, from top: the bay; Byzantine mosaics in the amphitheatre.

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | News from our lecturers

Crete: a legendary island where gastronomy meets diet Food writer and lecturer Rosemary Barron introduces the gastronomic attractions of Crete.

For the physicians of Cretan and later, Greek, antiquity, diet (diaita) meant ‘a way of living’; specifically, a way of living with good health, enjoyment and consideration for the natural world.

The same society gave us the word gastronomy (gastronomia), ‘the art and knowledge involved in preparing and eating good food’. Millennia later, we can still find these words alive in the work of the island’s traditional food producers, cooks, artists and artisans.

I first visited Crete just 18 years after Ancel Keys. Roads, where they existed, were in poor shape, there was no gas supply and only the towns had electricity (occasionally). This Crete wasn’t much different from the island Keys had experienced. In the weeks I spent there, as a student-volunteer on an isolated archaeological dig, I felt much healthier than I did at home, in London. I instinctively knew that the reason for this was the food, the many miles I had to walk, and the sharing of our tables with friends and strangers.

Today, the word gastronomy, like the word diet, has shifted in meaning, and is usually associated with ‘fine dining’. But art is more than a pretty plate, and while master-chefs have a great skill, it doesn’t generally include knowledge, or practice of, healthy eating and rarely welcomes everyone to the table.

Cretan gastronomy, on the other hand, is a way of life that incorporates knowledge of the production and health value of foods with the art of enjoying them in ways that nurture mind and body. To do this, cooks seek out the largest possible variety of grown or gathered local foods and eat them at their seasonal, nutritional best, the moment when they excite the most with their different flavours and textures. Centre-table are breads – slowfermented, whole-grain – vegetables and often pulses, while fish and meats are enjoyed in their ‘seasons’. These are based on breeding habits and the ability of animals to feed well.

Some of the most appreciated island foods are ‘lesser’ seafoods and meats – octopus, sea urchins, tiny fish, snails, offal and small game.

oregano), fennel, dill – are added to a dish in large handfuls, others – rosemary, thyme, marjoram, sage – in smaller ones.

Centre-stage is olive oil. Extra-virgin, and preferably consumed in the year of its production. It is now widely considered a ‘super food’, so much of the Cretans’ good health can be traced to its copious use in island kitchens.

Sweet-taste the natural way. Cretan thymehoney is more than a sugar-substitute – it has nutritional and healing qualities, too. With only a few days a year without sunshine and much pesticide-free land, bees have a good life on the island.

Greens, too, the wilder the better.

A neighbour of mine knew exactly where and when to find over 60 kinds of wild greens and herbs, and how best to prepare and serve them. They contain more, and a greater variety of, nutrients than commercially-grown greens. Some of our own most nutritious and flavourful leaves end up on our compost heaps – beetroot, turnip, radish greens – when they could be foraged.

Turned into salads or side dishes (khorta), Cretan-style – with plenty of olive oil – they make very good eating.

And enjoy a glass of wine. Existing right at the heart of the ancient wine-world, wine is as much part of a Cretan’s diet as olive oil. Made fresh each year and consumed with gusto, ‘village wine’ takes a little getting used to, so it’s good news that, today, modern island wineries are winning international medals.

Skilled winemakers are also bringing back the island’s medieval malmsey wine, and making fine wines with its unique, and sometimes ancient, grape varietals.

Cheeses are on every table. Made with milk (mostly sheep, some goat) from animals that eat a melange of wild herbs and graze outside year-round, they possess nutrients that are missing from the highly-processed, factory-farmed milk cheeses we find on our supermarket shelves.

Herbs are measured by hand, not with a spoon. The medicinal value of a herb or spice is never far from a Cretan cook’s mind; some herbs – parsley, coriander, rigani (Greek

Gastronomic Crete, 30 September–8 October 2018. Please contact us for full details or visit www.martinrandall.com. Or please contact us to register your interest in this tour in 2019.

Above: Crete, wood engraving c. 1890.

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NEWS

In our own societies’ attempts to understand the relationship between food and health, a ‘eureka’ moment took place 70 years ago. In wealthy America, heart disease was on the rise. An American researcher, Ancel Keys, discovered that, in war-torn, poverty-stricken Crete, heart disease was relatively rare. He concluded that it was to do with the Cretans’ diet and way of life. The timing of his study has since been criticised (it took place during an Orthodox fast which, in the 1940s, was strictly followed), but the general good health of the people was there for all to see.

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | News from our lecturers

Baptism by Fire?

One of our most frequent lecturers, Dr Antonia Whitley, recalls some scary moments in her early years as a tour leader.

Now entering my twenty-first year of lecturing for Martin Randall, I have a fund of memories, but what sticks out from the early years are two incidents that caused me some palpitation to say the least. In the early days, of course, there were no mobile telephones and no tour managers, making the role of lecturer at times even more challenging.

The first of these memories involves me losing the whole group. I am not sure I ever told the office. We were arriving in Arezzo, where we

were to disperse for lunch to then proceed in the afternoon to see what would be one of the highlights of the tour, Piero della Francesca’s Legend of the True Cross at San Francesco.

That visit would involve the excitement of going up on the scaffolding, since the frescoes were undergoing a lengthy and much overdue restoration.

I suggested to the group that they make their way to the Piazza Grande, the picturesque mediaeval centre where there was a choice of places in which to have lunch, saying I would come and fetch them there at 2pm.

Meanwhile, I scuttled off to queue for the tickets for our visit to see the frescoes.

At 1.50pm, as I turned into one of the side streets leading to the Piazza Grande, I was

stopped by a Carabinieri officer, with gofaster stripes down his legs. He told me that there was no entry to the square, because it had been cordoned off due to filming taking place there. I pleaded with him to let me in, since my group was awaiting me. My evident distress was to no avail, since, as he assured – it was quite impossible that any of the group could be within the cordon….

Now, in case anyone reading this is worried about the fate of our clients that day – let me reassure you, they are not all still walking around the seventh circle of Hell – and we did link up in the end!

The second memory that stands out involved another hazard of the business. It was pouring with rain that day and the group and I made our way along the cobbled streets of Florence to the Dominican church of Santa Maria Novella, where we were to spend the whole morning, viewing all its wonderful painted treasures. With brollies up, once arrived in the square, I faced the group (as instructed in the MRT Lecturers’ Manual) with my back to the front of the church to introduce the context of the square and some of its salient features.

I could not help noticing that while I was talking, someone at the back of the group, kept putting his hand up, as if to say something. When I had finished my introduction, I turned to that person and asked him if he had a question. ‘Yes, Antonia’, came his momentous response, ‘is there any significance in the fact that the doors of the church are firmly closed and there is a white envelope pinned to them with the words ‘Chiuso per Oggi’ written across it in bold letters’!?

I went cold, I was pretty new at the job and had not then anticipated having a plan B. I quickly thought one up….

It is all part of the rich pattern of lecturing for MRT. And let me add, mobile phones and tour managers make a significant difference to the experience today!

NEWS

Antonia leads numerous tours and London Days for MRT. Among them are: Piero della Francesca, 22–28 October 2018; The Italian Renaissance at the National Gallery, 14 June and 8 November 2018; Footpaths of Umbria, 7–14 May 2018; and of course Florence: Cradle of the Renaissance, February 2019 (please contact us to register your interest).

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Left: Florence, Badia (abbey) and Bargello (chief magistrate’s fortress), English engraving c. 1850.

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Sustainable tourism | Staff news

Sustainable tourism update Our ongoing fundraising campaign for Action for Conservation, and more.

After eight years at the helm, Jo Murray handed over the role of Sustainable Tourism Officer to Emmanuela Wroth. Emmanuela takes over at an exciting time for the ST team, with more members than ever before, and ambitious projects in the works.

If you would like to help us to reach our goal, you can donate on our Virgin Money Giving page: uk.virginmoneygiving. com/Team/MartinRandallTravel – MRT will match all donations up until we reach our target.

At the end of 2017, we announced our support for Action for Conservation (AFC). AFC works alongside partners such as the National Trust to inspire young people to become the next generation of nature conservationists.

As before, along with offering our clients the option to pay a carbon offset donation every time they book a tour with us that includes flights, we also make a carbon offset donation for every lecturer, tour manager or member of office staff travelling by air on company business.

Through these donations, we support the India Solar Water Heating project, which provides in-house hot water supplies fuelled by renewable energy to homes, community buildings and small to medium-sized businesses throughout India.

Working exclusively with young people aged 12–18, via workshops in deprived inner-city schools and on residential camps, they help to fill a significant gap in provision in the UK – there is otherwise very little in the way of conservation education for young people in this age range.

We have undertaken the target of raising £3,000 by May 2018 to fund places for four young people on one of Action for Conservation’s summer camps, and we are delighted to have already raised over £1,770– nearly 60% of our target. We have reached this through a combination of generous donations and two of our own fundraising initiatives: • On the 19th December, the MRT Christmas Choir entertained the commuters at Gunnersbury Station and collected £200.46

for Save the Children and £87.22 for Action for Conservation – which MRT has matched, to double the total to £174.44.

• On Shrove Tuesday, the ST team held its first bake sale in our Voysey House office, with delicious home-made treats ranging from lime drizzle cake to (very essentially) blueberry pancakes. The sale raised over £165 towards our final target, which again has been matched by MRT.

On a day-to-day level, our office endeavours to be as sustainable as possible. This includes recycling old IT equipment and office furniture as well as the more obvious items such as paper, packaging and food waste.

We give our clients the option of receiving documents electronically, all our brochures are printed on paper sourced sustainably, and we use a ‘green’ stationery supplier.

By Miles Rowland Photograph ©Action for Conservation.

News from our staff Raising money for Mind

Twenty years at MRT

Stephanie Bourgeois (Client Manager for Martin Randall Australasia) and her husband, Ash, welcomed baby Ethan into the world on 20th February 2018. All three are doing well.

In autumn 2017, Lizzy Holsgrove and Emma Bywater took on their first ever triathlon and half marathon respectively, in order to raise money and awareness for Mind, the Mental Health Charity. Lizzy jumped in at the deep end and swam 800m in a lake, cycled 40km and ran 8km at the picturesque Hever Castle, childhood home of Anne Boleyn. Emma ran The Royal Parks Half Marathon in just under 2 hours and took in central London’s glorious parkland en route. They raised a combined total of £3,648.30 for Mind.

Fiona Charrington, Chief Operating Officer of MRT, and Kelly Ward, Director of Martin Randall Australasia, marking twenty years of service in 2017. In celebration they returned to their haunt of the ‘90s on the Chiswick High Road, Pizza Express.

NEWS

A new arrival

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Partnerships

Partnerships Collaborations with HALI magazine and The Churches Conservation Trust.

Working with HALI magazine We are delighted that our collaboration with HALI magazine, the leading publication in the world of antique carpets, textiles and Islamic art continues to result in new and highly original itineraries.

These expert-led tours focus on carpets and textiles but also allow plenty of opportunity to explore the architecture, decorative arts and cultural history of the regions we visit.

New in 2018 is Textile Arts of Japan (31 October–12 November 2018) led by Alan Kennedy, art dealer and independent researcher specialising in Japanese and Chinese textiles and costume, and Ben Evans, Managing Director and Editor of HALI Publications Ltd. See page 36 for preliminary details, and please contact us to register your interest.

New: The Churches Conservation Trust

NEWS

The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) is the national charity protecting historic churches at risk and has an international award-winning reputation in heritage conservation, regeneration and community engagement. Its collection of over 350 churches includes irreplaceable examples of history, art and architecture representing 1,000 years of English history and attracts almost two million visitors a year. www.visitchurches.org.uk

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Yorkshire Churches & Cathedrals (10–13 September 2018) is our first collaboration with CCT, offering a short but comprehensive survey of the rich collection of mediaeval ecclesiastical buildings in Yorkshire. For full details, please contact us or visit www.martinrandall.com Right: York Minster, engraving by H. Cave c. 1850.

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‘For over forty years HALI magazine has mapped the world of antique carpets and textiles, so when we decided to offer HALI readers specialist textiles tours, teaming up with Martin Randall Travel – also an acknowledged leader in its field – was a natural fit. Our close collaboration enables us to combine exclusive access to collections not normally on public view and indepth specialist commentary with an excellent overview of the culture, history, architecture and cuisine of the countries to which we travel. The relationship that we have with MRT is second to none, and we are always happy to recommend the company both to our clients and indeed our prospective clients.’

Ben Evans – MD & Editor, HALI. See also pages 35–36 for Textile Arts of India with HALI, 9–22 February 2019, led

by Rosemary Crill, former Senior Curator for South Asia at the V&A. Photo: ceremonial hanging, Gujarat, c.1450–1500 (c) TAPI Collection, India (image courtesy of HALI).

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Staff travels

Vietnam – some war, mainly peace Emmanuela Wroth describes a recent prospecting trip to Vietnam, a new destination for MRT in response to growing client demand to visit this exciting country.

As we approached Hanoi, dozy from the long flight from London, we were greeted by the multicoloured spectacle of the Nhat Tan Bridge, lit up at night, swiftly followed by another colourful feast, the night-time flower market. In the days that followed, our first impressions of this luminous, awe-inspiring country would not be disappointed.

The next day we found our bearings in Hanoi with a cyclo tour of the historic centre, exploring its fascinating maze of back streets, followed by a street food tour sampling local delicacies, such as vegetable rolls, broths, bun noodles and traditional egg coffee – a welcome antidote to jetlag.

The Temple of Literature (aka the Confucius Temple), founded in the late 11th century, was the first university in Vietnam. It is now a popular place of prayer for students before exams and for photos afterwards, in full graduation garb. The Tran Quoc Pagoda, located on a small island on the west lake, is the oldest pagoda in Hanoi. Other highlights of the city include St Joseph’s Cathedral, the Natural History museum, with its fascinating prehistoric artefacts and the Ethnology museum, which houses an extensive collection of traditional objects from Vietnam’s 54 ethnic minority groups.

encompasses the Forbidden City and the Emperor’s Palace, as well as lesser known, but no less spectacular sites, such as the queen mother’s residence.

Taking a scenic train down the coast to Danang, we continued by road to the sleepy coastal city of Hoi An. After a compulsory Bánh mì (the famed baguette, introduced by the French) we walked through the old quarter. Here ancient merchant houses display Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese architectural influences; there is a sixteenthcentury Japanese bridge and the Assembly Hall, with its intricate woodcarvings.

The market brims with local specialties; meanwhile, a stay in Hoi An is arguably incomplete without a visit to one of the many tailors, where you can see all the stages of production, from the silkworms spinning and the machines weaving, to an overwhelming selection of fabrics from which to choose for your garment.

Our final stop was Saigon, an architectural cocktail of French colonial style, social realism (designed or influenced by the USSR), pagodas and communal houses with many Chinese features, merchants’ residences, modern buildings and vernacular houses.

Here we took a jeep tour, passing sites such as the iconic Opera House, Notre Dame Cathedral – a red brick edifice with twin spires constructed from materials imported from France – the Central Post Office, completed in 1891, and Reunification Palace,

the headquarters of the Saigon Government during the American War until the Viet Cong stormed its gates in 1975. One day we ventured out to the infamous but fascinating Cu Chi tunnels, a network of connecting underground routes that were integral to the Viet Cong’s success in the war. This was coupled with a peaceful visit to the Cau Dai temple whose elaborate, multi-coloured architecture reflects its creed’s combination of Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity and Islam. We concluded our trip with a restful final day on the Mekong Delta, where we cruised past banana and pomelo plantations, stopped off at a brick factory, a coconut farm and a rice mill.

The ingredients of our fascinating trip will form the basis of our 2019 Vietnam tour, soon to be launched. Our trip also included visits to military sites such as the Khe Sanh US airbase, the Vinh Moc tunnels and My Lai, which will feature on a Vietnam War history tour that we hope to launch next year for 2020. If you are interested in either of the above we invite you to register your interest for upcoming information.

Vietnam, 12–26 February 2019, lecturer: Dana Healy. Please contact us to register your interest.

Below: Halong Bay, photographed by Emmanuela Wroth.

After three days in the capital, we travelled to Halong Bay, a unesco World Heritage site and the world’s largest marine limestone karst landscape. My words just can’t do it justice, so I have included a photo I took in an attempt to capture some of the wonder it inspired.

On our cruise we passed floating villages, underground caves and climbed up rock formations for jaw-dropping views.

NEWS

Next we flew to Hue, Vietnam’s capital from 1802 to 1945, where we took a dragon boat down the perfume river, passing water buffaloes and paddy fields on our way to the seventeenth-century Thien Mu (Heavenly Lady) Pagoda, which still functions as a monastery, peacefully situated on the riverfront with a large collection of Bonsai and Frangipani trees. Hue is home to many private garden houses, a couple of which we visited, and whose inhabitants explained to us the fascinating geomantic principles underpinning their construction. However, Hue is best known for its Old Citadel.

Surrounded by a moat and stone walls, it Telephone +44 (0)20 8742 3355 | info@martinrandall.co.uk | www.martinrandall.com

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Staff travels

Tasting Le Marche Hannah King, operations manager for MRT’s tours to Italy, travelled to Le Marche with tour manager Alberto Spairani to prospect for a new gastronomy and walking tour for 2018.

Le Marche remains one of Italy’s least explored regions, yet there is no reason why it should play second fiddle to its more visited neighbours, Tuscany and Umbria.

There are few other areas whose geography includes practically all the landscapes for which Italy is famous – rocky mountain ranges, mediaeval hill towns, white-pebble beaches, clifftop woodlands, verdant valleys, ancient sites – which have resulted in an abundant range of cuisine and wines, as well as excellent terrain for walking.

The first base for the tour is Ascoli Piceno, an enchanting Roman market town sitting in a valley encircled by wooded hills and the Tronto River. Our first stop was Migliori, the best place to sample the town’s eponymous specialty, olive ascolane. Of all the green olives grown in Italy, those from the Ascoli region are celebrated as the juiciest and sweetest. The Migliori family fill them with an aromatic meat stuffing (traditionally leftovers), coat them in breadcrumbs and fry them. These go down very well with a glass of local white wine, such as Verdicchio or Pecorino.

Another highlight in Ascoli is Meletti, a historic café in Piazza del Popolo, famous for its evening aperitivo (accompanied by plentiful stuzzichini: local soft salame, cheeses, bruschette) but also for its own anisetta, Ascoli’s answer to pastis or ouzo.

Outside Ascoli we visited the Borgo Storico Seghetti Panichi, a bioenergetic garden and park run and championed by Principessa Giulia Panichi Pignatelli and her daughter Principessa Stefania. The garden was designed by the German botanist Ludwig Winter (1846–1912) and is home to a variety of plant species, some of which are incorporated into the traditional dishes created by Marchigiano chef Davide. Nearby is the renowned Cocci Grifoni winery, another family-run business (now managed by sisters Marilena and Paola) where we saw the cantina, which is built into the rocky hill – the natural cold and humidity create ideal conditions for developing the tenuta’s Pecorino, an ancient

Only an hour or so from here, in complete contrast, is Monte Conero National Park, where the pine-clad almost-mountain (Monte Conero is a few metres short of the technical designation) and limestone cliffs overhang gravelly beaches and the glittering Adriatic. Here we went our separate ways: Alberto to test out the shady woodland trails and panoramic views of the Pian Grande, and me to meet the pescatori (fishermen) dei moscioli of Portonovo. Moscioli are a particular type of wild mussels, found only in Portonovo, and are a designated Slow Food Presidio product. The white sandy beach (almost all the other beaches on the Riviera del Conero are pebbled) is home to several simple restaurants, all supplied by the local fishermen. Alberto walked down to meet me here: lunch on Ristorante Emilia’s pinewood deck, eating spaghetti ai moscioli with the sound of the lapping Adriatic, was probably the pinnacle of our trip.

In Italy, gastronomy is always closely linked to the land, and Le Marche is no exception – the region’s cuisine reflects and is shaped by its geology, and Alberto had the opportunity to get a real sense of this on this on his country rambles, which present plenty of variety.

One is set in a nature reserve in a valley near Tolentino and Urbisaglia, and starts at the Abbazia di Fiastra, a beautifully preserved Cistercian abbey, following the course of the river Fiastra through both woodland and open countryside; the other is a real truffle hunt near Acqualunga, considered by some to be the truffle capital of Italy, in the province of Pesaro and Urbino.

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grape variety that had disappeared before it was rediscovered by Guido Cocci Grifoni, the sisters’ grandfather.

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Staff travels

Island of the Yellow Pumpkin Lucy Taylor explains why the island of Naoshima makes the perfect ending to an art-focused visit to Japan.

Alberto continued without me to Senigallia, where Uliassi (two Michelin stars) provides a contrast to the robust, peasant cooking of the agriturismi and the simple steamed mussels of Portonovo. This is contemporary seafood in its most elegant and civilised form, yet still remains loyal to the culinary traditions of the region, such as revamped brodetto, a fish stew originally made as a way to use up the small catch that came in with the fisherman’s haul.

The 2018 Tastes of Le Marche, like all our Italian gastronomic tours, also takes in art and architecture along the way – how could it not?

The final base of the tour is grandiose, goldenage Urbino, one of Italy’s most lovely towns. It is home to most of the best art in Le Marche and is one of my favourite places in Italy.

In 2019 this tour will have even more of an art focus – instead of the walks (truffle hunt excepted), gastronomy lecturer Marc Millon will be joined by art historian and Le Marche expert, Dr Thomas-Leo True.

Le Marche is still reeling from relatively recent earthquakes, and for this reason the more mountainous Monti Sibillini (not visited on by us or on the tour) remain impossible to visit. One explanation as to why the area is relatively under-visited is surely because its terrain means that it is more difficult to access than Umbria and Tuscany. It is a region of abundant charm, great (and sometimes wild) natural beauty and irresistible food – yet remains a delightful secret awaiting discovery.

Tastes of Le Marche, 17–24 September 2018.

Please contact us for full details or visit www. martinrandall.com. Or May 2019 – please contact us to register your interest.

Photographs, opposite page from top: Cocci Grifoni winery in the Piceno hills; Café Meletti (anisetta producer) and Palazzo dei Capitani del Popolo in Ascoli Piceno.

Taken by Hannah King.

Naoshima is worth visiting for the art alone, but it is also a stunning spot to rest your senses after the somewhat frenetic pace of Japan’s major cities. Now I can fully appreciate why our Art in Japan tour allows two whole days here at the end of the itinerary, with time to explore the incredible museums, art installations and breath-taking sea views. While it might be considered far off the tourist track, I think it is fair to say that few places in the world can boast an entire island of eclectic art set in such dramatic scenery.

Originally a sleepy fishing town, Naoshima was transformed into a home for the Benesse Art Site, an impressive collection of contemporary art, architecture and installations, in the late 1980s. Although the island is small, spanning a mere 10-mile circumference, it is filled with curiosities and eccentric character.

I arrived into the island’s Miyanoura Port on a sunny morning in November and immediately felt I was somewhere special.

It started with the architecture of the ferry terminal, which consists of mirrored glass walls that reflect the spectacular surrounding scenery. I took a shuttle bus across the island, passing traditional wooden houses of the former fishing village, all the while catching glimpses of the vibrant sculptures that scatter the coastline.

Perched at the end of a pier, the Yellow Pumpkin (1994) by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama came into view. The bulbous fruit sculpture has become an iconic symbol of the island itself; Kusama’s lifelong obsession with pumpkins is a motif that populates her work and attracts the attention of contemporary art lovers the world over. The sculpture is playful and exuberant, yet it exudes an overwhelming sense of serenity due to its contemplative setting on the seashore.

The shuttle dropped me at the Benesse House complex, a set of four exclusive hotels designed by Japanese architect Tadāo Andō.

Being both a museum and a hotel, Benesse House is a remarkable place to stay. Modern and contemporary art is displayed in the museum’s galleries, as well as within the hotel rooms themselves, meaning that guests can engage with artworks wherever they go. Art on display includes works by Andy Warhol, David Hockney and Jasper Johns.

The hotel buildings, called the Oval, Museum, Beach and Park, are subtly nestled in coves along the waterfront or sited neatly on a clifftop. It became apparent as I made my way around, that Andõ’s architectural style focuses on simplicity and inner feeling, rather than outward appearance.

With his simple lines of concrete, glass and wood, the complex complementing the natural surroundings beautifully.

A short stroll from the hotel complex is the Andō-designed Lee Ufan Museum and Chichu Art Museum. A series of concretewalled spaces built semi-underground blend into the landscape. I was particularly fond of the Chichu Museum; despite being mostly underground, the building is designed to let in an abundance of natural light that in turn illuminates the artworks, including several of Monet’s water lily paintings, sculptures by Walter de Maria and installations by James Turrell. The museum thus warrants multiple visits, since the experience of the spaces can change dramatically depending on the season and time of day.

My final stop was The Naoshima Art House Project, which takes some of the empty houses in the old fishing village and turns them into works of art.

What I loved about Naoshima was how even the residential streets, with their old traditional Japanese houses, are seen in an artistic way, encouraging a positive interaction between residents and visitors and beautifully incorporating the history and everyday memories of small-town Japanese life.

Art in Japan, 20–31 May 2019 and 18–29 November 2019. Please contact us for full details or visit www.martinrandall.com.

Above: Kusama’s ‘Yellow Pumpkin’, taken by Lucy Taylor.

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NEWS

We also visited the Agriturismo Agra Mater, a farmhouse restaurant that serves Marchigiano dishes straight from its own soil.

Specialties include vincisgrassi, the lasagna to end all lasagne, made with meat ragù, chicken livers, prosciutto, white sauce and sometimes even Acqualunga truffles; cresciafojata, a fig and almond strudel; and local craft beer, cheeses and ciauscolo – a soft smoked sausage.

Chef and owner Lara, who grew up nearby and returned to the region after university, told me of her mission to preserve the dishes of her childhood.

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Christmas & New Year

Modern Art on the Côte d’Azur at Christmas Picasso, Matisse, Chagall and their contemporaries

21–27 December 2018 (me 394) 7 days • £2,860 Lecturer: Lydia Bauman Europe’s greatest concentration of classic modern art, in a setting of idyllic scenery and pretty towns.

Bonnard, Braque, Léger, Miró, Giacometti, Chagall, Matisse, Picasso, Renoir.

christmas & new year

Stay in Nice throughout, in a comfortable 4-star hotel on the Promenade des Anglais; all rooms have a sea view.

This tour is an extraordinary opportunity to see how modernity relates to the past as well as the present, and how gallery displays can be centred on the art, the location or the patron/collector. In Matisse’s Chapelle du Rosaire at Vence, traditional arts and crafts have been revived by a modern genius, as in the monumental mosaic and glass designs of Léger which can be seen at Biot.

There are also echoes of collecting habits of earlier eras in the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild.

The mixture of past and present and the juxtaposition of the Goût Rothschild with the beauty of its location are breathtaking. (Graham Sutherland drew exotic flowers and plants in the extraordinary gardens.)

At Antibes the Picasso Museum is housed in the Château Grimaldi, lent to Picasso as studio space in 1946 where he produced life-affirming paintings.

Old and new galleries abound, such as the Fondation Maeght, St-Paul-de-Vence, whose building (designed by José Luis Sert, 1963) makes it a work of outstanding sympathy to its natural surroundings, in gardens enlivened by Miró’s Labyrinthe and other sculptures.

Natural resources and climate have drawn invaders and visitors to Nice and its surroundings from the Greek colonists of classical times to the jet-set of today. But from the late nineteenth century a special category of visitor – and settler – has transformed the Côte d’Azur into the greatest concentration of modern art in Europe.

Monet first visited Antibes in 1884; Signac bought a house in the fishing village of StTropez in 1892; Renoir moved to Cagnes-surMer in 1895 and remained there for the rest of his life. Matisse’s first visit to the Midi in 1904 transformed his art, and from 1918 he spent more time on the Côte d’Azur than in Paris.

Matisse, Chagall and Picasso are merely among the most illustrious of the artists who chose to live in the South of France. Many of their fellow modernisers followed suit: Braque, Bonnard, Dufy, Picabia.

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Itinerary Day 1: Nice. Fly at c.11.45am from London Heathrow to Nice. There is an afternoon visit to the Musée des Beaux Arts Jules Cheret, concentrating on their 19th- and early 20thcentury holdings (Monet, Renoir, Dufy, etc.).

All six nights are spent in Nice.

Day 2: Nice, Vence, Cagnes-sur-Mer. The Musée Matisse unites a wide range of the artist’s work; sculpture, ceramics, stained glass as well as painting. Vence, an artists’ colony, has the Chapel of the Rosary, designed and decorated

by Matisse. Renoir’s house at Cagnes-sur-Mer is set amidst olive groves, a memorial to the only major Impressionist to settle in the south.

Day 3: Nice. The Marc Chagall Museum has the largest collection of the artist’s works, notably the seventeen canvases of the Biblical Message, set in a peaceful garden in a salubrious Nice suburb. The afternoon is free in Nice; there is an optional visit to the Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain with its excellent collection of post-war art.

Day 4: Christmas Eve: Antibes, Vallauris.

Most of the paintings Picasso produced in his studio in the Château Grimaldi in 1946 have been donated to the town of Antibes.

Vallauris is a centre of contemporary pottery revived by Picasso, whose masterpiece War and Peace is here.

Day 5: Christmas Day: St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, StPaul-de-Vence. Drive east to St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat to see the paintings, sculpture and furniture of the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, a mansion set in attractive gardens. The Maeght Foundation at St-Paul-de-Vence is renowned for its collections (Picasso, Hepworth, Miró, Arp, Giacometti, but not all works are shown at once) and for its architecture and setting.

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Christmas & New Year

Day 6: St-Tropez, Biot. Drive west to StTropez, which has been popular with artists since Paul Signac settled here in 1892. The Musée de l’Annonciade is one of France’s finest collections of modern art (Signac, Maillol, Matisse, Bonnard, Vlaminck, Braque). Continue to Biot and visit the renovated Musée National Fernand Léger, built to house the artist’s works bequeathed to his wife.

Day 7: Le Cannet, Nice. The first museum dedicated to the works of Bonnard opened in Le Cannet in 2011. Fly from Nice arriving at London Heathrow at c. 5.00pm.

Lecturer Lydia Bauman. Art historian, artist, and lecturer at the National Gallery. Lydia studied at Newcastle University and the Courtauld Institute, specialising in Matisse and 19th–20th century European and American art.

She has lectured at the Tate, National Portrait Gallery, Museum of Fine Arts Boston and Arts Club of Chicago.

Practicalities Price, per person. Two sharing: £2,860 or £2,690 without flights. Single occupancy: £3,170 or £3,000 without flights.

Vienna at Christmas

Barcelona at Christmas

20-27 December 2018 (me 390) Lecturer: Dr Jarl Kremeier Details available in April 2018 Contact us to register your interest

20-26 December 2018 (me 391) Lecturer: Patrick Bade Please contact us for full details or visit www.martinrandall.com

Dresden at Christmas 20-27 December 2018 (me 385) Lecturer: John Holloway Details available in April 2018 Contact us to register your interest

Music in Berlin at New Year 27 December 2018–2 Jan. 2019 Lecturer: Tom Abbott Details available in May 2018 Contact us to register your interest

Included meals: 5 dinners with wine. See page 3 for what we include as standard in our prices.

Accommodation: Hotel La Pérouse (leshotelsduroy.com): stylish 4-star hotel partially built into the cliff and overlooking the Promenade des Anglais. Rooms are furnished in modern Provençal style and all have a sea view.

Single rooms are doubles for sole use.

How strenuous? There is a fair amount of walking and standing around in museums.

Average distance by coach per day: 40 miles

‘This was our first Martin Randall trip. We enjoyed it enormously and will almost certainly be back for more’

Left, Nice, etching c. 1925 by Frederick Farrell.

Right, Dresden, Zwinger Palace after Prout (c. 1850).

Making a booking: see page 3 Telephone +44 (0)20 8742 3355 | info@martinrandall.co.uk | www.martinrandall.com

christmas & new year

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Christmas & New Year

Milan at Christmas Italy’s northern capital Milan was no Renaissance upstart: it had been capital of the western Roman Empire for over a hundred years, in succession to Rome itself, and in the Early Middle Ages remained a major centre of commerce, manufacture and the Church. At first, power coalesced around the archbishop but subsequently shifted towards civic institutions, the merchants and manufacturers, only to be seized in 1277 by a scion of the dominant family, Ottone Visconti – who, as it happens, was the archbishop.

Despite the vicissitudes of early modern history, when Lombardy was under occupation successively by France, Spain and Austria, Milan held its position as Italy’s most economically advanced city. And so it remains, with fashion and design to the fore. It has the feel of a busy and prosperous capital, with the surprising feature that the number of tourists is low.

Itinerary 21–27 December 2018 (me 395) 7 days • £2,840 Lecturer: Dr Luca Leoncini Outstanding Renaissance architecture and works of art, including Leonardo’s Last Supper and Michelangelo’s Rondanini Pietà.

A highly important group of Early mediaeval and Romanesque churches and the most spectacular Gothic cathedral in Italy.

Major art galleries and other collections in museums and palaces.

Excursions to Bergamo and Vigevano, among the loveliest towns in northern Italy, and to the magnificent Certosa di Pavia.

Day 2: Milan. Start the day at Sant’Eustorgio, an important Early Christian church rebuilt several times during the Middle Ages and further embellished in the Renaissance. The Castello Sforzesco is a vast fortified palace, now with museums containing a variety of exhibits including room decorations by Leonardo and Michelangelo’s Rondanini Pietà. Finally, the Brera, one of Italy’s finest art galleries, where most of the great Italian artists are represented.

Day 3: Certosa di Pavia, Milan. Drive out to the Certosa di Pavia, a Carthusian monastery which was generously endowed by both the Visconti and the Sforza families as their mausoleum.

Gothic meets Renaissance in a church of exceptional decorative richness and a cloister of rare beauty. Back in Milan, see frescoes by leading Lombard painters of the 16th century at San Maurizio and the small but remarkable art collection in the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana.

christmas & new year

Based in a 5-star hotel in the centre of Milan.

Day 1. Fly at c. 10.30am from London Heathrow to Milan (British Airways). After settling into the hotel, walk to the Poldi Pezzoli Museum, which houses a wonderful collection of decorative and fine art in a 17th-century palace.

The Duchy of Milan – approximately coterminous with modern Lombardy – was the wealthiest and most powerful territory in mediaeval and Renaissance Italy, and its eponymous metropolis was possibly the largest city in Europe. A telling detail is that the greatest genius of his time, Leonardo da Vinci, chose to spend much of his working life in Milan rather than in other Italian cities that are now more commonly associated with artistic and intellectual endeavour.

The ruling dynasties in mediaeval Lombardy were the Visconti and, after 1450, the Sforza. They produced a string of the most feared rulers in Italy – but also created around them the most glittering court in the peninsula, the rival of any in Europe. Artists, musicians and men of letters flocked here to participate in the unending spectacle of court life, and to compete for unparalleled opportunities to exercise their talents.

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Day 4: Vigevano. A very attractive little town, Vigevano has at its heart one of the largest castles in Italy, a major Sforza palace, a beautiful arcaded square and several churches of interest.

The church of Sant’Ambrogio in Milan is one of northern Italy’s most important survivals from the Early Middle Ages, the fabric largely of the 4th–13th centuries. It contains precious metalwork and mosaics.

Day 5: (Christmas Day) Milan. Free morning, with the option of attending a church service.

Lunch is in the hotel restaurant. There is a walk in the afternoon, which includes the spectacular marble cathedral, the greatest Gothic building

in Italy, and the nearby headquarters of the powers whose rivalry ensured a continuously lively (and sometimes deadly) political scene: bishop, duke and commune. Also see San Satiro, a jewel of the Early Renaissance.

Day 6: Bergamo. The Upper Town of Bergamo is one of the most attractive old city centres in Italy. The Romanesque Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is part of the superb architectural complex of Piazza del Duomo.

The adjacent Cappella Colleoni has frescoes

by Tiepolo. See also the outstanding collection of paintings in the Accademia Carrara and an altarpiece by one-time resident Lorenzo Lotto in the Lower Town.

Day 7: Milan. The graceful Renaissance church of Santa Maria delle Grazie alone justifies a visit, though it is the refectory that gives the monastery fame: it is adorned with the world’s most famous wall painting, Leonardo’s Last Supper. Fly in the afternoon from Milan Linate, arriving London Heathrow at c. 5.30pm.

Lecturer Dr Luca Leoncini. Art historian with a speciality in 15th-century painting and a wide knowledge of Italian art and architecture, he obtained a degree and PhD at Rome University and studied at the Warburg Institute in London. He has also written on Mantegna and Renaissance drawings. He is one of MRT’s longest serving lecturers.

Practicalities Price, per person. Two sharing: £2,840 or £2,670 without flights. Single occupancy: £3,150 or £2,980 without flights.

Included meals: 1 lunch (Christmas Day) and 4 dinners with wine. See page 3 for what we include as standard in our prices.

Accommodation. The Four Seasons (fourseasons.com/milan): 5-star hotel converted from a 15th-century convent located in the heart of Milan’s fashion district, retaining many original features.

How strenuous? There is quite a lot of walking on this tour and it is not suitable for anyone who has difficulties with everyday walking and stair climbing. Visits require a fair amount of standing around. Average distance by coach per day: 27 miles.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Above left, Milan, cathedral and tower of S. Gottardo, watercolour by Frank Fox, publ. 1925.

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Christmas & New Year

Verona at Christmas with Mantua and Padua 20–27 December 2018 (me 393) 8 days • £2,920 Lecturer: Dr Susan Steer

Itinerary

See the grand Roman amphitheatre, excellent art gallery and exquisite churches in Verona.

Day 2: Verona. Walk through some of the streets and squares at the heart of the city. The Piazza delle Erbe (still the produce market) and Piazza dei Signori are surrounded by magnificent mediaeval palazzi and an exquisite Renaissance loggia. See elaborately sculpted della Scala tombs and frescoes by Pisanello in the Gothic churches of S. Anastasia and S. Fermo Maggiore. In the afternoon visit the church of S. Zeno, a major Romanesque church with sculpted portal and a Mantegna altarpiece.

The Castelvecchio, with its swallowtail merlons and fortified bridge, is a beautiful example of mediaeval military architecture, and now houses Verona’s excellent art museum.

Includes a visit to a Valpolicella winery, owned by the descendants of Dante Alighieri.

Beyond the fictional details of character and action in Romeo & Juliet there lies a historical truth. The picture of turbulence and factional strife bears a much closer resemblance to the actuality of mediaeval Verona than to Shakespeare’s own Elizabethan London.

Passion and violence and the fierce rivalries of class and clan are vividly expressed by the architecture of Verona – though shorn now of the stark realities of struggle and power-play, it is the magnitude of ambition and beauty of design which shine through.

Verona’s sequence of ancient squares and dense web of streets and alleys are as impressive and enthrallingly picturesque as any in Italy. The great civic buildings and many of the churches were erected during the era of relatively democratic communal government, which coincided with the age of Romanesque.

Here the austere nobility of bulk and line is softened by the pinks and creams of the building stone, and enlivened by some of the finest sculpture of the time.

The debilitating struggle between the reallife counterparts of Capulets and Montagues allowed the commune to be usurped by one of the most tyrannical of Italian city-state dynasties, the della Scala. By then, Gothic had become prevalent. Even the most intimidatingly defensible dwellings were blessed by an ineffable grace with delicate mullions, swallowtail battlements and crimson brickwork.

After incorporation in the Venetian Empire, artistic embellishment continued. Pisanello, Mantegna, Titian and of course Veronese, a native of the city, have left paintings here, and Renaissance architecture makes many pleasing appearances. But Verona is far older than the upstart of the lagoon. The presence of the second-largest surviving amphitheatre of the ancient world – and excellently preserved Roman theatre, bridge and city gates – demonstrate the importance of the colonia in the Roman world.

The River Adige, draining waters from the Dolomites, scours an S-bend through the city and affords pleasing prospects, as do the bluffs on the eastern rim. Looking across the towers and terracotta roofs from up here it is difficult to imagine that Verona was ever other than a haven of peace and civilised values.

Day 3: Sant’Ambrogia di Valpolicella.

Outside Verona, visit the atmospheric Villa di Serego Alighieri, surrounded by Valpolicella vineyards, for a private wine tasting and lunch. Twenty-one generations after Dante Alighieri’s son bought the estate, the house and surrounding land still belong to his direct descendants, the Counts Serego Alighieri.

Day 4: Verona. The Roman amphitheatre once seated 30,000 (and today seats 15,000 during the summer opera festival).­The Romanesque cathedral has a fine sculpted portal and an Early Christian church within. Free afternoon.

Day 5: Padua. Of Roman origins and with a subsequent history similar to Verona, Padua ranks as the other leading city of the Veneto terra ferma. Giotto’s fresco cycle in the Scrovegni Chapel is a landmark in the history of art, marking the beginning of the modern era in painting. Other important 14th-century frescoes are by Giusto de’ Menabuoi in the baptistery and by Altichiero in the cathedral, the vast multi-domed Basilica di S. Antonio.

The Renaissance is represented by Donatello’s equestrian statue, Gattamelata.

Day 6: (Christmas Day). Free morning, and the possibility of attending a church service.

Christmas lunch in a good restaurant with views over the city. Optional afternoon walk, including the church of S. Giorgio in Braida.

Day 7: Mantua. With mediaeval and Renaissance arcades lining the streets and squares, Mantua is a place of immense beauty, and contains some of the foremost art and architecture of the Renaissance. Visit the Ducal Palace, a vast rambling complex, the aggregate of 300 years of extravagant patronage by the Gonzaga dynasty (Mantegna’s frescoes in the Camera degli Sposi, Pisanello frescoes, Rubens altarpiece). The extraordinary Palazzo Te, built and decorated by Giulio Romano, is the major monument of Italian Mannerism.

Day 8. Fly from Verona, arriving London Gatwick at c. 2.15pm.

Lecturer Dr Susan Steer. Art historian and lecturer specialising in Venice. Her PhD focused on Venetian Renaissance altarpieces, followed by work as researcher and editor on the National Inventory of European Painting, the UK’s online catalogue.

Practicalities Price, per person. Two sharing: £2,920 or £2,710 without flights. Single occupancy: £3,350 or £3,140 without flights.

Included meals: 2 lunches (including Christmas Day) and 4 dinners with wine, water, coffee. See page 3 for what we include as standard in our prices.

Accommodation. Hotel Due Torri, Verona (hotelduetorri.duetorrihotels.com): a luxurious 5-star hotel in the historic centre of the city, formerly an 18th century-palace. Bedrooms are richly decorated in a traditional style.

How strenuous? There is quite a lot of walking; it is not suitable for anyone who has difficulties with everyday walking and stair climbing.

Average coach travel per day: 27 miles.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

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

christmas & new year

Excursions to nearby Mantua and Padua, both with a wealth of stunning art and architecture.

Day 1. Fly at c. 9.30am from London Gatwick to Verona (British Airways).

Verona, church of San Zeno, from ‘Hope’s Essays on Architecture’, publ. 1835.

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Christmas & New Year

Naples at Christmas Art, antiquities and architecture – with Caserta, Amalfi and Ravello 20–27 December 2018 (me 392) 8 days • £3,260 Lecturer: Christopher Newall Selects the best of the art, architecture and antiquities in Naples.

Led by art historian Christopher Newall.

christmas & new year

Excursions to Amalfi, Ravello and the palaces and gardens at Caserta – with lunch in a private palace.

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Naples is one of those rare places whose very name kindles a kaleidoscope of conflicting images. A highlight of the eighteenth-century Grand Tour, it is now all but ignored by mainstream tourism. Royal capital of the largest of the Italian kingdoms, in the twentieth century it became a byword for poverty and decline. Once it basked in a reputation for supreme beauty – ‘see Naples and die’; now it enjoys (false) notoriety as a pit of urban ills – chaos, congestion, corruption and Camorra.

Until recently there was some truth in all of these images of modern Naples. But the city has changed – not entirely, but it is one of the most heartening examples of inner-city regeneration of the last decade or so. Traffic is still appalling, but much of the historic centre is now pedestrianised. A burst of prosperity has transformed the ancient shopping and artisan districts. Restoration of buildings and works of art has further increased the beauty of the city, and more churches and museums are more often open and accessible. These museums display some of the finest art and antiquities to be found in Italy, and major architectural and archaeological sites are located nearby.

In striking contrast to the urban chaos of Naples, the Amalfi Coast is the most stunningly picturesque stretch of coastline in Italy. For a while during the Middle Ages, Amalfi rivalled Venice and Pisa as a maritime power intent on dominating trade in the Mediterranean, and its art and architecture are predominantly mediaeval in flavour. Both Ravello and Amalfi are delightful little towns, their cathedrals among the most impressive in the region.

Naples is a city of the south. In many ways it has more in common with Seville or Cairo than with Florence or Milan. It is a city of swaggering palaces and stupendous churches, of cacophonous street life and infectious vitality.

Exciting, exhausting, energising.

Itinerary Day 1. Fly at c. 2.30pm from London Gatwick to Naples (British Airways).

Day 2: Naples. A first walk through the teeming old city centre includes the Cappella Sansevero, a masterpiece of Baroque art and craft with multi-coloured marbles and virtuoso

sculptures, and S.ta Chiara, an austere Gothic church with a delightful Rococo tile-encrusted cloister. Also among the other treasures seen are the churches of Il Gesù Nuovo and S. Domenico Maggiore.

Day 3:Amalfi, Ravello. Amalfi is one of the loveliest coastal resorts in Italy, its churches, towers and arcaded houses rising above a small harbour and backed by high rugged cliffs. The Saracenic-Norman cathedral has a delightful cloister, the ‘Chiostro del Paradiso’. Ravello sits in a beautiful position in the hills above Amalfi,

decorated and furnished and it is set within parkland and gardens equally magnificent in scale. Lunch is at a private palace.

Day 6: Christmas Day. Free morning, with a range of options for a church service, followed

by Christmas lunch.

Day 7: Naples. The morning is spent at the National Archeological Museum, one of the world’s greatest collections of Greek and Roman antiquities. Many items come from the excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum. High on a hill which provides stunning views over the city and the Bay of Naples, the monastery of S. Martino has a church of extraordinary lavishness of art and decoration and a museum of fine and decorative arts.

Day 8: Naples. Free morning. In the afternoon, drive into the hilly suburbs to visit the palace of Capodimonte, originally a giant hunting lodge. Here is located one of Italy’s greatest art galleries, with a magnificent range of art from the Middle Ages onwards. Fly from Naples to London Gatwick, arriving at c. 8.45pm.

Lecturer Christopher Newall. Art historian, lecturer and writer. A specialist in 19th-century British art he also has a deep interest in southern Italy, its architecture, politics and social history.

He studied at the Courtauld and has curated various exhibitions including John Ruskin: Artist & Observer at the National Gallery of Canada and Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Practicalities Price, per person. Two sharing: £3,260 or £2,930 without flights. Single occupancy: £3,720 or £3,390 without flights. and has a fine Romanesque cathedral. Visit the Villa Rufolo, a wonderful 13th-century palace with a cloister of Saracenic influence and an evocative garden.

Day 4: Naples. The Castel Nuovo, also known as ‘Maschio Angioino’, is a mediaeval castle located on the waterfront in Piazza Municipio.

It houses the Civic Museum and its Cappella Palatina contains frescoes by Giotto. Also seen are two works by Caravaggio: his Seven Acts of Mercy in the chapel for which it was commissioned and his Martyrdom of St Ursula in a bank. The Villa Pignatelli on the Riviera di Chiaia is one of the most important examples of neo-classical architecture in Naples.

Day 5: Caserta. Situated a few miles outside Naples, the royal palace at Caserta, begun 1751, is Italy’s most magnificent and accomplished emulation of Versailles. An awesome absolutist statement, the apartments are superbly

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

Included meals: 2 lunches and 4 dinners with wine. See page 3 for what we include as standard in our prices.

Accommodation. Hotel Excelsior, Naples (eurostarsexcelsior.com): 4-star hotel on the waterfront about 15 minutes on foot from Piazza Plebiscito, with spectacular views of Mount Vesuvius and the island of Capri. Rooms are all of a good size. Sea views are available on request and for a supplement.

How strenuous? A large swathe of central Naples is inaccessible to traffic, certainly to coaches. Pavements are often uneven, some roads are steep, traffic can be unpredictable. A good level of fitness is necessary. It should not be attempted by anyone who has difficulty with everyday walking and stair-climbing. Average distance by coach per day: 26 miles.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Centre: Naples Cathedral, by W.W. Collins, publ. 1911.

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Christmas & New Year

St Petersburg at Christmas Pictures and palaces in the imperial capital

St Petersburg is perhaps the grandest city in Europe, and one of the most beautiful.

Magnificent architecture of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, especially the palaces of the Romanovs, nobility and merchants.

Outstanding art collections, the Hermitage being the largest art museum in the world.

Tickets to two performances of opera or ballet at the Mariinsky or Mikhailovsky theatre.

Accommodation in a luxurious and excellently located 5-star hotel.

Founded by Peter the Great in 1703, the city of St Petersburg was intended to demonstrate to the world not only that Russia was a European rather than an Asian nation, but also that it was an immensely powerful one. This ‘window on the West’ became the capital of the Russian Empire until the government moved back to Moscow in 1918.

Peter’s wish was amply fulfilled: with the assistance of Dutch, Italian and French architects – Russians were to take over later in the century once they had mastered the mysteries of Western art and architecture – St Petersburg was laid out as the grandest city in Europe, with buildings on a monumental scale.

The palaces of the imperial family and of the fabulously wealthy magnates vied with each other, and with the military establishments and government institutions to dominate the river front, the broad avenues and the vast squares.

Although one of the newest of Europe’s great cities, St Petersburg is the one least affected by 20th-century building. Despite the wellpublicised economic and political troubles Russia has undergone in recent years, there has been a surge of cleaning and restoration which has accentuated the beauty of the city.

As impressive as the architecture of St Petersburg are the contents of the museums and art galleries. The Hermitage is one of the world’s greatest art museums, with an immensely rich collection of paintings, sculpture, antiquities and decorative arts filling the enormous Winter Palace of the Romanovs. The Russian Museum comes as a revelation to most visitors, for apart from icons (and there is a wonderful collection) the great achievements of Russian painters, particularly during the 19th century, are scarcely known outside the country.

Above right: St Petersburg, the Admirality, 20th-century.

Making a booking: see page 3

Itinerary Day 1. Fly at c. 9.15am from London Heathrow to St Petersburg (British Airways; time in the air: c. 3 hours 15 minutes). There is time to settle in before dinner.

Day 2. Explore the north bank of the Neva and Vasilyevsky Island which, as the original intended site of the city, has some of St Petersburg’s earliest buildings including the Twelve Colleges and the Peter-Paul Fortress.

Visit the Menshikov Palace, an early 18thcentury residence with impressive Petrine decoration. Continue by coach, taking in the sumptuous Marble Palace (exterior), designed

by Rinaldi in Baroque and Neo-Classical style, and the wonderful group of Smolny Convent and Cathedral by Rastrelli.

Day 3. The first of two visits to the Hermitage, one of the world’s greatest art collections, housed in Rastrelli’s Winter Palace and contiguous buildings; walk around to understand the layout and to see the magnificent interiors. Walk to the remarkable Neo-Classical buildings of the Synod, Senate and Admiralty. An evening performance at either the Mariinsky or Mikhailovsky theatre.

Early access to the Hermitage by special arrangement is subject to confirmation two weeks before each visit.

Day 4. Visit the Russian Museum in the imposing Mikhailovsky Palace, which houses Russian painting from mediaeval icons to the vast canvases of the Romantics and Realists of the 19th century. In the afternoon, drive via the Kazan Cathedral with colonnaded forecourt to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, an extensive Baroque layout and cemetery with graves of many famous Russians.

Day 5. A full-day excursion to two of the summer palaces about 20 miles from St Petersburg, both set in extensive landscaped parks with lakes and pavilions. At Tsarskoye Selo, formerly Pushkin, the main building is the outsized Rococo Catherine Palace by Rastrelli, its richly ornamented interiors painstakingly restored after war damage. At Pavlovsk, also well restored, the graceful Neo-Classical Great Palace with encircling wings was in part built

by Scotsman Charles Cameron. An evening performance at either the Mariinsky or Mikhailovsky theatre.

Day 6: Christmas Day. A second visit to the Hermitage to concentrate on specific aspects of the collections and to pursue individual passions. Drive through the city. The Baroque Cathedral of St Nicholas, with its gilded domes, is a memorial to Russian navy sailors who perished at sea. Visit the late 19th-century Yusupov Palace, one of the finest in the city and scene of Rasputin’s murder.

Day 7. A morning excursion to Peterhof, the magnificent palace on the Gulf of Finland with cascades and fountains. Return to St Petersburg for some free time before dinner.

Day 8. A free morning; perhaps the Hermitage again, or places not yet visited such as the Dostoyevsky Museum, Academy of Arts, or Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. Fly to London Heathrow, arriving at c. 5.00pm

Lecturer Dr Alexey Makhrov. Russian art historian and lecturer. He graduated from the St Petersburg Academy of Arts and obtained his PhD from the University of St Andrews followed by postdoctoral work as a Research Fellow at Exeter.

Practicalities Price, per person. Two sharing: £3,470 or £3,180 without flights. Single occupancy: £3,840 or £3,550 without flights.

Included meals: 6 dinners with wine. See page 3 for what we include as standard in our prices.

Music: the tour price includes two performances (opera or ballet). Details will be sent to participants about one month before the tour once the programmes are available.

Accommodation. Hotel Astoria (roccofortehotels.com/astoria_hotel): an excellently located and luxurious 5-star hotel in the city centre, opposite St Isaac’s Cathedral.

How strenuous? There is a fair amount of standing in galleries and walking on this tour.

Traffic congestion means coach journeys can be long and frustrating. Average coach travel per day: 13 miles.

Visas: British citizens and most other foreign nationals require a tourist visa. This is not included in the price of the tour because you have to procure it yourself.

Weather: temperatures will be well below zero and snow is likely. Buildings are well heated.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

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

christmas & new year

20–27 December 2018 (me 380) 8 days • £3,470 Lecturer: Dr Alexey Makhrov

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Chamber Music Retreats

Chamber Music Retreats 2018–19 season October 2018–May 2019 Please contact us for full details or visit www.martinrandall.com A Chamber Music Retreat arranged by Martin Randall Travel is a very special experience.

There is the pleasure, first, of hearing music performed by artists of the highest calibre, who are all among the very best in their fields.

Second, the music is performed in an intimate setting, a hall little bigger than a large drawing room – just the sort of size which composers used to have in mind for chamber music. The audience is rarely more than a hundred, and consists mainly of those who stay throughout and attend all concerts.

Below: lithograph c. 1830 by Louis-Léopold Boilly.

Third, they take place in excellent hotels.

The Castle Hotel in Taunton and The Swan in Lavenham are among the most agreeable and comfortable hotels in England. We usually have exclusive use, and there is the added opportunity for artists and audience to mingle.

While these events are undeniably indulgent and leisurely retreats, they are also intended to stimulate the mind and delight the aesthetic sensibilities. Within an over-arching theme, the music is carefully chosen and programmed to provide an illuminating sequence – while each concert is satisfyingly self-sufficient.

Pre-concert talks are also included, by a musicologist or by the musicians themselves.

Prices include accommodation, most meals, admittance to the concerts and talks, and much else besides.

The Endellion String Quartet 15–17 October 2018 (mf 221) The Swan Hotel & Spa, Lavenham

The Albion Quartet 23–25 November 2018 (mf 320) The Castle Hotel, Taunton

Rising Stars 25–27 January 2019 (mf 413) The Castle Hotel, Taunton With performances by: The Castalian Quartet Clare Hammond (piano) The Gesualdo Six The Amatis Trio

The Nash Ensemble 1–3 March 2019 (mf 431) The Castle Hotel, Taunton

The Heath Quartet 5–7 April 2019 (mf 467) The Castle Hotel, Taunton

The Fitzwilliam String Quartet 14–16 May 2019 (mf 519) Option to arrive a day early and take excursions throughout the weekend The Swan Hotel & Spa, Lavenham Also in the UK – and coming soon:

Opera in Cardiff UNITED KINGDOM

Autumn 2018 & Spring 2019 Full details available in Spring 2018 Contact us to register your interest

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Shakespeare & his World Making a booking: see page 3 Telephone +44 (0)20 8742 3355 | info@martinrandall.co.uk | www.martinrandall.com

Summer 2018 Full details available in Spring 2018 Contact us to register your interest

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Symposia

Conservation & Heritage: Champions & Challenges A mid-week symposium in Liverpool 7–9 November 2018 (me 309) 3 days • Prices from £580

Speakers include: Henrietta Billings, chief executive of SAVE Britain’s Heritage, formerly senior conservation adviser with the Twentieth Century Society.

Marcus Binney cbe, co-founder and executive president of SAVE Britain’s Heritage, coorganiser of The Destruction of the Country House (V&A, 1974) and victor of many celebrated conservation campaigns.

Jonathan Brown. Director of Share the City, an urban study tour company providing specialist

location guidance for academics, investors and private groups visiting Britain. A planner, academic and campaigner, he has worked as a lead consultant on housing and central area master plans across England.

Professor Harry Charrington, head of department, Architecture and the Built Environment, University of Westminster, where there is unrivalled attention to context and the public realm.

John Darlington, director of the World Heritage Fund UK and formerly regional director of the National Trust’s properties in the North West.

Sir Donald Insall cbe, the leading conservation architect of his generation, founder of Donald Insall Associates, Britain’s pre-eminent partnership in the field. His books include Living Buildings: Architectural Conservation, Philosophy, Principles and Practice.

Sir Simon Jenkins fsa frsl, the outstanding heritage journalist and polemicist of our time.

He has been editor of the Evening Standard and The Times and Chairman of the National Trust, and currently writes regular columns for the Guardian and the Evening Standard. His best known books are England’s Thousand Best Churches and England’s Thousand Best Houses.

Neil King qc is one of the country’s top planning lawyers, regularly retained by English Heritage.

Jane da Mosto, co-author of The Science of Saving Venice and campaigner against cruise ships in the Venetian Lagoon.

Dr Simon Thurley cbe fsa friba, historian and archaeologist, formerly head of English Heritage, of Historic Royal Palaces and of the Museum of London. Among his publications is Men from the Ministry: How Britain Saved its Heritage.

Matthew Slocombe, Director of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) and author of Traditional Building Materials.

Professor Andrew Wallace-Hadrill obe fba fsa, Professor of Roman Studies in the Faculty of Classics at the University of Cambridge, formerly director of the British School at Rome and a polemical authority on the conservation of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

The Package Included: room and breakfast for two nights, admission to all talks, refreshments, dinner on Friday night and an evening lecture and drinks reception at Liverpool Town Hall, coach transport within Liverpool for some journeys.

There are three packages to choose from, with prices varying according to hotel: A. Holiday Inn Express, Albert Dock. Large, no-frills hotel located in the conserved docks in a restored warehouse. Recently renovated.

Prices per person. Double/twin (two sharing): £580. Double room for single occupancy: £660 B. Novotel, Liverpool City Centre.

Contemporary business hotel close to Bluecoat in central Liverpool. The décor is modern and rooms are spacious. Prices per person.

Standard double/twin (two sharing): £670 Double room for single occupancy: £730 C. Hope Street Hotel. Boutique 4-star hotel in a salubrious area between the cathedrals, it brings good modern design and comforts into a 19th-century factory and adjacent 1960s police station. Prices per person. Standard double/ twin (two sharing): £910. Double room for single occupancy: £990.

The Age of Victoria A Symposium in Taunton 8–10 February 2019 Full details available in April 2018 Contact us to register your interest Above: Liverpool, St George’s Hall, engraving c. 1880.

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

UNITED KINGDOM

For anyone who cares about preservation and the built environment, conservation is a burning issue. There are many stories of rescue, restoration and regeneration, but destruction and degradation continues apace and the challenges are immense.

Our 48-hour symposium in Liverpool brings together leading figures in the field of conservation and the built environment for a series of lively and provocative lectures and discussions. Among the speakers are Simon Jenkins, Simon Thurley, Marcus Binney, John Darlington and Donald Insall.

The debates concern not only the survival of individual historic buildings but also the impact of development on the wider environment, on views and vistas and the public realm. Is the march of modernity – particularly the proliferation of skyscrapers – inevitably the enemy of heritage? Does conservation legislation still have teeth? Is tourism the preserver or the destroyer of historic fabric and communities? Can the housing crisis be cured without irreparable damage to our architectural legacy?

There will also be talks celebrating the skills and scholarship that make restoration possible, demonstrating how new uses can be found for obsolete buildings and setting out the case for the economic sustainability of regeneration.

Liverpool has more listed buildings than any city outside London, but in the post-industrial era conservation issues are particularly acute here. Controversy flares regularly, whether over the demolition of back-to-back working-class housing or the threatened encircling of the historic core which led to the threat to withdraw unesco World Heritage Site status.

The event begins at 3.00pm on Wednesday 7th November and concludes at 1.00pm on Friday 9th November. Refreshments and one dinner is included, and there is an evening lecture and reception in the Grade 1-listed Town Hall. The symposium is held at Bluecoat, the oldest standing building in the city centre, which became the UK’s first arts centre; a prime example of the repurposing of a redundant 18th-century building.

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Newly-launched

Mozart in Salzburg The annual winter festival

28 January–3 February 2019 (mf 415) 7 days • £3,820 (including tickets to 8 performances) Lecturer: Richard Wigmore Daily attendance at the Mozartwoche, the annual festival celebrating the composer’s work in the town of his birth.

An outstanding programme, performed by leading performers including Mitsuko Uchida, Daniel Barenboim, Janine Jansen, Christiane Karg, Vienna Philharmonic and Hagen Quartet.

The best-preserved Baroque city in northern Europe in a wonderful alpine setting.

mainland europe: austria

Five-star hotel close to the Mozarteum.

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Salzburg is that rare thing, a tiny city with world-class standards in nearly everything the discerning visitor – and resident – would want.

It is miraculous that such charm, and such grandeur, and, above all, such unparalleled weight of musical achievement, should be concentrated in so small a place.

A virtually independent city-state from its origins in the early Middle Ages until its absorption into the Habsburg Empire in the nineteenth century, Salzburg’s days of glory had all but slipped into the past by the time Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born there. He became the unwitting instigator, post-mortem, of Salzburg’s transformation from minor ecclesiastical seat to the world’s foremost city of music festivals. There are five of them. The Mozartwoche (Mozart Week) held in January every year celebrates Salzburg’s most famous son with musicians famed worldwide for their Mozart interpretations.

Our tour allows the concerts to be interspersed with a gentle programme of walks and visits to see some of the finest art and architecture in the city. But there is also plenty of free time to relax and gather energies for the performances, and for individual exploration.

The city has several museums – a recent addition is a Museum of Contemporary Art in a cliff-top location overlooking the city, and the city’s principal museum has been re-established in a part of the Archbishop’s palace known as the Neue Residenz.

Top: Salzburg, copper engraving by Braun & Hogenberg, 1581–88 (detail). Above right, Nîmes, Pont-du-Gard, steel engraving c. 1840 (detail).

Itinerary Day 1. Fly at c. 11.00am from London Heathrow to Salzburg (British Airways). Introductory lecture and dinner.

Day 2. Concert at the Mozarteum with Janine Jansen (violin), Gregory Ahss (violin), Amihai Grosz (viola), Henning Kraggerud (viola), Jens Peter Maintz (cello): Mozart, Divertimento in E flat, K.563, String Quintet in G minor, K.516.

In the afternoon, walk through the heart of the old city with a local guide includes a church by the greatest master of Austrian Baroque, Fischer von Erlach, the late-Gothic Franciscan church and the mighty cathedral, the first major Baroque building north of the Alps. Concert at the Mozarteum with Mitsuko Uchida (piano) and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra: Mozart, Piano Concerto in F, K.459, Piano Concerto in D, K.466, Quintet in E flat, K.407.

Day 3. A second guided walk includes a visit to the 18th-century Mirabell Gardens. Then a private guided tour of the Mozarteum’s Autograph Vault, containing original letters and manuscripts. Visit the former Mozart family home before a free afternoon. Concert at the Mozarteum with Vienna Philharmonic, Krassimira Stoyanova (soprano): Mozart, Serenade in G ‘Eine kleine Nachtmusik’, K.525, selected arias; Divertimento in B flat, K.287.

Day 4. Concert at the Mozarteum with the Hagen Quartet: Mozart, Quartet in G, K.387, Quartet in D, K.575, Quartet in B flat, K.458.

Visit Mozart’s birthplace, now an excellent museum. Evening concert at the Haus für Mozart with Orchestre des Champs-Elysées, Philippe Herreweghe (conductor): Mozart, Mass in C minor, K.427.

Day 5: Bad Ischl, Salzburg. Depart for an excursion through the ravishing landscapes of the Salzkammergut to Bad Ischl, with lunch here. Return to Salzburg for a free afternoon.

Concert at the Mozarteum, Daniel Barenboim (piano): Mozart, Divertimento in B flat, K.254, Piano Trio in E, K.542, Piano Trio in C, K.548.

Day 6. Optional morning visit to the Alte Residenz, a complex dating back to the 16th century, housing a sequence of a dozen impressive state rooms, of which several were redesigned in the Baroque style by Erlach and Hildebrandt. The adjoining Residenzgalerie contains a collection of 16th–19th-century European painting, including works by

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

Rembrandt and Rubens. Afternoon concert at the Mozarteum, Daniel Barenboim (piano): Mozart, Piano Trio in G, K.496, Piano Trio in B, K.502, Piano Trio in G, K.564. And evening concert with the Vienna Philharmonic and Wiener Singerverein, Andrés Orozco-Estrada (conductor), Christiane Karg (soprano), Angela Brower (mezzo-soprano), Rolando Villazón (tenor), Adam Plachetka (bass): Mozart, Masonic Funeral Music K.477, Adagio & Fugue, K.546, Symphony in G, K.183, Requiem, K.626.

Day 7. The flight from Salzburg arrives at London Gatwick c. 12 noon.

Please note that this tour departs from London Heathrow and returns to London Gatwick.

Lecturer Richard Wigmore. Music writer, lecturer and broadcaster for BBC Radio 3. He writes for BBC Music and Gramophone and has taught classes in Lieder history and interpretation at Guildhall, Trinity Laban and Birkbeck College.

Publications include Schubert: The Complete Song Texts and Pocket Guide to Haydn.

Practicalities Price, per person. Two sharing: £3,820 or £3,700 without flights. Single occupancy: £4,270 or £4,150 without flights.

Included meals: 1 lunch and 4 dinners, with wine. See page 3 for what we include as standard in our prices.

Music: tickets (top category) for 8 performances are included, costing c. £1,100. Tickets are due to be confirmed in July 2018.

Accommodation. Hotel Bristol (bristolsalzburg.at): 5-star family-run hotel, excellently located two minutes’ walk from the Mozarteum and just across the river from the Festspielhaus (600 metres).

How strenuous? There is a fair amount of walking within the old town centre where vehicular access is restricted. The tour is planned on the expectation that participants walk to and from the concert venues.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Making a booking: see page 3

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Newly-launched

Romans in the Rhône Valley Spectacular remains of Provincia Romana

A group of the finest Roman monuments surviving anywhere in the empire, with some of the most famous examples of Roman architecture and engineering.

The theatres, amphitheatres and temples of Arles, Lyon, Orange and Vienne are spectacular survivals, with the Pont du Gard near Nîmes the most renowned Roman aqueduct of all.

Beautiful Provençal landscapes, towns, colours and scents.

‘More like Italy than a province’ was the verdict of the elder Pliny in the middle of the first century ad, speaking of Provence.

Two thousand years later his words still hold true. The Rhône valley between Lyon and the Mediterranean was the part of Gaul where Roman influence was most deeply felt. Nature had endowed the region with agricultural riches (grain, vines, olives – the ‘Mediterranean triad’) and the Rhône corridor was the main trade route from Mediterranean lands into Gaul. This wealth allowed the construction of great cities and monuments in the Roman style.

Arles, Nîmes and Orange form a tight group of cities at the southern end of the valley, all of them Roman coloniae (privileged cities) with exceptional series of monuments. Nîmes houses perhaps two of the best-preserved structures in the Roman world: the ‘Maison Carrée,’ a classical temple built under the first Roman emperor Augustus, and a late 1st-century ad amphitheatre. Most famously, Nîmes was supplied by a long aqueduct which included the world-famous, triple-tiered Pont du Gard aqueduct. Arles rivalled Nîmes, with an amphitheatre of similar dimensions, a theatre and a great circus for chariot-racing.

Orange is famous for its theatre with a huge 37m-high stage wall and the exceptionally complete, early 1st-century ad triumphal arch. Further north, the coloniae of Vienne and Lyon also housed great theatres, and at Lyon there is a rare odeon, or covered theatre.

Vienne is second only to Nîmes in the quality of its surviving Roman temple and, like Arles and Lyon, boasted a circus.

Right: Arles, cloister of St Trophime, after a drawing from Agenda PLM, 1926.

St-Rémy near Arles and Vaison near Orange show how local communities reacted to the examples set by the neighbouring Roman cities. At St-Rémy, the narrow valley in the Alpilles shows Mediterranean influence before the arrival of Rome, with buildings clearly derived from the Hellenistic city of Marseille.

In the Roman period construction of amenities such as a forum and public baths, along with a triumphal arch and a splendid family tomb on the main road, were public benefactions by local wealthy families, some of whom had become Roman citizens. A similar pattern can be seen at Vaison, where there is also exceptional evidence of how these Gaulish aristocrats adopted houses that would not have looked out of place at Pompeii.

In the late Roman period Arles became one of the most important cities of Roman Europe and a fine set of baths built under the first Christian emperor Constantine I (306–37) survives along with evidence for the growth of Christianity in its churches and cemeteries.

With the fall of the western Roman empire in the fifth century and the troubled times that followed, what had been great public monuments, such as the amphitheatres of Arles and Nîmes or the theatre at Orange, became instead fortified redoubts, filled with houses and churches sheltering within their massive Roman walls.

As well as the monuments there are museums, some recently created to the highest international standards, housing the sculptures,

mosaics, carved marble sarcophagi and humbler items of daily life recovered from excavations in and around the cities.

Itinerary Day 1. Fly at c. 2.00pm (British Airways) from London Heathrow to Lyon and spend one night here.

Day 2: Lyon, Vienne. The theatre and odeon on Lyon’s Fourvière hill are accompanied by a museum where highlights include an impressive mosaic depicting a circus race. After free time for lunch in Lyon’s old town, continue to Vienne and its stunning temple as well as other Roman remains. Overnight in Vienne.

Day 3: Vienne, Arles. Morning visit to Vienne’s Gallo-Roman museum, where remains include domestic and commercial buildings as well as the intriguing wrestlers’ baths. Lunch at the museum’s restaurant before continuing to Arles via Orange, site of the greatest of all Roman theatres to survive in the West. First of four nights in Arles.

Day 4: Arles. At Arles the amphitheatre is a justly famous, early 2nd-century structure of a type developed from the Colosseum. See also Constantine’s baths, walls and a cryptoporticus built as foundation for the forum and possibly to house slaves. In the afternoon visit the Alyscamps Roman necropolis and the Musée de l’Arles et de la Provence Antiques’ spellbinding collection of classical and early Christian art.

Day 5: Nîmes. See first the perfectly preserved Roman monuments in Nîmes: La Maison Carrée and amphitheatre. Continue to the Jardin de la Fontaine, once a Roman spring sanctuary and now a beautiful 18th-century garden around the terminus of an aqueduct – the water brought here across the Pont du Gard.

Nestled here are the Temple of Diana, part of the Roman sacred complex, possibly used as a library, and the Tour Magne watchtower, at the highest point of the city.

Day 6: Pont du Gard, Arles. Spend the morning at the Pont du Gard, an astonishing feat of engineering over the River Gardon. Return to Arles for a free afternoon, perhaps to visit the Van Gogh foundation with temporary exhibitions, or the Romanesque Cathedral of St-Trophime with one of the greatest cloisters of 12th-century Europe.

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

mainland europe: france

9–15 April 2019 (mf 476) 7 days • £2,570 Lecturer: Prof. Simon Esmonde Cleary

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Newly-launched Romans in the Rhone Valley continued

Also newly-launched in France

Day 7: Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Drive to StRémy-de-Provence, Glanum of old, and proud possessor of one of the truly great funerary memorials of the Roman world, the cenotaph erected by three Julii brothers in honour of their forebears. Continue to Marseille airport for the afternoon flight landing at London Heathrow at c. 6.00pm.

Lecturer Professor Simon Esmonde Cleary.

Archaeologist specialising in the western Roman Empire. He studied at London University and Oxford. He is Professor of Roman Archaeology at the University of Birmingham and has conducted field-work in the UK and France. He has written books on Gaul and Spain in late antiquity, and on Roman Britain.

Practicalities Price, per person. Two sharing: £2,570 or £2,390 without flights. Single occupancy: £2,930 or £2,750 without flights.

Included meals: 2 lunches and 4 dinners with wine. See page 3 for what we include as standard in our prices.

mainland europe: france

Accommodation. Lyon, Hotel Le Royal (lyonhotel-leroyal.com): Ideally located on the Place Bellecour, the main square of the Presqu’île. Elegant and welcoming with a restaurant and bar. Locally rated as 5-star but more comparable to a good 4-star. Vienne, Hotel La Pyramide (lapyramide.com): A 4-star hotel situated a short walk from the centre of town, and renovated in 2015. Rooms here are contemporary with modern furnishings. There are two restaurants and a boutique, though one will be closed during the dates of the group stay.

Arles, Hotel Jules César (hotel-julescesar.fr): Formerly a 17th-century Carmelite Convent, and now a 5-star boutique hotel. Rooms have been recently refurbished and have modern fittings. There is a pool, bar, and restaurant.

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How strenuous? Quite a lot of walking is involved, particularly in the town centres.

The tour is not suitable for anyone who has difficulties with everyday walking and stairclimbing. There are some long days and coach journeys. Average distance by coach per day: 29 miles.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Monet & Impressionism

Châteaux of the Loire

28 April–3 May 2019 (mf 502) 6 days • £2,270 Lecturer: Dr Frances Fowle

2–5 May 2019 (mf 514) 4 days • £1,710 Lecturer: Dr Sarah Pearson

The finest collections of Impressionism in France and places associated with the artists.

Only the best of the houses and gardens in the region.

Led by Dr Frances Fowle, Senior Curator of French Art at the National Gallery of Scotland.

Stay at a château hotel in the centre of the area.

Mediaeval Burgundy Cave Art of France 8–15 June 2019 (mf 570) 8 days • £2,840 Lecturer: John McNeill

17–24 June 2019 (mf 599) 8 days • £2,880 Lecturer: Dr Paul Bahn

A superb collection of Romanesque and early Gothic buildings.

Encompasses some of the most important Prehistoric caves in Europe including the new facsimile Lascaux IV, Pech Merle and Niaux.

Exceptionally well-preserved historic towns.

Rural drives through beautiful landscapes.

Making a booking: see page 3

Led by architectural historian Sarah Pearson.

Led by Britain’s leading specialist in Prehistoric art, Dr Paul Bahn.

Illustrations. Top, Château de Chenonceau, watercolour by A.H. Hallam Murray, publ. 1904. Bottom, Autun, wood engraving c. 1860. Right, Bauhaus-Archiv in Berlin-Tiergarten. Copyright: visitBerlin, Foto: Wolfgang Scholvien.

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

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Newly-launched

Berlin: New Architecture The unification of a capital 25–29 June 2019 (mf 578) 5 days • £1,970 Lecturer: Tom Abbott Europe’s biggest concentration of contemporary architecture.

The list of architects virtually comprises a roll-call of the world’s leading architectural practices.

Access to private places, and time for some of the standard sights.

Led by architectural historian and Berlin resident, Tom Abbott.

Itinerary Because this itinerary is dependent on a number of appointments and special arrangements, the order and even the content of the tour may vary.

Day 2. Post-War and post-Wall Berlin has been all about melding old with new. The art scene in Berlin began its renaissance in the mid90s with a migration to the Scheunenviertel (Barn Quarter) in the old East, now home to a multitude of high-fashion galleries, bars, and cafés. Elsewhere, antique and modern sit easily side by side. Berlin’s renewal has involved some of the greatest names in post-War architecture.

We visit David Chipperfield’s Neues Museum, a mediation on damage, with fragments of fresco, carving and old brick work exposed alongside new construction; the Jakob-andWilhelm Grimm university library, the great, glass-roofed reading room, a dramatic, porous space; Harris + Kurrle’s cuboid Archaeological Centre citing Egyptian temple architecture at the National Museum of Berlin’s cluster of archaeological museums. After lunch, drive out to Foster’s library at the Free University, inspired by the human brain. The Catholic parish church of St Canisius is based on strictly geometrical patterns enlivened through light.

Day 3. Memory. Germany has engaged with its troubled history with as much energy as its dynamic present. The Topography of Terror sits on a site that once housed the SS and Gestapo headquarters. Here, the brief was to commemorate and educate.

Later political scars are addressed in Bernauer Strasse (the street along which the Wall ran) where the Berlin Wall Memorial, by Stuttgart architects Kohlhoff & Kohlhoff, uses two sixmeter-high corroded steel walls as symbols of the ‘Iron Curtain’. The Chapel of Reconciliation, replacing a 19th-century church cleansed from the former ‘death strip’, provides an ethereal monument in pressed clay and wooden rods (by Berlin architects Peter Sassenroth and Rudolf Reitermann and Austrian clay artist Martin Rauch).

Berlin has become a European hub of science and technology and contemporary architectural contributions reflect this dominance, with an exciting use of materials and technologies.

Visits to the Otto Bock Science Center, whose white-ribboned facade represents human muscle fibre in 3D; Bothe Richter Teherani’s renewable-energy-powered EnergieForum; and The Sony Center, German-American firm Jahn’s powerful essay in glass and light.

The controversial Holocaust Memorial by Peter Eisenmann is nearby­. Visit the Jewish Museum, Daniel Libeskind’s jagged, lacerated, powerfully emotive extension to a Baroque palace.

Potsdamer Platz, before the war a nodal point in the city centre but subsequently virtually open wasteland. Now it is at the centre of a 50-acre development and a conspectus of international

contemporary architecture with contributions from Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers, Helmut Jahn, Hans Kollhoff, Rafael Moneo and Arata Isozaki. Buildings of a wide range of use and design, interconnected with public atria, fill the segments and step up to the towers which front the Platz itself.

Day 4: triumph, defeat, unity. Perhaps no other building is imbued with such mixed associations while remaining the unmistakable symbol of a city: isolated since the war, politically and architecturally, the Brandenburg Gate again is integrated into a stately square, Pariser Platz. Despite strict planning regulations, buildings of individuality and distinction have arisen including the chirpy British Embassy by Michael Wilford and the DG Bank by Frank Gehry. Planned by Axel Schultes and Charlotte Frank, the ‘Band des Bundes’ is a long rectangle of government buildings including the Chancellery which twice crosses the meandering River Spree. The main railway station by Gerkan, Marg & Partners, which opened in June 2006, celebrates unification through its form and transparent appearance.

Examine the converted bunker which now houses the Sammlung Boros contemporary art collection. Another potent Berlin symbol is the Reichstag, a ponderous 1880s structure scarred by the vicissitudes of the 20th century, the shell now brilliantly rehabilitated by Norman Foster and topped by the famous glass dome. Dinner is at the rooftop restaurant.

Day 5. Visit the Museum for Architectural Drawing run by the Tchoban Foundation. The ‘Kulturforum’ was planned in the 1960s by

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

mainland europe: germany

Day 1. Fly at c. 11.00am from London Heathrow to Berlin (British Airways). Travel by coach to central Berlin via the Felleshus, or pan-Nordic building. The complex houses five embassies, each of which were designed quite distinctively by architects of the respective countries. The houses are arranged according to their location on the map. Even the North and Baltic Seas are represented by three water basins between the buildings. Drive to Hans Scharoun’s original and organic Philharmonie (concert hall) for a guided tour. Continue to the hotel, passing the Mediaspree, established to house the media industries along the banks of the River Spree. The devastated 19th- and early 20th-century industrial landscape has been reborn, with striking contemporary additions, including a hotel, its dramatic arm cantilevered over the water.

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Newly-launched Berlin: New Architecture continued

Also newly-launched in Germany

the West as an area for cultural institutions and became a site for Mies van der Rohe’s modern-movement New National Gallery. En route to the airport visit and break for lunch in the Bikinihaus, Germany’s first ‘concept mall’ – part of a listed building complex in the zoological garden area of Berlin. Fly to London, arriving Heathrow c. 3.30pm.

Mediaeval Saxony

Mitteldeutschland

29 April–7 May (mf 730) 9 days • £2,780 Lecturer: Dr Jarl Kremeier

21–29 July 2019 (mf 627) 9 days • £2,660 Lecturer: Dr Jarl Kremeier

Chief cities of Brandenburg-Prussia and Saxony, rich in fine and decorative arts.

Great mediaeval churches, Baroque and NeoClassical palaces, enchanting streetscape, fine art collections, beautiful countryside.

Lecturer Tom Abbott. Specialist in architectural history from the Baroque to the 20th century with a particular interest in German and American modern. Studied Art History in the USA and Paris and has a wide knowledge of the performing arts. Since 1987 he has lived in Berlin.

Practicalities Price, per person. Two sharing: £1,970 or £1,810 without flights. Single occupancy: £2,250 or £2,090 without flights.

Included meals: 3 dinners with wine. See page 3 for what we include as standard in our prices.

Accommodation. The Regent Berlin (theregentberlin.de): 5-star hotel decorated in Regency style, close to Unter den Linden.

Rooms are of a good size and excellent standard.

How strenuous? This is a short but tiring tour.

There is a lot of walking and very little free time.

Average distance by coach per day: 10 miles.

The Ring in Leipzig 30 April–6 May 2019 (mf 504) 7 days • £2,980 Lecturer: Barry Millington Wagner’s monumental Ring of the Nibelung cycle in the composer’s birthplace.

Rhineland Romanesque 10–16 June 2019 (mf 575) 7 days • £2,260 Lecturer: Dr Richard Plant The Rhineland produced some of the most adventurous and sophisticated architecture of the Romanesque era.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Combine this tour with: Bauhaus: 100 years, 17–24 June. We are happy to advise on linking accommodation and transport.

Making a booking: see page 3

King Ludwig II 26–31 August 2019 (mf 663) 6 days • £2,480 Lecturer: Tom Abbott Learn about the lives, loves and legacies of King Ludwig II and the House of Wittelsbach, rulers of Bavaria for over 700 years.

The Hanseatic League 4–11 September 2019 (mf 671) 8 days • £2,810 Lecturer: Andreas Puth Picturesque towns, spectacular mediaeval buildings, a transformative historical phenomenon – little known outside Germany.

Franconia 7–14 September 2019 (mf 677) 8 days • £2,840 Lecturer: Dr Jarl Kremeier

mainland europe: germany

A neglected region of southern Germany which has an exceptional heritage of art and architecture, enchanting streetscape and natural beauty.

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Berlin, Potsdam, Dresden 19–27 September 2019 (mf 730) 9 days • £3,170 Lecturer: Dr Jarl Kremeier Chief cities of Brandenburg-Prussia and Saxony, rich in fine and decorative arts.

Left, Bamberg, after a drawing by S. Read 1875.

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

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Newly-launched

Incontri In Terra di Siena Chamber music in the Val d’Orcia 30 July–5 August 2018 (me 970) 7 days • £2,860 (including tickets to 5 performances) Lecturers: Professor Geoffrey Norris & Dr R. T. Cobianchi The thirtieth anniversary of the festival created by cellist Antonio Lysy, grandson of Iris Origo, who appears in four performances.

Other artists include tenor Ian Bostridge, pianists Leif Ove Andsnes and Alessio Bax (also artistic director), violinist Daishin Kashimoto and flautist Emmanuel Pahud.

Day 2: Pienza, Città della Pieve. In the morning, a leisurely exploration of the tiny hill town. The cathedral and palaces grouped around the main piazza were designed by Bernardo Rossellino in collaboration with his papal patron. An excursion to Città della Pieve to see Perugino’s Adoration of the Magi. Recital here at the Teatro degli Avvaloranti with Ian Bostridge (tenor), Leif Ove Andsnes (piano), Alessio Bax (piano), Lucille Chung (piano), Daishin Kashimoto (violin), Annabelle Meare (violin), Lawrence Power (viola), Christian Poltéra (cello), Emmanuel Pahud (flute): Poulenc, Flute Sonata, FP 164; Debussy, ‘Syrinx’; Debussy, Violin Sonata in G minor; Ravel, ‘Chansons Madécasses’; Dohnányi, Piano Quintet No.2.

Day 5: Montalcino, Montefollonico. Once an impregnable fortress and now centre of Brunello wines, Montalcino is a walled hilltop village with magnificent views and a collection of Sienese painting in the museum. Wine tasting and lunch here. Evening concert at the Chiesa del Triano, Montefollonico, with Nabil Shehata (conductor), Alessio Bax, Maja Avramović (violin), Esther Hoppe, Daishin Kashimoto, Annabelle Meare, Lise Berthaud, Lawrence Power, Antonio Lysy, Christian Poltéra, Emmanuel Pahud: J.S. Bach, Solo Partita for Flute in A minor; Busoni, Violin Sonata No.2; Giovanni Bottesini, ‘Gran Duo Concertante’ for violin, double bass and string quartet; Richard Strauss, ‘Metamorphosen’.

Day 3: San Quirico d’Orcia, Bagno Vignoni, Sarteano. Drive to the little walled town of San Quirico d’Orcia. Visit the Collegiata with its splendid portals and the Horti Leonini, public gardens dating to the 17th century. Bagno Vignoni has a central square occupied by an arcaded Renaissance piscina. Evening concert at the Teatro degli Arrischianti, Sarteano, with Ian Bostridge, Leif Ove Andsnes, Alessio Bax, Daishin Kashimoto, Annabelle Meare, Lawrence Power, Lise Berthaud (viola), Antonio Lysy (cello), Christian Poltéra: Nielsen, Chaconne for Piano Op.32; works for piano by Sibelius; Vaughan Williams, ‘On Wenlock Edge’; Brahms, String Sextet No.1.

Day 6: La Foce, Castiglioncello del Trinoro.

Villa La Foce, former home of Iris Origo, has a wonderful garden designed in several stages

by Cecil Pinsent. Private tour with Benedetta Origo, Iris’s daughter, followed by lunch.

Evening concert at the Chiesa di Sant’Andrea, Castiglioncello del Trinoro, with Alessio Bax, Lucille Chung, Antonio Lysy, Daishin Kashimoto, Emmanuel Pahud: Duo Sonata programme to include Debussy, Cello Sonata No.1 in D.

Based throughout in the charming Renaissance town of Pienza.

Itinerary

Day 4: Montepulciano, La Foce. Free morning in Pienza. In the afternoon, drive to Montepulciano. The main thoroughfare, lined with grand palaces, winds circuitously through this once important city, with the Piazza Grande at the summit. Outside the town, the centrally

Lecturers Professor Geoffrey Norris. Geoffrey Norris was for many years Chief Music Critic of the Daily Telegraph. At different times he has been lecturer at the Royal Northern College of Music and at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is Professor at the Rachmaninoff Music Academy in Russia and also teaches at the Gnesin Music Academy in Moscow.

Dr Roberto Cobianchi. Art historian and researcher specializing in Italian art and architecture of the Renaissance and Baroque. His interests also span from the iconography of the late Middle Ages to the sculpture of Neoclassicism.

Practicalities Price, per person. Two sharing: £2,860 or £2,630 without flights. Single occupancy: £3,050 or £2,820 without flights.

Included meals: 3 lunches and 5 dinners with wine. See page 3 for what we include as standard in our prices.

Music: 5 concert tickets (worth c. £120) are included in the price.

Accommodation. Relais Il Chiostro, Pienza (anghelhotels.it): 4-star former friary dating to the 15th century close to the main square.

How strenuous? There is quite a lot of walking on this tour, much of it on roughly paved and often steep streets and in hot weather conditions. It should not be attempted by anyone who has difficulty with everyday walking and stair-climbing. There are late nights throughout the tour, but most mornings start at 10.00 or 10.30am. Average distance by coach per day: c. 65 miles.

Above: Siena, watercolour by Walter Tyndale, publ. 1913.

mainland europe: italy

Day 1. Fly at c. 8.30am from London Heathrow to Pisa (British Airways). Drive to Pienza.

planned church of San Biagio by Antonio da Sangallo is one of the masterpieces of the Renaissance. Continue to La Foce for a gala dinner in the garden. Evening ‘Schubertiade’ in the courtyard of La Foce, with Ian Bostridge, Leif Ove Andsnes, Alessio Bax, Esther Hoppe (violin), Daishin Kashimoto, Lawrence Power, Antonio Lysy, Christian Poltéra: ‘Andantino Varié’ for Piano Op.84; ‘Auf dem Strom’; selection from ‘Schwanengesang’ – ‘Liebesbotschaft’, ‘Kriegers Ahnung’, ‘Ständchen’, ‘In die Ferne’, ‘Abschied’; String Quintet in C, Op.163.

Five concerts in beautiful settings, including La Foce, former home of Iris Origo, and the Teatro degli Avvaloranti in Città della Pieve.

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

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Day 7: Siena. Siena is the largest of the hilltop towns of Tuscany. The cathedral museum contains Duccio’s Maestà, perhaps the finest of all mediaeval altarpieces. The cathedral itself is an imposing Romanesque and Gothic construction of white and green marble with outstanding Renaissance sculpture and painting. Drive to Pisa airport and fly to London Gatwick, arriving c. 8.30pm. Please note this tour departs from Heathrow and returns to Gatwick.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Combine this tour with: Estonia, 6–14 August 2018. We are happy to advise on linking accommodation and transport.

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Newly-launched

Rossini in Pesaro Celebrating 150 years 14–18 August 2018 (me 987) 5 days • £2,380 (including tickets to 3 performances) Lecturer: Dr Michael Downes Includes top-category tickets to three operas, performed on successive evenings.

In 2018 the Rossini Opera Festival commemorates the 150th anniversary of the composer’s death.

At the Teatro Rossini: Adina with Lisette Oropesa and Vito Priante.

At the Adriatic Arena: Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Michele Pertusi and Ricciardo e Zoraide with Juan Diego Flórez and Pretty Yende.

A good balance of music, art and architecture in picturesque towns, mediaeval and Renaissance.

mainland europe: italy

Gioachino Rossini is commemorated in his birthplace, the coastal resort of Pesaro, by an annual summer festival devoted to his music (the Rossini Opera Festival). Designed around a single composer in an appropriate location and attaining the highest artistic standards it well merits its epithet ‘the Italian Bayreuth’.

The mix of well known and little-known works from Rossini’s vast oeuvre and the participation of some of the world’s greatest bel canto singers make this festival one of the most significant musical events in Italy. This year the festival commemorates the 150th anniversary of Rossini’s death.

The heart of the little city of Pesaro retains its ancient walls – much of the Roman structure is evident – and a compact mass of fine buildings and picturesque streets. The hotel is located beyond the seaward walls, stretched along the magnificent beach, leaving the old city virtually untouched by the adjacent resort.

This tour includes excursions to other enchanting mediaeval and Renaissance towns such as Urbino and Rimini, and we see remarkable works of art tucked away in hilltop fastnesses, but the landscape also plays an integral part in the visitor’s experience. There is quite a lot of driving, but through some remarkably unspoilt and attractive scenery.

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Day 2: Pesaro. Works by Giovanni Bellini and Guido Reni are in the Museo Civico. Visit Rossini’s house, which is now a museum, and the cathedral. The afternoon is free. Evening opera at the Teatro Rossini: Adina with Diego Matheuz Regia (conductor), Rosetta Cucchi (director); singers to include Lisette Oropesa, Vito Priante and Levy Sekgapane.

Day 3: Urbino. The compact hilltop stronghold of Urbino is one of the loveliest in Italy, and enjoys an importance in cultural history out of all proportion to its size. The Palazzo Ducale is the most beautiful of all Renaissance secular buildings and the picture gallery housed here is the finest in The Marches (Piero della Francesca, Raphael, Titian). Evening opera at the Adriatic Arena: The Barber of Seville with Yves Abel (conductor), Pier Luigi Pizzi (director); singers to include Aya Wakizono, Davide Luciano, Pietro Spagnoli, Michele Pertusi and Maxim Mironov.

Day 4: Fano, Pesaro. Walk around Fano, whose layout still conforms to the Roman plan. There is a 2nd-cent. triumphal arch here, as well as tombs of the Malatesta dynasty. After returning in Pesaro there is a private visit to the Tempietto Rossiniano, which houses some of the composer’s original scores and posters. Evening opera at the Adriatic Arena: Ricciardo e Zoraide with Giacomo Sagripanti (conductor), Marshal Pynkoski (director); singers to include Juan Diego Flórez, Pretty Yende and Sergey Romanovsky.

Day 5. Drive to Bologna airport. Arrive London Heathrow at c. 1.30pm.

Lecturer Dr Michael Downes. Director of Music at the University of St Andrews, musical director of St Andrews Chorus and founding artistic director of Byre Opera. He writes programme notes for Wigmore Hall and Aldeburgh Music and reviews music for the Times Literary Supplement. He is author of a highly praised study of British composer Jonathan Harvey.

Practicalities Price, per person. Two sharing: £2,380 or £2,140 without flights. Single occupancy: £2,720 or £2,480 without flights.

Included meals: 1 lunch and 3 dinners with wine. See page 3 for what we include as standard in our prices.

Music: tickets (top category) for 3 performances are included costing c. £380.

Accommodation. Hotel Savoy, Pesaro (hotelsavoypesaro.it): modern, well-run 4-star hotel in a central location.

How strenuous? The tour would not be suitable for anyone with difficulties with everyday walking or stair-climbing. Some late nights (operas start at 8.00pm). Average distance by coach per day: 54 miles Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Combine this tour with: Torre del Lago, 9–13 August 2018; Drottningholm & Confidencen, 10–13 August 2018. We are happy to advise on linking accommodation and transport.

‘Thoroughly enjoyed the trip and will look out for more.’

‘Both operas and their venues were excellent.’

Itinerary Day 1. Fly at c. 8.00am from London Heathrow to Bologna. Break for lunch in the small town of Forlimpopoli, birthplace of Pellegrino Artusi, the author of the original Italian national cookbook. In Rimini visit the outstanding Tempio Malatestiano, designed by Leon Battista Alberti for the tyrant Sigismondo Malatesta, before continuing to Pesaro.

Right: Urbino, early-20th-century etching.

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

Making a booking: see page 3

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Newly-launched

Tintoretto 500 Celebrating five centuries with two exhibitions in Venice 4–8 October 2018 (me 220) 5 days • £2,480 Lecturer: Dr Michael Douglas-Scott

opportunity to understand the full range of Tintoretto’s monumental achievement as one of the truly great firebrands of the Venetian pictorial tradition.

2018 marks 500 years since the birth of Jacopo Tintoretto.

Itinerary

Based in Venice throughout, where the artist spent his entire life.

Day 1. Fly at c. 1.00pm (British Airways) from London Gatwick to Venice. Cross the lagoon by motoscafo (water taxi). Luggage is transported separately by porters.

Led by Dr Michael Douglas-Scott, whose thesis was on the Madonna dell’Orto where the artist is buried, and has published articles about him.

This year, Venice celebrates the 500th anniversary of the birth of the great Renaissance painter Jacopo Tintoretto (who was born in either 1518 or 1519). The exhibitions being held are the first major ones to be staged in his native city exclusively in his honour since 1937. One takes place in the Accademia Gallery, the other in the Doge’s Palace, and both bring together works by him from all over the world.

This tour contextualises the exhibitions by also considering his works still situated in the Venetian churches and confraternities for which he originally painted them. For, unlike Titian, the true greatness of Tintoretto can only be appreciated in Venice. His work will be compared with that of Titian (who ejected him from his workshop) and his other major rival Paolo Veronese. His most sublime masterpiece is the biblical cycle at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, where he revealed the true breadth of his religious vision and unfurled his fiery genius.

Tintoretto also worked for much smaller and poorer confraternities of the Holy Sacrament all over Venice, painting an animated series of Last Supper canvasses for the sidewalls of their chapels, stressing a downto-earth while spiritually engaged version of Counter-Reformation spirituality. His local church and burial site, the Madonna dell’Orto, is the theatre of some of his most dramatic pieces. Working on a colossal scale, his Last Judgement here is among the most terrifying ever painted, rivalling even Michelangelo’s in the Sistine Chapel.

According to his biographer, Carlo Ridolfi, Tintoretto had ‘Il disegno di Michelangelo e il colorito di Tiziano’ (Michelangelo’s sense of form and Titian’s handling of paint) written on his studio wall. His mission was to bring together the figurative complexity of the central Italian mannerist tradition with Venetian openness in the handling of oil paint.

Controversial in his own lifetime, the ‘little dyer’ (Tintoretto) continues to arouse distaste as well as admiration, but none can remain indifferent to his prodigious output.

This year provides a once-in-a-lifetime

Day 2. Spend the entire morning in the Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice’s major art gallery.

Works by Tintoretto housed here include his Miracle of the Slave, the Creation of the Animals

Day 5. The final morning of the tour focuses on the Chiesa della Madonna dell’Orto, the burial place of Tintoretto, which also contains two of his laterali as well as the Presentation of the Virgin Mary. Travel by motoscafo to the airport.

Fly to London Gatwick, arriving c. 7.00pm.

At the time of going to print, the Venice Civic Museums Foundation was unable to confirm which works will be part of the two exhibitions.

There may be changes to the itinerary depending on which are included and which are on loan from other venues in Venice.

Lecturer Dr Michael Douglas-Scott. Associate Lecturer in History of Art at Birkbeck College, specialising in 16th-century Italian art and architecture. He studied at the Courtauld and Birkbeck, University of London and lived in Rome for several years. He has written articles for Arte Veneta, Burlington Magazine and the Journal of the Warburg & Courtauld Institutes.

Practicalities Price, per person. Two sharing: £2,480 or £2,360 without flights. Single occupancy £2,990 or £2,870 without flights.

Included meals: 1 lunch and 3 dinners with wine. See page 3 for what we include as standard in our prices. and the Murder of Abel. The gallery also hosts an exhibition covering the artist’s emergence as a painter challenging the dominance of Titian, with works from major public and private collections. In the afternoon, visit the Scuola Grande di San Rocco – the grandest of all confraternity premises, the halls are decorated with a magnificent cycle of dynamic and highly charged canvasses by Tintoretto.

Day 3. Today, compare Tintoretto with his rivals Titian and Veronese. Visit the flamboyant church of the Gesuiti, S.ta Maria Assunta, which houses Tintoretto’s Assumption altarpiece and Titian’s Martyrdom of St. Lawrence. See more late Titian at S. Salvatore (his Annunciation), as well as decoration by Veronese at S. Sebastiano.

Day 4. Visit the Palazzo Ducale, supremely beautiful with its 14th-century pink and white revetment. Tintoretto’s last work, Il Paradiso, is one of the world’s largest paintings. The second part of the exhibition is held here, and showcases his rise to maturity, with some

Accommodation. Hotel Splendid, Venice (starhotels.com): 4-star hotel, halfway between Piazza San Marco and the Rialto bridge.

How strenuous? The nature of Venice means that it is more often than not traversed on foot.

Although part of her charm, there is a lot of walking along the flat and up and down bridges.

Standing in museums and palaces is also unavoidable. The tour should not be attempted by anyone who has difficulty with everyday walking and stair-climbing. Fitness is essential.

Group size: between 8 and 18 participants.

Combine this tour with: Roman Italy, 8–17 October 2018; Walking in Eastern Sicily, 8–15 October 2018; Siena & San Gimignano; 10–14 October 2018; Ravenna & Urbino, 10–14 October 2018. We are happy to advise on linking accommodation and transport.

Centre: Venice, Doge’s Palace, lithograph c. 1840.

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mainland europe: italy

Visits two major exhibitions, at the Accademia and the Doge’s Palace, with works from the Louvre, Prado and National Gallery (London).

seventy works and drawings illustrating his creative process. In the afternoon cross the bacino to Palladio’s beautiful island church of S. Giorgio Maggiore, which contains a Tintoretto Last Supper. Also visit the Marciana library at the Museo Correr to see paintings by Tintoretto and Veronese in the reading room.

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Newly-launched

Oman, Landscapes & Peoples Desert, coast and mountains

5–15 January 2019 (mf 402) 11 days/10 nights • £5,570 Lecturer: Professor Dawn Chatty Remarkable landscape, hill forts, traditional souqs, archaeological sites.

The toehold of Arabia, with a diverse population reflecting its mercantile past.

Accompanied by a social anthropologist long involved in the Middle East.

middle east: oman

A night in a desert camp and two nights in a luxury hotel in the mountains of the Jebel Akhdar.

of the few places in the world where the ‘sacred frankincense’ still grows) played a key role in the country’s history. Desire to control the supply of frankincense led to incorporation in the Achaemenid and Sassanian empires until the Persians were forced out in the seventh century.

Omanis readily embraced Islam and submitted to the Umayyad and the Abbasid Caliphate. Trade and naval power continued to expand. Occupied by the Portuguese from 1507 to 1650, Oman flourished again after their departure with an empire reaching into East Africa, particularly Zanzibar, and the Indian Ocean. Treaties agreed with the British to protect communications with India marked the beginning of a special relationship, which continued beyond the formal termination of the protectorate in 1971.

Meanwhile, the division of the Omani empire between the sultan of Zanzibar and the sultan of Muscat in 1856 resulted in economic decline for both and internal conflicts in the latter. Successive sultans failed to tackle the problems and Oman stagnated.

The coming to power of Sultan Qaboos bin Said in 1970 heralded a new era. Though its oil revenues are relatively small, they have been used wisely to the benefit of the Omani people, for infrastructure, employment and education. Development has been rapid but controlled, guided by a determination to preserve Omani traditions.

Our comprehensive itinerary includes the highlights of this vast country: from the inland forts of Nizwa and Jabrin to the littlevisited archaeological sites of Al-Balid and Khor Rori, from the mountain scenery in the Western Hajar to the remoteness of the Wahiba Sands, from the bustling capital Muscat to the contrasting landscapes of the southern region of Dhofar.

Other features of this tour are the opportunity to camp overnight in the Wahiba Sands, bathe in the Indian Ocean, stay high in the mountains of the Jabal Akhdar and shop in souqs suffused with the scent of frankincense.

Oman is opening up to a privileged few.

Wilfred Thesiger was motivated to cross the Empty Quarter not only by his desire to gain further recognition as a traveller but by the hope that he would find peace and solitude in the remote desert landscapes. He also yearned to gain the friendship of the Bedu who journeyed with him and whom he encountered during his traverse. The opportunities for travelling to little-visited locations, relaxing in inspiring surroundings and encountering new peoples is no less possible in Oman in 2019 than it was in 1946. Our tour leader, Professor Dawn Chatty, is an anthropologist with unrivalled knowledge of Bedouin society and camel nomads throughout northern Arabia. She has lived in Oman, where she led a United Nations Development Programme to assist the remote Harasiis tribe.

Her personal contacts with Omani tribes people will inform our experience on this tour.

The country provides a diverse range of extraordinary natural beauty: deserts, mountains, wadis, beaches. Visitors also experience the kindness and friendliness of the Omanis. With relatively low – although gradually increasing – numbers of visitors a year, Oman is still not over-developed, unlike some of its neighbouring Gulf states.

Evidence of settlement dates back to the fourth millennium bc with early indications of dependence on trade. First copper and then frankincense (southern Oman is one

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

Itinerary Day 1. Fly at c. 7.30pm from London Heathrow (Oman Air) for the seven-hour overnight flight to Muscat.

Day 2: Muscat. Land at c. 7.20am. Hotel rooms are at your disposal for the morning. Greater Muscat is spread out along the coast with a dramatic mountain backdrop. Visit the privately owned Bait al Zubair Museum housing the family collection of Omani artefacts. First of two nights in Muscat.

Day 3: Barka, Nakhl. By 4-wheel-drive to the traditionally furnished 17th-century fortified house Bait Na’aman. Continue onto the impressive Rustaq and Nakhl Forts, the latter perched grandly on the foothills of the Western Hajar Mountains. Overnight Muscat.

Day 4: Muscat, Jabrin. With seven minarets, the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is impressively ornate. Leave Muscat by 4-wheel- drive. The most impressive fort in Oman is at Jabrin; sensitively restored, the plasterwork, wood carvings and painted ceilings are magnificent.

Ascend the Al Hajar mountains for the first of two nights in the Jabal Akhdar.

Day 5: Nizwa area. Visit to the 17th-century Nizwa Fort, palace, seat of government and prison. Some time to explore the fascinating souqs and markets. The rarely-visited archaeological site of Al Ayn is a collection of Bronze Age beehive tombs sitting atop a rugged ridge with the Jebel Misht as a backdrop.

Overnight Jabal Akhdar.

Day 6: Nizwa, Wahiba. Set off early for Ibra, the once opulent market town that stood on the trade route linking the interior to the coast.

Arrive at Wahiba Sands, a sea of high rolling dunes. Watch the sunset and camp overnight in the desert.

Day 7: Wahiba, Sur. Travel by 4-wheel-drive through the spectacular desert scenery. Until the 20th century Sur was famous throughout Arabia as a major trading port with East Africa.

See the charming fishing village of Al Aijah, the

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shipyards still in operation, and the displays of traditional dhows at Fath al Khair Park.

Overnight Sur. Day 8: Sur, Salalah. 4-wheel-drive to Muscat, via the ancient port of Qalhat, to catch an afternoon flight to Salalah, which despite its size is considered Oman’s second city and capital of the Dhofar region. First of three nights in Salalah.

Day 9: Al Balid. Ancient Zafar, flourished in the 11th and 12th centuries and was visited by Marco Polo. The museum exhibits finds from the ruins of Al Balid and other artefacts from the area. The afternoon is free to relax by the Indian Ocean. Overnight Salalah.

Day 10: Khor Rori. Spend the morning at Mirbat, scene of the well-documented battle in 1972, which saw Pakistani and Omani British soldiers defend the town during the Dhofar Rebellion. The impressive archaeological site at Khor Rori, formerly known as Sumhuraman, preserves the remains of an important frankincense trading port from where, 2000 years ago, this precious commodity commenced its transportation to Damascus and Rome.

Overnight Salalah.

Visas: required for most foreign nationals. We will arrange for these to be issued on arrival if travelling with the group, the costs of which are included in the tour price. Passports must be valid for at least 6 months after the tour ends.

Accommodation. Intercontinental, Muscat (ihg.com/intercontinental): beach front 5-star resort. Anantara, Jabal Akhdar (jabal-akhdar.anantara.com): located in the Al Hajar mountains with spectacular views. Desert Nights Camp, Wahiba Sands (desertnightscamp.com): luxury camp; individual tents with private facilities. Hotel Plaza, Sur (omanhotels.com/surplaza): modern 4-star hotel. Hotel Crowne Plaza, Salalah (crowneplaza.com): 5-star hotel, high standards of comfort and service.

How strenuous? This is a busy and active tour and participants need stamina and fitness. There are some long journeys by 4x4 vehicles or coach (average distance per day: 102 miles), two internal flights and 4 changes of accommodation. Walking is often on uneven terrain at archaeological sites, hill forts and in the desert.

Group size: between 10 and 18 participants.

Day 11. A mid-morning flight to Muscat connects with the early afternoon flight to London, arriving Heathrow c. 6.00pm. For those not taking the group flights, the tour ends in Salalah.

Lecturer

Making a booking: see page 3

Palestine, Past & Present 14–22 October 2019 (mf 789) 9 days • £4,130 Lecturer: Felicity Cobbing A pioneering tour that includes the major archaeological sites and the most significant historic buildings on the West Bank.

Provides an insight into a territory much in the news but little visited in recent years.

Israel & Palestine 5–14 March 2019 (mf 440) 10 days • £4,960 Lecturer: Dr Garth Gilmour Ancient, mediaeval and modern architecture, from Herod to Bauhaus – Judean, Roman, Christian and Islamic.

Enthralling vernacular buildings in ancient walled towns; varied landscapes, from rocky deserts to verdant valleys.

Opposite page: Muscat, wood engraving from’The Graphic’,1883. Below: Jerusalem, Mosque of Omar, watercolour by Phoebe Allen, publ. 1913.

middle east: oman, israel, palestine

Professor Dawn Chatty. Emeritus Professor of Anthropology and Forced Migration at the University of Oxford, former Director of the Refugee Studies Centre, and Emeritus Fellow of St Cross College. She has long been involved with the Middle East as a lecturer, development practitioner, and advocate for indigenous rights. She was made a Fellow of the British Academy in 2015.

Practicalities Price, per person. Two sharing: £5,570 or £4,920 without flights and visa. Single occupancy: £6,450 or £5,800 without flights and visa.

Included meals: 9 lunches (2 picnics) and 9 dinners with wine (not all restaurants serve alcohol and none is served at picnics). See page 3 for what we include as standard in our prices.

Internal flight: the flight from Muscat to Salalah on day 8 is not included in the price if you take our ‘without flights’ option. We can book this on your behalf, quoting the price at the time, or you can choose to book this independently. The average cost of the internal flight from Muscat to Salalah is c. £100.

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

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Newly-launched

Bengal by River Calcutta and a week’s cruise along the Hooghly 10–22 November 2019 (mf 880) 13 days • £5,260 International flights not included Lecturer: Dr Anna-Maria Misra Please contact us for full details or visit www.martinrandall.com Four days in Calcutta, Bengal’s capital, and a week on an exclusively chartered cruiser visiting places along the Hooghly River, a distributary of the ‘Lower Ganges’.

Bengal, an outpost of the Mughal Empire and the first region to come under the control of the East India Company.

Islamic architecture in Murshidabad and Gaur, Hindu temples in Baranagar and Kalna, Georgian and Victorian buildings of the Raj.

ASIA: India

Sailing along the banks of the Hooghly gives a unique insight into unspoilt village life.

When George V announced in 1911 that the capital of British India was to be transferred from Calcutta to Delhi, there was disbelief and horror in Bengal. It seemed to overturn the natural order of things. Founded by Job Charnock in 1690 on the banks of the mighty Hooghly River, Calcutta (now Kolkata) had been the headquarters of British rule in India ever since. Today the city is home to over fifteen million, but the central district remains largely as it was during the Raj. Buildings of all sorts – political, economic, educational, religious, residential – formed the British city. Their styles, Classical and Gothic, are bizarrely familiar, and their size is startling, often exceeding their equivalents in Britain.

A walk through the South Park Street Cemetery shows the high price that many Britons paid for coming to Calcutta in search of wealth. ‘Power on silt!’ wrote Kipling of the city. ‘Death in my hands, but Gold!’

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West Bengal is the land of lost capitals and fading grandeur. Calcutta was only the latest city whose power was snatched away by changing political events. Hindus, Muslims, Portuguese, Dutch, Danish and French all founded settlements on the dreamy, fertile banks of the Hooghly.

For a time Bengal was the richest province in India, not only because everything seemed to grow in its lush soil but from the industry of its people too. Indigo, opium and rice were cash crops, but textiles first attracted European traders in the seventeenth century. Beautiful silk and muslin fabrics were known as ‘woven wind’ because they were so fine. The river was a natural highway. Apart from the Grand Trunk Road of the Mughals, there was no other way to travel.

Steeped in history but still very much off the conventional tourist route, this tour adds a new dimension to India for those who already know it, and for those who are yet to encounter it.

Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, and Christianity are all practised in Bengal and each faith has built buildings to its gods and goddesses. The town of Kalna is named after a manifestation of the dreaded goddess Kali, the destroyer who lives in cremation grounds and wears a necklace of skulls. By contrast the Jain temples in the village of Baranagar are a peaceful anthem in carved brick to non-violence and harmony. Bengal contains the largest imambaras in India, buildings associated with the Shi’a strand of Islam, not quite mausolea, although burials are frequently found in them, more gathering places for the devout.

Serampore, the Danish settlement, is known for its eighteenth-century church.

Had the British under Clive not defeated the Nawab Siraj-ud-daula at the Battle of Plassey in 1757, the history of India would have been very different. The French, established at Chandernagore and allies of the Nawab, would have seized their opportunity, supported by Francophone rulers elsewhere in India who wanted to counterbalance the pervasive British presence. But it was from their base in Bengal that the British steadily extended their rule through the subcontinent.

The cruiser chartered for this tour is fairly new (built in Calcutta in 2014). By the standards of vessels on European rivers it is not luxurious, but it is comfortable, has great charm and the crew are welcoming and efficient.

Lounging on the top deck after a fulfilling day of sightseeing with a gin & tonic (of which a quota is included in the price), watching rural life on the banks as dusk falls, comes pretty close to a perfect Indian experience.

Left: Calcutta, after a drawing by Desmond Doig.

Opposite page: Jaipur, watercolour by Mortimer Menpes, publ. 1912.

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Newly-launched

Mughals & Rajputs Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan Lecturer Dr Anna-Maria Misra. Lecturer in Modern History at Oxford University, specialising in Indian history and the British Empire. Her many books include Vishnu’s Crowded Temple: India Since the Great Rebellion. She also wrote and presented the TV series An Indian Affair.

Practicalities Price, per person. Two sharing: £5,260.

Single occupancy: £6,120.

Included meals: 11 lunches (includes 1 packed) and 10 dinners with wine or beer. See page 3 for what we include as standard in our prices.

Flights: from London to Calcutta are not included in the price of the tour. We will send the recommended flight options when they come into range (December 2018) and ask that you make your own flight reservation.

Please ensure you have travel insurance that protects you in the unlikely event that the tour is cancelled.

Changes to the itinerary: circumstances might arise which prevent us operating the tour as advertised. On the river, circumstances such as the ebb and flow of the tide and shifting silt levels might necessitate omission of one or more ports of call. We would try and devise a satisfactory alternative.

Accommodation. Oberoi Grand, Calcutta (oberoihotels.com): long-established luxury hotel located in the city centre. RV Rajmahal, River Cruiser (assambengalnavigation. com): built 2013, not luxurious but adequately comfortable and with great charm.

How strenuous? A good level of fitness is essential. Unless you enjoy entirely unimpaired mobility, cope with everyday walking and stair-climbing without difficulty and are reliably sure-footed, this tour is not for you. A rough indication of the minimum level of fitness required is that you ought to be able to walk briskly at about three miles per hour for at least half an hour, and undertake a walk at a more leisurely pace for an hour or two unaided. You may be on your feet for lengthy stretches of time. Uneven ground and irregular paving are standard. Sure-footedness is essential to get on and off the ship; the riverbanks may be slippery. Unruly traffic and the busy streets of Calcutta also require vigilance. There are a few fairly steep ascents to hilltop forts and temples.

There is a 4-hour train journey where facilities may be limited.

Group size: between 15 and 24 participants.

16–28 November 2019 (mf 900) 13 days • £5,920 International flights not included Lecturer: Dr Giles Tillotson

The Rajputs, rulers of large tracts of northern India, trace their origins to the sixth century ad or earlier. They built some of India’s greatest temples, established a sophisticated court culture and, all too ready to put into practice a chivalric and militaristic ethos, became the main bulwark of resistance to Islamic invasion.

It is ironic therefore that Rajputs and Mughals came to an accommodation. Rajput maharajas served as imperial commanders and as regional governors, while at home, in the fortified cities of Rajasthan, they developed a courtly culture in tandem with that of their imperial overlords but drawing too on older traditions.

This composite courtly culture is among India’s best known and most admired phenomena, permeating a range of arts from painting and textiles to jewellery and precious artefacts. The proper setting for all these arts were the courtyards and pavilions of their palaces, which rank among the world’s most striking and beautiful works of secular architecture. Their appearance is further enhanced by their setting in the dramatic landscape of Rajasthan, which encompasses both desert plains (in the north-west), and rugged hills and ravines (in the south-east).

This tour covers many of the finest forts, palaces, gardens and cities built by the Mughals in Delhi and Agra and the Rajputs in Rajasthan.

Agra is of course much visited, but the tour allows time to explore the city’s other great monuments that place the Taj Mahal in context.

Jaipur, the celebrated capital of Rajasthan, was built according to the Vastu Shastra, the architectural treatise from the Vedic age which

ASIA: India

Visas: required for most foreign nationals, and not included in the tour price. We will advise all participants of the process.

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

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Please contact us for full details or visit www.martinrandall.com One of the world’s greatest schools of architecture and decoration, rooted in several traditions but becoming an original, harmonious and beautiful synthesis.

Architecture, art and history amid the enthralling landscapes and beautiful cities, forts and palaces of north-west India.

The tour includes less visited places as well as major ones, spends more time at each place and includes a number of special arrangements.

The Mughals, the last and most refined of India’s Muslim dynasties, originated in Central Asia and Afghanistan, being descendants of both Timur (Tamerlaine) and Genghis Khan. Babur conquered the Kingdom of Delhi in 1527, and his successors extended the empire to include at its peak all the Subcontinent except for its southernmost tip. They remained rulers until 1857, though after the death of the emperor Aurangzeb in 1707 their power and territories withered rapidly. During their period of glory, the dynasty ruled one of the great empires in history and the body of architecture bequeathed by emperors and empresses, warlords and administrators, nobles and governors, ranks among the world’s finest.

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Newly-launched Mughals & Rajputs continued

enjoyed a revival under the Hindu rulers of Rajputana in the eighteenth century. Including the most famous sites and some less known ones, the tour also visits the best museums.

A distinguishing feature is that longer is spent at the sites than is the norm for tours to Agra and Rajasthan, resulting in a much deeper understanding and appreciation of this extraordinarily rich episode of artistic and architectural creation.

Lecturer Dr Giles Tillotson. Dean of Ansal University, Gurgaon and writer and lecturer on Indian architecture, art and history. His books include Taj Mahal, Jaipur Nama: Tales from the Pink City, and the novel, Return to Bhanupur. He is a Fellow, and the former Director, of the Royal Asiatic Society and was Chair of Art and Archaeology at SOAS.

Practicalities Price, per person. Two sharing: £5,920.

Single occupancy: £7,240.

Flights: from London to Delhi are not included in the price of the tour. We will send the recommended flight options when they come into range (December 2018) and ask that you make your own flight reservation. Please ensure you have travel insurance that protects you in the unlikely event that the tour is cancelled.

Included meals: 8 lunches and 11 dinners with wine or beer. See page 3 for what we include as standard in our prices.

Visas: required for most British nationals, and not included in the tour price. We will advise all participants of the process.

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

The Indian Mutiny 24 October–5 Nov. 2018 (mf 279) 13 days • £4,860 Lecturer: Patrick Mercer obe

Kingdoms of the Deccan 10–22 November 2018 (mf 307) 13 days • £4,870 Lecturer: Asoka Pugal

Essential India 23 February–8 March 2019 (mf 429) 14 days • £5,780 Lecturer: Asoka Pugal

Indian Summer 5–16 March 2019 (mf 444) 12 days • £5,360 Lecturer: Raaja Bhasin Please contact us for full details or visit www.martinrandall.com

ASIA: India

Accommodation. The Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi (tajhotels.com): modern, comfortable hotel with attractive garden, and swimming pool; well-situated in the heart of Lutyen’s Delhi and caters for both business and leisure.

Trident Hotel, Agra (tridenthotels.com): comfortable, well-run, modern 4-star close to the main sites with a spacious garden. Trident Hotel, Jaipur (tridenthotels.com): modern 5-star hotel on the outskirts of the city. Ranvas, Nagaur (ranvasnagaur.com): a 18th-cent. palace converted into a luxury hotel. There are no twinbedded rooms. Raas, Jodhpur (raasjodhpur. com): boutique hotel combining modern and traditional styles. The Leela, Gurgaon (theleela. com): 5-star hotel, close to the airport.

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How strenuous? A good level of fitness is essential. Unless you enjoy entirely unimpaired mobility, cope with everyday walking and stair-climbing without difficulty and are reliably sure-footed, this tour is not for you. For full fitness requirements, please contact us or visit www.martinrandall.com.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Making a booking: see page 3 Telephone +44 (0)20 8742 3355 | info@martinrandall.co.uk | www.martinrandall.com

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Newly-launched

Textile Arts of India Courtly and private collections of North West India In partnership with HALI 9–22 February 2019 (ef 419) 14 days • £6,980 Lecturer: Rosemary Crill In conjunction with HALI, the leading magazine for antique carpets and textiles.

An opportunity to gain exclusive access to the iconic carpets and textiles of India.

Includes places rarely visited by tourists.

Private curator-led visits throughout including the textile stores of Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur and the TAPI collection in Surat.

Mughal court were made in royal workshops in Ahmedabad – but some of its finest monuments date from the pre-Mughal period of Islamic rule. The ornately decorated fifteenth- and sixteenth-century mosques of Ahmedabad with their sinuous tree patterns and geometric jali screens speak of a rich and complex tradition of architecture and design in the region.

Both Rajasthan and Gujarat are known for their rich local textile arts, especially embroidery, block-printing and tie-dyeing, and these traditions are on view at the Shreyas Foundation in Ahmedabad and the Anokhi Museum of Hand Block-Printing at Amer. It is no exaggeration to say that the extraordinary richness and variety of textile collections in these two states make the region unique not only in India but in the world.

Itinerary Day 1: Delhi. Rooms are available at the hotel from 2.00pm on 8th February, allowing for an early check-in. The tour begins in Delhi, in the early afternoon, with a talk in the hotel before a visit to the National Museum. We go behind the scenes with the Curator of Textile and Decorative Arts, who shows us some rarely-seen pieces including Mughal lampas-weaves. First of two nights in Delhi.

Day 2: Delhi. Founded in 1978, the Sanskriti Kendra campus houses small individual museums of terracottas, everyday art and textiles. Based on the private collection of its founder O.P. Jain, the display provides an overview of India’s textile traditions. In the afternoon visit the Handicraft and Handlooms

Museum for its wide range of exhibits.

Overnight Delhi.

Day 3: Delhi, Jodhpur. Fly from Delhi to Jodhpur (Jet Airways). Presiding over the capital of one of the largest Rajput states in western Rajasthan is the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort. Described by Kipling as the ‘work of angels, fairies and giants’, it has some of the most imposing fortifications in the world. The buildings of the lively Old City are painted in a variety of blues, originally the colour denoting the homes of Brahmins. Dinner at the Umaid Bhawan Palace, residence of the Maharaja Gaj Singh II. First of two nights in Jodhpur.

Day 4: Jodhpur. Morning excursion to a dhurrie-weaving (flat-weave) co-operative in the desert village of Salawas before returning to Jodhpur for the afternoon. Mehrangarh fort, founded in the mid-15th century and lived in by the royal family of Jodhpur-Marwar until the 20th century. It houses an important collection of paintings and textiles, including royal tents and garments dating back to the 17th century.

Our after-hours visit is by special admission to the gallery led by the curator. Private dinner in the fort’s garden. Overnight Jodhpur.

Day 5: Jodhpur, Jaipur. Travel east by train from Jodhpur to Jaipur (c. 6 hours). In the afternoon visit the Albert Hall Museum, purpose-built in flamboyant ‘Indo-Saracenic’ style, opened in 1887. Highlights are six 17thcent. Mughal carpets and the renowned ‘Persian Garden Carpet’, formerly at Amer palace. First of three nights in Jaipur.

Above: Jaipur, etching by M. Menpes (1855–1938).

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ASIA: India

For millennia, northern India was the battleground for a succession of external powers vying with local rulers. The most renowned and longest-lasting of these invaders was the Mughal dynasty, whose founder Babur overthrew the Lodi Dynasty and entered India in 1526.

His successors ruled much of India until they were deposed by the British in the midnineteenth century. The Hindu Rajputs (‘sons of kings’) were forced into uneasy alliances with the Muslim Mughals in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, by giving their daughters in marriage and by accepting high ranks in the Mughal armies, but they nevertheless maintained their Hindu traditions at their great forts and palaces in what is now Rajasthan.

Some of the most spectacular textiles and carpets ever made were the product of the patronage of these Mughal and Rajput rulers.

Many have since been dispersed into the world’s museums, but some royal palaces in India, notably those of Jaipur and Jodhpur, have retained many historic pieces, tents, carpets, furnishings and garments made for the courts.

India is also home to two of the world’s greatest collections of historic Indian textiles built up in more recent times – the Calico Museum of Textiles in Ahmedabad and the TAPI collection in Surat – as well as the notable holdings of other museums such as the National Museum in New Delhi and the CSMVS (former Prince of Wales Museum) in Mumbai.

The Textile Arts of India tour for HALI Magazine focuses on Rajasthan and Gujarat in north west India. Rajasthan is the heartland of Rajput culture, and the astonishing fortified palaces of Mehrangarh in Jodhpur and Amer outside Jaipur are the most spectacular manifestations of this rich hybrid tradition, blending Hindu and Islamic architectural and decorative styles. The City Palace in Jaipur, built when the new capital was founded in 1727, is now a museum displaying magnificent royal garments and furnishings, including a rare Mughal pashmina carpet of the seventeenth century.

Gujarat also came under Mughal rule – many of the finest silks and embroideries for the

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Newly-launched Textile Arts of India continued

‘Rosemary Crill was fabulous as lecturer and travel companion.

Superb way to understand India, let alone textiles. A brilliant choice!’

Day 6: Jaipur. The City Palace contains an unsurpassed collection of paintings and artefacts and the Jantar Mantar, a 1730s observatory with astonishingly accurate astronomical instruments. Free afternoon.

Lecturer

Day 7: Jaipur, Amer. Brigitte Singh produces the highest-quality hand-block printing in India. We visit her workshop to see printing being done as well as blocks being carved.

Athwart a natural ridge, with magnificent yellow walls, Amer (or Amber) Fort was the capital of the Kachhwaha Rajputs before the foundation of Jaipur in 1727.

Day 8: Jaipur, Ahmedabad. Fly from Jaipur to Ahmedabad in the morning (IndiGo). Visit a local artist’s textile collection. Particularly strong are the pichhwais (textiles for Krishna shrines). First of two nights in Ahmedabad.

Day 9: Ahmedabad. The morning is dedicated to the Calico Museum, the world’s greatest collection of Indian textiles. Highlights include a wealth of 17th-century Mughal textiles, a unique Mughal dhurrie, folk embroideries, trade cloths and courtly garments. A private dinner is held at the Hutheesing Haveli with a viewing of the family collection of Umang Hutheesing, ‘aesthete-at-large and patron of the arts’.

Day 10: Ahmedabad, Vadodara (Baroda).

A morning walk takes in the many teak havelis in the maze of lanes or pols. After lunch, drive to Lukshmi Vilas Palace at Vadodara (Baroda), an extravagant 19th-cent. building of the IndoSaracenic school and still the private residence of the Baroda Royal family. The Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum houses Royal Maratha textiles.

Overnight Baroda.

Day 11: Baroda, Surat. A morning visit to the Baroda Museum & Art Gallery, built in 1894 to resemble the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, for its collection of Indian miniatures and bronzes. The afternoon is spent driving to Surat. First of two nights in Surat.

Day 12: Surat. A curator-led visit of the private TAPI Collection, assembled by textile manufacturers Praful and Shilpa Shah, now one of the world’s most important holdings of Indian textiles. Highlights include unique 14thand 15th-century textiles traded to Indonesia and Mughal textiles including tent-hangings and early Kashmir shawls.

Rosemary Crill. Recently retired as Senior Curator for South Asia at the V&A, where she is now an Honorary Senior Research Fellow. Over 30 years she has published widely on Indian textiles and paintings.

Practicalities Price, per person. Two sharing: £6,980.

Single occupancy: £8,390. See page 3 for what we include as standard in our prices.

Flights to Delhi and from Mumbai are not included in the price of the tour. We will send recommended flight options with your booking confirmation and ask that you make your own flight reservation.

Included meals: 9 lunches and 10 dinners with wine or beer.

Visas: required for most foreign nationals, and not included in the tour price. We will advise all participants of the process.

Accommodation. The Imperial, New Delhi (theimperialindia.com): 5-star luxury hotel, in an iconic 1930s building, centrally located.

Hotel RAAS, Jodhpur (raasjodhpur.com): boutique hotel within the walled city. Jai Mahal, Jaipur (tajhotels.com): 5-star hotel in the Indo-Saracenic architectural style. House of

MG, Ahmedabad (houseofmg.com): boutique hotel in the centre of Ahmedabad. The Gateway Hotel Akota, Vadodara (gateway.tajhotels. com): business hotel, the most comfortable option in the city. Taj Gateway, Surat (gateway. tajhotels.com): comfortable 4-star hotel.

Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai (tajhotels.com): Centrally located with impeccable service.

How strenuous? A good level of fitness is essential. Unless you enjoy entirely unimpaired mobility, cope with everyday walking and stair-climbing without difficulty and are reliably sure-footed, this tour is not for you. A rough indication of the minimum level of fitness required is that you should be able to walk briskly at c. 3 miles per hour for at least half an hour, and undertake a walk at a more leisurely pace for an hour or two unaided. Uneven ground and irregular paving are standard.

There are a few fairly steep ascents to hilltop forts. There are two 4-hour coach journeys, and two train journeys of 6 and 4 hours, during which facilities are limited and may be of poor quality. Most sites have some shade but the Indian sun is strong, even in the cooler seasons.

Average distance by coach per day: 32 miles.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Combine this tour with: Essential India, 23 February–8 March 2019 (please contact us for full details or visit www.martinrandall.com).

Art in Japan

Textile Arts of Japan

20–31 May 2019 (mf 545) 12 days • £6,780 Lecturer: Professor Timon Screech

In partnership with HALI 31 October–12 Nov. 2018 (ee 294) Lecturers: Alan Kennedy & Ben Evans Please contact us for full details or visit www.martinrandall.com

18–29 November 2019 (mf 902) 12 days • £6,780 Lecturer: Dr Monika Hinkel Please contact us for full details or visit www.martinrandall.com

ASIA: INDIA, JAPAN

Day 13: Surat, Mumbai. Train from Surat to Mumbai (c. 4 hours). After lunch, visit CSMVS (formerly Prince of Wales Museum). It houses important collections of sculpture, paintings and decorative arts, including a newly opened textile gallery. Overnight Mumbai.

Right: Japanese woodblock (detail).

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Day 14: Mumbai. Tour ends. Car transfers to Mumbai Airport can be arranged.

Visit public and private textile collections in the company of curators, artists and specialists, including those of an imperial convent and the Miho Museum, one of the world’s most exclusive private art collections.

View exhibitions of unpublished ancient artefacts from monastic and imperial treasuries.

Gain insight into Japanese society through its textile culture from the silk and gold of high-art splendour to the cotton and hemp of country utility.

Receive a private tour of the Enoura Observatory, the new project by the Odawara Art Foundation.

Attend an evening with the well-known essayist, novelist and long-time Kyoto resident Pico Iyer, and hear talks by other ex-pat residents on Japanese art and textile heritage.

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Newly-launched

Samarkand & Silk Road Cities with Tashkent, Shakhrisabz, Bukhara and Khiva 5–16 April 2019 (mf 472) Exclusively for solo travellers 12 days/11 nights • £3,750 Lecturer: Dr Peter Webb 10–21 May 2019 (mf 525) 12 days/11 nights • £3,640 Lecturer: Dr Peter Webb 6–17 September 2019 (mf 676) 12 days/11 nights • £3,640 Lecturer: Professor James Allan The best of Uzbekistan and some of the most glorious sights in the Islamic world.

Memorable landscapes, magnificent mosques and madrassas, wonderful wall tiles, intact streetscapes.

A country that is remote, difficult to access and remarkably unspoilt.

the Islamic world, with biscuit-coloured brick and blue and turquoise maiolica. In Bukhara, gorgeously adorned architecture spanning a thousand years still rises above a streetscape of indeterminate age, while Samarkand has the largest, most resplendently caparisoned historic buildings of all.

Modernity has made relatively unobtrusive inroads throughout and the whitewashed villages and farmsteads with their awnings of vines would hold few surprises for Tolstoy.

Since independence, in the wake of economic liberalisation, streets and courtyards are draped with dazzling hued carpets and textiles; the glories of the Silk Road in its heyday are not hard to imagine.

Day 2: Tashkent. Touch-down c. 8.30am.

Hotel rooms in the centre of Tashkent are at your disposal for the morning. Afternoon drive around the city centre. See the Hazret Imam complex, a group of mosques and madrassas (seminaries) dating from the 16th to the 20th centuries and Independence Square, home to government buildings and the Monument of Independence. First of two nights in Tashkent.

Day 3: Tashkent. The morning is spent at the Fine Arts Museum with collections from preIslamic sculpture to 20th-century painting.

Afternoon visits include Chorsu Bazaar and Kukeldash Madrassa, introducing the theme of Soviet reconstruction of Islamic heritage.

Day 4: Tashkent to Samarkand. High-speed train from Tashkent to Samarkand at 8.00am (duration: 2 hours; luggage transferred separately). Begin with the Registan, ‘the noblest public square in the world’ (Lord Curzon, 1889), bounded on three sides by magnificent madrassas of the 15th and 17th centuries. Also seen are the Gur Emir Mausoleum, burial place of Timur, and the Bibi Khanum Mosque, commissioned by Timur in honour of his wife, an impressive exercise in gigantism despite

ASIA: Uzbekistan

Oxiana, Tartary, Turkestan, Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand: names to produce a frisson.

They evoke alluring images of shimmering turquoise domes and exquisite glazed wall tiles, of lost libraries and renowned scholars, of the delicious decadence of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, of gardens, poetry and wine, of the fabulous riches of the Silk Road between China and Christendom.

Less agreeable images are also evoked: of Ghengis Khan and Timur (Tamerlane), the most far-reaching conquerors in history; of the tyranny and cruelty of the khans, perpetuating the last redoubts of mediaeval misrule; of the Great Game, the 19th-century Cold War between Britain and Russia; of terrain as hostile as the tribesmen and of a post-Soviet penumbra of Stans of suspect politics and allegiances.

The cities of the subtitle lie now in Uzbekistan, independent since 1991 but an entity that has its origins in late 19th-century Russian imperialism, which agglomerated a number of independent khanates, and whose borders were settled in the 1920s. The country lies at the very centre of Central Asia. One of only two double land-locked nations in the world, its capital lies a thousand miles north of the Indian Ocean (Afghanistan and Pakistan intervene), 1,400 miles east of the Black Sea and 400 miles from Xinjiang, China’s largely Islamic western province.

Space is not at a premium in this part of the world. Broad tree-lined boulevards encircle the historic town centres and no expanding girdle of high-rise apartments disfigures the approach.

The spacious modern capital Tashkent has good museums and galleries; Shakhrisabz is famed for the breathtaking remains of Timur’s palace. A slave-trading oasis khanate, Khiva, the smallest of these cities, is perhaps the most intact and homogenous urban ensemble in

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Itinerary Day 1. Fly at c. 9.30pm (Uzbekistan Airways) from London Heathrow for the seven-hour flight to Tashkent (currently the only direct flight from London).

Above, Samarkand, one of many ornate ceilings in the Registan. Photograph ©Bill Knight.

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Newly-launched Samarkand & Silk Road Cities continued

partial destruction and over-zealous restoration.

First of three nights in Samarkand.

Day 5: Shakhrisabz. Cross the Hisor Mountains (by car; coaches are not permitted), a dramatic drive with long views down the sun-baked valley the other side. Shakhrisabz was transformed by Timur (1336–1405) whose home town it was. An astounding survival is the most imposing palace portal in the history of architecture, an arch 22 metres wide with a wondrous range of tiled decoration. Further Timurid remnants include a mosque complex with three turquoise domes.

Day 6: Samarkand. Visit Shah-i-Zinda, an ensemble of mausolea gorgeously apparelled in many types of dazzling glazed tiles, the Afrosiab History Museum, which documents pre-Islamic Samarkand, and the remains of the extraordinary observatory built by Ulug Bek in the 15th century.

Day 7: from Samarkand to Bukhara. 5-hour drive, reaching Bukhara in time for lunch. The afternoon walk begins in the social heart of the city, the Lyab-i Hauz square built around a 15th-century pool and flanked by the Nadir Divanbegi Madrassa and Khanaga. Time for tea under the mulberry trees. Continue to Central Asia’s oldest surviving mosque, Magok-i-Attari.

First of three nights in Bukhara.

ASIA: Uzbekistan, Myanmar

Day 8: Bukhara. Genghis Khan ensured in 1220 that – with notable exceptions, including the Kalon Minaret at 48 metres then the tallest in the world – little of Bukhara’s first golden age remains, but of the second, the 15th and 16th centuries, there survives much magnificent architecture, lavishly embellished. Today’s walks take in the vast Kalon Mosque (finished 1514) with a capacity of 10,000, several grand madrassas, the formidable citadel of the khans and the Zindan, their infamous prison.

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Day 9: Bukhara. The perfectly preserved 10thcentury Samani Mausoleum displays exquisite brickwork. From here walk through the park to the Bolo Hauz Mosque with its elegant patio of timber columns. The Emir’s summer palace, 1911, is a riotous mix of Russian and traditional Bukharan decoration with rose garden, aviary and swimming pool. Free afternoon with the option to visit Chor Bakr, a memorial complex built over the burial place of Abu-Bakr, a descendant of the prophet Mohammed.

Day 10: from Bukhara to Khiva. The 280mile journey starts and finishes in an unspoilt landscape of green fields, plentiful trees and adobe farmsteads, while the central section is undulating desert, specked with tufty shrubs that are briefly green in the spring. There are periodic sightings of the meandering Oxus, the mighty river crossed by Alexander the Great in 329 bc. Reach Khiva in time for a walk before dinner. First of one or two nights in Khiva.

Day 11: Khiva. No modern intrusions spoil the timeless fabric within a rectangle of crenellated and turreted ramparts. Most of the buildings are 19th-century, but such was Khiva’s isolation and conservatism that to the inexpert eye they could date to any time from the 16th century.

The Friday Mosque, a forest of carved wooden columns some dating to the 10th century, the Tash Hauli Palace, whose harem quarters constitute the loveliest secular spaces in Central Asia, and the Paklavan Mahmoud Mausoleum where tiled interiors reach a peak of opulence.

Depending on domestic flight schedules, second of two nights in Khiva OR internal flight and overnight Tashkent.

Day 12: from Khiva (or Tashkent) to London.

Either drive a short distance from Khiva to Urgench for a morning internal flight to Tashkent, or free time in Tashkent. The flight from Tashkent arrives at Heathrow c. 8.00pm.

Lecturers Dr Peter Webb. Arabist and historian, specialising in early and mediaeval Islam. He has travelled extensively in the Middle East and Central Asia and has taught at SOAS and the American University of Paris. He is now a Lecturer in Arabic at Leiden University.

Professor James Allan. Expert in Islamic art and architecture. He read Arabic at Oxford, worked as a field archaeologist in Jerusalem and at Siraf, and spent most of his career in Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum, where he also lectured for the Faculty of Oriental Studies.

Practicalities Price in April 2019 (solo travellers only): £3,750 or £3,200 without international flights.

Price, per person in May and September 2019. Two sharing: £3,640 or £3,090 without international flights. Single occupancy: £3,910 or £3,360 without international flights.

Included meals: 11 lunches and 10 dinners with wine. See page 3 for what we include as standard in our prices.

Internal flight: the flight schedule between Urgench and Tashkent can vary and is not confirmed until c. 5 months before the tour. The hotel stay on Day 11 will be either in Khiva or Tashkent depending on this schedule.

Visas: British citizens and most other foreign nationals require a tourist visa. This is not included in the price of the tour. Visa applications can only begin three months before the tour departs. UK residents will need to submit passports to the Consular section of the Uzbekistan Embassy in London prior to departure. Processing times are approx. 10 working days. Citizens of Australia

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and New Zealand have their visas issued at Tashkent airport but will need to apply for a letter of invitation within three months of the departure date via Martin Randall Travel.

Other nationalities should check their entry requirements with the relevant authorities.

Accommodation. Hotels on this tour are subject to change. We use what we consider the best available but once out of Tashkent choice is limited: Lotte City Hotel Tashkent Palace (lottehotel.com): spacious, opulent, comfortable.

City Hotel, Samarkand: small (27 rooms), friendly, refurbished in 2016 or Hotel Sultan, Samarkand: small, recently refurbished, with rooftop terrace. Omar Khayyam Hotel, Bukhara: excellent location in the centre of the old city, adequately comfortable, or Hotel Asia, Bukhara: located in the old part of the city; attractive gardens. Madrassa Mukhammad Hotel, Khiva: converted madrassa, impressively restored, each room a former student’s cell opening onto a courtyard.

How strenuous? A long and demanding tour which begins with an overnight flight. You will be on your feet a lot, walking and standing around, sometimes on exposed sites in warm temperatures. It not be suitable for anyone with difficulties with everyday walking and stair climbing. There are very long journeys on two of the days but many days with minimal driving.

Average distance by coach per day: 51 miles.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Myanmar: Ancient to Modern Autumn 2019 Full details available in May 2018 Contact us to register your interest

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Newly-launched

The Making of Argentina A creative history from the Atlantic to the Andes 24 October–6 Nov. 2019 (mf 860) 14 days • £7,280 Lecturer: Chris Moss A comprehensive overview of history, politics, art, architecture, gastronomy and music.

Spectacular scenery and geology in the Calchaquí Valleys.

Delicious high-altitude wines of Bodega Colomé and Cafayate.

A private tango show in Café Tortoni.

landscapes of the Calchaquí Valleys and visit the colonial treasures of Salta.

Along the way, we taste the criollo cuisines of the pampas as well as the foods of the Andean Valleys, many of which have their origins in pre-Hispanic societies. As with so many aspects of Argentine reality, from music to literature to religion, there has been a complex interplay between native identity and nationhood, indigenous traditions and imported values.

We also sample the country’s famous wines in Cafayate, south of Salta, where vines grow at altitude. Huge alternations in temperature favour small-grained grapes with a high concentration of aromas and flavours.

Itinerary Day 1. Fly at c. 10.00pm (British Airways) from London Heathrow to Buenos Aires. Those not taking our flights from London may check in to the hotel from 3.00pm today.

Day 2: Buenos Aires. Touch down in Buenos Aires at 9.00am. Rooms will be ready to allow for some time to rest before lunch and a lecture.

Walk to the nearby Recoleta cemetery, with its architecturally diverse and ornate tombs, burial place of many of the country’s leaders and cultural figures, including Eva Perón.

Day 3: Buenos Aires. Walk down the grand Avenida de Mayo, with fine belle-époque architecture, to the Casa Rosada, seat of the government of Argentina. Tour its beautiful interiors and gain further insight into the country’s history and politics. In the afternoon see the neoclassical cathedral and the Manzana de las Luces, an 18th-cent. Jesuit centre of culture and learning. There is the possibility of an evening performance at the Teatro Colón, with one of the world’s best acoustics.

Day 4: Buenos Aires. Explore Latin American art at the Museo de Bellas Artes and modern art gallery, MALBA. Trace the life and work of Eva Perón at the Museo Evita, housed in a 1923 mansion that belonged to her social foundation.

Private tango show in the early evening at Café Tortoni, dating to 1858, frequented by Carlos Gardel as well as other painters, writers, artists and musicians.

Day 5: San Antonio de Areco, Pampas. Journey outside the city to the Pampas grasslands to discover gaucho history and culture in the delightful town of San Antonio de Areco, home to renowned silversmiths. Enjoy an Argentine beef lunch, grilled in front of you at a majestic estancia in the countryside, surrounded by horses and cattle.

Day 6: Córdoba. Fly in the morning from Buenos Aires to Córdoba (1 hour 30 minutes, Aérolineas Argentinas). Visit on arrival the country’s first university, founded by the Jesuits in 1610, and their most historic church, Templo de la Compañía de Jesús, dating to 1675.

Overnight in Córdoba.

Day 7: Córdoba. Drive into the countryside to see the Jesuit estancias of Jesús María, famous for its wine production, and Santa Catalina with its splendid church. Fly, late afternoon, to Salta (1 hour 30 minutes). First of two nights in Salta.

Day 8: Salta. A day to explore the charming town of Salta with its fine colonial and neoclassical architecture. The rose-coloured cathedral houses the tomb of another Argentine liberator, General Güemes, while the italianate church of San Francisco was designed by Luigi Giorgi. Salta’s excellent archaeological museum presents the incredible Inca ritual of child sacrifice. Free afternoon and evening lecture by a local expert on the geology of the Calchaquí Valleys, in preparation for the onward journey.

Day 9: Calchaquí Valleys, Cachi, Molinos.

In two minibuses drive through the dramatic and constantly changing scenery of the Calchaquí Valleys (c. 4 hours 30 minutes). From lush green countryside and deep red mountains, through fields covered in thousands of giant cacti we reach the tiny and pretty town of Cachi Above: Buenos Aires, wood engraving c. 1880.

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AMERICAS: Argentina

Tango, Evita, Las Malvinas, Maradona, meat and Malbec… much about Argentina is familiar to many of us, and yet it remains something of an enigma. It’s about as far from Europe as a South American country can be, and yet is famously – or perhaps infamously – European in so many regards.

Argentina is South America’s second-biggest country and the eighth-largest in the world, ranking between India and Kazakhstan. Yet it has a population smaller than that of Spain and its economic power has more often than not brought it woe instead of wealth. After giving the continent one of its great liberators, José de San Martín, the country was plunged into decades of civil war. For much of the twentieth century, military dictators and populists squandered the nation’s huge potential and repressed its citizens.

How has this decline been managed, and how did Argentines manage to retain their creative vigour and distinctive glamour?

What about Argentina’s relationship with the UK, an important trading partner, builder of South America’s most ambitious railway network and colonialist villain in the Falkland Islands? When and how did the remote backwater of Buenos Aires emerge to become a world-class city? Is ‘Paris of South America’ anything other than a nostalgia-laden nickname?

This tour aims to forge an understanding of Argentina through its multi-layered history and multi-faceted culture. Starting in Buenos Aires, we visit aspiring cities and civic palaces, museums and art galleries, cafés and steakhouses, and the necropolis where Evita is entombed alongside the society figures she spurned. It’s a short hop from the capital to the pampas, one of the world’s great breadbaskets and stockyards, and the backdrop against which the figure of the gaucho emerged.

Follow the old Camino Real or Royal Highway, that once connected Buenos Aires with the silver mines of Alto Peru and the seats of Spanish power. In the northwest visit the Jesuit ranches and religious sites of Córdoba, Argentina’s second city. From here, continue towards the Andes to survey a pre-Columbian site at Quilmes, see the cactus-strewn

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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Newly-launched The Making of Argentina continued

Peru: the Andean Heartland Pre-Columbian to present day

with a small archaeological museum. Continue to our hotel in Molinos, opposite the 18thcentury church. Overnight in Molinos.

Day 10: Bodega Colomé, Cafayate. Nestled deep in vine-clad hills, drive to Bodega Colomé for a tasting and lunch with their aromatic and flavourful wines. Owner Donald Hess has combined his love of wine and art by building a James Turrell museum on-site, a fascinating playground of light and space. The drive to Cafayate (c. 3 hours) reveals yet more astonishing geological features. First of two nights in Cafayate.

Day 11: Quilmes, Cafayate. Excursion to the pre-Inca remains at Quilmes. Inhabited from the 9th century ad, its 3000 inhabitants resisted evangelisation and enslavement resulting in bitter punishment. Taste some of Cafayate’s best wines, including lunch in the vineyards of El Porvenir, spectacular views at Yacochuya and dinner at our hotel, owned by El Esteco.

Day 12: Cafayate to Buenos Aires. Another breathtaking drive through the reds, ochres and pinks of the Cafayate gorge (c. 4 hours 30 minutes). Return to Salta for a flight to Buenos Aires (2 hours) and a final dinner in the capital.

Day 13: Buenos Aires. Afternoon flight, departing from Buenos Aires at c. 2.15pm.

Day 14. Land at London Heathrow at c. 6.30am.

Lecturer Chris Moss. Journalist and writer specialising in Argentina, where he lived for a number of years. He has edited several guidebooks, as well as a cultural history of Patagonia, and writes on South American music for Songlines.

Practicalities Price, per person. Two sharing: £7,280 or £6,320 without international flights.

Single occupancy: £8,030 or £7,070 without international flights.

to tropical rainforest, and adjoining one of its richest marine resources. Indeed, it is this that connotes the real importance of the Andes to our wider human story.

A thorough exploration of pre-Columbian civilisations in Peru: Moche, Chimú, Inca.

Itinerary

Stay on site at Machu Picchu and visit without the crowds.

Sites almost devoid of tourists around Trujillo are also included.

See spectacular Andean scenery, and sample world famous cuisine.

Of all the world’s vanished civilisations, few evoke as much mystique as the Incas of Peru.

Stumbled upon and shattered by a handful of Spanish adventurers in 1538, the Inca Empire was the last great pristine civilisation on earth – a current aside from the mainstream of human history. Tawantinsuyu (the ‘Four Realms Together’), as the Incas called their empire, had been conquered with neither pen nor sword. In many senses ‘Neolithic’, it was administered through the khipu, a recordkeeping system of intricate knotted cords, born of the marvellous textile traditions intrinsic to Andean civilisation.

And yet its dominion was vast, stretching over a distance greater than from London to Moscow, along the spines of the world’s highest cordilleras outside the Himalayas and home to scores of different ethnic groups.

This tour seeks to understand and re-imagine the Inca Empire on a journey through its Andean heartland of Cuzco, following the sacred Vilcanota river. We take in classic Inca sites where their cyclopean stonework melds into the grandeurs of the Andean landscape to attain a Zen-like architectural aesthetic. The culmination is the most spectacular site of all, Machu Picchu, perched on the very fringes of Amazonia.

Yet the Incas were but the final flourish of an Andean cultural trajectory with roots many millennia deeper, a roll-call of cultures perhaps more magnificent still. So our exploration begins by the Pacific, from the excellent public and private museum collections in Lima to the vestiges of Moche and Chimor on Peru’s northern coast. And we end at Lake Titicaca, high on the vast Altiplano tablelands, and whence the Incas themselves claimed their mythical origins.

En route we have ample chance to indulge in Peru’s extraordinary cuisine, acclaimed by chefs such as Ferran Adrià as ‘key to the future of gastronomy’. As with the ancient Andean civilisations, it is founded upon native food crops originating in one of humanity’s precious few ancient hearths of agriculture. It is set amid the world’s richest and densest concentration of ecotones, from desert coast to eternal snows

AMERICAS: Argentina, Peru

Included meals: 8 lunches and 9 dinners with wine. See page 3 for what we include as standard in our prices.

5–20 September 2019 (mf 675) 16 days • £7,010 Lecturer: Dr David Beresford-Jones

Accommodation. The Brick Hotel, Buenos Aires (accorhotels.com). Hotel Windsor, Córdoba (windsortower.com). Solar de la Plaza, Salta (solardelaplaza.com.ar). Hacienda de Molinos (haciendademolinos.com.ar). Patios de Cafayate (patiosdecafayate.com).

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How strenuous? This is a long tour that involves a lot of walking and standing. Drives in the north-west are long, roads are not paved and the terrain dictates travel by minibus. Cachi sits at an altitude of 2,531 metres above sea level.

Average distance by coach per day: 63 miles.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

Day 1. Begin with a light dinner at the hotel at c. 8.30pm. You may check in to the hotel from 2.00pm. (flights from London are not included – see Practicalities). First of two nights in Lima.

Day 2: Lima. After an introductory lecture in the hotel, visit the Larco Herrera Museum with its famous collection of Moche and other pre-Inca ceramics. Continue in the afternoon to the National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History with its collections of artefacts from Chavín, Nasca, Moche and Chimú cultures. Dinner overlooks the Huaca Pucllana, a vast adobe administrative and ceremonial centre of the Lima culture which flourished here at around 400 ad.

Day 3: Lima, Trujillo. Visit the heart of Colonial Lima (once the ‘City of the Kings’) to see the cathedral and the San Francisco Monastery with its Mudéjar church and important Spanish and Colonial art. In the afternoon fly north to Trujillo (LAN Airlines).

First of three nights in Trujillo.

Day 4: Trujillo. The Huaca de la Luna and Huaca del Sol the core of the ancient capital of the Moche empire. The former is adorned with superb polychrome reliefs indicative of its importance as a ritual and sacrificial centre.

After lunch by the Pacific visit Chan Chan, the world’s largest adobe city and citadel of the Kingdom of Chimor for 500 years before its was destroyed by the Incas in 1470 ad. Its rich marine iconography reflects the importance of the sea to this civilisation.

Day 5: Trujillo. Drive north to El Brujo, a ceremonial centre of the Moche culture (1–700 ad) and the mausoleum of the Lady of Cao, an important priestess of that period. Her tomb is surrounded by painted relief murals, while her mummy still records the vestiges of the tattoos on her hands and legs. Return to Trujillo, a handsome colonial city with a colourful main square. Visit the Casa Urquiaga, a colonial mansion in which the ‘Liberator’ Simón Bolívar stayed after proclaiming Peru’s independence in 1824.

Day 6: the Sacred Valley. Fly to Cuzco, via Lima and on to the Sacred Valley. Here, en route to the Amazon, the Urubamba (or Vilcanota) river twists through stunning mountain scenery and terraced farmland cultivated by the Incas.

Urubamba sits at 2,870m above sea level and so the afternoon is free to rest and adjust to the altitude. First of three nights in Urubamba.

Day 7: Chinchero, Maras, Moray. At Chinchero a 17th-cent. church was built on top of an Inca

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Newly-launched Below: Ollantaytambo, wood engraving c. 1880.

temple. In the afternoon drive to the impressive Maras salt mines, exploited since before Inca times, and on to the marvellous concentric circular agricultural terraces of Moray.

Day 8: Pisac, Ollantaytambo. Drive to the Inca citadel of Ollantaytambo, one of the last lines of resistance to the Spanish conquest, and site of elaborate water gardens amidst extraordinary cyclopean Inca stonework. Lunch is at an hacienda of one of the valley’s oldest families, with its interesting private collection of art and antiques. In the afternoon, visit the terraces and buildings of an Inca royal estate at Pisac.

Day 9: Machu Picchu. Take the morning train to Machu Picchu, a scenic journey down the valley enjoyed through panoramic windows.

Have lunch and settle in to the hotel before entering the site as the crowds disperse and the light fades. Forgotten during the Spanish conquest, the temples and buildings of Machu Picchu are consequently uniquely wellpreserved, which, together with its setting high above the river amidst spectacular mountain landscapes, makes the site the most extraordinary archaeological site in South America. Overnight Machu Picchu.

Day 10: Machu Picchu, Cuzco. Free morning to return to Machu Picchu before catching an afternoon train and coach to Cuzco (c. 4 hours).

First of three nights in Cuzco.

Day 12: Cuzco. The day is free for independent exploration. Suggestions include the preColumbian art museum, or an optional walk through the city with the lecturer to view the many vestiges of its Inca palaces, fine Colonial churches and bustling markets.

Day 13: Cuzco, Puno. Take the late morning train from Cuzco to Puno, travelling through spectacular Andean landscapes. Arrive in Puno in the evening and sleep on board. Carriages and cabins are comfortable; lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and breakfast are served. Puno stands at an altitude of 3,830m above sea level.

Day 14: Lake Titicaca. The 88,000 acres of reeds growing along the lake’s margins have been used by the Uros people for centuries to build floating islands on which they make their homes, originally to escape conquest from more powerful forces. Visit these as well as the

island of Taquile, whose inhabitants still wear colourful traditional costume. Overnight in Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca.

Day 15: Silustani, Lima. The spectacular chullpas, towering stone mausoleums in their beautiful location on the shores of Lake Umayo at Silustani were likely built by the Colla people, contemporaries and erstwhile opponents of the Inca. Fly in the early afternoon from Juliaca to Lima for the final night of the tour.

Day 16: Lima. Free day. Option to visit the Amano Museum’s collection of pre-Columbian textiles. There is a transfer to the airport in time for the direct flight at c. 8.00pm from Lima to London Heathrow with British Airways.

Lecturer Dr David Beresford-Jones. Fellow of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Cambridge University. His research interests include the ancient south coast of Peru, the origins of agriculture, Pre-Colombian textiles and the synthesis of archaeology and historical linguistics, particularly in the Andes.

Making a booking: see page 3

Practicalities Price, per person. Two sharing: £7,010. Single occupancy: £8,280. Supplement for deluxe mountain-view room at Machu Picchu: £170 (double) or £145 (double for single occupancy).

Included meals: 12 dinners and 9 lunches with wine. See page 3 for what we include as standard in our prices.

Flights: international flights between London and Lima are not included in the price of the tour. We will advise on recommended options.

Accommodation. Hilton Miraflores, Lima (hilton.com). Hotel Libertador Trujillo (libertador.com.pe). Hotel Tambo del Inka, Urubamba (starwoodhotels.com).

Sanctuary Lodge, Machu Picchu (belmond. com). Palacio del Inka, Cuzco (starwoodhotels. com). Belmond Andean Explorer train (belmond.com). Hotel Libertador, Puno (libertador.com.pe).

How strenuous? A good level of fitness is essential. Unless you enjoy entirely unimpaired mobility, cope with everyday walking and stair-climbing without difficulty and are reliably sure-footed, this tour is not for you. Average distance by coach per day: 30 miles.

Group size: between 10 and 22 participants.

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

AMERICAS: Peru

Day 11: Cuzco. The Korikancha, the most sacred precinct and centre of the Inca Empire today beneath the Dominican Monastery, still preserves the finest examples of mortar-less Inca stonework with its trapezoidal doors and windows. Visit the massive Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman with its monumental walls built using stones up to 400 tons in weight and the Inca ceremonial site of Qenko. The Inca Museum contains some 10,000 artefacts while Cuzco Cathedral has wonderful ‘Cusqueña School’ paintings of the Colonial Period.

41

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | London Days

LONDON DAYS London Days are all-inclusive, nonresidential tours opening doors in the capital to its wonderful art, architecture and history.

They are led by carefully-chosen experts who enthuse, interpret and inspire, bringing to life each specialist theme. Radio guides enable lecturers to talk in a normal conversational voice while participants can hear without difficulty whether indoors or outside.

The itinerary is detailed and meticulously planned with special arrangements and privileged access significant features.

Refreshments and lunches are included and planned in appropriate settings for sustenance, conversation and reflection.

These are active, fulfilling days, often with a lot of walking and standing. Travel is mainly

by Underground, sometimes taxi, occasionally by private coach or bus.

For full details of any days listed here, please contact us or visit www.martinrandall.com

APRIL 2018 10 The Ever Changing City Skyline (le 809)

Professor Peter Wynne Rees cbe 11 London’s Underground Railway (le 821)

Andrew Martin 12 London’s Top Ten (le 822) Martin Randall 18 Hawksmoor (le 802) Owen Hopkins 19 Great Railway Termini (le 824)

Dr Steven Brindle 25 Seven Churches & A Synagogue (le 837)

Peter Howell 26 The London Backstreet Walk (le 831)

Sophie Campbell 27 Caravaggio & Rembrandt (le 763)

Dr Helen Langdon

MAY 2018 8

9

12

16

17

18

25 29

London’s Top Ten (le 843) Dr Steven Brindle Hampstead in the 1930s (le 849) Monica Bohm-Duchen The London Squares Walk (le 857) Martin Randall The London Backstreet Walk (le 859) Barnaby Rogerson The South Bank Walk (le 863) Sophie Campbell Charles Dickens (le 827) Professor Andrew Sanders Arts and Crafts (le 877) Paul Atterbury The Tudors (le 853) Dr Neil Younger

JUNE 2018

LONDON DAYS

5 Seven Churches & A Synagogue (le 899)

Peter Howell 6 London’s Underground Railway (le 913)

Andrew Martin 7 Caravaggio & Rembrandt (le 914)

Dr Helen Langdon 11 Interwar Interiors (le 922) Paul Atterbury 12 Hawksmoor (le 903) Owen Hopkins 14 The Italian Renaissance (le 907)

Dr Antonia Whitley 19 The London Backstreet Walk (le 921)

Dr Geoffrey Tyack 22 Impressionism in London (le 927)

Dr Frances Fowle 26 The Complete London Hogarth (le 938)

Dr Lars Tharp 27 Robert Adam’s Country Houses (le 934)

Dr Geoffrey Tyack 29 London’s Top Ten (le 937)

Sophie Campbell

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If you would like to receive fortnightly e-mail updates on the latest range of London Days, please contact us.

Details and dates are released frequently throughout the year.

JULY 2018 3

10 12

The Ever Changing City Skyline (le 945) Professor Peter Wynne Rees cbe The London Choral Day (le 957) The South Bank Walk (le 958) Dr Jeffrey Miller

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

17 Interwar Interiors (le 963) Paul Atterbury 25 The London Backstreet Walk (le 967)

Barnaby Rogerson

AUGUST 2018 3 14 21

22

24

31

Ancient Egypt (le 973) Lucia Gahlin Stained Glass (le 984) Peter Cormack Impressionism in London (le 991) Patrick Bade London Gardens Walk (le 986) Louisa Allen The South Bank Walk (le 988) Sophie Campbell Charles Dickens (le 123) Professor Andrew Sanders

SEPTEMBER 2018 3 4 19

20

24

The Tudors (lf 118) Dr Neil Younger Arts & Crafts (le 120) Paul Atterbury The Genius of Titian (le 171) Lucy Whitaker The Complete London Hogarth (lf 168) Dr Lars Tharp John Nash (lf 166) Dr Geoffrey Tyack

OCTOBER 2018 ‘Wren’ in the City (lf 209) Dr Geoffrey Tyack 3 Hampstead in the 1930s (lf 203)

Monica Bohm-Duchen 5 The Golden Age of British Painting

(lf 219) Patrick Bade 9 Japanese Art in London (lf 232)

Dr Monika Hinkel 25 Ancient Greece (lf 277)

Professor Antony Spawforth 26 Great Railway Termini (le 289)

Anthony Lambert

2

NOVEMBER 2018 8

15

16 21

28

The Italian Renaissance (lf 308) Dr Antonia Whitley Turner and Claude (lf 313) Dr Helen Langdon Ancient Egypt (lf 314) Lucia Gahlin Great Railway Termini (le 311) Anthony Lambert Islamic Art in London (le 324) Professor James Allan

DECEMBER 2018 4

5

11

Japanese Art in London (lf 353) Dr Monika Hinkel Ancient Greece (lf 354) Professor Antony Spawforth The Golden Age of British Painting (lf 360) Patrick Bade

Left: Hampton Court, Ann Boleyn’s Gateway, watercolour by E.W. Haslehurst, publ. c. 1910.

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | London Days

The Golden Age of British Painting Hogarth to the Pre-Raphaelites

The Tudors | Hampton Court, tombs and portraits

Friday 5 October 2018 (lf 219) Tuesday 11 December 2018 (lf 360) Lecturer: Patrick Bade

Monday 29 May 2018 (le 853) Monday 3 September 2018 (lf 118) Lecturer: Dr Neil Younger

The Reformation dealt a deadly blow to the visual arts in Britain by removing ecclesiastical patronage and severing access to sources of new artistic trends in continental Europe. The aristocracy avidly collected the work of dead foreign artists but failed to nurture living British artists.

During the early eighteenth century debate abounded around the relationship between British artists and their contemporaries and forerunners across the Channel. Hogarth represented truculent insularity, whilst Reynolds stood for a stance of patrician internationalism and a hope that influence could flow in both directions. However, both artists were united in their longing to establish a native school of painting that could rival the great Continental schools.

They succeeded, and between 1730 and 1850 English painting was unsurpassed in its richness and diversity with a list of great names that includes Stubbs, Joseph Wright of Derby, Blake, Constable, Turner, Samuel Palmer and the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. Not to mention the Scottish contingent of Allan Ramsay and Henry Raeburn or the Irish James Barry and the Welsh Richard Wilson. Stylistically the day moves from the Rococo, through NeoClassicism and Romanticism, to the meticulous truth to nature of the early Pre-Raphaelites.

The day’s four sessions, three at Tate Britain and one at the National Gallery, offer a survey and exploration of this fascinating and rewarding period of British painting. The day takes in a selection of the greatest masterpieces of English painting in the collections at the National Gallery and Tate Britain.

Tudor architecture, culture and politics are studied through two of the finest buildings of the era, and Tudor people through the two best assemblies of images.

The day begins at Westminster Abbey in the Henry VII Chapel, not only the most glorious ecclesiastical Tudor building but burial place of most of the Tudor monarchs.

The theme of commemoration continues at the National Portrait Gallery, broadening to include courtiers.

Hampton Court began as the country palace of Cardinal Wolsey, one of the richest and most powerful individuals in Europe, before being sequestered by Henry VIII. Partially rebuilt and extended for William and Mary, it nevertheless retains some outstanding 16th-century interiors and works of art – great hall, chapel, private apartments, kitchens, tapestries and paintings.

The lecturer Dr Neil Younger is a specialist in Tudor politics, government and court culture.

He is the author of War and Politics in the Elizabethan Counties and is currently working on a biography of the Elizabethan courtier Sir Christopher Hatton.

Start: 10.15am, at the National Gallery.

Finish: c. 5.30pm, at Tate Britain.

Price: £195. This includes lunch, refreshments, one taxi journey and donations to the galleries.

Group size: maximum 14 participants.

Above: ‘The Honourable Mrs Graham’, engraving (detail) after Thomas Gainsborough.

Start: 9.25am, Westminster Abbey (west door).

Finish: c. 6.30pm at Waterloo Station.

Price: £215. This includes lunch, morning refreshments, admission charges and transport.

Transport: taxis within London, return national rail between Waterloo Station and Hampton Court. Fitness: there are walks of up to 20 minutes between station and palace at Hampton Court, and a lot of standing in galleries and buildings. Group size: maximum 18 participants.

NEW: London Days vouchers

Great Railway Termini and The London Backstreet Walk are perennial favourites, but the last six years have also led us along the vibrant South Bank, to the very top of the City skyline, and through the galleries of the British Museum, to the haunts of Dickens, Hogarth and Handel.

The company and insight of our first-rate lecturers ensures that

each day is fulfilling for both those familiar with the city and more infrequent visitors.

In response to such popularity, we are delighted to announce the launch of our London Days gift vouchers. The voucher, a large postcard print depicting St Paul’s Cathedral, can be purchased to any value, or for a specified day.

For further information about how to buy a voucher, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Right: St Paul's Cathedral, early-18thcentury copper engraving.

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

LONDON DAYS

Since its inception in 2012, our London Days programme, which opens doors and minds to the wonders of the capital, has continued to grow in breadth and popularity.

43

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Lecture Afternoons

London Lecture Afternoon at the Royal Society Architectural historian Dr Alexandra Gajewksi specialises in the mediaeval. She has lectured at the Courtauld and at Birkbeck, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries. Her research concentrates on art and architecture in Europe between the 12th and 14th centuries, especially on questions of monasticism, cult, patronage and the role of women, and she is currently in Madrid researching ‘The Roles of Women as Makers of Mediaeval Art and Architecture’. Talk title: 'In pursuit of empty tombs and rotten bones: pilgrimage in the late mediaeval West.'

LECTURE AFTERNOONS

Patrick Bade is a writer, historian and broadcaster, specialising in 19th- and early 20th-century painting and historical vocal recordings. He studied at UCL and the Courtauld and was Senior Lecturer at Christie’s Education for many years. His latest book is Music Wars: 1937–1945. Talk title: 'Les Années Folles: art and design in Paris between the Wars.'

44

Saturday 27 October 2018 (le 291) Price: £75 per person

We are delighted to confirm the speakers at this year’s event:

From the Andes to English country houses, and from Mozart’s piano lessons to interwar Paris, the 2018 London lecture afternoon promises a fascinating array of talks from MRT’s distinguished pool of speakers.

Our Lecture Afternoons are designed not only to offer the chance to hear a broad range of expert speakers talk on their areas of academic expertise, but also to give a flavour of the MRT style – intellectually and socially. We pride ourselves on excellence in everything we do, from selecting a well-located and aesthetically pleasing venue with high standards of audio and visual equipment, to the choice of canapés and wine for the evening reception, to ensuring there are MRT staff on hand to offer insights and to answer questions about our range of tours and music festivals.

The venue this year is the Royal Society at 6–9 Carlton House Terrace, a Grade I-listed building overlooking the Mall. The lectures take place in the Wellcome Trust Lecture Hall, with an interval for refreshments. A drinks reception with canapés follows the lectures in the adjoining City of London rooms, with wonderful views of St James’s Park.

Dr David Beresford-Jones has led our tours to Peru since 2015. A Fellow of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at Cambridge University, he has for 15 years been directing investigations into ancient humanenvironment interactions on the south coast of Peru. He is the author of The Lost Woodlands of Ancient Nasca and co-edits Archaeology & Language in the Andes. Talk title: 'Why the Andes? The place of Andean Civilisation in the Human Story.'

Photograph: interior of The Royal Society (ceiling above the staircase), ©The Royal Society.

Anthony Lambert is a historian, travel writer, journalist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He has written numerous guide and travel books, including Victorian & Edwardian Country House Life and regularly contributes to Historic Houses Association magazine, as well as to national newspapers and magazines.

Talk title: 'Visiting country houses from a historical perspective.'

Musicologist, pianist and harpsichordist John Irving is Professor of Performance Practice at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance. An internationally recognized Mozart scholar, John has published five books on Mozart, including a best-selling biography, The Treasures of Mozart, and scholarly texts on Mozart’s Piano Sonatas and Concertos.

Talk title: 'Mozart learns to play the piano: six weeks in autumn 1777.'

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

Elizabeth Roberts is a historian, writer and lecturer who taught Balkan history and politics at University College Dublin, and who was an expert witness for the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee on Kosovo and Montenegro. Her publications include Balkan Legacies of the Great War: The Past is Never Dead, and Realm of the Black Mountain: A History of Montenegro, edited with David Madden and Othon Anastasakis. Talk title: 'The Black Hand: the long road to Sarajevo.'

Practicalities Tickets cost £75 per person, which includes a tea break and canapé reception. The first lecture begins at 2.00pm, with the drinks reception commencing at 5.30pm. The event ends between 7pm and 7.30pm.

Book online at www.martinrandall.com or call us on 020 8742 3355 to reserve your place.

Combine this Lecture Afternoon with the following London Days: Great Railway Termini, Friday 26 October 2018; Ancient Greece at the British Museum, Thursday 25 October 2018. Please contact us for full details or visit www.martinrandall.com.

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Booking

BOOKING FORM TOUR NAME(S)

DATES

TOUR CODE(S)

NAME(S) – as you would like it/them to appear on documents issued to other tour participants.

Participant 1 Participant 2

ROOM TYPE

FURTHER INFORMATION or special requests. Please mention dietary requirements, even if you have told us before.

☐ Single occupancy room(s) ☐ Double room (two sharing) ☐ Twin room (two sharing)

TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS ☐ Group travel from London

(air or rail), if applicable to this tour. ☐ No travel – making your own

arrangements for travel to and from

the destination.

CONTACT DETAILS – for all correspondence

FELLOW TRAVELLER – if applicable

Address

Postcode/Zip

Country

If you have made a booking for someone who does not share your address, please give their details here. We will then send them copies of all tour documents. We will NOT send them a copy of the invoice or anything else relating to financial matters.

Mobile

Name

Telephone (home)

Telephone (work)

Address

☐ Please tick if you are happy to receive your tour and booking documents by e-mail only,

where possible – and if so, please confirm your e-mail address here:

E-mail Postcode/Zip

MARKETING PREFERENCES I would like to receive regular updates on MRT tours and events: By post (once a month at most) ☐ Yes By e-mail (weekly) ☐ Yes

☐ No

☐ No

What prompted your booking? For example, an advertisement in a specific publication, a marketing e-mail from us, browsing on our website, or receiving one of our brochures by post.

Country Email Telephone

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Booking

PASSPORT DETAILS. Essential for airlines and in case of emergency on tour (not applicable for tours in the UK if you are a UK resident).

Title

Surname

Forenames

Nationality

Place of birth

1.

2.

Date of birth (dd/mm/yy)

Passport number

Place of issue

Date of issue (dd/mm/yy)

Date of expiry (dd/mm/yy)

1.

2.

NEXT OF KIN or contact in case of emergency.

PAYMENT & AGREEMENT Please tick payment amount:

For participant 1:

☐ EITHER Deposit(s): 10% of your total booking cost.

Name

☐ OR Full Payment. This is required if you are booking within

10 weeks of departure.

Telephone

Carbon offset. If you are taking a tour with flights and wish to make a donation (£5 for short-haul, £10 for mid/long-haul) to the India Solar Water Heating project, please tick below. Read more about the project at www.martinrandall.com/responsible-tourism.

Relationship For participant 2 (if next of kin is not the same as for participant 1):

☐ Please add a carbon offset donation to my booking.

Name

TOTAL: £

Telephone

We prefer payment by bank transfer, cheque or debit card, although we can also accept payment by credit card.

PAYMENT METHOD

Relationship

☐ BANK TRANSFER. Please give your surname and tour code (e.g.

me 123) as a reference and ask your bank to allow for all charges.

MEMBERSHIPS – only needed for certain UK tours. Please give membership numbers and expiry dates.

National Trust (England, Scotland or affiliate):

English Heritage:

Martin Randall Travel Ltd Voysey House Barley Mow Passage London W4 4GF United Kingdom Tel +44 (0)20 8742 3355 Fax +44 (0)20 8742 7766 info@martinrandall.co.uk www.martinrandall.com

5085

ABTA No.Y6050

Account name: Martin Randall Travel Ltd Bank: Handelsbanken, 2 Chiswick High Road, London W4 1TH

For transfers from UK (Sterling) bank accounts: Account number 8663 3438 • Sort code 40-51-62

For transfers from non-UK bank accounts: please instruct your bank to send payment in pound sterling (GBP).

IBAN: GB98 HAND 4051 6286 6334 38 Swift/BIC code: HAND GB22

☐ CHEQUE. I enclose a cheque payable to Martin Randall Travel

Ltd – please write the tour code on the back (e.g. me 123).

Martin Randall Australasia PO Box 1024, Indooroopilly QLD 4068, Australia Tel 1300 55 95 95 New Zealand 0800 877 622 Fax +61 (0)7 3371 8288 anz@martinrandall.com.au North America 1155 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036, USA Tel 1 800 988 6168 usa@martinrandall.com

☐ DEBIT OR CREDIT CARD. I authorise Martin Randall Travel

to contact me by telephone to take payment from my Visa credit/

Visa debit/Mastercard/AMEX. I have read and agree to the Booking Conditions and Privacy Policy (www.martinrandall.com/privacy) on behalf of all listed on this form.

Signature Date

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Booking

BOOKING CONDITIONS You need to sign your assent to these booking conditions on the booking form.

Our promises to you •

We aim to be fair, reasonable and sympathetic in all our dealings with clients, and to act always with integrity.

•

We will meet all our legal and regulatory responsibilities, usually going far beyond the minimum obligations.

•

We aim to provide full and accurate information about our holidays. If there are changes, we will tell you promptly.

•

If something does go wrong, we will try to put it right. Our overriding aim is to ensure that every client is satisfied with our services.

What we ask of you That you read the information we send to you.

Specific terms Our contract with you. From the time we receive your signed booking form and initial payment, a contract exists between you and Martin Randall Travel Ltd. Eligibility. You must be in good health and have a level of fitness that would not impair other participants’ enjoyment by slowing them down or by absorbing disproportionate attention from the tour leaders. Please read the fitness information below and take the self-assessment tests described; by signing the booking form you are stating that you have passed these tests. If during the tour it transpires, in the judgement of the tour leaders, that you are not able to cope, you may be asked to opt out of certain visits or to leave the tour altogether.

We reserve the right to refuse to accept a booking without necessarily giving a reason.

Self-assessment tests. A certain level of fitness is a requirement for participation on our tours. We ask that all participants take these quick and simple tests to ascertain whether they are fit enough.

1. Chair stands. Sit in a dining chair, with arms folded and hands on opposite shoulders. Stand up and sit down at least eight times in thirty seconds.

2. Step test. Mark a wall at a height that is halfway between your knee and your hip bone. Raise each knee in turn to the mark at least sixty times in two minutes.

3. Agility test. Place an object three yards from the edge of a chair, sit, and record the time it takes to stand up, walk to the object and sit back down. You should be able to do this in under seven seconds.

An additional indication of the fitness required, though we are not asking you to measure this, is that you should be able to walk unaided at a pace of three miles per hour for at least half an hour at a time, and to stand unsupported for at least fifteen minutes.

Foreign Office advice. Before booking, please refer to the FCO website – www.fco.gov.uk – to ensure you understand the travel advice for the places to which the tour goes. Non-UK citizens should look at the advice issued by their governments, which may differ significantly.

Insurance. It is a requirement of booking that you have adequate holiday insurance cover. The insurance must cover, at minimum, medical

treatment, repatriation, loss of property and loss of payments to us in the event that you cancel the tour. If you are making your own arrangements for international travel, please ensure you have insurance that protects you in the rare event of Martin Randall Travel cancelling the tour. Experience indicates that free travel insurance offered by some credit card companies is not to be relied upon.

Passports and visas. British citizens must have valid passports for all tours outside the United Kingdom.

For many countries the passport needs to be valid for six months beyond the date of the tour. If visas are required we will advise UK citizens about obtaining them; nationals of other countries should ascertain whether visas are required in their case.

If you cancel. If you have to withdraw from a tour on which you had booked, there would be a charge which varies according to the period of notice you give. For residential events, up to 57 days before the tour the deposit would be forfeited. Thereafter a percentage of the total cost of the tour will be due: between 56 and 29 days: between 28 and 15 days: between 14 days and 3 days: within 48 hours:

40% 60% 80% 100%

If you cancel your booking in a double or twin room but are travelling with a companion who chooses to continue to participate in the tour, the companion would have to pay the single-occupancy price.

If you cancel a non-residential event (normally a London Day) we will return the full amount if you notify us 22 or more days before the event. We will retain 50% if cancellation is made within three weeks and 100% if within three days.

We take as the day of cancellation that on which we receive written confirmation of cancellation.

If we cancel the tour. We may decide to cancel a tour if there were insufficient bookings for it to be viable (though this would always be more than eight weeks before departure). We would refund you with everything you had paid us.

Safety and security. Cancellation may also occur if civil unrest, war, natural disaster or other circumstances amounting to force majeure arise in the region to which the tour was due to go. If the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against travel, we would either cancel or adjust the itinerary to avoid risky areas. We would also treat sympathetically a wish to withdraw from a tour to a troubled region even if the FCO does not advise against travel there. In the event of cancellation before the tour began we would give you a full refund; costs incurred due to curtailment after the tour had started should be covered by your individual insurance policy.

Health and safety. We subscribe to the health and safety legislation of the countries in which the tours operate. The generally high standards of the UK are not found everywhere; regulations may diverge in particular in the areas of accessibility, handrails and seatbelts. However, with rare exceptions, all the hotels we use have undergone a safety audit, by our staff or by independent consultants on our behalf.

The limits of our liabilities. As principal, we accept responsibility for all ingredients of a tour, except those in which the principle of force majeure prevails. Our obligations and responsibilities are also limited where international conventions apply in respect of air, sea or rail carriers, including the Warsaw Convention and its various updates.

If we make changes. Circumstances might arise which prevent us from operating a tour or event exactly as advertised. We would try to devise a satisfactory alternative, but if the change represents a significant loss to the tour we would offer compensation. If you decide to cancel because the alternative we offer is not in your view an adequate substitute, we would give a full refund.

Financial protection for UK residents. Any money you have paid to us for a tour which includes an international flight is protected by our Air Travel Organiser’s Licence (ATOL, number 3622).

Payments for tours which do not include a flight from/to the UK are protected by ABTA –The Travel Association. So, in the (highly unlikely) event of our insolvency in advance of the tour, you would get your money back, or if we failed after the tour had begun, the tour would be able to continue and you would be returned to the UK at its conclusion.

Clients living elsewhere should consider taking insurance to cover holiday supplier failure.

Financial protection: the official text. We are required to publish the following. We provide full financial protection for our package holidays which include international flights, by way of our Air Travel Organiser’s Licence number 3622. When you buy an ATOL protected flight inclusive holiday from us you receive an ATOL Certificate. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong. Most of our flights and flight-inclusive holidays on our website and in our brochure are financially protected by the ATOL scheme.

But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. In order to be protected under the ATOL scheme you need to be in the UK when you make your booking and/or one of the flights you take must originate or terminate in the UK with the group.

We provide full financial protection for our package holidays that do not include a flight, by way of a bond held by ABTA The Travel Association.

We will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative). In some cases, where we aren’t able do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable).

If we, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise) for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us (or your credit card issuer where applicable). You also agree that any such claims maybe re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme.

English Law. These conditions form part of your contract with Martin Randall Travel Ltd and are governed by English law. All proceedings shall be within the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

Privacy. By signing the booking form you are stating that you have read and agree to our Privacy Policy, which can be found online at www.martinrandall.com/privacy.

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booking

Please read these

Making a booking: see page 3

47

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Tours by date

Tours & events by date Please contact us for full details of any tours or events mentioned below, and that do not already appear in this newsletter, or find them at www.martinrandall.com

2018 MAY 2018

Moscow & the Golden Ring (me 878) Dr Alexey Makhrov Occupation in the Channel Islands (me 874) Dr Paul Sanders MUSIC IN THE COTSWOLDS (me 876) Arts & Crafts (le 877) Paul Atterbury Chateaux of the Loire (me 886) Steven Desmond • full Berry & Touraine (me 887) John McNeill • full The Tudors (le 853) Dr Neil Younger.... 43 Ballet in Copenhagen (me 890) Jane Pritchard

tours by date

Essential China (me 842) Dr Rose Kerr Gardens of the Bay of Naples (me 846) Steven Desmond • full Genoa & Turin (me 851) Dr Luca Leoncini Footpaths of Umbria (me 854) Dr Antonia Whitley • full The Western Balkans (me 845) Lady Elizabeth Roberts London’s Top Ten (le 843) Dr Steven Brindle Barcelona, Mediaeval to Modern (me 855) Gijs van Hensbergen Tudor Power in the South & West (me 856) Professor Maurice Howard obe Hampstead in the 1930s (le 849) Monica Bohm-Duchen East Coast Galleries (me 858) Mary Lynn Riley St Petersburg (me 860) Dr Alexey Makhrov • full The London Squares Walk (le 857) Martin Randall Classical Greece (me 862) Professor Antony Spawforth Courts of Northern Italy (me 864) Dr Michael Douglas-Scott Walking Hadrian’s Wall (me 865) Graeme Stobbs Walking in the Cotswolds (me 866) Dr Steven Blake Gardens & Palaces of Berlin & Potsdam (me 875) Steven Desmond Great Houses of the South West (me 870) Anthony Lambert Samarkand & Silk Road Cities (me 841) Dr Peter Webb Wellington in the Peninsula (me 869) Patrick Mercer obe The London Backstreet Walk (le 859) Barnaby Rogerson The House of Hanover (me 868) Dr Jarl Kremeier Gastronomic Veneto (me 871) Marc Millon & Dr R.T. Cobianchi The South Bank Walk (le 863) Sophie Campbell Charles Dickens (le 827) Professor Andrew Sanders Lombardy: Gastronomy & Opera (me 867) Fred Plotkin • full Journey through Slovakia (me 873) Dr Jana Gajdošová

19–28

20–24

21–24

25 27–30

28– 5

29 31– 4

2–14 5–11

6–12

7–14

7–20

8

8–12

8–13

9

9–22

11–18

12

12–21

13–20

14–20

14–21

15–20

15–22

15–25

15–27

16

16–22

16–23

17

18

18–24

18–26

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JUNE 2018 2– 8 The Duchy of Urbino (me 892)

Dr Thomas-Leo True 2– 9 The Venetian Terra Ferma (me 893)

Dr Michael Douglas-Scott 4– 6 Chamber Music Retreat:

The Elias String Quartet

(me 895) Richard Wigmore...................... 20 5 Seven Churches and a Synagogue

(le 899) Peter Howell 5– 9 Chippendale in Yorkshire (me 894)

David Jones 5–16 Walking to Santiago (me 896)

Dr Alexandra Gajewski 6 London’s Underground Railway (le 913)

Andrew Martin 6–13 Treasures of Moravia (me 900)

Dr Jarl Kremeier 6–14 Northumbria (me 898)

Christopher Newall 6–18 Galleries of the American Midwest

(me 897) Gijs van Hensbergen 7 Caravaggio & Rembrandt (le 914)

Dr Helen Langdon 7–11 The Leipzig Bach Festival (me 901)

Dr David Vickers 8–13 Walking in Southern Bohemia (me 904)

Dr Jana Gajdošová 9–16 Mediaeval Burgundy (me 902)

John McNeill 11 Interwar Interiors (le 922)

Paul Atterbury 12 Hawksmoor (le 903) Owen Hopkins 13–19 A FESTIVAL OF MUSIC

IN PRAGUE (me 905) 14 The Italian Renaissance (le 907)

Dr Antonia Whitley 16–20 Art in Switzerland (me 918)

Dr Alexey Makhrov 18–23 Walking to Derbyshire Houses (me 908)

Paul Atterbury 18–26 Norway: Art, Architecture, Landscape

(me 909) Dr Frank Høifødt 19 London Gardens Walk (le 912)

Louisa Allan 19 The London Backstreet Walk (le 921)

Dr Geoffrey Tyack 19–23 Art in Madrid (me 910)

Dr Zahira Veliz-Bomford

20–27

20–27

21–25

22

22–29

24– 1

25–29

25– 2

26

27

27–30

27– 1

28– 6

29

30–11

Walking the Rhine Valley (me 919) Richard Wigmore THE RHINE VALLEY MUSIC FESTIVAL (me 920) Copenhagen Modern (me 928) Professor Harry Charrington Impressionism in London (le 927) Dr Frances Fowle Krakow & Silesia (me 929) Dr Jana Gajdošová Rock Art in Scandinavia (me 932) Dr Paul Bahn Mediaeval Middle England (me 931) John McNeill The Ring in San Francisco (me 930) Barry Millington The Complete London Hogarth (le 938) Dr Lars Tharp Robert Adam’s Country Houses (le 934) Dr Geoffrey Tyack Dutch Painting (me 935) Dr Sophie Oosterwijk The Schubertiade with Mountain Walks. (me 939) Richard Wigmore Great Houses of the East (me 936) Dr Andrew Moore London’s Top Ten (le 937) Sophie Campbell Frank Lloyd Wright (me 940) Tom Abbott

JULY 2018 2– 6

2– 8

2– 8

2– 8

3

3–10

9–14

9–15

10 10–14

12

13–18

13–20

16–21

17

17–21 19–23

Castles, Campaigns, Conquest (me 942) Dr Marc Morris Danish Castles & Gardens (me 944) Dr Margrethe Floryan Western Ireland (me 941) Professor Muiris O’Sullivan Gastronomic West Country (me 943) Marc Millon • full The Ever Changing City Skyline (le 945) Professor Peter Wynne Rees cbe Vikings & Bog Bodies (me 946) Dr Gareth Williams ‘A terrible beauty’ (me 953) Patrick Mercer obe French Gothic (me 955) Dr Matthew Woodworth • full The London Choral Day (le 957) Glyndebourne & Garsington (me 956) Amanda Holden The South Bank Walk (le 958) Dr Jeffrey Miller Kuhmo Music Festival (me 954) Stephen Johnson Gstaad Menuhin Festival (me 959) Richard Wigmore Gardens of Cheshire & Shropshire (me 916) Amanda Patton Interwar Interiors (le 963) Paul Atterbury Verona Opera (me 960) Dr Luca Leoncini The Beaune Music Festival (me 962) Professor Richard Langham Smith

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Tours by date

The Ring in Munich (me 961) Barry Millington & Tom Abbott • full Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania (me 965) Neil Taylor The Georgians in Scotland (me 966) Gail Bent The London Backstreet Walk (le 967) Barnaby Rogerson Orkney: 5,000 years of culture (me 969) Caroline Wickham-Jones • full Incontri in Terra di Siena (me 970) Professor Geoffrey Norris & Dr R.T. Cobianchi................................. 27 Shakespeare & his World....................... 20

AUGUST 2018 Ancient Egypt at the British Museum (le 973) Lucia Gahlin 6–11 The Industrial Revolution (me 975)

Paul Atterbury 6–14 Estonia (me 976) Neil Taylor 8–16 Baroque & Rococo (me 977) Tom Abbott 9–13 Torre del Lago (me 979) Simon Rees 10–13 Drottningholm & Confidencen (me 974)

Professor John Irving 13–17 Frederick the Great (me 978)

Professor Tim Blanning 13–20 The Victorian Achievement (me 980)

Paul Atterbury 14 Stained Glass (le 984) Peter Cormack 14–18 Rossini in Pesaro (me 987)

Dr Michael Downes.................................. 28 14–18 Royal Residences (me 981)

Anthony Lambert 15–22 The Hanseatic League (me 983)

Andreas Puth 16–20 Verona Opera (me 982)

Dr Michael Douglas-Scott 20–25 King Ludwig II (me 985) Tom Abbott 21 Impressionism in London (le 991)

Patrick Bade 22 London Gardens Walk (le 986)

Louisa Allan 24 The South Bank Walk (le 988)

Sophie Campbell 25– 1 Walking in Franconia (me 989)

Richard Wigmore 25– 1 MUSIC IN FRANCONIA (me 990) 27– 2 The Schubertiade (me 999) Misha Donat 31 Charles Dickens (le 123)

Professor Andrew Sanders

3

SEPTEMBER 2018 1– 5

3 3–10

3–10

3–11

3–14

Munich’s Masterpieces (mf 114) Patrick Bade The Tudors (lf 118) Dr Neil Younger.... 43 Walking in Slovenia (mf 111) Professor Cathie Carmichael Bilbao to Bayonne (mf 106) Gijs van Hensbergen • full Moscow & St Petersburg (mf 119) Dr Alexey Makhrov • full West Coast Architecture (mf 105) Professor Harry Charrington • full

4 Arts & Crafts (le 120) Paul Atterbury 4–10 Cave Art in Spain (mf 103)

Dr Paul Bahn 4–14 Samarkand & Silk Road Cities (mf 101)

Professor James Allan 4–15 Walking to Santiago (mf 102)

Dr Alexandra Gajewski • full 5–9 Flemish Painting (mf 112)

Dr Sophie Oosterwijk 6–17 Persia’s Great Empires (mf 113)

Dr Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones • full 6–21 Peru: the Andean Heartland (mf 107)

Dr David Beresford Jones 7–10 Poets & the Somme (mf 115)

Andrew Spooner 8–13 Gardens & Landscapes of the Dutch Wave (mf 116) Amanda Patton 8–15 Franconia (mf 108) Dr Jarl Kremeier 8–17 Georgia Uncovered (mf 117) Ian Colvin 9–16 Courts of Northern Italy (mf 109)

Professor Fabrizio Nevola 10–13 Yorkshire Churches (ef 122) Jon Cannon 10–16 The Imperial Riviera (mf 124)

Richard Bassett 10–16 Walking Hadrian’s Wall (mf 110)

Graeme Stobbs 12–19 Hungary (mf 141) Dr József Sisa 12–19 The Hanseatic League (mf 165)

Andreas Puth 12–21 Albania: Crossroads of Antiquity

(mf 125) Carolyn Perry 14–21 St Petersburg (mf 148)

Dr Alexey Makhrov • full 15–23 Sardinia (mf 151) Dr Thomas-Leo True 15–24 Classical Greece (mf 150)

Dr Andrew Farrington 16–22 Early Railways: the North (mf 155)

Anthony Lambert 17–23 Walking a Royal River (mf 156)

Paul Atterbury 17–23 History of Medicine (mf 159)

Professor Helen King & Dr Luca Leoncini 17–23 The Etruscans (mf 158) Dr Nigel Spivey 17–24 Gastronomic Galicia (mf 160)

Gijs van Hensbergen 17–24 Tastes of Le Marche (mf 161)

Marc Millon 17–29 Civilisations of Sicily (mf 157)

Dr Ffiona Gilmore Eaves 19 The Genius of Titian (le 171)

Lucy Whitaker 19–30 Ming & Qing Civilisation (mf 164)

Dr Jamie Greenbaum 20 The Complete London Hogarth (lf 168)

Dr Lars Tharp 20–24 Arts & Crafts in the Cotswolds (mf 163)

Janet Sinclair 20–26 Gardens & Villas of the Italian Lakes

(mf 170) Steven Desmond 20–28 Berlin, Potsdam, Dresden (mf 167)

Dr Jarl Kremeier 22– 3 Frank Lloyd Wright (mf 175)

Tom Abbott

24 John Nash (lf 166) Dr Geoffrey Tyack 24–28 THE DIVINE OFFICE: CHORAL

MUSIC IN OXFORD (mf 180) 24–29 Pompeii & Herculaneum (mf 193)

Dr Nigel Spivey 24–30 Walking to Cornish Houses (mf 162)

Paul Atterbury 24–30 Lucca (mf 181) Dr Antonia Whitley 25 Mediaeval Art in London (lf 179)

John McNeil 27– 6 Provence & Languedoc (mf 186)

Dr Alexandra Gajewski 28– 5 St Petersburg (mf 196)

Dr Alexey Makhrov 30– 7 Art in the Po Valley (mf 199)

John McNeill 30– 8 Gastronomic Crete (mf 198)

Rosemary Barron

OCTOBER 2018 1– 7 World Heritage Malta (mf 206) Juliet Rix 1– 7 The Romans in Mediterranean Spain

(mf 201) Professor Simon Esmonde Cleary 1–10 Castile & León (mf 204)

Gijs van Hensbergen 1–11 Essential Andalucía (mf 208)

Dr Philippa Joseph 1–14 The Western Balkans (mf 210)

Lady Elizabeth Roberts 2 Wren’ in the City (lf 209)

Dr Geoffrey Tyack 2– 7 Palladian Villas (mf 205)

Dr Sarah Pearson 2–12 Samarkand & Silk Road Cities (mf 202)

Professor Charles Melville 3 Hampstead in the 1930s (lf 203)

Monica Bohm-Duchen 4– 7 Rubens & Baroque (mf 218)

Bert Watteeuw 4– 8 Tintoretto 500 (me 220)

Dr Michael Douglas-Scott........................ 29 5 The Golden age of British Painting

(lf 219) Patrick Bade............................... 43 8–13 Walking & Gardens in Madeira (mf 211)

Dr Gerald Luckhurst 8–15 Walking in Eastern Sicily (mf 212)

Christopher Newall 8–17 Roman Italy (mf 207) Dr Mark Grahame 9 Japanese Art in London (lf 232)

Dr Monika Hinkel 10–14 Siena & San Gimignano (mf 234)

Dr Antonia Whitley 10–14 Ravenna & Urbino (mf 235)

Dr Luca Leoncini 11–25 Persia’s Great Empires (mf 213)

Professor James Allan 12–18 Memories of Monte Cassino (mf 214)

Patrick Mercer obe 14–21 Dark Age Brilliance (mf 216)

Dr Ffiona Gilmore Eaves 15–17 Chamber Music Retreat:

Endellion String Quartet (mf 221)....... 20 15–22 Gastronomic Spain (mf 215)

Gijs van Hensbergen

tours by date

19–28

22– 4

23–31

25

28– 3

30– 5

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49

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Tours by date Tours & events by date continued

15–23

15–26

15–27

16–23

18–24

21–27

21–28

22–28

22–28

22–29

22–29

24–31

24– 1

24– 5

25

25– 5

25– 7

26

26– 3

27 27– 4

28–31

29– 4

30– 2 31–12

Palestine, Past & Present (mf 222) Felicity Cobbing Art in Japan (mf 247) Dr Monika Hinkel • full Civilisations of Sicily (mf 248) John McNeill Mediaeval Alsace (mf 250) Dr Alexandra Gajewski Modern Art on the Côte d’Azur (mf 252) Monica Bohm-Duchen Art in the Netherlands (mf 246) Dr Guus Sluiter Courts of Northern Italy (mf 268) Dr Michael Douglas-Scott Piero della Francesca (mf 278) Dr Antonia Whitley Wines of Bordeaux (mf 269) Rod Smith mw Gastronomic Sicily (mf 272) Marc Millon Granada & Córdoba (mf 270) Gail Turner Parma & Bologna (mf 295) Dr Kevin Childs Cathedrals of England (mf 282) Jon Cannon The Indian Mutiny (mf 279) Patrick Mercer obe................................... 34 Ancient Greece (lf 277) Professor Antony Spawforth Japanese Gardens (mf 290) Yoko Kawaguchi The Making of Argentina (mf 296) Chris Moss Great Railway Termini (le 289) Anthony Lambert Normans in the South (mf 297) Dr Richard Plant London Lecture Afternoon (le 291).... 44 Essential Jordan (mf 298) Sue Rollin & Jane Streetly Historic Musical Instruments (mf 292) Professor Robert Adelson Picasso in Spain (mf 299) Gijs van Hensbergen Art in Paris (mf 280) Patrick Bade Textile Arts of Japan (ee 294) Alan Kennedy & Ben Evans..................... 36 Opera in Cardiff...................................... 20

NOVEMBER 2018

Several of our tours and events in 2019 are now available to book. Please contact us for full details or visit www.martinrandall.com Those without dates below are not yet available to book at the time of going to print – please contact us to register your interest.

JANUARY 2019 5–15 Oman, Landscapes & Peoples (mf 402)

Professor Dawn Chatty............................. 30 25–27 Chamber Music Retreat:

‘Rising Stars’ (mf 413)............................. 20 28– 3 Mozart in Salzburg (mf 415)

Richard Wigmore...................................... 22

12–24 Civilisations of Sicily (mf 310)

Dr Philippa Joseph 13–18 Venice Revisited (mf 345) Susan Steer 15 Turner & Claude (lf 313)

Dr Helen Langdon 16 Ancient Egypt at the British Museum

(lf 314) Lucia Gahlin 19–24 Roman Palazzi (mf 321)

Dr Michael Douglas-Scott 19–26 Florence & Venice (mf 346)

Dr Kevin Childs 21 Great Railway Termini (le 311)

Anthony Lambert 23–25 Chamber Music Retreat:

The Albion Quartet (mf 320)................. 20 28 Islamic art in London (le 324)

Professor James Allan

DECEMBER 2018 4 Japanese Art in London (lf 353)

Dr Monika Hinkel 5 Ancient Greece (lf 354)

Professor Antony Spawforth 11 The Golden age of British Painting

(lf 360) Patrick Bade............................... 43 20–26 Barcelona at Christmas (me 391)

Patrick Bade.............................................. 15 20–27 St Petersburg at Christmas (me 380)

Dr Alexey Makhrov................................... 19 20–27 Vienna at Christmas (me 390)

Dr Jarl Kremeier........................................ 15 20–27 Dresden at Christmas (me 385)

John Holloway........................................... 15 20–27 Naples at Christmas (me 392)

Christopher Newall................................... 18 20–27 Verona at Christmas (me 393)

Dr Susan Steer........................................... 17 21–27 Modern Art on the Côte d’Azur at Christmas (me 394) Lydia Bauman....... 14 21–27 Milan at Christmas (me 395)

Dr Luca Leoncini....................................... 16 27– 2 Music in Berlin at New Year (mf 970)

Tom Abbott................................................ 15

tours by date

MUSIC IN BOLOGNA (mf 301) Mediaeval Art in London (lf 305) John McNeill Venetian Palaces (mf 303) Dr Michael Douglas-Scott Symposium: Conservation & Heritage: Champions & Challenges (me 309)...... 21 Florentine Palaces (mf 304) Dr Kevin Childs The Italian Renaissance (lf 308) Dr Antonia Whitley Kingdoms of Deccan (mf 307) Asoka Pugal............................................... 34

2019

1– 6 6

6–10

7– 9

7–11

8

10–22

50

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Opera in Helsinki Valletta Baroque Festival

FEBRUARY 2019 3–16 Guatemala, Honduras, Belize (mf 420) David Drew 8–10 Symposium: The Age of Victoria.......... 21 9–22 Textile Arts of India for HALI (ef 419)

Rosemary Crill........................................... 35 20– 3 Art in Texas (mf 424)

Gijs van Hensbergen 23– 8 Essential India (mf 429) Asoka Pugal... 34

Opera in Cardiff...................................... 20

Opera in Nice & Monte Carlo

Florence: Cradle of the Renaissance

The Printing Revolution

Connoisseur’s Rome

Essential Rome Vietnam

MARCH 2019 1– 3 Chamber Music Retreat: The Nash Ensemble (mf 431)................. 20 5–14 Israel & Palestine (mf 440)

Dr Garth Gilmour..................................... 31 5–16 Indian Summer (mf 444)

Raaja Bhasin............................................. 34

Opera in Vienna

Music in Paris Champagne

Modern Art on the Côte d’Azur

Music in Hamburg

Minoan Crete

Persia’s Great Empires

Jonathan Keates’s Venice

Venetian Palaces

Palladian Villas

Florence & Venice

Walking in the Footsteps of

Leonardo & Michelangelo

Caravaggio: from Lombardy to Naples

Gardens of the Bay of Naples

Pompeii & Herculaneum Basilicata

Civilisations of Sicily Morocco

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2018 | Tours by date

Moscow & the Golden Ring Gastronomic Andalucía Granada & Córdoba

APRIL 2019 5– 7 Chamber Music Retreat: The Heath Quartet (mf 467).................. 20 5–16 Samarkand & Silk Road Cities (mf 472)

For solo travellers • Dr Peter Webb.......... 37 6–14 Essential Jordan (mf 474) Sue Rollin 9–15 Romans in the Rhône Valley (mf 476)

Professor Simon Esmonde Cleary............ 23 28– 3 Monet & Impressionism (mf 502)

Dr Frances Fowle....................................... 24 29– 7 Mediaeval Saxony (mf 730)

Dr Jarl Kremeier........................................ 26 30– 6 The Ring in Leipzig (mf 504)

Barry Millington....................................... 26

Modern Art in Sussex Houses of the South Downs Literary England Gastronomic Provence Music in Berlin Persia’s Great Empires Gardens & Villas of the Italian Lakes Ravenna & Urbino Wines of Tuscany The Via Emilia Gardens & Villas of Campagna Romana Gastronomic Puglia Normans in the South Civilisations of Sicily Gardens of Sintra Opera in Spain Western Andalucía Classical Turkey New Orleans to Natchitoches

MAY 2019 2– 5 Chateaux of the Loire (mf 514)

Dr Sarah Pearson...................................... 24 10–17 St Petersbug (mf 544)

Dr Alexey Makhrov 10–21 Samarkand & Silk Road Cities (mf 525)

Dr Peter Webb........................................... 37 13–19 THE JOHANN SEBASTIAN

BACH JOURNEY 14–16 Chamber Music Retreat: Fitzwilliam

String Quartet (mf 519).......................... 20 20–31 Art in Japan (mf 545)

Professor Timon Screech.......................... 36

MUSIC IN DERBYSHIRE Walking to Derbyshire Houses The Cathedrals of England Tudor England Walking Hadrian’s Wall Roman Britain The Western Balkans Prague Spring Festival Opera in Prague & Brno Ballet in Copenhagen Mediaeval Upper Normandy In Bach’s Footsteps: Lubeck to Arnstadt Organs of Bach’s Time

The Dresden Festspiele Rhineland Masterpieces Classical Greece Great Irish Houses Courts of Northern Italy Footpaths of Umbria Tastes of Le Marche Tuscan Gardens Gardens of the Bay of Naples Traditional Arts of Japan Japanese Gardens In Search of Alexander (Macedonia) The Bergen Festival Ballet in St Petersburg Journey through Slovakia The Road to Santiago Barcelona: Mediaeval to Modern Castilla la Mancha Classic Catalan Wines

JUNE 2019 8–15 Mediaeval Burgundy (mf 570)

John McNeill.............................................. 24

The Boston Early Music Festival 9–16 June 2019 Lecturer: Professor John Bryan Details available in June 2018 Contact us to register your interest Boston’s biennial celebration of early music has established itself as world’s leading festival of its kind and we are delighted to be able to offer a tour featuring a number of its concerts. It will include a fully staged opera, Orlando generoso by Agostino Steffani (1654–1728), with Aaron Sheehan and Amanda Forsythe in the lead roles, to be performed at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, with its opulent take on Beaux Arts style.

10–16

17–24

25–29

26–29

Rhineland Romanesque (mf 575) Dr Richard Plant....................................... 26 Cave Art of France (mf 599) Dr Paul Bahn............................................. 24 Berlin: New Architecture (mf 578) Tom Abbott................................................ 25 Dutch Painting (mf 601) Dr Sophie Oosterwijk

Great Houses of the North

Weston Park

Bertie: Prince & King

The East Neuk Festival Ardgowan

The Welsh Marches

Connoisseur’s Vienna

The Schubertiade

Opera in Copenhagen

Gardens of Île de France

Versailles: Seat of the Sun King Dutch Modern Handel in Halle The Ring on the Rhine Iceland: Sagas & Landscapes Palaces of Piedmont Krakow & Silesia Walking to Santiago Gastronomic Galicia Frank Lloyd Wright Gastronomic Sweden

JULY 2019 1– 7 Danish Castles & Gardens (mf 607)

Dr Margrethe Floryan 21–29 Mitteldeutschland (mf 627)

Dr Jarl Kremeier........................................ 26 21– 3 Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania (mf 628)

Neil Taylor 27– 2 Orkney: 5,000 years of culture (mf 636)

Caroline Wickham-Jones

Mediaeval Sussex & Hampshire Glyndebourne & Garsington Gastronomic West Country Walking & Literature in the Lake District The Ryedale Festival Art & Music in the North West Shakespeare & his World Savolinna Opera French Gothic The Beaune Music Festival Opera in Munich & Bregenz ‘A Terrible Beauty’ Western Ireland Verona Opera The Trasimeno Music Festival Incontri in Terra di Siena Lofoten Festival The Gstaad Menuhin Festival Santa Fe Opera

AUGUST 2019 26–31 27–31

31– 7

King Ludwig II (mf 663) Tom Abbott... 26 Vienna’s Masterpieces (mf 664) Patrick Bade THE DANUBE MUSIC FESTIVAL

Edinburgh Festival Yorkshire Churches Houses of the North West Innsbruck Early Music Festival Walking the Danube The Schubertiade Salzburg Summer Walking in Southern Bohemia Great Houses of the Czech Lands Sibelius Festival Verona Opera Opera in Macerata & Pesaro Northern Poland Schubertiáda Vilabertrán Drottningholm & Confidencen The Lucerne Summer Festival

Illustration, opposite: Blyland Abbey, watercolour by Gordon Home, publ. 1908.

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tours by date

51

Journeys by water in 2019 We have three distinct offerings in 2019, all on ships chartered exclusively for our clients. Further details will be available in the coming months so please register your interest in order to receive them as soon as they are ready.

The Danube Music Festival, 31 August–7 September 2019. One of the most highlyacclaimed of the Martin Randall Festivals returns in 2019 with a line-up of eight private concerts including the Haydn Philharmonic performing in Schloss Esterhazy and Gabrieli under Paul McCreesh with a programme of Mozart symphonies in Vienna. We sail from Passau to Melk, Vienna, Linz and back on board the MS Amadeus Silver III, an extremely comfortable river cruiser launched in 2016. The music is enhanced through a series of talks by both a musicologist and historian. Maximum group size: 130.

Sailing the Adriatic, October 2019.

A journey from Split to Dubrovnik mooring along the way at Šibenik, Zadar, Trogir, Hvar, Korčula. We are led by historian Richard Bassett, foreign correspondent for The Times throughout the 1980s and early 90s with a remit covering central and eastern Europe.

Our ship is the 19-cabin MS Desire, launched in 2017 and finished to a high specification.

One of the particular pleasures of this tour will be the ability to stroll from sundeck to site and back. Maximum group size: 30.

SEPTEMBER 2019

4–11 The Hanseatic League (mf 671)

Andreas Puth............................................. 26 5–20 Peru: the Andean Heartland (mf 675)

Dr David Beresford Jones......................... 40 6– 9 Poets & the Somme (mf 673)

Andrew Spooner 6–17 Samarkand & Silk Road Cities (mf 676)

Professor James Allan................................ 37 7–12 Gardens & Landscapes of the Dutch Wave (mf 679) Amanda Patton 7–14 Franconia (mf 677) Dr Jarl Kremeier.... 26 13–20 St Petersburg (mf 705)

For solo travellers • Dr Alexey Makhrov 19–27 Berlin Potsdam Dresden (mf 730)

Dr Jarl Kremeier........................................ 26

Arts & Crafts in the Lake District Walking Hadrian’s Wall The Age of Bede Houghton & Holkham Country Houses of Kent Dorset Churches In Churchill’s Footsteps The Cathedrals of England Sacred Armenia Flemish Painting Crécy, Agincourt & Waterloo China’s Silk Road Cities Essential China The Prague Dvořák Festival Connoisseur’s Prague Wine, walks & Art in Alsace Georgia Uncovered Beethoven in Bonn Classical Greece Royal Hungary Persia’s Great Empires Gardens & Villas of the Italian Lakes Footpaths of Umbria The Duchy of Milan Dark Age Brilliance Courts of Northern Italy The Heart of Italy Pompeii & Herculaneum Roman Italy Essential Puglia Civilisations of Sicily The Douro Enescu Music Festival in Bucharest Modern Moscow Moscow & St Petersburg

Walking in Slovenia SANTIAGO DI COMPOSTELA: A MUSICAL PEREGRINATION Walking to Santiago The Renaissance in Castile Castile & Léon Imperial Istanbul Frank Lloyd Wright

OCTOBER 2019 14–22

20–26

24– 6

Palestine, Past & Present (mf 789) Felicity Cobbing......................................... 31 Art in the Netherlands (mf 840) Dr Guus Sluiter The Making of Argentina (mf 860) Chris Moss................................................. 39

Albania: Crossroads of Antiquity Brueghel in Antwerp & Brussels Sacred China The Western Balkans Sailing the Adriatic Art in Paris Le Corbusier Mediaeval Alsace Modern Art on the Côte d’Azur Bauhaus: 100 years Gastronomic Crete The Venetian Hills Friuli-Venezia Giulia Courts of Northern Italy Palladian Villas Historic Musical Instruments Ravenna & Urbino Verdi in Parma & Busseto Lombardy: Gastronomy & Opera Walking in Southern Tuscany Food, Wine Archaeology in the Bay of Naples Southern Sicily MUSIC IN SOUTHERN SICILY Civilisations of Sicily Gastronomic Sicily World Heritage Malta Moldavia & Translyvania Moscow & St Petersburg with HALI Bilbao to Bayonne Aragón: Hidden Spain Essential Andalucía The Romans in Western Iberia Art in Madrid Ancient Tunisia New England Modern

Bengal by River, 10–22 November 2019.

The tour begins in Calcutta before boarding our private charter for a week cruising the ‘Lower Ganges’ on the Hooghly River. Our lecturer is Dr Anna-Maria Misra, Associate Professor of Modern History at Oxford and Fellow of Keble College whose areas of research focus on the history of India and the British Empire. The RV Rajmahal has 22 cabins, all with French balconies, lounge, bar, dining room and spacious canopied sundeck.

Maximum group size: 24. Book now – see page 32 for further details.

Martin Randall Festivals The Johann Sebastian Bach Journey 13–19 May 2019 Music in Derbyshire, May 2019 The Danube Music Festival 31 August–7 September 2019 Santiago di Compostela: A Musical Peregrination September/October 2019 Music in Southern Sicily October 2019 The Thomas Tallis Trail 1–3 November 2019 Please contact us to register your interest

NOVEMBER 2019 1– 3 THE THOMAS TALLIS TRAIL 10–22 Bengal by River (mf 880)

Dr Anna-Maria Misra.............................. 32 16–28 Mughals & Rajputs (mf 900)

Dr Giles Tillotson...................................... 33 18–29 Art in Japan (mf 902)

Dr Monika Hinkel..................................... 36

Persia’s Great Empires

Gastronomic Piedmont

Art History of Venice

Ruskin’s Venice

The Birth of Mannerism

Venetian Palaces

Florence Revisited

Roman Palazzi

Textiles of Japan with HALI

Essential Jordan for solo travellers

Myanmar: Ancient to Modern

Californian Galleries Vietnam