The Venetian Land Empire

A spectrum of north-east Italy’s finest art and architecture

24 April–3 May 2023 (mj 691)

10 days • £4,370 Lecturer: Dr Michael Douglas-Scott

Huge range of art and architecture from ancient Roman to modern, with the Middle Ages and Renaissance predominating. Encompasses some of the greatest historic cities and loveliest hill towns in Italy, with landscapes ranging from mountains to alluvial plains. While the touch of Venice is visible, these great centres have their own traditions and histories.

The maritime empire of the Republic of Venice consisted of a congeries of colonies along the Adriatic and into the eastern Mediterranean, acquired to protect the all-important trade with Constantinople and the East. But Venice had two empires; and the land empire, the terra ferma, was markedly different in character. Stretching across northern Italy from the lagoon to within 30 miles of Milan, these densely populated and highly sophisticated cities and territories were no mere subordinate appendages to La Serenissima – indeed they had histories far longer than that of the relatively upstart maritime republic.

Itinerary

Day 1: Castelfranco Veneto, Asolo. Fly c. 8.45am from London Heathrow to Venice. Drive to the walled town of Castelfranco: see Giorgione’s Madonna Enthroned in the cathedral. Continue to the hilltop town of Asolo for the first of six nights. Day 2: Treviso. Once an important fortress city, Treviso’s cathedral has a Titian Annunciation, and memorable 1352 frescoes by Tommaso da Modena at the Friary of St Nicholas and in Sta Caterina. See the Villa Barbaro at Maser, designed by Palladio and containing frescoes by Veronese. Day 3: Belluno, Feltre. Belluno is a beautiful small city with a Renaissance cathedral and Venetian-style palaces. Stacked along a ridge, Feltre has striking buildings in various styles; see the Rizzarda collection of early 20th-century arts and the 1802 theatre in the town hall. Day 4: Padua’s medieval town hall and squares are among the finest in Italy. See outstanding 14th-century fresco cycles: by Giotto in the Arena Chapel, by Giusto de’ Menabuoi in the Baptistry, and by Altichieri in the Basilica of St Anthony as well as a bronze altar by Donatello. Day 5: San Vito, Vicenza. The Brion cemetery complex by Carlo Scarpa is 20th-century architecture at its most moving. Vicenza is architecturally the noblest and most homogenous city in northern Italy, much of the fabric consisting of 16th-century aristocratic residences. Day 6: Asolo, Bassano. Afternoon visit to Bassano del Grappa, a picturesque hill town with attractive squares and a bridge designed by Palladio. Home of the Bassano family of painters, there is a major holding of their works in the civic museum. Day 7: Vicentine villas, Montecchio, Verona. See Palladio’s villa ‘La Rotonda’, Villa Valmarana ‘ai Nani’, and Villa Cordellina in Montecchio. Drive to Verona and stay for three nights here. Day 8: Verona was a major Roman settlement, a powerful medieval nation-state and an important fortress through to 19th-century Austrian rule. Visit the art museum in the elegant red-brick castle, refurbished by Carlo Scarpa. Day 9: Brescia, Verona. See remarkable art and artefacts at Brescia’s City Museum and the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo. Visit the 12thcentury Rotunda (round church), the Broletto (town hall) and the Renaissance Loggia. In Verona visit the Romanesque church of San Zeno. Day 10: Bergamo’s impressive ramparts befit the westernmost outpost of the Venetian empire. Visit the Romanesque cathedral and the Renaissance Cappella Colleoni with Tiepolo frescoes. See the outstanding paintings in the Accademia Carrara. Fly from Milan, arriving Heathrow at c. 8.15pm.