Siragusa Tours Ltd

Description

This Studytour provides the opportunity to contextualise your study of the Florentine Renaissance, and familiarise yourself with key works of art in their original locations. The cities of Florence and Siena represent the nature of social, political and economic life in Italy during the  Renaissance.  The evidence of forms of government, religious practices, beliefs, and economic activity is all embodied in the works of art and the buildings that were commissioned by patrons and made by craftsmen for these societies. Initially a commune, Florence became a city state in the 14th century when republican government emerged. Cimabue, Giotto, the building of the Duomo, the Palazzo Vecchio, the Baptistery Doors, all attest to the ‘flowering’ of artistic activity in Florence. However, it was with the Medici family which emerged in Florence with Cosimo ‘the Elder’ (1389-1464) at the beginning of the 15th century and became the leading family that ultimately came to dominate the government the city that Florence took its place as the ‘centre‘ of the Renaissance. Lorenzo de’ Medici (1449-92) known as ‘the Magnificent’ made Florence into the leading state in Italy. In the 15th and 16thcenturies the Medici called upon the services of the leading artists of the Renaissance to create the image of their rule through the physical organisation of the city, its public buildings, and their own palaces, chapels and villas. Michelangelo’s contribution was to create for them a New Sacristy in San Lorenzo to act as a funerary chapel for the recently murdered members of the family. Vasari, the court artist of Cosimo I, ‘the Great’ (1519-74), provided the new offices the ‘Uffizi’, now the seat of one of the greatest collections of Renaissance art, and the Lives that is synonymous with the concept of the Renaissance.

Siena’s history goes back to the Roman period and because of this it adopted the She Wolf as the symbol of the city. Located on a hill astride the road to Rome it dominates the countryside and maintained its independence until it was annexed by the Florentines in 1555. However, its tradition of republican government is still physically represented by the appearance of the Palazzo Pubblico and the Campo before it. The frescoes of Good and Bad Government in the Sala dei Nove are testimony to the sophistication of philosophical and political ideology in the 14th century. Whereas Duccio’s great altarpiece the Maesta, installed with great pomp in 1311 on the high altar of Siena Cathedral, represents the importance of religious practices and the nature of belief.

Other Details

Accommodation

Centrally located Hotel Lombardi**. Bed and Breakfast tariff in twin-share room with private facilities. 

Course Cost

£565 inclusive of tuition, airport transfers (airport transfers are only available for the Siragusa Tours Ltd nominated flight),  accommodation and breakfast.

Single Room Supplement

£150

Travel Insurance

Once tour is viable and if we have booked a flight for you through Travelpack, you can call Larraine on 08444 930465 for an immediate quote (unless you already have insurance)

Flight

Ca. £190 scheduled flight to Pisa.  Note that this is an estimate (if  it is less you play less), please see Booking Conditions for more information concerning nominated flights.

Local Transport

Airport transfers by minibus/train (depending on group size)

 Group Size

16

Tutor

Jackie Parry MA, is an experienced lecturer and art historian who has led many gallery visits and study tours.  She teaches art history at the University of Sussex and the Open University.  She has also lectured for NADFAS, the U3A and the National Trust.  Her interests are mostly based around 18th century art and culture and the development of modernism from 19th century to the present.  Her MA research included issues of gender and critical theory.

Related OU Courses

AA315/A216/General Interest

 

Itinerary / Study Programme

 Day 1, Saturday, 2nd June 2012

Arrival and Orientation

 Day 2, Sunday, 3rd June 2012

The Renaissance Villa and Garden: the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens

Pm  Santa Croce, The Bargello Museum

 Day 3, Monday, 4th June 2012

Am  Santa Maria Novella, Strozzi Chapel, the Brancacci Chapel (Carmine)

Pm  The Religious Centre: Duomo, Campanile and Baptistery

 Day 4, Tuesday, 5th June 2012

Day-visit to Siena: the Campo, the Palazzo Pubblico, the Duomo and Baptistery, Opera del Duomo: Duccio’s Maestà

Day 5, Wednesday, 6th June 2012

Am  The Rule of the Medici: the Medici Palace (the Gozzoli Chapel), San Lorenzo (the Old and New Sacristy), the Medici Chapel, the Laurentian Library. 

Pm: Renaissance Painting in Florence: the Uffizi Gallery

Day 6, Thursday, 7th June 2012

Free time until departure

This itinerary and study programme is provisional and may be subject to change in response to local conditions