Classic Mosaic Tour 2008

Anyone interested in mosaics simply has to go and see the world famous mosaic wonders of Italy at least once in a life time. Martin Cheek never gets tired of seeing again the massive and stunning beauty of the mosaics of the Byzantine churches of Ravenna and Venice and the sheer beauty of the Roman mosaics in Aquileia. He arranges this mosaic tour year after year, also including exclusive visits to the mosaic factories of smalti and millefiori in Venice and the lagoon island of Murano.

7 days, 6 nights tour @ £865.00 (€1093.00) per person
Single room supplement: £165.00 (€209.00)

The course fee includes:

· 6 nights hotel accommodation and breakfast in Ravenna and Venice
· all transport fees Aquileia, Ravenna and Venice
· all gallery fees as stated
· all guided tours and admission fees to churches and museums

Tour dates for 2008: Tuesday 19 - Monday 26 May 2008

Program

Day 1 - Tuesday 20 May.. Fly to Italy. Nearby airports are Bologna, Florence and Pisa. This can be very cheap if you book in advance, LowFareFlights.co.uk and easyjet.com fly to Bologna Forli which is even closer to Ravenna. Meet Martin Cheek and the rest of the group in the reception at the Hotel Argentario at 1.00 pm prior to going for a quick lunch where we all meet each other. When we are ready we start visiting the following sites:

· Galla Placidia Mausoleum (5th Century)
· Basilica of St. Vitale (6th Century)
· Archiepoiscopal Museum and Chapel (6th Century)
· The Baptistry of the Cathedral (5th Century)
· The Church of Spirito Santo & The Arian Baptistry (6th Century)
· The Basilica of St. Apollinaire Nuovo (6th Century)
· The Basilica of St. Apollinaire in Classe

Day 2 - Wednesday 21 May.. At 9.00 am we meet our excellent guide, Manuela Farneti. Manuella is a historian and the author of a very thorough book of mosaic techniques: “Technical-Historical Glossary of Mosaic Art”. Lively, inspiring and knowingly she will guide the group through the sites that we explored by ourselves the day before. During the day, Manuella will also take us to the restoration studio to see the traditional mosaic making and restoration. We will meet Luciana Notturni who teaches at the studio and see her workshop. On this day it is also your chance to purchase Italian mosaic tools such as hammer and hardie, super tweezers, etc. at a discounted price. Manuella is also happy to sign her book for you. Please order in advance if you are interested, or just bring your own copy.

Day 3 - Thursday 22 May.. 9.00 am a minibus will take us to Venice. This takes about 2 hours. We will then check in at Hotel San Geromia and go for lunch in fabulous Venice. In the afternoon we will have a specially arranged and exclusive tour around the Orsoni Factory to see the making of smalti. Smalti is still made in the traditional way of 15 centuries ago. This is also your opportunity to visit the Orsoni Mosaic Gallery. If you want to buy smalti or gold leaf smalti at factory prices you need to pre-order it. Please let us know about that a month in advance.

Day 4 - Friday 23 May.. 9.00 am we will meet in the reception and make our way to the Basilica di San Marco with it’s exquisite mosaics 4000 sq. m of gleaming golden mosaics, dating from the 12th century right through to the 19th century. Our guide here is Mariangela du Chaliot and she answers any questions you may have on Venetian art. In the afternoon we will visit the lagoon island Torcello. Here you can see Venice’s first cathedral, the Cattedrale di Santa Maria dell’Assunta, said to be the serenest building in the lagoon, with its richly patterned eleventh-century mosaic floor and the tumultuous mosaic of the Apotheosis of Christ and the last Judgment.

Day 5 - Saturday 24 May.. The day trip to Aquileia starts at 8.30 am where we will jump on the train. About 2 hours later we will arrive in Aquileia where we will spend the day visiting the church and the Roman museum. The marble mosaics you will see here are amongst the finest mosaic craftsmanship you ever will see. Before lunch we will look at the sites by ourselves. After lunch we will meet our guide, Roberta Bressan who will guide us around the Archaeological Museum where she will put the mosaics into an historical context

Day 6 - Sunday 25 May. 9.00 am we will make our way to Murano. Here we will visit the glass museum and the Basilica of the Holy Maria and Donato with its wonderful mosaics. This day trip generally provides excellent shopping opportunities. Everything in coloured glass you have ever imagined - and lots you have never imagined - will all be here!

Day 7 - Monday 26 May. The tour has come to an end and we fly home.

Suggested reading:

Guide Books:
‘Dorling Kindersley Guide to Venice & the Veneto’
‘The Rough Guide to Italy’ and ‘Cadogan Guide to Bologna and Emilia Romana’ by Dana Facaros and Michael Pauls
Serious:
‘Venice’ by James Morris –historical but very entertaining and readable from the great man himself – before he became a woman!
‘Venice’ and ‘A Short History of Byzantium’ by John Julius Norwich This is now available on audio books from your local library – this is a definitive work and a really good one to listen to if you want to ‘bone up’ beforehand.
Entertaining:
Steven Saylor – ‘Thursday Next’ -Italian detective story – available on audio books from your library.Donna Leon – ‘Aqua Alter’ ‘Fatal Remedies’ – these are 2 examples from a series of Venetian detective stories. Very atmospheric – this will get you in the mood for the trip. Also available on audio books from your library. (Clipper Audio)
Dan Browne – ‘The Da Vinci Code’ mentions Botticelli and his involvement with all that conspiracy nonsense. More to the point, you’ll be able to see his two great masterpieces – ‘The Birth of Venus’ & ‘Primavera’ in the Uffici when we visit Florence.
Films
‘Death in Venice’ Visconti classic with Dirk Bogarde based on the novel by Thomas Mann. Slow but poignant beautifully shot.
‘Don’t Look Now’ Donald Sutherland & Julie Christie in this fabulous thriller based on the short story by Daphne du Maurier. This shows Donald Sutherland as a painter – restoring murals in Venice – great stuff.
‘Hotel’ dir: Mike Newell. A film crew try to make a film based on Marlowe set in Venice. Weird but interesting.
‘The Da Vinci Code’ err… see above!

NB!
Please note that not included in the course fee are flights, lunch and evening meals.

Booking

UK
2 day courses

Italy
Summer Workshop