Quattrocento Italy

March 11 to 19, 2021

On this eight-day tour of Rome and Umbria, we  savor what are, for me, some of the most beautiful paintings in all of Italy.  While we do visit a museum or two, most of these artworks are still where they were meant to be: in churches, libraries or palaces.  In other words, this is a chance to see great art in situ.  We will also have the opportunity to connect with Umbria today: its artisan traditions, its agriculture, and its people.  Indeed one of the highlights of this trip, in addition to the surfeit of beautiful and delicious meals, is our program of evening "cocktail conversations" with local Perugini.  

 Sicily

November 7 to 17, 2020

Fully booked

Our November trip to Sicily is without question our most popular destination. And for good reason. It is island of extraordinary riches: remains of highly sophisticated Greek and Roman populations, astonishing Norman chapels and palaces in Palermo, Baroque cities that lend new meaning to the term, beautiful scenery, and so much more.

As promised, we’ve scheduled our 2020 trip to begin several days AFTER the election.

Campania Felix:

Rome and the Bay of Naples

Sept. 27 to Oct. 7

On this ten-day trip, we visit Rome, Naples and some of the fascinating sites around the Bay of Naples: Capri, the Amalfi Coast, Ravello, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Naples. Fascinating ruins, wonderful local cuisine, spectacular views. It was for good reason that the Ancient Romans referred to this region south of Rome as the happy countryside, or the Campania Felix.

Cities of the Po

September 15 to 23, 2020

Fully booked

The cities in and around the Po Valley have prospered since medieval times. Rich agricultural lands produced great wealth that in turn fostered major Italian family fortunes: the Sforza in Milan, the Gonzaga in Mantua, the Medieval Scala in Verona, to name a few. These families, many of them patrons of the arts, left behind a rich legacy of castles, palaces, and chapels decorated within and without by the great artists of the Renaissance: Bramante, Da Vinci, Mantegna, Giulio Romano along with a host of others. So a trip rich in aesthetics. Also rich is the cuisine. Indeed, from the Po Valley come some of the most prized foods of Italy: Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma, Aceto Balsamico di Modena, and more. Beautiful city centers, abundant masterpieces of Italian art, and fabulous food. This trip is hard to beat.

Gardens of Oxfordshire

May 17 to 23, 2020

Fully booked

No, Oxfordshire is NOT in Italy. But we’re going there anyway. And it is a splendid trip

Venice and the Veneto

October 9 to 18, 2020

Fully booked

Our trip begins at a villa hotel in the little canal town of Mira, from which we visit a handful of Paladian villas, a couple of important gardens, Giotto’s Scrovegni Chapel, and more. Then on to the beautiful hill town of Asolo, with more Palladio and an introduction to the wonderful 20th c. architect Carlo Scarpa. Then four nights in Venice where we park ourselves in a lovely hotel on the Grand Canal. Much has been written lately about the crowds in Venice. We take pride in our Venetian itinerary that is made up of all the wonderful lesser known sites in out-of-the-way corners of the city.

Bespoke Tour

Whenever and to wherever you choose

With no templates or fixed itineraries, we prefer to work closely with families, couples or groups of friends to create a trip that exceeds expectations.  One of the joys of designing these "Bespoke Tours" is pairing travelers, be they 8 or 80, trained art historians or wine merchants, seasoned travelers or neophytes, billionaires or graduate students, with trips that suit their interests, budgets and dreams.