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Mosaics & Palaces of Bologna, Ferrara, Ravenna & Mantova
6 days from £1,299
Suggested Itinerary#
Your itinerary is exclusively yours to tailor to suit your group's interests and profile of your members. Here is our suggested itinerary:
Day 1 – Bologna
Scheduled flight to Italy from your preferred airport – transfer with our professional guide in our private executive coach to the 4* Hotel Touring in Bologna – dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 2 – Bologna guided tour & Pinacoteca Nazionale
Guided tour of the buildings and porticoed streets of Bologna, home to medieval palaces and the oldest university in Europe – afternoon guided tour of one of Northern Italy’s finest galleries, the Pinacoteca Nazionale housing works of the great Northern Italian artists including Giotto, Raphael and Perugino.
Day 3 – Ferrara guided tour & Castello Estense
City tour of Ferrara introduces us to one of the region’s greatest walled towns and one of Italy’s hidden gems with many attractive streets and medieval houses, a 12th century cathedral and the palaces of the d’Este dynasty – afternoon guided tour of the 15th century frescoes, dungeons and the wonderful views from the Torre dei Leoni of the 14th century Castello Estense.
Day 4 – Guided tour of Ravenna
A full day in Ravenna, once the capital of Rome’s Western Empire and one of the great seats of Byzantine art in Europe, and a guided tour takes in the burial place of Dante, the great Italian writer and politician, the magnificent Neonian Baptistery and the mosaics of Basilica di San Vitale and the Mausoleo di Galla Placidia.
Day 5 – Mantova - Palazzo Ducale & Palazzo Te
The day is spent in Mantova – guided tour of the Palazzo Ducale, once one of Europe’s largest palaces and now housing a wonderful art collection including the frescoes in the ‘Camera degli Sposi’ by Mantegna – visit the magnificent Palazzo Te and Giulio Romano’s ‘Room of Giants’.
Day 6 – Bologna
Morning free in Bologna before the transfer to the airport for our scheduled flight back home.
Features#
What's included in this tour is entirely yours to customise to suit your group's budget and preferences. Here is what we've suggested:
4* hotel
All excursions & guided tours included
Welcome dinner
Professional local guide
Scheduled flights to Italy
Executive coach in Italy
One free place per 10 paying passengers
Tailor your Features#
If you'd like to adjust what's included, perhaps a different hotel standard, more or fewer days, or different excursions, here are some alternatives:
For more (or fewer) days
Include UK airport coach transfers
Bring a specialist lecturer
Include all entrance fees & gratuities
Visit more (or fewer) sights*
* See Tailor your Sights for suggestions
Sights#
The places your group visits are exclusively yours to decide. Here are the main sights we've suggested:
Guided tour of Bologna
Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna - guided tour
Guided tour of Ferrara
Guided tour of 14th century Castello Estense
Guided tour of Ravenna
Mosaics of St Vitale & the Mausoleo di Galla Placidia
Mantova - Palazzo Ducale & Palazzo Te
Tailor your Sights#
If you'd prefer to visit different places, or if you'd like to add extra attractions that match your group's specific interests, here are some more suggestions:
Urbino - set against a magnificent backdrop of medieval and Renaissance streets, Casa Natale di Raffaello was home to the painter Raphael and the Oratorio di San Giovanni Battista displays 15th century frescoes of the Crucifixion and the Life of John the Baptist by Giacomo and Lorenzo Salimbeni
Anatomical Museum, Bologna - designed in an amphitheatre form in 1637 for the anatomy lessons by Bologna's artist Antonio Paolucci and decorated with statues of celebrated doctors such as Hippocrates and Bartoletti
Lucca - visit the house in which Giacomo Puccini was born or the 11th century cathedral, an outstanding example of the exuberant Pisan-Romanesque style
Pinacoteca Nazionale, Ferrara - located in the Palazzo dei Diamanti and housing paintings from the Ferrara school from the Middle Ages up to the 18th century
University city of Parma - the Baroque style Farnese Theatre dates from 1618 and frescoes by Antonio da Correggio decorate the dome in the Cathedral and the Camera di San Paolo
Modena - the birthplace of Luciano Pavarotti and the Galleria Estense includes paintings by Bernini, Tintoretto and Veronese
Basilica di Sant’Andrea, Mantova - one of the major works of 15th century Renaissance architecture
Pisa - begun in 1173 on sandy silt subsoil, the Leaning Tower started to tilt even before the second storey was finished!
Padova - one of Italy’s oldest university towns and the setting for Shakespeare’s ‘Taming of the Shrew’
Cappella degli Scrovegni, Padova - Giotto’s beautiful frescoes depicting the life of Christ which became a powerful influence on the development of European art
Accommodation#
Where you stay is entirely yours to choose to match your group's preferences. Here is our suggested accommodation:
Five nights at the 4* Hotel Touring, located in central Bologna. The hotel has a terrace bar and all rooms are en suite. Dinner is served in the hotel on the first night and the remaining nights are on bed and breakfast basis.
Tailor your accommodation#
If you'd prefer different accommodation, perhaps a different hotel standard, location, or basis of accommodation, here are some alternative choices:
Stay at a 3* hotel
On half board basis
Extras#
The costs on top of your tour price can be tailored to suit your group's needs. Here is what we've listed as extras:
Single room supplement £199
Insurance
Entrance fees to places of interest
Audio headphones
Gratuities
Tailor your tour
Get in touch now using this tour as an example
Mosaics & Palaces of Bologna, Ferrara, Ravenna & Mantova
6 days from £1,299 per person