The Art & History of Udine, Trieste & North East Italy

Day 1 – Guided tour of Udine

Scheduled flight to Italy from your preferred airport – transfer with our tour manager in our private executive coach to Udine, ruled by the Venetians for 400 years, where a guided tour includes the Duomo with paintings and frescoes by Giambattista Tiepolo – check in at the 4* Astoria Hotel in the historic city centre of Udine – dinner in the hotel.

Day 2 – Guided tour of Treviso & Museo Civico

Guided tour of Treviso takes in Chiesa di San Francesco, with works by Thomas da Modena, and the 12th century Duomo with Titian’s ‘Annunciation’ and the ‘Adoration of the Magi’ fresco by Titian’s arch rival, Il Pordenone – the Museo Civico houses a fine collection of paintings by Giovanni Bellini, Donatelli and other Renaissance artists.

Day 3 – Guided tour of Trieste & Museo Revoltella

Guided tour of Trieste, once the fourth largest city in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, takes in views of the Duomo and Castello di San Giusto, a hilltop castle built by the city’s Venetian governors from 1386 – visit the Museo Revoltella, a 19th century palazzo owned by Baron Pasquale Revoltella who helped fund the building of the Suez Canal and whose art collection now forms the basis of a modern art collection.

Day 4 –Aquileia, the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta & Grado

Aquileia is a World Heritage Site encircled by the ruins of palatial Roman villas, baths, temples and market buildings and it was here that Emperor Augustus received Herod the Great, King of Judea in 10 BC – a guided tour of the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta in Aquileia explores much of the original structure including its brilliant 4th century mosaic floor – at Grado, a historic seaside town that at one time was more important than Venice, we visit the Basilica di Sant’Eufemia containing 6th century frescoes in the apse.

Day 5 – Church of Sant’Antonio Abate & Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli

The Church of Sant’Antonio Abate in San Daniele del Friuli houses a beautiful Renaissance cycle of frescoes by Martino da Udine, known as ‘Pellegrino da San Daniele’ – the town is famous for ham production and your tour manager will offer an optional traditional ham tasting lunch – a guided tour explores the Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli in Spilimbergo, an internationally renowned mosaic school founded in 1922.

Day 6 – Cividale, Tempietto Longobardo & Gallerie del Tiepolo

A guided tour of the UNESCO listed town of Cividale, founded by Julius Caesar in 50 BC, takes in the small 8th century Lombard chapel of Tempietto Longobardo – Venetian artist Giambattista Tiepolo came to Udine early in his career and left an extensive legacy in the town which are now housed in the Gallerie del Tiepolo – optional dinner at a carefully selected agriturismo restaurant.

Day 7 – Home

Transfer to the airport for our scheduled flight back home.