Overview
By the early sixteenth century, Italian masters such as Leonardo, Raphael and the young Michelangelo had reached such a peak of perfection that succeeding artists felt they could not improve on their achievements. Some attempted shallow imitation, in the style or ‘manner’ of these inimitable geniuses. Others reacted against that style – and a movement was born that would evolve in different ways and in different places across Europe as the century progressed.
The roots of Mannerism, as it became known, are firmly in and around Florence, where practitioners such as Andrea del Sarto, Jacopo Pontormo, Rosso Fiorentino and Parmigianino developed a highly stylized technique in both paintings and frescoes, which was a marked departure from what had gone before. Reacting to the consummate poise, balance, classicism and perfection of ideals associated with their illustrious predecessors, their work is characterised by complicated compositions, arcane references, an acid palette and psychological tension, not to mention strangely elongated human forms.
Rosso Fiorentino would subsequently become one of the artists responsible for transforming the Palace of Fontainebleau under François I. In Venice the Mannerist style was finessed by Tintoretto, while El Greco brought his distinctive interpretation to the courts of Italy and Spain. But it is Florence that first nurtured the stylistic bridge between the High Renaissance and the Baroque.
Parmigianino’s Madonna with the Long Neck, with its strange composition and perspective (and long neck), exemplifies the method in the madness of Mannerism. It resides in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and features on our tour, which is based in the city with excursions to the towns of Poggio a Caiano, Carmignano and Volterra.
Day 1
Pieve San Michele. Fly at 11.15am (British Airways) from London City to Florence. The first visit is to the church of San Michele e San Francesco in Carmignano to see the gorgeous Visitation by Pontormo.
Day 2
Florence. The eponymous basilica that graces the arcaded Piazza Santissima Annunziata contains important frescoes by Andrea del Sarto, Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino. Next comes one of del Sarto’s most striking works, a set of grisaille frescoes at the Chiostro dello Scalzo, The Life of St John the Baptist. In the afternoon visit the Franciscan church of Santa Croce, favoured burial place for leading Florentines, to view altarpieces by Mannerist artists, now beyond the Sacristy.
Day 3
Florence, Volterra. San Salvi contains Andrea del Sarto’s great Last Supper, which Giorgio Vasari described as having an ‘endless majesty with its absolute grace of all the painted figures.’ Drive to Volterra, an exceptionally attractive hilltop town bound by Etruscan walls. The municipal art gallery is installed in a 15th-century palazzo; among the masterpieces is the Deposition by Rosso. Return to Florence.
Day 4
Florence. Brunelleschi’s church of San Lorenzo has altarpieces by Rosso and Bronzino and is part of a complex that includes Michelangelo’s Medici tombs in the New Sacristy and his Laurentian Library, which were, respectively for sulpture and architecture, highly influential early manifestations of Mannerism. The Bargello, the great museum of sculpture, contains major works by Giambologna, Cellini and other Mannerist masters, who are also well represented in the nearby Piazza della Signoria. Finally, the Uffizi, to revel in the recently refurbished galleries with superb Mannerist paintings.
Day 5
Florence, Poggio a Caiano. In the morning visit the Galleria Palatina in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence’s main assembly of High Renaissance, Mannerist and Baroque paintings. A chapel in Santa Felicità is adorned by Pontorno’s great Annunciation and Deposition from the Cross. Drive to Poggio a Caiano to see the Medici Villa, begun in 1485 and in the next century filled with frescoes, notably by Pontormo in the main salon. Fly from Florence Airport, arriving at London City at c. 9.15pm.
Price – per person
Two sharing: £2,030 or £1,830 without flights. Single occupancy: £2,270 or £2,070 without flights.
Included
Flights (British Airways City Flyer) with British Airways (Embraer 170); travel by private coach; hotel accommodation; breakfasts, 3 dinners with wine, water, coffee; all admissions; all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager.
Accommodation
Hotel Santa Maria Novella: a delightful, renovated 4-star hotel in a very central location. Single rooms are doubles for sole use.
How strenuous?
The tour involves a lot of walking in the town centre where the ground is sometimes uneven and pavements are narrow. It should not be attempted by anyone who has difficulty with everyday walking and stair-climbing. Fitness is essential. Average distance by coach per day: 32 miles.
Are you fit enough to join the tour?
Group size
Between 8 and 18 participants.
Travel advice
Before booking, please refer to the FCDO website to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting.