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The Venetian Hills - Renaissance art in the foothills of the Dolomites
5
days
from
US$3,700
Book today with a deposit of
US$555
12th - 17th June 2027
Tour highlights
- An exploration of the ravishingly beautiful landscapes of this little-known corner of the Veneto, from the vine-clad Prosecco hills of Valdobbiadene to the snowy peaks of the Dolomites.
- Visits by special arrangement to a selection of hidden artistic jewels. We see rarely visited altarpieces and frescoes by Venetian masters, paintings ranging from medieval to Rococo, and the architecture of Andrea Palladio.
- Some of the loveliest and most off-the-beaten-track hill towns in Italy, easily reached from the tranquil town of Follina where we are based.
The best-kept secret for understanding the history of La Serenissima lies in the forested hills and fertile plains of the terraferma – Venice’s mainland territories. For centuries, visitors have marvelled at the maritime Republic’s splendour, sometimes overlooking that its true foundation was inland. Here, in the villas, civic centres, and agricultural estates of the Veneto, Venetian patricians invested their wealth, projected their power, and created the economic and cultural systems that sustained the Republic for a millennium. This tour reveals the organic integration of art, politics, and agriculture across the terraferma. The itinerary balances architectural appreciation with close study of paintings in situ – altarpieces seen in the churches and civic centres for which they were created.
The Venetian heartland reveals a civilisation more complex than maritime trade myths suggest. Cima da Conegliano, Titian, Veronese, Palladio – all emerged from or worked extensively in these territories, shaped by the intersection of Venetian influence and local identity. Agricultural investment in the Palladian villas operated alongside strategic control of timber at Bassano del Grappa, where the Brenta River supplied materials for Venice’s fleets and housing. Civic governance functioned through flagellant confraternities (battuti) and communal patronage; in Vittorio Veneto and Conegliano, it was they who commissioned Titian and Cima, rather than individual patrons.
Ancient nobles like the Collalto family negotiated semi-autonomous power between Venice and the Holy Roman Empire. By the 18th century, Sebastiano Ricci – who would go on to work in the major European capitals including Paris and London – was painting in mountain palaces, and Andrea Brustolon, the ‘Michelangelo of woodcarving’, created sculptural masterpieces rivalling anything produced in Venice. The arc culminates with Antonio Canova, born in these mountains in 1757: at his birthplace in Possagno, the transformation from Venetian civilisation to cosmopolitan dissolution becomes tangible.
Our base is Follina, a tranquil little town that grew up around a beautiful medieval monastery. The hill towns we visit form some of the loveliest landscapes in Italy, ranging from soaring limestone peaks to vine-clad foothills; in the Prosecco hills of the Valdobbiadene area, there is ample opportunity to sample this most elegant of Italian sparkling wines overlooking the terraced vineyards.
Itinerary
Fly at c.1.00pm (British Airways) from London Heathrow to Venice. Drive through the hills to Follina where all five nights are spent.
For participants joining Music in Palladian Villas: a transfer is provided from Vicenza to Follina on 12th June.
Andrea Palladio’s Villa Emo at Fanzolo typically and beautifully combines the utilitarian with the monumental. Drive to the birthplace of Giambattista Cima del Conegliano, the lovely town from which the artist took his name. Visit the cathedral to see one of his greatest works.
The Villa Barbaro at Maser, built by Palladio for two highly cultivated Venetian brothers, has superb frescoes by Veronese. The lovely hilltop town of Asolo was home to three exceptional women: Queen Caterina Corner, the actress Eleonora Duse and the writer and traveller Freya Stark. Visit the cathedral where the Assumption of the Virgin by Lorenzo Lotto has been treasured in the past 500 years. Bassano del Grappa is a highly attractive town in the foothills of the Dolomites with a series of picturesque squares with painted façades. Home of the prolific Bassano family of painters, there are several of their works in the civic museum.
The tiny city of Serravalle (now joined with Cèneda to form Vittorio Veneto), occupying a gorge scoured by the River Meschio, has a fine group of mediaeval and Renaissance buildings, 15th-century frescoes in the chapel of S. Lorenzo and a Titian in the cathedral. In the church of Santa Maria in Cèneda there is an exquisite Annunciation by Previtali. Finish the day with a wine tasting.
Drive north along the valley of the Piave into an ever-more dramatic mountain landscape. Sitting athwart a promontory looped by the Piave, Belluno is a beautiful little city with a Renaissance cathedral and Venetian-style palaces. Among the fine paintings is an exquisite Madonna & Child by Cima in the Museo Civico. In Feltre, important buildings include the Teatro della Sena and the Chiesa di S. Maria degli Angeli, while in nearby Possagno visit the museum focussed on Canova’s works.
Once an important fortress city, Treviso has a fine historic centre with imposing public buildings and many painted façades. The main focus is the civic museum and convent of Santa Caterina which houses a collection of Renaissance masterpieces by Cima da Conegliano, Lotto, Bassano and Titian. Fly from Venice airport, arriving at London Heathrow at c. 6.30pm.
Expert speaker
Dr Carlo Corsato
Art historian and lecturer specialising in early-modern art and architecture in Italy and Flanders. He obtained his PhD from the University of Verona on 16th-century painting in Venice and the Veneto. He has lectured and given talks at a number of institutions, including Morley College, the Courtauld Institute, and the universities of St Andrews, Glasgow and Buckingham. He was visiting scholar at the Dutch Institute in Florence and St John’s College, Cambridge. He has contributed to international scholarly journals and exhibition catalogues, and co-edited the first completed monograph on the church of Frari, Venice.
More tours led by Dr Carlo Corsato
Practicalities
Price, per person. Two sharing: US$4,090 or US$3,700 without flights. Single occupancy: US$4,210 or US$3,820 without flights.
Travel by private coach; breakfasts; 1 lunch and 3 dinners with wine, water, coffee; all admissions; all tips for waiters, drivers; all taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager.
If combining this tour with Music in Palladian Villas, we will arrange a transfer from your festival hotel to Follina on 12 June. Flights are charged as part of your festival booking, so you take the ‘no flights’ price for this tour.
Hotel dei Chiostri, Follina: 4-star hotel in the little hill town of Follina, installed in former abbey buildings. Double rooms are junior suites; single rooms are doubles for sole use.
The tour involves quite a lot of walking, some of which is uphill or in the town centres where vehicular access is restricted. Streets are often cobbled, and the tour should not be attempted by anyone who has difficulty with everyday walking and stair-climbing. Agility, stamina and sure-footedness are essential. Many of the historical buildings visited are sprawling and vast. Some days involve a lot of driving. Average distance by coach per day: 55 miles.
Between 8 and 20 participants.
Before booking, please refer to Travel.State.Gov to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting. As a British company we follow the advice of the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.
Dates & prices
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2027
Date
Speaker
Price
Date:
12th - 17th June 2027
Speaker:
Dr Carlo Corsato
Price:
from US$3,700
(Based on two sharing)Testimonials
“The historic centres of the hill towns provided one treat after another in location we would not otherwise have accessed.
”
“The lecturer's humour and relaxed manner, his beautifully clear enunciation and passion and knowledge of Titian and the other medieval and renaissance painters made it a real pleasure to absorb so much history, politics and art and architectural knowledge.
”
“Once again a very pleasant holiday – one comes home very pleased with the overall experience.
”
Combine with
We are happy to advise on combining this itinerary with another tour or event. Please contact us for information about linking accommodation and transport.
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