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Raphael, in celebration - A pilgrimage from Urbino to Rome
- An in-depth exploration of the life and work of the Renaissance master, placing his art in cultural, historical and geographical context.
- A journey to the places he lived and worked: his birthplace, Urbino; Florence; and Rome, where he died.
- Private, after-hours visit to the Vatican to view Raphael’s frescoes and the Sistine Chapel, shared with participants on 'Essential Rome'.
- This tour is particularly strenuous. Please read the advice under 'Practicalities'
Raphael’s birthplace was a small, hilltop fastness remote from the main Italian centres of culture and power. Nevertheless, Urbino was famous for the sophistication of its court, humanist learning and enlightened artistic patronage. The ducal palace remains the most graceful of all Renaissance secular buildings.
The son of the court painter to the dukes of Urbino, Raphael would have imbibed the beauty of the environment and the basics of his trade from an early age. He stayed in Le Marche and Umbria for a few years as an independent master before moving to Florence. From 1508 he lived in Rome where he was acclaimed as the greatest painter since ancient times even before his untimely death in 1520. He also practised as an architect and was renowned as an antiquarian.
This tour celebrates Raphael’s life and work five centuries after his death. By following in his footsteps, travelling through the landscapes he painted, one can gain an insight into the artistic development of this most impressionable, adaptable and experimental of artists. His art will be placed in the context of the culture of the time, while analysis of preparation and design and explication of narrative will bring it to life. The immensity of his talent and his soaring intellect will become evident.
Itinerary
Fly at c. 8.00am (British Airways) from London Heathrow to Bologna. Begin the tour in Urbino, the small city state where Raphael was born, and one of the loveliest hill towns in Italy. Overnight Urbino.
The Palazzo Ducale, a masterpiece of architecture built by the Montefeltro dynasty over several decades, is perhaps the finest secular building of its period. Raphael was among those who passed through its exquisite halls, and the fine art gallery here holds his portrait of a young woman, La Muta. See also the beautiful studiolo of Federico da Montefeltro and the rest of the excellent picture collection. Continue to the House of Raphael before travelling by coach to Florence. First of two nights in Florence.
It was in Florence that Raphael learned from Leonardo and Michelangelo. Avoid much of the daily crowd by heading early to the Uffizi for several of his major works, including Madonna of the Goldfinch. The Uffizi also holds masterpieces by every major Florentine painter, as well as international Old Masters. In the afternoon, visit the redoubtable Palazzo Pitti, which houses several museums including the Galleria Palatina, outstanding particularly for High Renaissance and Baroque paintings; see a selection of Raphael’s portraits here, including Woman with a Veil.
Continue by high-speed rail to Rome arriving by lunchtime. Visit S. Maria della Pace which contains Raphael’s Sibyls fresco. Continue to the Pantheon, the best preserved of ancient Roman monuments and home to Raphael’s tomb. First of three nights in Rome.
Rise early for a private visit to the Vatican to see (in peace) the most precious assemblage of painting in the western world; including Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel and Raphael’s frescoes in the adjacent Stanze. Breakfast follows in the Cortile della Pigna and a visit to the Vatican Pinacoteca. In the afternoon, see the Galleria Borghese, Rome’s finest collection of painting and sculpture with works by Raphael.
Visit S. Maria del Popolo where mosaics were designed by Raphael. The delightful Villa La Farnesina has frescoes by Raphael, and the double portrait of Andrea Navagero and Agostino Beazzano is housed in the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, a famous picture collection.
Expert speaker
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott mixes scholarship with accessible discourse, with reasoned opinion, and is highly sought-after as an art history lecturer. He has lectured for New York University (London campus) and Birkbeck College, University of London, specialising primarily in 16th-century Italian art and architecture. He studied at the Courtauld and Birkbeck College and lived in Rome for several years. He has written articles for Arte Veneta, Burlington Magazine and the Journal of the Warburg & Courtauld Institutes.
More tours led by Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
Practicalities
Travel by rail between Florence and Rome; travel by private coach or minibus; hotel accommodation as described below; breakfasts; 1 lunch and 4 dinners with wine, water, coffee; all admissions; all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturer.
Hotel San Domenico, Urbino: a 4-star hotel converted from a monastery building and the best to be found right in the centre of the city. Hotel Santa Maria Novella, Florence: a delightful 4-star hotel in a very central location. Hotel L’Orologio, Rome: an elegant 4-star hotel located in the heart of Rome, a few steps away from Largo Argentina. Single occupancy rooms are doubles for sole use.
The tour involves a lot of walking in town centres where coach access is restricted, and a lot of standing in museums and churches. Uneven ground and irregular paving are standard. You need to be able to lift your luggage on and off the trains and wheel it within stations. Unless you enjoy entirely unimpaired mobility, cope with everyday walking and stair-climbing without difficulty and are reliably sure-footed, this tour is not for you. Some days involve a lot of driving – average distance by coach per day: 39 miles.
Between 8 and 18 participants.
Before booking, please refer to the FCDO website to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting.
Dates & prices
2026
Date
Speaker
Price
Date:
12th - 18th October 2026
Speaker:
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
Price:
US$5,800 ex flights
(Based on two sharing)Related tours and events
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