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The Venetian Hills - Renaissance art in the foothills of the Dolomites
5
days
from
£2,690
Book today with a deposit of
£404
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 to the snowy peaks of the Dolomites.
- A selection of hidden artistic jewels including 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.
‘Hills’ and ‘Venice’ are not accustomed to finding themselves in the same sentence. Sited on an estuarial lagoon where elevation is measured in centimetres, Venice seems to belong to an entirely flat world – yet on a clear day a range of hills can be seen rising to the north, and on a very clear day the snowy peaks of the Dolomites come into view.
Towards the end of the Middle Ages the proud little communities which populated these hills submitted, one by one, to the rule of La Serenissima – the Most Serene Republic of Venice – as did much of northern Italy. Political hegemony was followed by cultural influence, still vividly apparent in the arresting sight of Venetian-style Renaissance palazzi set against precipitous pine-clad hillsides.
But the cultural forces did not flow only in one direction. As is so often the case with an artistically flourishing metropolis, many of its greatest creators were outsiders. Canova (1757–1822) was born in Possagno at the very foot of the Dolomites, Cima da Conegliano (c.1459–c.1517) in the gentler hillside town of Conegliano that bears his name, Marco Ricci (1676–1730) in hilltop Belluno. These artists enjoyed brilliant careers in Venice, yet most maintained deep ties with their home towns – returning to accept commissions, donating paintings to their parish churches, leaving behind works that can still be discovered today in the most unexpected and rewarding of settings. Others, like Palladio, worked extensively across the Veneto throughout their careers.
Our base is Follina, a tranquil little town that grew up around a beautiful medieval monastery. The hill towns visited on this tour are among the loveliest in Italy, set in landscapes that range from vine-clad foothills to soaring limestone peaks. Small in scale they may be, but the architectural ambitions of their inhabitants were anything but: the historic centres are dense with fine buildings and arcaded streets, the arcades offering shelter from summer sun and mountain downpours alike. At Valdobbiadene, home of Prosecco, there is ample opportunity to sample this most elegant of Italian sparkling wines overlooking the terraced vineyards, each hillside’s contours finely etched by parallel lines of vines.
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.
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, the Chiase di S. Maria degli Angeli has an altarpiece by Jacopo Bassano, while in nearby Possagno see the church based on Canova’s designs and a museum focussed on his works.
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.
Once an important fortress city, Treviso has a fine historic centre with imposing public buildings and many painted façades. Selective visits here include the cathedral with its Malchiostro Annunciation by Titian, as well as 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: £2,970 or £2,690 without flights. Single occupancy: £3,060 or £2,780 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 the FCDO website and Travel Health Pro to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting.
Dates & prices
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2027
Date
Speaker
Price
Date:
12th - 17th June 2027
Speaker:
Dr Carlo Corsato
Price:
from £2,690
(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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