A nexus for world trade for more than 1,000 years, Venice spread its commercial and artistic riches throughout the Veneto region. In the palaces, squares and churches built by Byzantine and Renaissance masters, follow this alluring blend of east and west from the canals of Venice to Padua, Ravenna and the villas dotting the Veneto countryside.

Highlights

An art historian details the baroque treasures of Venice.

Enjoy a private concert at the 17th-century Palazzo Zenobio and travel the canals at your leisure.

An excursion to Ravenna reveals intricate Byzantine mosaics in churches and tombs.

Program Particulars

The program cost excludes 3 lunches and 1 dinner so you can enjoy exploring local restaurants on your own.

Activity Particulars

Walking up to three miles on city streets, uneven terrain; steps and ramps to cross bridges and canals. Standing for extended periods.

Date Specific Information

Enjoy the latest in hearing technology — listening devices — on this date.

Small Group
Enjoy the latest in hearing technology — listening devices — on this date.

Day 1

Days 2-5

Affluent for centuries before Venice, Padua may be Italy’s most under-appreciated city. Marvel at Donatello’s sculptures in the Basilica and square of St. Anthony and join a professor to explore the university where Galileo taught. Learn from an art historian why Giotto is considered the father of Renaissance painting. In the Scrovegni Chapel observe firsthand how his naturalistic style breaks away from the Gothic to depict emotions in the faces of the personages and realism in his depictions of nature. A journey through the Veneto countryside leads to the mesmerizing mosaics of Ravenna.

Lodging: Modern comfortable 4 star business class hotel in the center of Padua

Days 6-13

Delve into the singular culture, painting and architecture of Venice at San Marco, the Frari, the Ducal Palace and the Accademia. Walk the labyrinthine alleys and across canals to experience the variations between Venice’s districts, including the markets and landmark bridge of Rialto, the art of Dorsoduro and the former Jewish enclave. On a private water-borne excursion, explore ancient Torcello and colorful Burano, two outer islands with histories all their own.

Lodging: Family-run hotel in the “Salute” neighborhood of Venice near the Guggenheim Museum

Italy

“Dolce far niente,” the “sweetness of doing nothing.” This ode to leisure is a distinctly Italian phrase, and yet the expression does not do justice to the hard-work ethos of the nation’s inhabitants. The monuments, art and civilization bequeathed to the people of modern Italy are a testament to the industry of their forebears, and the legacy lives on in today’s Italians, who work hard to better enjoy the sweetness of repose.