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We encourage you to make your Artistic Expedition with us all you want it to be.

Paint from Dawn to Dusk and Immerse yourself in your Art                   
and / or                     
Enjoy all the Unique Opportunities that your Destination of choice offers                     
or                       
Do both with your Spouse, Artist Friends and Companions.                  

                                        -The Artist Tours Group

^{Artist Expeditions are reserved for art schools, organizations and/ or groups of ten ( 10) or more Artists}

Day 1                 Arrive Rome – Siena               (D)

Welcome to Italy. After clearing customs you will be met by your English speaking Italian tour manager.  As our host for our program they will assist us with our luggage and we then board our deluxe coach for our trip to Tuscany and our home for the week, Siena. As we drive north from Rome we quickly leave the cityscapes and find ourselves traveling through the picturesque countryside.

Our home in Italy will be the wonderful and very inspiring city of Siena, nestled perfectly in the Tuscan countryside just a short drive from Florence.

During the 14th century, having lost a power battle to its rival, Florence, the walled city of Siena lost much of its regional authority. This seems like almost a blessing in disguise, however, as the city has been gloriously preserved in its medieval character, whereas with continued authority, it would”ve surely expanded and changed.

Siena is home to Italy’s loveliest piazza, the Piazza del Campo, which rests on the site of the old Roman forum. It began to take its shape in the late 13th century when the Council of Nine, Siena’s ruling body at the time, began to acquire land. The shell-shaped redbrick formation, divided into nine segments, reflects the authority of the Council. On the northern edge of the piazza lies the Fonte Gaia, often referred to as the “Fountain of Joy.”

A prominent feature of Siena’s skyline is the Torre del Mangia, second highest medieval tower in Italy, which was named after its first bellringer. Offering tremendous views of the Tuscan countryside, the tower can be accessed through the courtyard of the Palazzo Pubblico, Siena’s graceful Gothic town hall. In addition to serving its original purpose as the municipal center, the Palazzo also houses the Museo Civico, which is filled with important artwork from the Sienese school of painting and sculpture.

Taking just under 250 years to complete, Siena’s duomo is a remarkable example of Romanesque and Italian Gothic styles. Had the 14th century plans to expand the duomo by adding a new nave been completed, the building would have been the largest church in Christendom. The work of such artists as Giovanni and Nicola Pisano, Donatello and Domenico Beccafumi can be seen throughout the duomo.

Siena is the perfect location to call for our week of painting and learning.  After we settle in to our hotel we will gather for an included welcome to Tuscany dinner. At dinner we will have a short orientation and overview of the weeks activities.

Day 2                 Siena – Opt.  Tour of Pisa (B)

After breakfast we will meet our guide and board our coach as we travel to a perfect location in order to spend the day painting. An included picnic boxed lunch is included.

For those that are not painting we can suggest an optional tour to Pisa.

Pisa is just a short drive away. Situated at the mouth of the Arno River, its strong naval forces during the Middle Ages ensured Pisa’s dominance of the western Mediterranean until it fell under the control of its rivals, Genoa and Florence, until the Italian unification in 1870.

The Leaning Tower – a bell tower, or campanile – is the best known building in the medieval Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles) cathedral complex. The Tower began leaning when only three of its eight stories were finished in 1274. It also served as observatory for Pisa’s hometown astronomer, Galileo. The Tower, now leaning in excess of 17 feet, is closed to the public.

The duomo features a magnificent four-tiered facade and glorious bronze doors decorated with reliefs cast by Bonanno Pisano. The interior boasts a carved pulpit by Giovanni Pisano and a mosaic of Christ in Majesty in the apse, completed by Cimabue in 1302. The circular baptistry, begun in 1152 in Romanesque style was completed a century later in the more ornate Gothic influence by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano.

The Campo dei Miracoli is a hard act to follow, but visitors won’t be disappointed by Pisa’s Renaissance architecture and peaceful strolls along the Arno River banks. The culture and ambiance of a thriving college town are offered as well, thanks to the esteemed University of Pisa, which recently celebrated its 650th birthday.

After our tour we will enjoy a nice lunch in a local restaurant before returning back to our hotel in Siena.

Day 3                 Sienna – Opt. Tour Perugia & Assisi (B)

                                    After breakfast we continue our painting.

For those not painting we are pleased to offer an optional tour of Perugia and  Assisi.

Perugia, with one of the most beautiful squares in Europe, in which it is possible to admire the Maggiore Fountain, the gothic Basilica of San Lorenzo and the Palazzo dei Priori, home to the Town Hall.  Continue to Assisi, famous all over the world for being the native town of Saint Francis Visit the Basilica of St. Francis, containing one of the most imposing series of frescoes in the history of painting, from Giotto to Cimabue. Visit the Basilica of St. Maria degli Angeli, the place where St. Francis lived and died.

We will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before continuing to the Lungarotti Vineyards. In Torgiano, the key words are "grapes" and "wine." D.O.C. since 1968 and D.O.C.G. since 1990, recognized and highly regarded all over the world, Lungarotti wines have always borne the name of the production zone, to the point where, now, they have become synonymous with it. The winery is responsible for its products from the vineyard to the bottle, producing a wide variety of wines and specialty products. We will be given a wine tasting and tour of the cellars. Before continuing to Assisi.                

The origin of Assisi, as for many other cities in Umbria is uncertain. It was inhabited by the umbri, a local population settled in middle Italy. Successively it was under the influence of Etruscans and Romans, as it is well documented by the numerous vestiges of the roman municipality called Asisium. Among these vestiges there is the well-preserved facade of the Temple of Minerva, remains of the Forum, the amphitheater, the Roman walls.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the city became a settlement of the Goths around 545 AD. Successively it was under the Longobards. Around 1000 AD, it became an independent city (commune). During this period it knew the extraordinary spread of the monastic movement (especially the Benedestines). Around 1180 Saint Francis was born, the most famous of the sons of Assisi. The son of Pietro di Bernardone, a rich merchant, he grew as a young noble of Assisi. During a war between Assisi and Perugia, he was held prisoner for several months in 1202. Dissatisfied with his life, he turned to prayer and service to the poor, and in 1206 he publicly renounced his father's wealth. Pope Innocent III approved his way of life, gave him and his disciples permission to preach on moral topics, and had Francis ordained a deacon. There was then a succession of local lords like Gian Galeazzo Visconti, the Montefeltro family, Braccio Fortebraccio and Francesco Sforza, until the middle of the sixteenth century, when Umbria was conquered by Paul III. Lately, in the nineteen century the city joined the newly born Italian state, together with other Umbrian cities.

After our full day tour we return back to our hotel in Siena.

Day 4                 Siena – Opt. Tour of Florence  (B)

Another wonderful day painting and enjoying the beauty of Tuscany awaits us. After breakfast we board our coach and travel to new and wonderful location to spend our day. For those not painting a full day optional tour of Florence awaits us.

Only a short drive away a world of art and history awaits us. Upon arrival we will begin our detailed walking artistic and historical tour of Florence.

The works of Botticelli, Michelangelo and Donatello have transformed Florence into an artistic capital of the Renaissance era. The strong art background, along with the literary heritage of such writers as Dante, Petrarch and Machiavelli, signifies the artistic and cultural “reawakening” of the 15th century.

The city of Florence covers a surprisingly compact area, making touring the city quite easy. In the center of the city is the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest surviving bridge in Florence, built in 1345. The shops that line the bridge were originally occupied by blacksmiths, butchers and tanners who were replaced by jewelers and goldsmiths who were able to pay higher rents.

Included will be a tour of first school in Europe to concentrate its teachings on the disciplines of drawing, painting and sculpture was the Galleria dell’ Accademia (The Academy of Fine Arts), built in 1563. From behind the shadows of the colossal masterpiece, Michelangelo’s David, many other paintings from Michelangelo, as well as many other 15th and 16th century Florentine artists are on display.

After the Accademia our continues with Florence’s Duomo – Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore – is the tallest building in the city, as well as the fourth largest cathedral in all of Europe. Frescoes of the Last Judgment by Vasari line the inside of the cathedral’s dome. The dome, designed by Brunelleschi and finished in 1463, was the largest of its time to be built without scaffolding. The Campanile di Giotto, just 20 feet shorter than the dome, is covered by reliefs by Andrea Pisano. Just across the way, stands the Battistero San Giovanni, the octagonal baptistry named for Florence’s patron saint, John the Baptist. Dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries, the baptistry is decorated with colorful mosaics and the famous East Doors, bronze relief panels, dubbed by Michelangelo as the “Gates of Paradise.”

We take a break for lunch in a local restaurant.

After lunch we will visit will be made to the Uffizi Gallery. Perhaps the best known art museum and palace in Italy.

There will be some time this afternoon to do some shopping or exploring on your own before returning to Siena late this afternoon.

Day 5                 Siena                                       (B)

After breakfast board our coach for a short ride to San Gimignano for painting in this wonderful small town just a short drive away. For our non-painters we welcome you to join us in order to spend the day exploring this wonderful little piece of Italy. San Gimignano, a charming town located in the heart of Tuscany, between Siena and Florence , dominates the entire Elsa valley from a hill top. Famous for having maintained the architecture of the medieval period when it was one of the most important communes in Tuscany. San Gimignano offers incredibly rich evidence of its glorious past: buildings, monuments and churches, it is a truly enchanting spot, immersed in an atmosphere that seems to be suspended in time.

Day 6            Siena – Opt. Tour of Rome                  (B)

Again today we will travel to San Gimignano to continue our painting. Again our non-painters are welcome to join us for self exploration of this charming town.

An optional full day tour of Rome will be offered. Truly a day we will relive in our minds for years to come. We are enthralled by our privately guided tour of the Vatican Museums – a group of impressive edifices with hundreds of rooms, halls, galleries, libraries and chapels overflowing with art treasures; the most beautiful of which is the overwhelming Sistine Chapel – Michelangelo’s masterpiece! This afternoon we enter the largest church in Christendom – St. Peter’s Basilica. We marvel at Michelangelo’s Pietà and Bernini’s amazing bronze canopy. Back on the coach, we enjoy a panoramic city tour viewing Castel St. Angelo and Largo Argentina – where Julius Caesar met his fate at the hands of Brutus. See the most important of the Seven Hills of Rome, the Capitoline – home of Jupiter, Marcello’s Theater and the Jewish Ghetto. We are awed by the view of the ancient Imperial Palaces atop the Palatine Hill overlooking the Circus Maximus, where the Rape of the Sabines occurred. We’re back on foot to view the Arch of Titus and one of the best preserved Roman structures – the Arch of Constantine. You’ll almost hear the roar of the lions as we enter the Coliseum and imagine the brutal entertainment of the Romans. Next we view the Roman Forum, Trajan’s Column and the astounding “Wedding Cake” Monument to Victor Emmanuel in Piazza Venezia. Our tour will include lunch in a local restaurant and free time to explore and shop on your own. Later this afternoon we will return to Siena.

Day 7           Siena                                       (B,D)    

Our last day painting will commence after our included breakfast. For those not painting we can suggest a wide array of activities such as golf, swimming, or exploring the wonders of Siena.

If desired a short trip for shopping or self-exploration of Florence can be arranged.

Tonight we will gather for a farewell dinner in a local restaurant.

Day 8           Siena – Depart Home              (B)