Lake Garda & the cities of Veneto

In the morning, we travel to the Desenzano Roman Villa, a once large and sumptuous property which enjoys stunning views of the lake. Here we discover a rich group of coloured figurative mosaic floors depicting various scenes of cupids, maenads and satyrs; wild beasts and images of the four seasons. We return to Sirmione by ferry and after lunch, take the small train up the hill to the Villa Catullus, the largest and most complete Roman villa in northern Italy. The villa was constructed with long porticoes and terraces to maximise the views over the lake and at its centre was an extensive garden.

Today is devoted to Verona, a city immortalised by Shakespeare and blessed with an abundance of Roman and medieval remains reflecting the evolution of this fortified town over its 2,000-year history. We shall explore the core of the Roman town, its city gate, Porta Borsari, the Arco dei Gavi, the Roman theatre, and the magnificent amphitheatre, the third largest in the Roman world as well as admire many of its medieval structures. We will also pay a visit to the Archaeological Museum housed in an deconsecrated monastery which was literally built on top of the Roman theatre.

We spend our day today in Mantua, a gem of Italian art and architecture often overlooked by unenlightened visitors to the region. Once home to many literary figures of the late 1^st century BCE Augustan age it is also full of Renaissance wonders and contains the Palazzo Ducale, the largest residence in Italy after the Vatican. For 400 years this was the home of the Gonzaga family, the dukes of Mantua who ruled until 1707. We will explore this labyrinth which includes a castle, basilica, courtyards, sumptuous galleries and gardens.

We take a step further back into the past this morning when we visit the cave site of Fumane. The cave contains traces of Neanderthal man and evidence of habitation by modern Homo sapiens, including sharpened flints, bones and decorations made from sea shells. The finds provide a crucial link in the history of human life on Earth as well as a first glimpse of the creative instinct that inspired Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo in a later age. Afterwards we visit nearby Villa della Torre, a beautiful villa by architect Giulio Romano, where we enjoy a wine-tasting and lunch before returning to Sirmione for some free time.

We spend our day in Vicenza: a UNESCO World Heritage site and almost archetypical ideal of the Renaissance and Baroque era. Vicenza was a Roman settlement, came under the sway of the Scaligeri family from Verona and was passed between Napoleon’s empire, Austria and Venice several times in its history. This jewel of a place is full of galleries, palaces and churches and is noted for the works of the great architect Andrea Palladio. We will visit his amazing villa at La Rotunda.

Our final visit of the tour is to Padua, which according to tradition going back at least to Virgil’s Aeneid, was founded in 1183 BCE by the Trojan prince Antenor. This university town was home to some of the greatest philosophers, scientists, and artists in Western culture: Dante, Galileo, Giotto, Donatello and Copernicus and the city is one of Europe’s great cultural and artistic destinations. Our visits will include the Scrovegni chapel, with its priceless frescoes by Giotto, the Civic museum, located in the cloister of the former Eremitani monastery, the Palazza del Bo and the Basicllica of St. Anthony and baptistry.

We transfer to the airport in Verona for our independent onward journeys.