Program in Venice and Florence
While in Venice, highlights included:
• A lecture by Professor Loren Partridge, Program historian, titled The Impact of Florentine Renaissance Art & Architecture on Venetian Renaissance Art & Architecture
• Dinner at Harry’s Bar.
• A visit to the Piazza and Piazzetta of San Marco, with emphasis on the Porta della Carta, the Loggetta, and the Library.
• A visit the Palazzo Ducale, focusing on Scala dei Giganti, the Collegio, and the Maggior Consiglio.
• A visit to the Basilica of San Marco.
• A visit to the Scuola of San Rocco and the Frari Church.
• A viewing of the restoration of the Fenice Theater.
• Cocktails and dinner at Palazzetto Pisani on the Grand Canal.
• A visit to islands of the Venetian lagoon, including Burano, Torcello, and San Lazzaro degli Armeni.
• A visit to the Confraternity of San Giorgio degli Schiavoni to view the Carpaccio cycle of paintings.
• Cocktails and dinner at Palazzo Albrizzi with the owners. The palace is a splendid example of Venetian architecture of the 1700s and has remained intact throughout the centuries. Count Lorenzo Rubin de Cervin hosted the evening and also shared various highlights of his family’s collections.<
While in Florence, highlights included:
• A hands-on drawing class with Charles Cecil in his picturesque studio.
• A lecture by Professor Partridge, The Impact of Venetian Renaissance Art & Architecture on Florentine Renaissance Art & Architecture, at the Palazzo Tornabuoni followed by cocktails.
• A dinner celebrating the truffle season at Cammillo, a historic Florentine trattoria.
• A visit to the Piazza della Signoria and the Piazzale degli Uffizi, focusing on the Neptune Fountain and the Equestrian Monument of Duke Cosimo I, followed by a special viewing of the Sala Grande (Salone dei Cinquecento) in the Palazzo Vecchio and a tour of some of the private rooms there.
• A private visit to the Uffizi Gallery to study Venetian and Florentine masters including Giovanni Bellini’s Sacred Allegory, Titian’s Venus of Urbino, and view the restoration of the Tribune, Friends of Florence’s 10th Anniversary Project.
• A lunch at the recently restored Palazzo Gondi, a historic Florentine palace overlooking Palazzo Vecchio, with Marchese Bernardo and Marchesa Vittoria Gondi.
• A private visit to the Bargello Museum to view the exhibit on Giovan Francesco Rustici, featuring the bronze sculptural group from the Baptistry, recently restored by Friends of Florence, as well as Donatello’s bronze David and Vincenzo Danti’s marble Portrait of Cosimo I as Augustus.
• A visit to the newly reopened Stefano Bardini Museum, with a presentation of a special Friends of Florence project at the Museum, followed by cocktails and dinner at the Museum with the Director and other distinguished guests.
