Discover the Art and Culture virtual tours
We offer artistic and cultural themed tours in the most beautiful Italian cities
AN EXPERIENCE CALLED VARANASI
A SPIRITUAL TRIP THROUGH INDIAN CULTURE
WITH THE ENTHUSIASTIC LOCAL GUIDE MINA
Varanasi the Holy Grail & the spiritual capital of India, also known as Kashi and Benaras, is said to be the oldest living city. Sitting along the banks of river Ganga, Varanasi is an experience that surprises, enchants, and shocks you at the same time.
Spiritually enlightening, spectacularly photogenic, blindingly colorful and frustratingly chaotic, her sights, sounds and smells invade all 5 senses and tug at your heart and soul! A boat-ride along the Ganga, or a journey through Varanasi will blaze in your memory
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Mina
DISCOVER SOME MASTERPIECES OF ART IN PALERMO
To know works of art like the Annunziata by Antonello da Messina rather than the Vucciria by Renato Guttuso, means to cross a bridge that leads us from today’s Sicily to Sicily of past times.
Through this tour you will discover a territory where there were frequent trade, where the plague not only generated victims but it also generated new beliefs and where the voices and colors of the local markets mingled with the melancholy of those who knew that everything was changing.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Francesca.
MICHELANGELO, THE FLORENTINE GENIUS
THE EARLY YEARS AND THE MAKING OF HIS MARVELOUS GIANT
Who was Michelangelo Buonarroti?
A tour to discover the complex personality and the early works of the most famous sculptor from the Renaissance, with a special focus on his extraordinary masterpiece, the legendary and iconic David.
You will learn why, 500 years ago, the famous artist Giorgio Vasari declared that Michelangelo’s David, now housed by the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, “overshadowed every other statue in the world, of any time and from any country”
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Samuele.
PIAZZA DELLA SIGNORIA
AN EXTRAORDINARY OPEN-AIR MUSEUM
A truly enchanted place, right in the heart of Florence. Scene of political and historical events that changed the city’s destiny.
A square that thrills the senses and uplifts the spirit of those who visit it, thanks to its unforgettable statues and magnificent palaces.
Together we’ll appreciate the beauty of the countless masterpieces that make this square a priceless treasure for humankind, while we search for amusing anecdotes and intriguing stories of its colorful past.
Visits will be presented by the local tour guide Samuele.
THE HIDDEN TRESAURES AND SECRETS OF FLORENCE PART 4
THE FASCINATING DISTRICT OF ITALIC GLORIES
Are you ready to discover more off the beaten track wonders and fascinating stories about Florence?
After the success of the first three, Samuele will take you on a 4th journey in search of beautiful hidden treasures and untold secrets. This time you will explore the area around the basilica of Santa Croce, burial place of many illustriuos Italians.
You Will discover extraordinary masterpieces, some of which shrouded in mistery.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Samuele.
MISTERIOUS FLORENCE (PART 3)
A new journey in search of little-known masterpieces.
The main city of Tuscany is a treasure trove of wonderful art that never ceases to amaze.
After the success of the first 2 tours about the hidden wonders of Florence, Samuele will take you on a third, completely unrelated to the others.
You will hear many exciting stories and anecdotes that will make you love and appreciate even more the city of the flower
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Samuele.
MYSTERIOUS FLORENCE PART 2
SECRETS AND CULTS PAYS HIDDEN IN THE FLORENTINE CHURCHES
After the resounding success of the first tour on mysterious and esoteric Florence, Samuele takes you back to discover the secrets of the city.
You will visit the church of Santa Trinita, a casket of wonderful treasures, with particular attention to the Sassetti Chapel, testimony of Renaissance initiations to ancient mystery cults.
You will then discover that, perhaps, Leonardo was not the son of a notary from Vinci but the secret half-brother of Lorenzo the Magnificent and that America was not discovered by Christopher Columbus but by other characters, including the Medici family.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Samuele.
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THE HIDDEN TREASURES AND SECRETS OF FLORENCE
MYSTERIOUS ANCIENT MASTERPIECES
A tour in search of exquisite paintings kept inside small and off the beaten tracks churches and other ancient masterpieces that reveal incredibile truths.
You will discover untold secrets and hear amazing stories related to astrology and astronomy, visiting the Santa Trinita Church, a treasure trove of magnificent artwork, with a special focus on the Sassetti Chapel, witness of Renaissance initiations to ancient mystery cults.
“Florence is not only its extraordinary well known building and its acclaimed and famous museums, but also an inextinguishable source of beauty, wonders and misteries, absolutely worth esploring”
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Samuele.
SANTA MARIA NOVELLA
THE FLORENTINE TEMPLE OF KNOWLEDGE
The medieval church of Santa Maria among the vineyards will transform over the centuries into one of the most beautiful basilicas in the world.
Giotto, Masaccio, Brunelleschi, Leon Battista Alberti: extraordinary artists have collaborated in the realization of this masterpiece. We will follow in their footsteps together and we will enter the convent, once a university and a center for the transmission of knowledge among the finest in Europe, where philosophy and astronomy accompanied the students, including a certain Dante Alighieri, along the way. of wisdom.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Sara.
ARTEMISIA GENTILESCHI: A REBEL ARTIST
Artemisia Gentileschi is one of the few leading painters in the 1600s, known not only for her masterpieces, but equally for her determination and her passion for the profession she practices at all costs.
Artemisia will fight all her life against prejudices in a purely male environment, against backbiting after a rape and a trial, earning fame and respect with her work, so much so that she will be the first woman to be admitted to the prestigious Florentine Academy of Design and obtaining then, important commissions in Florence, Rome, Naples and London ...
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Morena.
ITALIAN WOMEN ARTISTS BETWEEN 1500s AND 1600s
8 ARTISTS BETWEEN RENAISSANCE AND BAROQUE
It was not easy for women to establish themselves in art. There has always been some prejudice against them, the secular closures and prohibitions of fathers and brothers. Everything was scandalous.
The works of eight artists tell this story; noblewomen, daughters of art, academics, protagonists of the highly anticipated exhibition "The Ladies of Art between the 1500s and 1600s", set up in Palazzo Reale in Milan, but currently not open to visitors.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Morena.
NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE
FOUNDING FATHER OF EUROPE
Which was the great general’s surname:Bonaparte or Buonaparte? He was crowned in 1804 in Paris as emperor, and the next year in Milan as king of Italy.
When he died in 1821, many poets like Lord Byron and the italian Manzoni dedicated to him pieces of poetry.
Two hundred years passed, he is still remembered. That’s why we’ll retrace with this tour his life, focusing on the city of Milan, destined by him to become one of the three european capitals.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Fausta.
FUTURISM
FROM MILAN TO EUROPE!
The avant-garde artistic and cultural movement has its origins in Milan. And it couldn't be otherwise!
A dynamic city with its building and industrial development, Milan is the ideal place to proclaim that "a roaring car is more beautiful than the Nike of Samothrace", as well as to hope the destruction of museums.
Yet some of the most famous works of Futurist Art are nowadays preserved in the museums of Milan! Marinetti, Boccioni, Balla, Depero, Sant’Elia...
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Fausta.
SAINT AMBROSE – DOCTOR OF THE WESTERN CHURCH
A POLITICIAN, WHO BECAME BISHOP IN ONE WEEK
Born in 339 in Germany during the roman empire, Saint Ambrose started his career as a politician, but became bishop of Milan in only one week.
In that period the roman emperor Costantine legalized the Christian church, thanks to St. Ambrose several curches in Milan were founded, and we’ll discover virtually some of them (like the baptistery under the Duomo and the church of Saint Lorenzo).
Still nowadays the Ambrosian song and the Ambrosian rite are linked to our saint patron.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Fausta.
THE MONUMENTAL CEMENTERY OF MILAN
"LOVE AND DEATH" AT THE MONUMENTAL CEMENTERY
The Monumental Cemetery of Milan is considered an open-air museum where extraordinary artworks are intertwined with the public and private life of the great Milanese families.
Art and memory is an inseparable bond, like that between love and the pain of loss that unites the deads to their dears.
Amor omnia vincit is the red thread of this virtual tour to discover love declined in all its forms, in couples, filial, brotherly, philanthropic, ideal love and much more, as the supreme response to death, through the works and characters that we will virtually meet at the cemetery.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Morena.
TEN MASTERPIECES NOT TO BE MISSED!
A SPECIAL JOURNEY TROUGH BEAUTY AT THE BRERA ART GALLERY
Mantegna, Raffaello, Piero della Francesca, Caravaggio and many others. Here are just some of the illustrious masters that you can meet at the Pinacoteca di Brera, through their artworks.
And how to be sure not to miss the unmissable? Easy! Walking virtually in the company of your expert guide, who will proceed without delay through its enormous halls, towards the very masterpieces.
The best of the museum, from your own home!
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Morena.
THE DUOMO OF MILANO
STORY OF A HUGE PINK MARBLE LACEWORK
There is a church in Milan that stands out among all the others for its height, grandeur and beauty. That’s the Duomo!
The cathedral made of Candoglia marble that shines with sweet peach-colored reflections at sunset, adorned with spires, statues, gargoyles and stained glass windows on which stands the golden Madonnina.
A spectacular building, whose construction took 600 years and which still needs maniacal care and maintenance ... a story to discover!
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Morena.
THE LAST SUPPER SECRETS
ONE OF THE MOST INTRIGUING DA VINCI'S MASTERPIECES
Leonardo da Vinci, artist, inventor, musician and architect, in Milan will do his best for many years at the court of Moro, getting (and sometimes completing) several commissions
But the greatest challenge will certainly be to complete the Last Supper in the refectory of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, mausoleum of the Sforza family.
The fresco will not become such following Leonardo's irresistible need to experiment and this will mark the destiny of this masterpiece on the wall forever…
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Morena.
VILLA NECCHI CAMPIGLIO
A GEM OF MILANESE ARCHITECTURE
Immersed in a large private garden with swimming pool and tennis court in the center of Milan, Villa Necchi Campiglio was completed in 1935.
The project was designed by architect Piero Portaluppi, commissioned by the Necchi Campiglio family, a curios trio, members of the rich and elegant industrial bourgeoisie of Milan in the thirties.
A family whose personal life, taste, ambitions and friendships we can reconstruct through this virtual walk in their splendid residence, discovering the private rooms and lifestyle.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Morena.
DISCOVER SOME MASTERPIECES OF ART IN PALERMO
To know works of art like the Annunziata by Antonello da Messina rather than the Vucciria by Renato Guttuso, means to cross a bridge that leads us from today’s Sicily to Sicily of past times.
Through this tour you will discover a territory where there were frequent trade, where the plague not only generated victims but it also generated new beliefs and where the voices and colors of the local markets mingled with the melancholy of those who knew that everything was changing.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Francesca.
THE GOLDEN AGE OF FLORIO FAMILY
BETWEEN PALERMO, MARSALA AND FAVIGNANA
The Florio family left a mark in the history of Sicily between the 19th and the 20th century.
They built an empire based on the trade of spices, the industry of tuna and wine, the shipping and the architecture.
This tour will going back to the time of somptous receptions with tsar, kings and queens, social changings and scientific developments till the end of one of the most fascinating families who changed the face of the island.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guides Francesca and Enrica.
BAROQUE SHADES IN PALERMO
THE CHURCHES OF SAINT CATHERINE AND MARTORANA
From 1713 to 1720 the dynasty of Savoy in the city of Palermo were spectators of an artistic ferment called "Baroque".
Together, we will discover some masterpieces of this opulent style in the Church of Saint Catherine; an example of the pride of the Dominican religious order and through the church known as the “Martorana”, a UNESCO site since 2015.
In the latter we will also admire the harmonious coexistence between the colorful motifs typical of the baroque style with the medieval mosaics on gold background of the Arab-Norman style.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Francesca.
THE ARAB-NORMAN UNESCO SITES
PALERMO, MONREALE AND CEFALÙ
The Unesco sites are unique like the Arab-Norman architecture thanks to a balanced melting pot of different cultures such as the arabic, the norman and the byzantine.
In Palermo and its surroundings we can admire this style which was developed in the XII century.
We can appreciate the perfect geometric facades together with wooden 3d ceilings and golden mosaics at the same time.
Join the virtual tour if you wish to discover why the Norman Kings used art as a way to reign in Sicily.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guides Francesca and Enrica
PARMA, THE CITY OF CORREGGIO AND PARMIGIANINO
WHERE MICHELANGELO SAW THE SKY
I want to lead you through the streets and the squares of Parma, my town.
I’ll let you feel the atmosphere of an Italian province, a town that left a mark in many fields: visual arts, food, music, typography and more.
I’ll show you the my favorite artworks, as Correggio’s and Parmigianino’s masterpieces, that overwhelmed also Michelangelo and Tiziano.
But I also want you to feel the warmth and the friendliness of Parma’s inhabitants that are as good as to be called Parmigiani, like the cheese!
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Giulia.
THE BORGHESE GALLERY
BERNINI’S MASTERPIECES
The Borghese Gallery is a once-in-a-lifetime experience: an overflowing treasure-chest of art set in dazzling grand rooms.
Ravel in the incredible beauty of Baroque art on this 1-hour long tour, getting up close and personal with Gian Lorenzo Bernini, arguably the greatest sculptor of all times.
See how Bernini turns marble into movement, drama, emotion, and light. His incredible masterpieces, such as the David, Apollo and Daphne, the Rape of Proserpina, will captivate you by the incredible skill and the fabulous creativity of the artist.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Stefania.
THE SISTINE CHAPEL
THE SECRETS OF THE CONCLAVE AND MICHELANGELO’S MASTERPIECES
Discover all the secrets of Michelangelo’s art, get up on the scaffolding to really zoom into the details and admire the breathtaking colors brought back by the recent somewhat controversial restoration.
The Sistine Chapel is also the place where the Papal election has been held since 1878: get a behind-the-scenes look at the Conclave, that takes place right here everytime a new Pope is being elected.
Join me on this 90-minutes long tour (with ample time for questions!) to have the Sistine Chapel all to yourself!
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Stefania.
RAPHAEL’S ROOMS IN THE VATICAN
FABULOUS ART AND THE INTRIGUES AT THE PAPAL COURT
Are you an art lover and have you always been fascinated by the incredible life of Raphael, the Renaissance’s golden boy, who managed to gain immortal fame even though he tragically died at 37 years?
Would you love to travel back in time and get a behind-the-scenes look at the papal court, disclosing the tales and scandals that kept the place hopping 500 years ago?
On this tour, we’ll discover the beautiful paintings that decorate the rooms once lived in by the pope, getting inside Raphael’s workshop to see how he conceived and created this incredible artworks.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Stefania.
EXHIBITION ON RAFFAELLO
VISIT THE CULTURAL EXHIBITION OF THE YEAR WITH US!
1 hour of excursion through the life and career of Raffaello in chronological order.
The master of the Renaissance will in turn become a point of reference for students and followers.
This visit is currently not available in English
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Stefania.
THE SAVOIA FAMILY COURT
VENARIA REALE PALACE AND STUPINIGI ROYAL HUNTING LODGE
Every European royal family used to build its own dwelling for leisure and hunting, showing nobility through architecture.
In 1563 Turin was the capital of the Duchy of Savoia family. The Savoia’s identify themselves through the extraordinary architectural complex that is all now a Unesco heritage since 1997.
Both buildings are masterpieces of the royal architect Filippo Juvarra, undisputed director of an outstanding project of magnificence.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Emanuela.
THE GONZAGA HOUSE
THE DUCAL PALACE COMPLEX IN MANTUA
Those who arrive in Mantua are captivated by its unique, timeless allure and welcoming atmosphere. A city which enjoys a breathtaking panorama when viewed from the shores of its lakes.
It appears as though it is suspended above the water, a protagonist of an almost surreal landscape, composed of a balance of history, art and nature. On July 2008 Mantova was introduced to the list of Unesco Sites.
The Palazzo Ducale, where the Gonzaga family lived, is the oldest and most complex prestigious residence in the town with its magnificent rooms, numerous buildings connected by corridors and galleries, courtyards, squares, gardens.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Alessia.
THE JEWISH GHETTO
VENICE AND THE HISTORY OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY
For centuries, the Venetian economy was based primarely on trade: luxury goods such as spices, silk and pigments that were imported from the Middle and the Far East.
No wonder the city became a real melting pot of different cultures and people: Greeks, Armenians, Persians and Turks spent the winter before taking to the Sea again to return home. Many settled on a permanent basis. Laws and regulations regarding different nationalities had to be issued and, in 1516, the Jews were the only ones to be granted their own quarter.
A fascinating history of prejudice and hospitality, important to more deeply understand the origins of the jewish ghetto in Venice.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Laura.
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF TINTORETTO
THE WORK OF A REBELLIOUS GENIUS IN HIS NATIVE VENICE
Jacopo Tintoretto was born in Venice between 1518 and 1519. In a city dominated by the great Titian, Tintoretto’s career proved hard and explosive.
The Miracle of the Slave in 1548 was a big scandal and gave him a name, yet it didn’t make his path any easier. Innovative, inconsistent, Tintoretto painted out of passion and Venice preserves still his most amazing masterpieces.
To admire them, you have to walk through the labyrinthic city:” Tintoretto is Venice, although he never painted Venice”, wrote Jean Paul Sartre.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Laura.
ESOTERIC NAPLES
THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL CITY IN ITALY AND PROBABLY IN THE WORLD
This tour won’t be just a guided tour, but also a kind of tale using the Neapolitan language.
Our journey begins with the miracle of the liquefaction of St. Januarius’blood and continues with the Sansevero Chapel and its mysterious Veiled Christ. You’re going to meet the ghosts of Maria D’Avalos and her lover Fabrizio Carafa, who are still trying to find each other after five hundred years; and you’ll also meet the little monk, O’ Munaciell in Neapolitan, who lives in some old houses of the historical center.
As we say in Naples, ogni lasciat è pers which means if you miss an opportunity, there is no second chance. So, seize the day!
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Silvana.
CATANIA
AMONG RELIGIOUS ORDERS AND CLOISTERED NUNS (1st part)
We are in the 12th century with the arrival of the Benedictine monks in Catania, they became very influential and suffered natural and political upheavals up to modern times.
In Catania only one community survived: the St Benedict cloistered nuns, testifying with their existence and resistance the uninterrupted presence of the Benedictines in the city.
Together with other religious orders, they guard those Christian values that often moved the threads of the events that led us all to where we are today.
Visit will be presented by local tourist guide Agata.
PISA: THE SQUARE OF MIRACLES
NON HABET EXEMPLUM NIVEO DE MARMORE TEMPLUM
Symbol of an ever expanding Maritime Republic, the square of the Cathedral of Pisa is today one of the most visited places in the world. The elegance and harmony of the buildings in it are an example of the creativity and engineering of medieval civilization. Unesco Site since 1987, it contains unique works of art, made by masters such as Nicola and Giovanni Pisano, Cimabue, Buffalmacco, or Andrea del Sarto.
A journey through painting, sculpture and architecture, under the watchful eye of the Leaning Tower!
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Alessandro.
PISA: THE SQUARE OF MIRACLES, PART II
IN SEARCH OF THE FIRST “DIVINE” INFERNO
After the Cathedral, the Baptistery and the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa, we enter now the mysterious Campo Santo.
Among Roman sarcophagi, sepulchral monuments and medieval frescoes, we will find the first representation of Dante’s Inferno: the cycle of the Triumph of Death.
According to tradition, the painter Buonamico di Buffalmacco, was hired by the devil himself to paint the aisle of the cemetery. Let’s find it out together!
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Alessandro.
SYRACUSE: THE FEAST OF SANTA LUCIA AT THE QUAILS
ORIGINS AND PLACES OF A TRADITIONAL SYRACUSE FESTIVAL
Saint Lucia is one of the most impactful figures of Christianity, which is traditionally associated with the return of light to the world after the darkness of winter. Santa Lucia, who is Syracusan, is celebrated in many areas of Italy and Northern Europe on 13 December. In Syracuse she is also venerated in May.
This tour will retrace the origins of the cult, the places and popular traditions related to the feast of Saint Lucia on the first Sunday of May. We will also admire the Aretusean paintings linked to the saint that boast authors such as Caravaggio and Mario Minniti.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Lucia.
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF YOUNG RAFFAELLO IN UMBRIA
PERUGIA AND THE WORKS BETWEEN THE SACRED AND THE PROFANE
Before opening the great chapter of papal Rome, Raphael paused with his soul and heart in Umbria, a land of sloping hills, a combative but at the same time sweet and spiritual, which welcomed him, just over seventeen years old: in this Umbrian phase, the young Raphael was trained in contact with Perugino and created some of his masterpieces.
We will follow in his footsteps through the alleys and squares of the wonderful Perugia to reconstruct the events of some works of his youth through preparatory drawings, details and curiosities that accompanied their genesis!
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Erica.
VISITA GUIDATA ONLINE AI LUOGHI VERDIANI
CASA NATALE G.VERDI RONCOLE, CHIESA S. MICHELE ARCANGELO , TEATRO G. VERDI DI BUSSETO
Not available in english
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Beatrice.
A WALK IN THE PARISIAN CEMETERIES
LOVE, LIFE, DEATH AND CURIOSITY IN MERRY AMONG THE GRAVES
Living and dying in Paris has been the fate of many. In the cemeteries of the French capital we have graves of celebrities such as Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, Amedeo Modigliani, Yves Montand …… the list is very long.I propose a walk through history, music, cinema of all these characters.
We will discover together which tomb is guarded day and night by a camera, on which séances are held, which would make us rich if we agreed to sleep there (alive) for a year with the occupant (dead), which statue should be touched in his private parts (and without any shame), of how the French build their last home (still today) with humor and insolence ... And the statues? Some romantics in memory of a lost love, sometimes of a shameless eroticism.
Come with me to discover the curiosities of Parisian cemeteries where everyone hopes to leave a memory for eternity.
Visits will be presented by local tourist guide Penelope.