Hospes Non Hospi – A Guest Not A Stranger
Tours & Study Days At
Ciceroni Travel
Our company name, CICERONI, is the Italian word for a group of eighteenth century ‘Grand Tour’ guides. We create and conduct our tours in the relaxed and informative manner of the Grand Tour with a particular accent on private visits. We use comfortable hotels in enviable country and city locations while good food and wine are an important part of our sense of hospitality. Our study days focus on individual themes, collections and exhibitions, offering an independent overview of each subject, many of which complement our tour programme.
We are in the process of publishing our revised 2021 programme following the impact of Covid-19. You can find the draft programme under the 'News' here
We are in the process of publishing our revised 2021 programme following the impact of Covid-19. You can find the draft programme under the 'News' here
Villas & Gardens on Como & Lugano
Lakeside Idyll
Italy
Friday 25 September - Thursday 1 October 2020 (7 Days)
Combine Alpine peaks with cool lake water, garlanded with stunning noble lakeside villas and exquisite gardens and what comes to mind – the Italian lakes? Our tour of Lakes Como and Lugano includes not only some of the best known villas and gardens but most are completely new to our itineraries and three of these are quite exceptional private visits.
Study Day
RAPHAEL
Study Day
UK
Monday 12 October 2020
Raphael has never had a major ‘overview’ exhibition in the UK before. The National Gallery has recently postponed the eponymous exhibition to 2022, but in connection with this 500th anniversary year, Tom Duncan will lead a full Study Day in Aynho.
Berlin & Potsdam
Prussia & the Rise of Germany
Germany
Sunday 25 - Friday 30 October 2020 (6 Days)
The re-unification of Germany in 1990 restored Berlin to its status as capital city. Previously, a long succession of German kings and emperors created many fine palaces but nowhere else in Europe was so much energy expended on building museums and art galleries for the public. Now almost all are fully restored and redisplayed and it is this cornucopia of the arts which we shall explore in Berlin and nearby Potsdam.
Donizetti in Bergamo
A festive weekend
Italy
Wednesday 18 - Sunday 22 November 2020 (5 Days)
Bergamo is a most handsome small city. Each November it hosts an annual celebration of Gaetano Donizetti, one of Italy’s most engaging (and prolific) composers, and a Bergamo native. Our new tour will combine a weekend of music with the other delights of this lovely city, full of stunning churches, private palaces and one of Italy’s best smaller picture galleries.
A Weekend in Renaissance Bologna
Popes & Patricians:
Italy
Thursday 26 - Sunday 29 November 2020 (4 Days)
Bologna is renowned for its fine medieval architecture in warmly welcoming brick and its distinguished role in the history of painting. The city centre is a delight to stroll in, and its churches and picture gallery house many gems, surprisingly little known. Of course, no round of cultural exploration would function properly without adequate sustenance and Bologna is one of the great culinary cities of Italy.
connoisseurs' madrid & toledo
Habsburgs & bourbons
Spain
Sunday 14 - Saturday 20 February 2021 (7 Days)
Madrid has an amazing number of royal palaces and we shall see not only the most important of these, but a special feature will be the opportunity to see the Habsburg and Bourbon Royal collection of paintings, when we have three private early morning visits to the Prado. The Thyssen and Reina Sofia collections will also be included.