January Update 2012

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M A R T I N R A N D A L L T R A V E LA RT • A R C H I T E C T U R E • G A S T R O N O M Y • A R C H A E O L O G Y • H I S T O R Y • M U S I C • L I T E R AT U R E

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The Ring in Budapest

ContentsSpring music ...............................2Eastern Turkey ............................3Morocco ......................................4Walking & wine in Lebanon .....5Walking in Sicily ........................6Leonardo da Vinci ......................7Basilicata .....................................8The Heart of Italy .......................8Trasimeno Music Festival ...........9Torre del Lago ..........................10Lucca .........................................10Opera at Aix .............................11Recently launched .....................11Country House Opera ..............12Charles Dickens ........................12West Country Gardens ............13Salzburg Summer ..................... 14Klimt & Secessionist Vienna .... 14Walking the Danube ................15Hill Walking in Extremadura ..15The Schubertiade ......................15India ..........................................16

January Update 2012 the new & the newly launched

11–18 June 2012 (my 287)8 days • £2,530 (including the 4 opera tickets)Lecturer: Barry Millington

Wagner’s Ring cycle with internationally acclaimed soloists and the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Adam Fischer.

The lecturer is Barry Millington, a leading Wagner authority and editor of The Wagner Journal.

Wide ranging visits of Budapest, from Gothic to Art Nouveau and Bauhaus, led by a city guide.

The superb cast for this Ring includes some of the leading names on the world stage. Iréne Theorin (Brünnhilde) has sung the role at the Metropolitan, New York, and has also been chosen by Daniel Barenboim to sing it in his productions at the Staatsoper Berlin and La Scala, Milan. Christian Franz, established for many years as one of the leading Wagnerian Heldentenors, unusually takes the dual roles of Siegmund and Siegfried. The Finnish bass-baritone Juha Uusitalo has emerged in recent years as one of the most authoritative exponents of the role of Wotan/Wanderer before the public today.

Adam Fischer, who conducted the Ring at the Bayreuth Festival for several seasons, has turned this cycle in the Wagner Festival at Budapest into a major international attraction. The venue is the Bartók National Concert Hall, famed for its state-of-the-art acoustics, the jewel in the crown of the prizewinning Palace of Arts, home also to a

‘Unquestionably the leading specialist in cultural tours.’ Sunday Telegraph

Above: Budapest, 20th-cent. etching.

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celebrated contemporary art gallery and a festival theatre, with stunning views over the Danube. Hartmut Schörghofer’s spectacular semi-staged production incorporates video projections in a split-level playing area.

We have arranged visits in Buda and Pest so they do not trespass upon the energies – or sleep – needed for the operas (with this in mind the outward flight is on the day before the first performance). Most lunches are included with light refreshments in the opera intervals.

ItineraryDay 1. Fly at c. 2.00pm from London Heathrow to Budapest.

Day 2. By underground railway (the first on the Continent) to two museums dedicated to Hungarian composers, Liszt and Kodaly.Continue to Heroes Square and the Millennium Monument (celebrating the founding of the Hungarian state AD 896).The Museum of Fine Arts has an excellent collection of antiquities and European painting. Das Rheingold, Juha Uusitalo (Wotan), Christian Franz (Loge), Hartmut Welker (Alberich), Judit Németh (Fricka), Ildikó Raimondi (Freia).

Day 3. Morning walk to see architecture and decoration from the turn of the 19th century and from the Bauhaus period. Die Walküre, Christian Franz (Siegmund), Walter Fink (Hundig), Juha Uusitalo (Wotan), Michaela Kaune (Sieglinde), Iréne Theorin (Brünnhilde), Judit Németh (Fricke).

Day 4. Travel by coach along the course of the Danube to Esztergom. Visit Hungary’s first cathedral, its marble chapel and the Christian Museum, one of the finest in the country.

Day 5. Free morning in Pest. Siegfried, Christian Franz (Siegfried), Juha Uusitalo (Wotan), Hartmut Welker (Alberich), Erika Gál (Erda), Iréne Theorin (Brünnhilde).

Day 6. In the morning walk around the old heart of Pest. Visit the Baroque Franciscan Church, the Inner City Parish Church and the vast 19th-century Basilica of St Stephen. Tour of the Parliament building, an elaborate Gothic construction modelled on London’s. Housed here is the precious Coronation regalia including the 10th-century crown of St Stephen.

Day 7. Cross the Danube to the hill-top Castle District of Buda. Within the 18th- & 19th-century Royal Palace are the remains of its mediaeval and Renaissance predecessors.

The National Gallery housed here has a marvellous collection of Hungarian art from the Middle Ages to the present day. Götterdämmerung, Christian Franz (Siegfried), Matti Salminen (Hagen), Hartmut Welker (Alberich), Iréne Theorin (Brünnhilde).

Day 8. Fly from Budapest arriving Heathrow at about 3.15pm.

PracticalitiesPrice: £2,530 (deposit £250). This includes: good category tickets for the 4 operas; air travel (economy class) on British Airways flights (Airbus 320); coach for transfers and excursions and some use of the Metro; accommodation as described below; breakfasts, 4 lunches and 2 dinners, with wine, water, coffee; all admissions; all tips and taxes; services of the lecturer and local guide. Supplement for river view £140 per room. Single supplement £310 or £450 (with river view). Price without flights £2,380.Hotel: in Pest, a modern, international 5-star excellently situated beside the Danube and close to the Chain Bridge. How strenuous? Quite a lot of walking. Average distance by coach per day: 10 miles.Small group: between 12 and 22 participants.

The Ring in Budapestcontinued

Opera in SpainValencia & Barcelona

10–15 April 2012 (my 202)6 days • £2,540 (with 3 performances)Lecturer: Daniel Snowman

In Valencia: Puccini’s Tosca and Massenet’s Thaïs with Plácido Domingo at Calatrava’s stunning opera house.

In Barcelona at the Liceu: a gripping late-Romantic double-bill based on a pair of Oscar Wilde stories, Zemlinksy’s Eine florentinische Tragödie (A Florentine Tragedy) and Der Zwerg (The Dwarf ).

The three performances are introduced by cultural historian Daniel Snowman and interspersed with visits led by local experts.

Music in Brno & PragueDvořák, Janáček, Smetana, Puccini

9–14 May 2012 (my 238)6 days • £2,180 (with 4 performances)Lecturer: Professor Jan Smaczny

In Brno: Rusalka (Dvořák) and Madama Butterfly (Puccini).

In Prague: Katya Kabanova ( Janáček) at the National Theatre and Má vlast (Smetana) at the Obecní dům (Municipal House).

Led by a musicologist who introduces the performances through a series of talks.

Architectural walks and visits to galleries in both cities – and a private visit of the Estates Theatre.

Art & Music in DresdenA great city ofthe arts

26 May–1 June 2012 (my 265)7 days • £2,390 (with 4 performances)Lecturer: Dr Jarl Kremeier

At the Palais im Großen Garten: Angelika Kirchschlager, soloists of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Artemis Quartet.

At the Semperoper: the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre.

Rebuilding and restoration in Dresden have reached a peak. We visit outstanding art collections, 18th- & 19th-century architecture and nearby Pillnitz, Pirna and Meissen.

Led by a German art historian.

Spring music: ask us for full details or visit www.martinrandall.com

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Eastern Turkey Archaeology, architecture, history & landscapes

9–24 June 2012 (my 286)16 days • £4,200Lecturer: Rowena Loverance

Ask us for fuller details or visit www.martinrandall.com

A journey through lesser-known Turkey from Gaziantep to Lake Van, to Mount Ararat and the Black Sea.

Wide ranging themes, spectacular landscapes and varied architecture: mountains, valleys, plains and coast; Byzantine and Georgian churches, Seljuk mosques and Armenian monasteries.

The tour tells a story as much about the neighbouring countries it doesn’t visit as the country it does.

The majestic scenery of eastern Anatolia is the setting for this ambitious tour, which, while remaining firmly within the borders of modern-day Turkey, encompasses an extraordinary range of historic and contemporary cultures. From the broad river valleys of the south to the vertiginous Alpine passes in the north, this part of Anatolia has always been a crossroads, whether for Abraham, patriarch of the three Near Eastern faiths, as he followed the Fertile Crescent from Ur to Canaan, or for the Greek mercenaries hired to fight for the Persian king Cyrus, who had to make their way back to their homeland across the Anatolian plateau and the Pontic Mountains.

The tour journeys through the cradle of civilization between the Euphrates and the Tigris, where human settlement in the towns of Urfa and Harran goes back to the fifth millennium BC. It includes a Neolithic religious sanctuary, Urartian citadels and Roman frontier towns, Byzantine churches and Seljuk mosques and madrassas. It reveals cultures and civilizations which have almost disappeared from the historical record – early Christian monasteries of the Tur Abdin, Georgian churches of Tao-Klarjeti and the lost Armenian city of Ani. It even takes in the sites of two mediaeval coronations – of the Armenian king Gagik Artzruni on the island of Aktamar in 908 and the Byzantine emperor of Trebizond, Alexius III Comnenos, at the monastery of Sümela in 1349.

Far from being backward-looking, though, this tour offers a remarkable opportunity to meet people trying to forge their present-day identities: the Kurds of Diyarbakir, the Syrian Orthodox monks and nuns of the Tur Abdin and of course, the Muslim population of Turkey itself, whose efforts to work out what it means to live in a secular Islamic country are

and will continue to be of huge significance for us all.

ItineraryDay 1. Fly at 4.30pm from London Heathrow to Istanbul and then to Gaziantep, reaching the hotel c. 2.00am (total flying time c. 4 hours 30 mins). Overnight Gaziantep.

Day 2: Gaziantep to Şanliurfa. After a leisurely start, visit the Gaziantep Museum home to one of Turkey’s most extraordinary collection of mosaics, relocated from the nearby site of Zeugma before the area was flooded by the construction of the Birecik Dam. The mosaics, dating ton the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC, are testament to the wealth of the region and are amongst the finest examples anywhere to be found. Drive to the banks of the Euphrates for a boat excursion before continuing to Şanliurfa. First of two nights in Şanliurfa.

Day 3: Şanliurfa, Harran. Şanliurfa, or Ancient Edessa as named by Alexander the Great, an early Christian centre of learning and now a pilgrimage town for Muslims. See the complex of 12th-century mosques purported to mark Abraham’s birthplace and the citadel which dominates the skyline. In the afternoon visit Harran, settled since the 5th millennium BC and crossroads of trade routes linking Assyria to Anatolia. See the beehive houses scattered throughout the plain and the archaeological remains of the 8th-century Ulu Camii and Crusader Citadel. Overnight Şanliurfa.

Day 4: Şanliurfa to Mardin. With views of

the Taurus mountain range drive through groves of olive trees into the surrounding hills to see the extraordinary excavations at Göbeklitepe. Dated to c. 10,000 BC, it is perhaps the earliest known man-made place of worship and challenges current ideas about the Neolithic. Continue East, driving parallel to the Syrian border, to Mardin, with Artukid monuments and tiers of stone-built houses. Spend the first of two nights in Mardin.

Day 5: Tur Abdin, Mardin. All day excursion to visit the Syrian orthodox limestone monasteries in the remote Tur Abdin. Deyrul Zafaran, built in 495 and once the seat of the Syrian Orthodox patriarch has some beautiful stone work in the chapel which holds the patriarchal throne. Mor Gabriel, surrounded by pistachio trees, now largely restored dates from 397 and is still a working monastery. The Church of the Mother of God at Anitli is little visited but with its octagonal church and intricate stone-carving is one of the most beautiful in the Tur Abdin. Overnight Mardin.

Day 6: Dara, Diyarbakir. Visit Dara, the remains of a Roman city built in the 6th century to protect the Roman border with Sassanian Persia. See the necropolis, church and water cistern, so vast in size it exceeds even the Basilica cistern in Istanbul. Continue to Diyarbakir renowned for it’s basalt architecture and as a symbol of Kurdish identity. See the Byzantine walls and the Ulu Camii with its adjoining madrassa; built in 1091, the first of the Seljuk mosques of Anatolia, but retaining Byzantine elements. Overnight Diyarbakir.

Lake Van, photo taken by Edward Lewis, the operator for this tour.


Day 7: Diyarbakir to Van. Take a late morning flight from Diyarbakir to Ankara, connecting with the early afternoon flight to Van. Arrive at the hotel at c. 5.00pm. Spend the first of three nights at Lake Van.

Day 8: Akdamar Island. Take a boat to the gorgeous 10th-century Church of the Holy Cross, seat of Armenian king Gagik Artzruni, who was crowned here in 908. Built in 921, the church is made of local sandstone with a pyramidal roof and 13th-century bell tower. Faded frescoes adorn the interior, while the exterior has relief carvings of Biblical stories, mythological animals and Gagik himself. A verdant enclave surrounded by pea-green waters and snow capped mountains, the setting is idyllic. Lunch on the lake, the rest of the afternoon is free. Overnight Lake Van.

Day 9: Van, Çavuştepe. Capital of the kingdom of Urartu in the 9th century BC, Van (ancient Tushpa) was rival to Assyria. Explore the massive steep-sided Van Castle, first investigated by Austen Henry Layard in the 1840s, and the trilingual inscription from the time of Xerxes which contributed to the decipherment of cuneiform. At Çavuştepe, from the same era, see the basalt foundations of the fortress-palace of Sarduri-Hinili, the sacrifice area, open air temple, cemetery and cisterns. Continue to the magnificent Hosap

Castle, the finest example of a Kurdish castle to be found anywhere in Turkey. Overnight at Lake Van.

Day 10: Mount Ararat, Kars. Drive through the Artüs Mountain range toward the Iranian border, to the İshak Paşa Palace positioned at the base of Mount Ararat. A magnificent example of 18th-century Ottoman architecture, it is a fascinating mixture of architectural styles: Seljuk, Iranian, Georgian and Armenian. Drive up through pasture land and fields of poppies following the Armenian border north to plateaus with spectacular mountain vistas. First of two nights in Kars.

Day 11: Ani, Kars. Once the capital of medieval Armenia, Ani is now a deserted city standing sentinel above the Arpaçay river, the border between Turkey and Armenia. Its walls, towers and minarets retain many of their foundation inscriptions, and its ruined churches and cathedral display the variety and quality of Armenian architecture. Unlike Ani, Kars bears the marks of subsequent Ottoman and Russian occupation. Visit the Armenian Church of the Holy Apostles and the Seljuk castle and Ulu Camii. Overnight Kars.

Day 12: Kars to Erzurum. Follow the Aras river west through the Aladaglar mountains; magical scenery of fields of gorse and fern, pristine river beds and deep ravines. Cross the

river over the beautiful six-arched Çobandede bridge. In Erzurum, the principal city of eastern Anatolia, visit the magnificent Seljuk Ulu Camii, with its wooden dome, and also the twin-minareted Çifte Minare Medrese, its entrance adorned with stalactite porches. First of two nights in Erzurum.

Day 13: Ösk Vank, Khakhuli, Erzurum. All day excursion to visit the 10th century Georgian monasteries of Ösk Vank and Khakhuli north of Erzurum. Known as Tao-Klarjeti, this area was an important part of medieval Georgia, ruled by the Bagratid kings. Both monasteries were founded by David the Great: Khakhuli, an important literary centre, retains its cross-dome triple-apsed church, with fine relief carvings and frescoes still surviving. Ösk Vank is even more impressive, with scallop-shell arches, high relief mouldings and sculpted column capitals. Overnight Erzurum.

Day 14: From Erzurum to Trabzon. Drive north through the Pontic Alps, in the steps of Xenophon’s Ten Thousand with spectacular views. Along the Karasu, the northernmost branch of the Euphrates, to Aşkale, with its ruined Byzantine fortress. Over the 2390m Kopdagi Pass, the Black Sea watershed, into the Çoruh valley, passing the huge fortress of Bayburt. Over the Zigana Pass, where the Ten Thousand caught their first glimpse of the sea. Descend through temperate forests to Trabzon, the historic port town on the Black Sea. Visit the Pavilion where Atatürk stayed in 192. First of two nights in Trabzon.

Day 15: Sümela Monastery, Trabzon. To Sümela Monastery, founded in the 4th century, it clings to sheer rock facing the Al tindere Valley. Though in a ruinous state, many of the monastic buildings survive, with 18th- and some 14th-century frescoes. In Trabzon, visit the beautiful late-Byzantine church of Aya Sophia, with 13th-century frescoes and frieze. Overnight Trabzon.

Day 16: Fly from Trabzon (via Istanbul) arriving Heathrow at c. 3.15pm.

Practicalities – in briefPrice: £4,200 (deposit £300). Single supplement £390. Price without flights £3,790.

Visas are obtained upon arrival and currently cost £10 (not included in the tour price).

How strenuous? A long and demanding tour with some early starts and days with a lot of coach travel. Sites involve climbing and some scrambling and sure-footedness is essential.

Small group: between 12 and 22 participants.

MoroccoCities & empires

31 March–11 April 2012 (my 199)11 nights • £3,880Lecturer: Dr Amira Bennison

Ask us for full details or visit www.martinrandall.com

From Tangier to Marrakech, including the imperial cities of Fez and Meknes.

Spectacular landscapes: the Atlas Mountains, valleys, palm groves, woodland, desert.

See the sun set over the sand dunes at Merzouga and visit the magnificent Roman ruins at Volubilis.

Marrakesh, Koutoubia Mosque, woodcut by Jean Julien 1926.

‘A beautifully organised, thoroughly enjoyable, culturally uplifting and educationally enriching tour: all we had hoped for and so much more!’ C.R. & P.R., Surrey, participants on a previous tour to Morocco.

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Walking & Wine in LebanonA journey to the heart of the Levant

15–21 May 2012 (my 248)7 days • £2,420Lecturer: Dr Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

9–15 October 2012 (mz 399)7 days • £2,420Lecturer to be confirmed

Ask us for fuller details or visit www.martinrandall.com

A compelling mix of country walks and exclusive wine tastings

Three half-day walks exploring Lebanon’s magnificent cedar tree reserves and historic river valley

Tastings and talks by viticulturists at the heart of the thriving Lebanese wine industry.

Led by an ancient historian.

Lebanon’s position at the heart of the Fertile Crescent, with its favourable climate and terroir, has attracted settlers and enjoyed prosperity since ancient times. The Phoenicians and Romans are just two civilisations known to have flourished on these lands, and as such Lebanon is thought to be one of the oldest sites of wine production. The country’s reputuation for producing fine

wine and fresh produce has remained, despite periods of upheaval and unrest.

Scars from these turbulent years are still evident today, but this tour explores two aspects of Lebanese life that are thriving: ecotourism and wine production. The significant contribution of domestic and foreign governments means that impressive infrastructure is in place to welcome visitors to the Shouf Biosphere Reserves, home to the legendary Lebanese cedars, and they are a pleasure to visit on foot. Aside from the natural beauty of these reserves, where views range from heights overlooking the Bekaa valley as far as Beirut, the paths are relatively well-marked and the guides are well-informed about the very varied plant, bird and animal life. We have chosen two of the best walks in these areas, complemented by a third walk along the banks of the historic Barouk river.

Aside from small scale production in monasteries and a brief spell in the thirteenth century gracing the tables of Venetian merchants, Lebanese wine was largely forgotten until the nineteenth century when the combination of French engineers, an excellent climate and resilient vines developed to bring Lebanon onto the world’s wine stage with a bang in the 1970s. Although growth was stunted during the years of civil war, some well-established producers were able to

flourish by exploring new markets, and with peace came prosperity and further growth. The country now boasts over 40 producers. Our tour includes visits to two well-establised and highly-regarded wineries, contrasting with more boutique wineries producing excellent wine on a smaller scale.

Beirut is also gaining a reputation for being home to some of the world’s finest restaurants, where an eclectic mix of organic, fusion and international restaurants sit happily alongside each other in the Middle East’s most exciting and diverse city. But perhaps the best accompaniment to Lebanese wine is the array of delicious meze. This tour provides a gastronomic experience to complement the fine wine and walks.

ItineraryDay 1. Fly at c. 1.00pm from London Heathrow to Beirut. Drive from the airport to Beiteddine for the first of three nights.

Day 2: Ain Zhalta. Drive to Ain Zhalta Cedar Reserve. This 10km circular walk climbs nearly 600m to 1,900 metres above sea level with views of the Bekaa Valley, Syria and Mount Lebanon. Picnic lunch within the Reserve before visiting the impressive 19th century palace of Lebanon’s first president, Emir Bechir near the hotel in Beiteddine.

Beirut, wood engraving c. 1860.


Day 3: Barouk Valley, Niha, Jezzine. A river valley walk (4km) which begins descending through olive tree terraces and fruit orchards to the Barouk Valley, passing beautiful Mamluk era bridges and water mills. Lunch overlooking the valley before a visit to Niha Fort, hewn into the rock face and once inhabited by Crusades, Mamluks and Ottomans. Drive to Jezzine for a wine tasting at Karam Winery with views of the pine forests and mountains.

Day 4: Maasser El Chouf. Maasser El Chouf is home to Lebanon’s oldest and most impressive cedar forests. Walking 8km along the spine of Lebanon with views of the Bekaa valley on one side and the Mediterranean on the other, the trail passes through dense cedar forests, many over 1,000 years old. Lunch in Maasser el Chouf village visiting a small-scale winery and traditional houses. Drive to Beirut for a wine tasting and dinner with wine expert Michael Karam, author of Wines of Lebanon.

Day 5: Beirut. Guided tour of the farmer’s market where producers from across Lebanon display and sell their produce providing the perfect setting in which to taste some humbler dishes. Wine tasting with one of Lebanon’s most established wineries, Domaine des Tourelles, followed by time for independent exploration in Beirut.

Day 6: Ghazir, Byblos. A morning visit to the internationally renowned winery, Chateau Musar, in the hills in Ghazir. A tasting (by special appointment) and visit of the winery is followed by a short drive to the picturesque seaside town of Byblos, founded by the Phoenicians, before lunch in fish restaurant in the harbour. Dinner at one of Beirut’s first-class restaurants.

Day 7: Fly at c. 10.00am, arriving into London Heathrow at about 2.00pm.

Practicalities – in briefPrice: £2,420 (deposit £250). Single supplement £320, without flights £2,070.

Visas are issued free of charge on arrival at Beirut airport. Passports must not contain evidence of a visit to Israel.

How strenuous? This tour is only suitable for those used to regular country walking with uphill content. Strong knees and a pair of well-worn hiking boots with ankle support is essential, and walking poles are recommended. There are 3 walks of between 5 and 6½ miles, which all include uphill climbs, one to over 1,900m.


Walking in SicilyCrater to coast

23–30 April 2012 (my 231)8 days • £2,220Lecturer: Dr Ffiona Gilmore Eaves

15–22 October 2012 (mz 413)8 days • £2,220Lecturer: Christopher Newall

Ask us for full details or visitwww.martinrandall.com

Six walks of between 4 and 9 miles through immensely varied scenery, from the lava fields of Etna to salt lake flats along the coast.

Much of archaeological interest, and visits to Syracuse, greatest of west Greek cities, and to the Baroque city of Noto.

Two hotels, in Taormina with beautiful sea views and in the centre of Syracuse.

Sicily is well chronicled in history and literature as one of the most fascinating destinations in Europe. Her archaeological and historical sites delight visitors and yet few of them explore the hugely varied landscapes on foot.

Mount Etna demands attention but also respect. Volcanologists venture perilously close to the crater’s lip in the name of research, but for hikers there are remarkably varied and interesting paths to explore on the northern flank. The distinctive climate and volcanic soils nurture a plethora of wild flowers, with orchids flourishing in both spring and late autumn. On the lower slopes, areas that were

once covered with holm oak are now cultivated for citrus fruits and for wine, intensely-flavoured reds and whites that are garnering approval throughout Italy and beyond. Above these, at 6,500 feet, Europe’s southernmost beech trees are thriving, as are birch. Another thousand feet and the thorny shrub known locally as spino santo (Astragalus siculus) covers the ground, and mountain flowers flourish.

We travel from north east to south east via the ten-square-mile Pantalica Nature Reserve, set on a plateau with gorges plunging through the limestone to the Anapo and Calcinara river valleys. Here is an extensive open-air necropolis where the earliest rock tombs date to the thirteenth century bc. The foundations of the Palazzo del Principe, the Anaktraton, are also visible, together with the remnants of fortifications.

A coastal walk alongside the salt-water lagoons of the Vendicari Nature Reserve provides another category of experience. The pantani are a haven for birds, and with luck flamingos can be spotted in all seasons. Mediaeval watchtowers, an old tonnaro (tuna cannery) and a fishery punctuate this landscape, highlighting the importance of sea-faring trade in this part of Sicily. Fifteenth-century merchants in Noto shipped carob, grain and almonds from the port of Vendicari, and until the 1940s tuna was caught and tinned here.

These walks have been chosen to make the most of the protected parks in Sicily, thus helping efforts to restore, waymark and maintain the paths in this remarkably unspoilt land on the edge of Europe.

Mount Etna, engraving 1804.

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Leonardo da VinciTracing the roots of the Renaissance master

16–20 May 2012 (my 246)5 days • £1,840Lecturer: Charles Nicholl

17–21 October 2012 (mz 391)5 days • £1,840Lecturer: Charles Nicholl

Works by the artist and places associated with his life in Milan and Florence.

A morning in Vinci, to see his birthplace and the museum dedicated to his scientific achievements.

Led by the most renowned biographer of Leonardo.

Regard for Leonardo’s work has, if you will excuse the pun, seen a renaissance in 2011. The National Gallery’s major exhibition of works from collections outside Italy has seen an unprecedented response from the public. It seems only right, then, that we run a tour for 2012 which focuses on his most important works within Italy.

Florence was the cradle of the Renaissance and home to an unrivalled quantity of first-rate, locally-produced works of art. At the age of fourteen, Leonardo moved here to become an apprentice to Verrocchio, in whose studio his technical training began. The tour begins here to explore areas of the city in which the artist lived and worked, as well as seeing important works by Verrocchio in the Bargello and by Leonardo in the Uffizi.

To the west of Florence is Vinci, Leonardo’s childhood town in the Tuscan countryside, a charming place with a fine museum displaying many of his designs for machines and tools. The remote hamlet of Anchiano in which he was born is also visited.

In the fifteenth century Milan was capital of the most powerful territory in Italy and, when Leonardo was employed there, probably the largest city in Europe. It is here that he received some of his most important commissions, notably The Last Supper for the wall of the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Two nights are spent in Milan, with two visits to The Last Supper and also to the Pinacoteca Brera, one of the world’s great galleries, for a study of works influenced by Leonardo. An exploration of sites around the city where the artist left his mark completes the tour.

ItineraryDay 1: Florence. Fly at c. 8.45am from London Heathrow to Pisa. There is an afternoon walk to see the sites of Leonardo’s father’s office and his master Verrocchio’s

workshop. First of two nights in Florence.

Day 2: Florence. A morning lecture is followed by the great sculpture museum in the Bargello, which possesses a collection by Leonardo’s master Verrocchio, including his David, thought to be the likeness of a young Leonardo. The Palazzo Vecchio was the fortified civic centre of the republic and has several rooms designed by Vasari. In the afternoon visit the Uffizi (by appointment) for several major works by Leonardo, including the Annunciation and Adoration of the Magi.

Day 3: Vinci, Milan. Drive to Vinci in the Tuscan hills where the artist was born. The Museo Leonardiano has one of the largest collections of Leonardo’s technological designs and models contructed from them, housed in a 12th-century castle. Continue through olive groves to the reconstructed farmhouse where Leonardo was born, which now houses some of his early drawings of the Tuscan countryside. Lunch is at a typical Tuscan restaurant in the hilltown of Artimino. In the afternoon, travel by first class rail to Milan for the first of two nights.

Day 4: Milan. The first of two visits to Leonardo’s Last Supper. The Dominican friary of S. Maria delle Grazie was lavishly endowed by Duke Ludovico Sforza in the 1490s, the consequences including Bramante’s monumental eastern extension of the church and the Last Supper on the wall of the refectory. The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana has works by Raphael, Bramantino, Luini and other contemporaries and followers of Leonardo. Visit the Brera, one of Italy’s major art collections.

Day 5: Milan. The Castello Sforzesco, the vast fortified palace of Leonardo’s ducal patrons, has room decorations attributed to him and houses works of art and artefacts including

Michelangelo’s Rondandini Pietà. Return to the Cenacolo Vinciano for a second viewing of Leonardo’s Last Supper (there is a time limit for each visit). Return to London Heathrow arriving at c. 4.45pm.

Practicalities Price: £1,840 (deposit £200). This includes: air travel (economy class) on scheduled British Airways flights (Airbus 319/320); travel by private coach and first class rail; hotel accommodation as described below; breakfasts, 1 lunch and 3 dinners with wine, water, coffee; all admissions; all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturer. Single supplement £260 (double for sole use). Price without flights £1,660.

Lecturer: Charles Nicholl. Author of the acclaimed biography, Leonardo da Vinci: the Flights of the Mind and numerous other books, most recently, The Lodger, an intimate study of Shakespeare’s life in London in the first years of the 17th century. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and recipient of the Hawthornden prize, the James Tait Black prize for biography and the Crime Writers’ Association ‘Gold Dagger’ award for non-fiction.

Hotels. In Florence (2 nights): a delightful, recently renovated 4-star hotel in a very central location on Piazza Santa Maria Novella, with stylishly decorated rooms. In Milan (2 nights): a smart, traditionally-furnished 4-star hotel close to the Duomo.

How strenuous? A lot of walking. This tour is not suitable for anyone who has difficulties with everyday walking or stair-climbing. Historic centres are generally closed to traffic. Average distance by coach per day: 26 miles.


The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, engraving by M. Dutertre 1808.


BasilicataItaly’s undiscovered south

12–17 May 2012 (my 240)6 days • £1,720Lecturer: John McNeill

A region rich in archaeological collections and Norman and Romanesque architecture.

Unknown and unspoilt – a chance to explore the countryside and small towns of southern Italy with few other tourists.

Based throughout in the lively town of Matera, staying in a cave hotel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Led by John McNeill, an architectural historian and one of our most experienced lecturers.

While it may be tendentious to claim that anywhere in Italy remains ‘unknown’, the region of Basilicata does seem to offer one of the few remaining opportunities to experience an unspoilt and unfamiliar region.

As in-step to the heel of Puglia and the toe of Calabria, Basilicata has always missed out on the flow of visitors and the concomitant income that its neighbours have attracted as springboards to the eastern Mediterranean and to Sicily. This also partially explains its historic reputation as one of the poorest regions of Italy. But while undeniably without the more spectacular or influential cultural achievements other Italian regions may boast, humble Basilicata has sufficient fascinating sites and a varied cultural heritage to enthral the visitor.

Matera is the cultural capital. Most impressive are the Sassi, the hundreds of caves that are attractively tiered along the two ravines that thrust into the heart of the town. Developed, enhanced and inhabited for over a thousand years, the caves were cleared as slums around the 1950s but are now being thoughtfully and sympathetically re-developed. Equally surprising is the rest of Matera, which feels more like a vibrant historic town located in say Emilia Romagna or the Veneto than in one of the allegedly least developed parts of Italy. This energetic if provincial atmosphere is heightened by the improvements that have very recently transformed the town.

But the tour enjoys the whole of Basilicata. Passing through verdant and rolling hills, there are visits to Melfi and Venosa, both of which possess mighty Norman fortresses and evocative Romanesque churches, and lovely Montescaglioso to the south, sprawling across the hills and whose imposing Benedictine abbey flourished under the Norman lords. On the coast, there are the important Ancient Greek settlements of Metaponto and Policoro.

Basilicata seems set to become a major destination for discerning visitors. We would recommend this tour to those who would like to experience it before this happens.

Itinerary

Day 1: London to Matera. Fly at c. 9.30am from London Heathrow to Bari, via Milan. Drive to Matera where the tour is based throughout.

Day 2: Matera. The morning walk includes the church of San Giovanni Battista (1220), the Baroque church of San Francesco d’Assisi and the archaeological museum. The cathedral (exterior only), a fine example of southern Italian Romanesque, dominates the city. Lunch is provided today: local cheese, cured meats and wines. Afterwards walk down the Sasso Caveoso to see a handful of cave churches, many of them with frescoes.

Day 3: Venosa, Melfi. Drive to Venosa to visit the impressive but unfinished monastery of La Trinità built over an early Christian church. Walk through the charming town centre and see the archaeological collection in the late 15th-century castle. Continue to Melfi for lunch in a family-run restaurant. The impressive Norman castle hosts a good archaeological museum. The Norman origins of the cathedral, rebuilt in the late 17th century, are still visible in the splendid bell tower.

Day 4: Montescaglioso, Matera. Drive to the hilltop town of Montescaglioso, overlooking the Bradano valley, to visit the Benedictine abbey of St Michael the Archangel, one of the largest and most impressive abbeys in Southern Italy. The Crypt of Original Sin outside Matera is known as the ‘Sistine chapel’ of cave wall paintings; only recently opened to the public it is not only an outstanding discovery for the history of early mediaeval art but is also an example of the most advanced conservation techniques. The afternoon is free in Matera.

Day 5: Metaponto, Santa Maria d’Anglona, Policoro. The Ancient Greek city of Metaponto was one of the most important Greek settlements in the West; though its site is ruinous the museum display charts most of its history. Isolated in countryside, Santa Maria d’Anglona is a lovely church rich in late 12th-century frescoes. There is a picnic lunch here. Visit the Museo Archeologico della Siritide in Policoro which has exhibits from the former Greek colonies of Siris and Heraclea.

Day 6: Matera. Visit the recently excavated subterranean city at Piazza Vittorio Veneto

(due to open to the public in 2012). Fly from Bari to London Heathrow, via Milan, arriving c. 4.45pm.

PracticalitiesPrice: £1,720 (deposit £200). This includes: air travel (economy class) on scheduled Alitalia flights (Airbus A320); private coach for excursions and transfers; accommodation as described below; breakfasts, two lunches, one picnic and three dinners with wine, water and coffee; all admissions to museums, etc., visited with the group; all gratuities for restaurant staff, drivers and guides; all state and airport taxes; the services of the lecturer. Single supplement £110 (double room for single occupancy). Price without flights £1,540.

Hotel: in Matera, a stylish 4-star hotel located in the Sasso Caveoso, overlooking the ravine. The cave-rooms, spread over different levels, are spacious and furnished with all modern comforts. Dinners are in carefully selected restaurants.

How strenuous? Matera’s topography and the hotel’s location mean that there is a lot of walking up and down hills and cobbled steps which can be slippery. Coaches cannot be used within the town centres. Good mobility, sure-footedness and agility are essential. Average distance by coach per day: 66 miles.


The Heart of Italy24–31 March 2012 (my 192)8 days • £2,100Lecturer: Dr Antonia Whitley

16–23 September 2012 (mz 375)8 days • £2,100Lecturer: Dr Helen Langdon

‘A wonderful mix of landscape, architecture and art.’ L.J-L., Essex;

‘....hugely enjoyable and professionally organised.’ J.I., Granada.

Comments from participants on our tour in 2011.

Ask us for full details or visitwww.martinrandall.com

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Trasimeno Music FestivalAngela Hewitt & friends in Umbria

29 June–7 July 2012 (my 293)9 days • £2,840 (7 concerts)Lecturer: Dr Alan GeorgeTour manager: Dr Roberto Cobianchi

Ask us for fuller details or visitwww.martinrandall.com

A festival created by pianist Angela Hewitt.

Seven concerts in beautiful settings: a castle near Lake Trasimeno and the Chiesa di S. Domenico in Gubbio.

The music is interpersed with excursions to Perugia, Assisi, Cortona and elsewhere.

Comfortable 4-star hotel in the mediaeval hill village of Castel Rigone, overlooking Lake Trasimeno with terrace and outdoor pool.

The lecturer is musicologist and viola player, Dr Alan George, and the tour manager is Dr Roberto Cobianchi, art historian and lecturer at the University of Messina.

One of the most acclaimed pianists of today, Angela Hewitt, has inaugurated her own music festival in the heart of Italy. A few years ago she bought land overlooking Lake Trasimeno, and built a house as a retreat from her gruelling concert tours. The idea of a festival in the vicinity soon emerged and with characteristic energy Hewitt made it a reality, charming local officials into giving the necessary permissions and enlisting their enthusiastic support. For her festival, she gathers around her artists of international standing, and as they make music together the atmosphere created is one of complete enjoyment for performers and audience alike.

Concerts take place in the courtyard of the castle belonging to the Knights of Malta in Magione, a nearby small town. There is also a concert in the church of San Domenico in Gubbio.

Our group stays at a charming hotel in the tiny mediaeval hilltop village of Castel Rigone, overlooking Lake Trasimeno. There are excursions to such significant towns and cities as Perugia, Cortona, Assisi, Arezzo and Gubbio, and by boat on Lake Trasimeno itself.

ItineraryDay 1: Pisa. Fly at c. 11.00am from London Gatwick to Pisa and drive to Castel Rigone, some time to settle in before dinner.

Day 2: Isola Maggiore. Take a morning boat trip on Lake Trasimeno to Isola Maggiore for a walk to a church with 14th and 15th-century frescoes. Return to Castel Rigone for some free time. Drive to Magione for the opening concert at the Castle of the Knights of Malta (most concerts begin at 9.15pm) with Angela Hewitt (piano). Bach: Toccata in D, English Suite No. 2 in A minor; Beethoven: Sonata in B flat, Op. 22, Sonata in A, Op. 101.

Day 3: Gubbio. A free morning in Castel Rigone. In the afternoon drive to Gubbio, one of the most delightful mediaeval towns in Italy. Its streetscape and buildings are remarkably well-preserved. The noble 14th-century town hall has a good picture collection and the Palazzo Ducale, built for Federico da Montefeltro, has an impressive inner courtyard. Dinner here before the concert at the Chiesa di San Domenico, Gubbio (begins 8.30pm) with the Orchestra della Toscana, Gérard Korsten (conductor), Angela Hewitt (piano). Rossini: Overture from The Italian Girl in Algiers; Mozart: Piano Concerto in C minor, K. 491; Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat ‘Emperor’

Day 4: Perugia. In the morning drive to Perugia, one of the largest and loveliest of Italian hill towns. There are major works of art and architecture to see including the mediaeval town hall housing the National Gallery of Umbria. Visit two merchants’ halls, one with frescoes by native artist Perugino. Return mid-afternoon to Castel Rigone. The evening concert is a Bach recital in Magione with violinist Pekka Kuusisto and Angela Hewitt featuring two of the Sonatas for violin and piano, a solo violin Partita, the French Suite No. 1, and extracts from The Art of Fugue.

Day 5: Assisi. Visit one of the most evocative of Italian towns, with its austere mediaeval streets and world-class paintings. The chief monument to see is San Francesco, location of an assemblage of mediaeval frescoes. Visit also the 13th-century Basilica of S. Chiara. Return mid-afternoon to Castel Rigone. drive to Magione for a concert with the Australian String Quartet, the Cremona Quartet and mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter. Respighi: Il

Tramonto; Tschaikovsky: Souvenirs de Florence; Mendelssohn: Octet, Op. 20.

Day 6: Cortona. Drive around Lake Trasimeno to the charming Tuscan hill town of Cortona. See the high-quality collection of Renaissance art in the Museo Diocesano and the Gothic altarpiece in San Domenico. Return mid-afternoon to Castel Rigone. Concert this evening in Magione with the Australian String Quartet and Angela Hewitt. Haydn: String Quartet in B flat, Op. 76 No. 4 ‘Sunrise’; Beethoven: String Quartet in D, Op. 18 No. 3; Schumann: Piano Quintet in E flat, Op. 44.

Day 7: Arezzo. Optional visit to Arezzo, one of the great cities of Tuscany in the Middle Ages. In the church of S. Francesco is Piero della Francesca’s masterpiece, the fresco cycle of The Legend of the True Cross. See also the cathedral and a Romanesque church with an altarpiece by the 14th-century Sienese painter Pietro Lorenzetti. Return to Castel Rigone mid-afternoon. Concert this evening in Magione with mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and Angela Hewitt. An evening of songs by Nordic and French composers, given by one of the world’s greatest mezzo-sopranos. Angela Hewitt also plays solo pieces by Sibelius and Fauré.

Day 8: Perugia. Return to Perugia for a visit to 17th-century Palazzo Sorbello. See also the richly carved façade of the church of S. Bernardino. Return to Castel Rigone for some free time in the afternoon before the final recital in Magione with Angela Hewitt. Couperin: Pièces de Clavecin (extracts); Bach: Three Transcriptions by Wilhelm Kempff; Brahms: Three Intermezzi, Op. 117; Debussy: Suite Bergamasque, Masques; L’Isle Joyeuse; Fauré: Ballade, Op. 19.

Day 9: drive to Pisa airport and fly to London Gatwick, arriving c.4.00pm.

Price: £2,840 (deposit £250). Single supplement £220. Price without flights £2,720.

Gubbio, Ducal Palace, after Laura McCracken c. 1900.


Torre del LagoMadame Butterfly, La Traviata, La Bohème

16–20 August 2012 (my 337)5 days • £1,990 (including tickets to 3 performances)Lecturer: Daniel Snowman

Included in the Puccini Festival 2012: Madame Butterfly and La Bohème, and also La Traviata by Verdi.

The operas are performed on three successive evenings in the new open-air theatre near Puccini’s home.

Based in Lucca with visits to a selection of art and architecture and to places associated with Puccini, including the newly reopened museum in the house of his birth.

Led by Daniel Snowman, social and cultural historian and author of The Gilded Stage: A Social History of Opera.

Near the hamlet of Torre del Lago on the shores of Lake Massaciuccoli, only a couple of miles inland from the Tuscan coast, Giacomo Puccini built himself a villa. Here he wrote most of his operas, and in later life sought refuge between the rigorous demands of the worldwide tours which fame and success had thrust upon him. Here also is the open-air theatre where, since 1955, there has been an (almost) annual festival to celebrate the local boy who brought to a culmination the most Italian of the arts, lyric theatre. In 2008 the festival celebrated the 150th anniversary of Puccini’s birth in Lucca with the inauguration of a larger and more impressive theatre on the shores of Lake Massaciuccoli.

Other places associated with the composer are scattered through the hills and valleys of the hinterland including his birthplace in Lucca, where this tour is based, the village of his ancestors and childhood holidays, churches where he worked as an organist, bars he frequented. The house of his birth in Lucca has been closed for some years but re-opens for 2012.

Within the remarkably complete and beautiful circuit of Renaissance ramparts, Lucca consists of a dense network of streets and squares with innumerable fine palaces and churches.

ItineraryDay 1. Fly at c. 11.00am from London Gatwick to Pisa and drive the short distance to Lucca where all four nights are spent. There is time to settle into the hotel before dinner.

Day 2: Lucca, Torre del Lago. Morning lecture. Visit the Romanesque church of San Michele in Foro on the site of the Roman forum, San Paolino, where Puccini played the organ, and the house where Puccini was born, including many of his precious instruments and possessions. Set off in the late afternoon for Torre del Lago and visit Puccini’s villa, which retains virtually all the original décor and many mementoes. Evening opera: Madame Butterfly (Puccini).

Day 3: Lucca, Torre del Lago. Morning lecture. Among the visits are the cathedral of S. Martino, which houses an early representation of the crucified Christ and the dazzling effigy of Ilaria del Carretto. Free

afternoon. Evening opera: La Traviata (Verdi).

Day 4: Celle, Torre del Lago. Morning lecture. Drive to the tiny hamlet of Celle where Puccini spent much of his childhood. Some free time. Evening opera: la Bohème (Puccini).

Day 5: Lucca. The morning is free. Fly from Pisa to London Gatwick, arriving c. 4.00pm.

PracticalitiesPrice: £1,990 (deposit £200). This includes: 3 opera tickets costing c. £315; air travel (economy class) on scheduled British Airways flights (Boeing 737); accommodation as described below; breakfasts and all dinners with wine, water, coffee; tips for waiters and drivers; all admissions and taxes; the services of the lecturer. Single supplement £160 (double room for sole use). Price without flights £1,830.

Hotel: a 4-star hotel in a quiet location within the walls of Lucca, recently renovated to a high standard. The rooms have air-conditioning. Bicycles are available.

Dinners are in selected restaurants before the evening performances.

How strenuous? Quite a lot of walking, much of it on roughly paved streets, some late nights. The average distance by coach per day is c. 35 miles.


Lucca, Piazza San Michele, after a drawing by Nelly Erichsen c. 1910.

Lucca23–29 April 2012 (my 223) 10–16 September 2012 (mz 353)7 days • £1,920Lecturer: Dr Antonia Whitley

Ask us for full details or visitwww.martinrandall.comAllows for leisurely exploration of one of the most beautiful and engaging of Tuscan cities.

Within magnificent ramparts, a treasury of sculpture, painting and architecture, Romanesque and Renaissance in particular.

Excursions to Prato, Pistoia, Pisa, Barga and a country villa.

‘The holiday has left us with wonderful memories. Your skill in putting all this together is very much appreciated.’

V.C. & J.C., Norfolk. Participants in 2011.

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Opera at AixRAVEL, CHARPENTIER, MOZART

7–11 July 2012 (my 308)5 days • £2,260 (with 3 performances)Lecturer: Professor Richard Langham Smith


One of Europe’s finest summer music festivals with artistic standards of the highest order.

A chamber version of Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges, accompanied by piano duet, flute and cello.

Charpentier’s David and Jonathan conducted by William Christie with Pascal Charbonneau and Neal Davies.

Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro with Le Cerle de l’Harmonie and Les Arts Florissants under Jérémie Rhorer.

The summer festival in Aix-en-Provence is one of the most prestigious and enjoyable in Europe. The handsome old capital of Provence, graced with a profusion of 17th- and 18th-century mansions, quiet squares, fountains and arcaded streets, provides a superb setting for a feast of first-rate opera performances. Now in its sixty-fourth year, the Festival d’Aix never fails to come up with irresistible programmes and artistic standards of the highest order, and in 2012 there is the opportunity to see masterpieces from the 17th, 18th and 20th centuries.

The tour starts with a chamber version of Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges (The Bewitched Child) in the intimate Théâtre du Jeu de Paume. This one act opera centres on a child who throws a tantrum but eventually grows up a bit, and learns to care for the creatures to whom he was at first destructive. Other characters include a story-book princess with whom the child falls in love, a grandfather clock, some dragonflies and a pair of mating cats! In the magnificent courtyard of the Archbishop’s Palace, David and Jonathan is a piece lying somewhere between an oratorio and an opera, wonderfully characterised by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, a rather forgotten genius of the French Grand Siècle. Also in this 17th-century courtyard, now the Festival’s most emblematic venue, is a performance of Le Nozze di Figaro, Mozart’s most celebrated comedy of manners; a collaboration with his best librettist Lorezo Da Ponte after a play by Beaumarchais.

The main emphasis of the tour is on the musical events. It is led by a music historian who gives talks on all the works attended, on how they were created and received, and on the performances and productions we can expect to see. There are also some optional

excursions, gentle enough to avoid taxing participants’ energies at the expense of the music.

ItineraryDay 1: London to Aix. Fly from London Gatwick to Marseille at c.1.15pm. Drive to Aix-en-Provence where there is time to settle into the hotel before dinner.

Day 2: Aix-en-Provence. Morning lecture then the day is free to visit the cathedral of St Sauveur, the 18th-century Mazarin quarter, the Pavillon de Vendôme or the Archbishop’s Palace, which has a fine collection of Beauvais tapestries. Evening opera (chamber version) in the Théâtre du Jeu de Paume: L’Enfant et les Sortilèges (Ravel), with Didier Puntos (conductor), Arnaud Meunier (director), Chloé Briot (the child), Mercedes Arcuri (the nightingale), Clemence Tilquin (the princess, the bat, the shepherd girl).

Day 3: Aix, Arles. Lecture followed by an excursion to Arles, architecturally and archaeologically one of the richest towns in France with outstanding Roman remains. The (still used) amphitheatre is the largest in Europe outside Italy. See also the romanesque church and cloisters of St Trophime. Evening opera at the Théâtre de l ’Archevêché: David et Jonathas (Charpentier), William Christie (conductor), Andreas Homoki (director), Pascal Charbonneau (David), Ana Quintans (Jonathan), Neal Davies (Saul), Kresimir Spicer (Joabel).

Day 4: Aix, St-Rémy-de-Provence. Lecture followed by an excursion to the outskirts of St Rémy, where there are fine Roman funerary monuments (Les Antiques). The excellent Glanum excavations show evidence of Greek, Gaulish and Roman occupation. Also here is the monastery of St Paul de Mausole, where Vincent Van Gogh convalesced. Lunch is independent in the delightful small town of St Rémy-de-Provence. Return to Aix before the evening opera at the Théâtre de l ’Archevêché: Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart) with Jérémie Rhorer (conductor), Richard Brunel (director), Patricia Petibon (Susanna), Kyle Ketelsen (Figaro), Kate Lindsey (Cherubino), Paulo Szot (the count).

Day 5: Aix. The morning is free for independent exploration, for example the Musée Granet, with a good permanent collection of French painting from the 16th-century onwards as well as eight works by native Cézanne. Fly from Marseille airport, arriving at London Gatwick at c.5.30pm.

Price: £2,260 (deposit £250) (including tickets for 3 performances costing c. £400). Single supplement £320 (double room for sole occupancy). Price without flights £2,140.

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Sicily14–26 March 2012 (my 179)13 days • £3,860Lecturer: Christopher NewallCovers the whole island, including the main sights and many lesser-known ones: Ancient Greek, Roman, mediaeval (particularly Norman), Renaissance, Baroque and later.

Palladian Villas29 May–3 June 2012 (my 261)6 days • £1,690Lecturer: Dr Michael Douglas-Scott

25–30 September 2012 (mz 390)6 days • £1,690Lecturer: Dr Fabrizio NevolaA survey of nearly all the villas designed by Andrea Palladio (1508–80), based throughout in Vicenza, his home town.

Handel in Halle30 May–5 June 2012 (my 250)7 days • £2,330 (6 performances)Lecturer: David VickersIncludes two operas: Alcina and Poro, Re dell ’Indie (concert version), and two oratorios: La Resurrezione and Messiah.

Dürer &Riemenschneider

7–13 July 2012 (my 300)14–20 July 2012 (my 311)7 days • £1,960Lecturer: Dr Joachim StruppThe works of Tilman Riemenschneider, one of the finest of late mediaeval sculptors, and the most important exhibition for forty years of works by Albrecht Dürer. Stays in Würzburg and Nuremberg, their respective homes.


Country House Opera Longborough Festival, Garsington at wormsley, Grange Park

26–29 June 2012 (my 279)4 days • £1,640 (3 opera tickets)Lecturer: Daniel Snowman

Three operas at three of England’s highest quality country-house opera festivals – Longborough, Grange Park and Garsington at its new home at Wormsley.

La Périchole (Offenbach), Katya Kabanova ( Janáček), and Idomeneo (Mozart).

Staying at the finest hotel in Oxford and a country house hotel outside Winchester.

Opera performed at Longborough, Garsington and Grange Park can, at its best, stand comparison with any in the world. Here, in the intimate atmosphere of a small and welcoming theatre within an elegant countryside setting you are likely to encounter some of the singing stars of the future – and some of the finest voices of the present.

What better way to start the tour than with Offenbach, heard in Garsington Opera’s new home, the superbly designed pavilion in the grounds of the Getty estate at Wormsley in the Chiltern Hills? La Périchole, a gloriously witty piece about the life and loves of a (supposedly 18th-century Peruvian) street singer and her companion, is packed with typical Offenbach joie de vivre – but you may weep as well as laugh at its heroine’s famous ‘tipsy’ song. Rising Irish star Naomi O’Connell takes the title role and baritone Geoffrey Dolton is the lascivious but ultimately forgiving Viceroy.

In Longborough, by contrast, we will experience a searing tragedy, Janáček’s Katya Kabanova: an opera, inspired in part by Janáček’s own yearnings, about a woman trapped in a loveless marriage who seeks in vain for true freedom. Longborough Opera in a Gloucestershire village has made a speciality of producing the more heavyweight repertoire (including Wagner) in an exquisite purpose-built little theatre whose seats were acquired from Covent Garden when the Royal Opera House underwent renovation some years ago. Directed by Richard Studer and conducted by Jonathan Lyness (the team responsible for last year’s Falstaff), Katya promises to be one of the tour’s highlights.

Mozart’s Idomeneo, a traditional opera seria with its roots in the ancient myths of the Trojan Wars, was premiered at the Munich court in 1781. With its rich range of both dramatic and lyrical outpourings it proved to be the 25-year-old composer’s first great operatic triumph. This production is sure to make an impact in Grange Park’s specially built theatre within the Orangery of a Greek-style ‘temple’. The production, by Charles Edwards, features Danish tenor David Danholt in the title role and the Korean-born soprano Hye-Youn Lee in the fiery role of Elettra. The conductor is early music expert Nicholas Kraemer.

Accompanied by writer and lecturer on opera Daniel Snowman, there are daily talks and discussions. There is free time in Oxford and Winchester.

ItineraryDay 1: Oxford, Wormsley. Assemble at the hotel for a talk at 3.30pm. Depart at 4.30pm for the 23 miles to Wormsley for the Garsington Opera production of La Périchole (Offenbach). Dinner is served in the long interval. Overnight Oxford.

Day 2: Oxford, Longborough. After a talk the morning is spent at leisure in Oxford,

which needs no introduction as one of the loveliest and architecturally best stocked little cities in Europe. The Ashmolean Museum has recently been beautifully extended and refurbished. Leave in the afternoon for Longborough Festival Opera (31 miles); Katya Kabanova ( Janáček) begins at 6.15pm. Dinner is served during the long interval. Overnight Oxford.

Day 3: Winchester, Grange Park. By coach from Oxford to Hampshire. There is some free time in Winchester, a fine historic town whose largely Norman and Perpendicular cathedral is one of the greatest mediaeval buildings in England. Our country house hotel is on the outskirts; arrive in time to settle in, attend a talk and leave for the 11 mile drive to Grange Park. Idomeneo (Mozart) begins at 5.20pm, and dinner is served in the interval. Overnight in Sparsholt.

Day 4: Leave when you wish. Taxis to Winchester railway station are provided.

PracticalitiesPrice: £1,640 (deposit £200). This includes: three opera tickets costing £445; private air-conditioned coach; hotel accommodation as described below; breakfasts, all three dinners with wine, water and coffee; tips for restaurant staff and drivers; the services of the lecturer. Single supplement £240.

Lecturer: Daniel Snowman. A social and cultural historian with degrees from Cambridge and Cornell, he worked for many years at the BBC producing and presenting radio features on musical, cultural and historical subjects. Books include studies of the Amadeus Quartet, Plácido Domingo and the cultural impact of The Hitler Emigrés and, most recently, The Gilded Stage: A Social History of Opera.

Hotels. In Oxford (2 nights): the most famous hotel in Oxford, the venerable Randolph is housed in a severe Gothic Revival building situated in Beaumont Street. The bedrooms are well decorated in a fairly traditional way and are very comfortable. Public rooms include a ‘Morse’ bar and a bright and airy lounge. Rooms with a street view may suffer from traffic noise. In Hampshire (2 nights): Lainston House Hotel. Set in gardens and 63 acres of parkland in countryside outside Winchester, this is a lovely hotel with excellent service. The décor of the public areas – bar, lounge, restaurant – maintain a country house feel, and rooms are very comfortable.

How strenuous? The tour would be a struggle for anyone whose walking is impaired.


Charles DickensIn his bicentenary

31 March–4 April 2012 (my 196)5 days • £1,880Lecturer: Professor Michael Slater

Ask us for details, see page 180 of our 2012 brochure, or visit our website www.martinrandall.comA new tour for 2012.

Accompanied by leading Dickens expert and noted public reader of Dickens’s work.

Talks and readings by the lecturer throughout the tour.

Stay in central London, on the seafront in Portsmouth and Broadstairs.

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West Country GardensHistoric & contemporary gardens in Somerset & Dorset

16–21 June 2012 (mz 284)6 days • £1,670 Lecturer: Amanda Patton


Twentieth-century garden design from Jekyll to Pearson in historical context.

Many special arrangements including access to gardens not usually open to the public and tours with head gardeners.

Stays at The Castle Hotel in Taunton and Plumber Manor near Sturminster Newton.

Planned and led by a garden designer.

‘I am strongly of the opinion that the possession of a quantity of plants, however good the plants may be themselves and however ample their number, does not make a garden; it only makes a collection. Having got the plants, the great thing is to use them with careful selection and definite intention.... It is just in the way it is done that lies the whole difference between commonplace gardening and gardening that may rightly claim to rank as a fine art.’

So wrote Gertrude Jekyll in 1908. Within just a few years the ideas that led to the formation of the Arts and Crafts movement had come to dominate gardens to the extent that these represented, and still do, the most enduring image of a ‘traditional’ English garden. And yet this image provides a very narrow view of gardens created in a century that saw greater social changes than at any previous time, a century that began and ended with a ‘new naturalism’ (though the interpretation at each end could not be more different).

Through a selection of public and private gardens in Somerset and Dorset this tour explores the work of some of the greatest garden designers of the twentieth century and puts their work into the historical, artistic and social contexts to which they are inextricably linked. Among them are Hestercombe, one of Jekyll and Lutyens’s most important works, and Cothay Manor, where Reggie Cooper, friend to both Harold Nicholson and Lawrence Johnston, created a garden of rooms that was to inspire both Hidcote and Sissinghurst.

We consider how designers have been inspired by abstract art, Modernism and the geometry of the de Stijl movement. While Modernism as a garden style continued to develop throughout the century, planting design underwent a considerable change in the last two decades with the emergence of the New Perennial Movement. It is the marriage of these two elements that epitomise the gardens of the late twentieth century, and we see several private examples created by some eminent contemporary garden designers, including Dan Pearson and Arabella Lennox-Boyd.

Itinerary

Day 1: Cothay Manor. The coach leaves Taunton railway station at 2.00pm. The Arts and Crafts garden at Cothay Manor was designed by Reggie Cooper and pre-dates Hidcote and Sissinghurst, both of which owe much to Cothay and Reggie. It is a superb garden, lovingly restored in recent years. First of two nights in Taunton.

Day 2: Hestercombe, Tintinhull. Hestercombe is three gardens, ‘picturesque’, Victorian and the Lutyens / Jekyll collaboration. A major renewal of Jekyll’s planting is underway, replanting as close as possible to her original plans. The Victorian garden is being recreated in the style of William Robinson who was instrumental in the swing away from formality and gaudiness towards a more naturalistic approach. Tintinhull is an Arts and Crafts garden designed by its American owner Phyllis Reiss in 1933, and was later under the guardianship of Penelope Hobhouse. Overnight Taunton.

Day 3: Mapperton, Wayford Manor. At Mapperton (‘the nation’s finest manor house’, Country Life 2006) has an Italianate valley garden, laid out by Ethel Labouchere in the 1920s and extended in the 1950s by Victor Montagu with specimen shrubs and trees. At Wayford Manor, the Italianate influence continues with a private garden designed by Harold Peto, an excellent example of his work. First of three nights at Sturminster Newton.

Day 4: Cranborne Manor, Stanbridge Mill. Originally established by Tradescant in the early 17th century,

the garden at Cranborne Manor was re-discovered in the 19th century and planted in the Arts and Crafts style in the 20th century. Stanbridge Mill is a contemporary garden designed initially by Arabella Lennox-Boyd and added to by the present owner and head gardener. Gardens link the house with the orchard and the water meadow beyond with a series of sunken and terraced gardens. Overnight Sturminster Newton.

Day 5: Athelhampton, Puncknowle Manor. In the Late Victorian formal style, the gardens at Athelhampton (1891) have great vistas, fountains and the River Piddle flows through, also world famous topiary pyramids in the walled gardens. Puncknowle Manor is a redeveloped private garden created by Dan Pearson. Features include a grass amphitheatre, stilted hornbeam hedges and a courtyard garden with a canal. Planting is inspired by the richness of Elizabethan damasks, while in the shaded courtyard, overlooked by the church, it is sombre and exotic. Overnight Sturminster Newton.

Day 6: Shute House. In the morning, visit the famous water gardens at Shute House, commissioned in 1969 from Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe - his personal favourite of his own designs, and regarded by many as his finest work. The tour ends at Taunton station by 2.00pm.

Price: £1,670 (deposit £200). Single supplement £90.

Wood engraving after a drawing by Alfred Parsons, 1887.


Salzburg SummerThe greatest festival of them all

11–17 August 2011 (my 325) 7 days • £4,830 (including tickets to 7 performances costing £1,860)Lecturer: Professor Jan Smaczny


Five operas and two concerts at the world’s most prestigious music festival.

Conductors include Ivor Bolton, Riccardo Chailly, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Riccardo Muti and Sir Simon Rattle, and among the singers: Magdalena Kožená, Plácido Domingo, Jonas Kaufmann, Michael Schade.

Talks on the music by Professor Jan Smaczny, Hamilton Harty Chair of Music at Queen’s University, Belfast.

Visits and excursions in and around the exceptionally lovely little city of Salzburg and meals in the best restaurants.

This tour can be combined with The Danube Music Festival (17–24 August).

Salzburg’s Summer Festival continues to provide the highest standards of performance with a healthy mix of timeless values and cutting-edge ideas. After somewhat turbulent times, it has emerged in the last decade with its reputation undimmed, even enhanced, the controversial innovations and artistic policies having served to renew and revitalise an institution which could so easily have slipped into complacent decline.

Our selection this year includes an amazing line-up of great conductors, singers and orchestras. There is also a unique opportunity to see Mozart’s Magic Flute paired with its sequel, Peter Winter’s The Labyrinth, to a text by Schikanaeder (the librettist of Flute). Premiered in 1798, it was a huge success, with nearly eighty performances by 1805. This almost forgotten opera extends the adventures of Pamina, Tamino and Sarastro with theatrical bravado, spectacular scenery and captivating music by Winter, the chief composer to the Bavarian Court.

All this in one of the loveliest cities in Europe. Salzburg is crammed between a fast-flowing river and steep-sided hills, with domes and towers and a formidable castle – the largest in Central Europe – rising above a wonderfully picturesque streetscape. A virtually independent city-state until the nineteenth century, it was ruled by Prince-Archbishops many of whom were lavish patrons of architecture and music.

There are daily talks on the music and a gentle programme of walks and drives to see the best of the art, architecture and landscape

in the vicinity. But there is also plenty of free time to relax and gather energies for the performances. The prevalence of afternoon performances means that three of the evenings are without music, allowing for a leisurely dinner and an early night.

ItineraryDay 1. Fly at c. 11.00am from London Heathrow to Munich. Drive through Bavaria to Austria and Salzburg (180km). Introductory lecture followed by dinner.

Day 2. A leisurely start before the morning concert, and a talk. Morning concert at the Mozarteum with the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, Heinz Holliger (conductor), Thomas Zehetmair (violin), Ruth Killius (viola): Luigi Dalla Piccola, ‘Piccola Musica Notturna’; Mozart, Sinfonia Concertante for violin, viola and orchestra, K364; Holliger, world première of a work commissioned by the Salzburg Festival; Mozart, ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’. In the afternoon there is an introductory walk around the historic centre of the city. Evening opera at the Großes Festspielhaus: Tamerlano (Handel), with Les Musiciens du Louvre and Marc Minkowski, Bajun Mehta (Tamerlano), Plácido Domingo (Bajazet), Julia Lezhneva (Asteria), Franco Fagioli (Andronico), Marianne Crebassa (Irene), Michael Volle (Leone).

Day 3. A morning walk through the centre of Salzburg includes the Mozart family home, now an excellent museum, and the Mirabell Gardens. Afternoon opera at the Felsenreitschule: The Magic Flute (Mozart), Nikolaus Harnoncourt (conductor), Jens-Daniel Herzog (director), Georg Zeppenfeld (Sarastro), Bernard Richter (Tamino), Mandy Fredrich (the Queen of Night), Julia Kleiter (Pamina).

Day 4. Drive to St Gilgen, Mozart’s mother’s home village, and cross the lake by boat to St Wolfgang, a delightful village with a pilgrimage church housing an altarpiece by Michael Pacher (1481). Free time in the afternoon. Evening opera at the Großes Festspielhaus: Carmen (Bizet), Sir Simon Rattle (conductor), Aletta Collins (director), Magdalena Kožená (Carmen), Jonas Kaufmann (Don José), Kostas Smoriginas (Escamillo).

Day 5. Visit the Neue Residenz which houses the excellently refurbished city museum and a chance to see some of the other historic buildings in the heart of the city. Afternoon opera at the Haus für Mozart: Ariadne auf Naxos (Strauss), Riccardo Chailly (conductor), Sven-Eric Bechtolf (director), Emily Magee (Ariadne), Elena Moșuc (Zerbinetta), Eva Liebau (Naiad), Marie-Claude Chappuis (Dryad), Eleonora Buratto (Echo), Roberto Saccà (Bacchus), Gabriel Bermúdez (Harlequin),

Michael Laurenz (Scaramuccio), Tobias Kehrer (Truffaldino), Martin Mitterrutzner (Brighella), Peter Matić (the Major-Domo).

Day 6. In the morning visit Schloss Hellbrunn, Renaissance retreat of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg with one of the earliest historic gardens in Europe. The afternoon is free. Evening opera at the Residenzhof: The Labyrinth (Von Winter): Ivor Bolton (conductor), Alexandra Liedtke (director), Christof Fischesser (Sarastro), Julia Novikova (the Queen of Night), Malin Hartelius (Pamina), Michael Schade (Tamino), Thomas Tatzl (Papageno), Regula Mühlemann (Papagena), Anton Scharinger (Old Papageno), Ute Gfrerer (Old Papagena).

Day 7. Morning concert at the Großes Festspielhaus with the Vienna Philharmonic, Riccardo Muti (conductor), Julia Kleiter (soprano), Saimir Pirgu (tenor), Ildar Abdrazakov (bass), Vienna Philharmonic, Concert Association of the Vienna State Opera Chorus: Liszt, ‘Von der Wiege bis zum Grabe’ and ‘Les Préludes’; Berlioz, Messe Solenelle. Lunch in Salzburg before driving to Munich. Fly from Munich Airport, arriving at Heathrow at 7.20pm. Or, if joining The Danube Music Festival, by coach to Passau, joining the festival in the afternoon.

Price: £4,830 (deposit £400). This includes: tickets to 5 operas and 2 concerts costing c. £1,860. Single supplement £370. Price without flights £4,610.

Klimt & Secessionist Vienna1–5 June 2012 (my 267)5 days • £1,780Lecturer: Dr Diane Silverthorne

A new tour for 2012, led by an art historian with a specialism in fin-de-siècle Vienna.

Several exhibitions and displays of paintings and drawings by Gustav Klimt to commemorate the centenary of his death.

Walks and visits to see buildings, designs and artworks of the Vienna Secession, Art Nouveau, Arts & Crafts and the roots of Modernism.

Full details are on page 16 of our 2012 brochure and online at martinrandall.com

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The Schubertiade Music & mountains in the Vorarlberg

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0.16–23 June 2012 (my 282)8 days • £3,140(including 10 performances)Lecturer: Richard Wigmore

Five Lieder recitals with Fink, Padmore, Gerhaher, Prégardien, Finley.

Four chamber concerts with the Belcea Quartet, all Beethoven.

A piano recital with András Schiff.

Five country walks in the surrounding hills: three to four hours long, led by a guide and programmed in the morning.

Led by Richard Wigmore, music writer, lecturer and broadcaster for BBC Radio 3.

4–10 September 2012 (mz 372)7 days • £3,050(including 9 performances) Lecturer: Richard Stokes

Four Lieder recitals with Bostridge, Karg, Güra, Damrau

Four chamber concerts: two with Cuarteto Casals, all Schubert, and two including Baiba Skride, Sol Gabetta and Bertrand Chamayou

A piano recital with Martin Stadtfeld

Visits to towns and art galleries in Austria and Switzerland, while leaving plenty of free time

The lecturer is a world expert on Lieder; there will be more focus on the Lieder performances.


Walking the Danubewith Six concerts from ‘The Danube Music Festival’

17–23 August 2012 (my 332)7 days • £2,880 (with 6 concerts)Lecturer: Richard Wigmore

Full details are in the accompanying brochure for ‘The Danube Festival’ and online at www.martinrandall.com

This variant on the festival package includes six concerts and five half-day country walks. The Austrian stretch of the Danube valley is, for much of its length, of considerable beauty, with much variety of landscape – cultivated lowlands, forested peaks, open alluvial plains, vine-clad hillsides, upland pastures, and, of course, the mighty river meandering towards the Black Sea. There are pine and fir and larch, but broadleaves predominate – beech, birch, oak, poplar.

Though hardly classifiable as strenuous, this tour should only be considered by those who are used to regular country walking with some uphill content. There are hills, and a few fairly steep climbs for short stretches, but no mountains, and most of the routes are along gently undulating paths. The durations are between two and two-and-a-half hours.

Hill walking in Extremadura

‘Buon giorno’, from The Foreign Tour of Brown, Jones, Robinson.

11–19 May 2012 (my 239)9 days • £2,650Leaders: Adam Hopkins & Gaby Macphedran

Ask us for details, see page 151 of our 2012 brochure, or visit our websitewww.martinrandall.com

Remote and deeply rural walking in the sierras around Guadalupe and Yuste.

Varied and dramatic landscapes: hills, plains, forests, river valleys, farmland.

Themes include pilgrimage, conquistadors and empire – as well as the natural environment.

‘The walks were individually delightful and as each was different the itinerary blend was excellent.’

‘The lecturers careful discovery and planning of the routes, attention to detail, overt love of Spain and its people, history, geography and charm all add up to something special.’

D.F. & A.F., Shropshire, participants on our 2011 tour.


Voysey House, Barley Mow Passage, London, United Kingdom W4 4GFTelephone 020 8742 3355 Fax 020 8742 7766 [email protected]

From Australia and New Zealand you can contact: Martin Randall Marketing, PO Box 537, Toowong, Queensland 4066Telephone 1300 55 95 95, from New Zealand +61 7 3377 0141Fax 07 3377 0142, [email protected]

From Canada you can contact: Telephone 647 382 1644 Fax 416 925 2670 [email protected]

From the USA there is a toll-free telephone number: 1 800 988 6168

www.martinrandall.com

M A R T I N R A N D A L L T R A V E LA RT • A R C H I T E C T U R E • G A S T R O N O M Y • A R C H A E O L O G Y • H I S T O R Y • M U S I C • L I T E R AT U R E

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India 2012–2013

The Mutiny of 1857Delhi, Meerut, Lucknow, Gwalior, Agra

23 October–5 November 2012 (mz 407)14 days • £4,450Lecturer: Patrick Mercer MPA study of the single most important and controversial set of events in the history of the British in India.

The Mutiny was a turning point not only for the Subcontinent but also for many aspects of Victorian Britain.

The places visited together comprise an excellent overview of Indian culture, architecture and landscapes as well as being of intense interest for military, imperial and Indian history.

Temples of Tamil NaduArchitecture, Sculpture & Ritual

14–26 January 2013 (mz 450)13 days • £3,880Lecturer: Professor Adam HardyThe art and architecture of Hinduism in the southernmost state of the Indian subcontinent. Includes Madras, Mamallapuram, Thanjavur, Srirangam and Madurai.

The tour looks at other aspects of India in Pondicherry, the Chettinad region and elsewhere.

The lecturer is both an architectual historian and a practising architect, and the designer of a temple in India.

Lush tropical landscapes, rice paddies, sugar cane, coconut groves, neat colourful villages.

Kingdoms of the DeccanHindu & Islamic architecture & art of the 7th to 18th centuries

1–14 February 2013 (mz 470)14 days • £4,940Lecturer: John M. FritzMediaeval Islamic forts and mosques and Hindu temples in the four capital cities of

the Bahmani sultanates founded in the 14th century (Bidar, Gulbarga, Bijapur, Badami).

Hyderabad was one of India’s largest princedoms and retains a rich Islamic artistic heritage; Hampi was the leading Hindu power 13th–17th centuries, a beautiful and fascinating centre.

Distinctive, dramatic, rocky landscape of the Deccan plateau, with red sandstone of which many of the temples are built.

Ashoka & Buddhist IndiaArt & Architecture of the Mauryan Empire

1–14 March 2013 (mz 485)14 days • £4,920Lecturer: Charles Allen

In the third century BC Ashoka united much of India, and established Buddhism as the national religion.

This tour visits the major Buddhist sites (Sarnath, Bodhgaya, Vaishali, Sanchi) and sees much of the finest Buddhist sculpture (at museums in Delhi, Sarnath, Patna and Kolkata).

Studies the life of the historical Buddha, the spread of the new religion, doctrine and the art and architecture it spawned.

Includes places rarely visited: Bihar, heartland of Indian civilization but now India’s least developed state, the lovely old city of Bhopal, incomparable Calcutta.


Details of the following will be available by the end of January 2012. Register your interest now.

The British Raj

Bengal by River

Rajput & Mughal Rajasthan

Essential India

Documents

January Update 2012