The Guide to Essential Italy

Overview

Course No. 3032 — A visually rich 36-lecture guided tour of Italy’s greatest cultural sites and cities. Join Professor Kenneth R. Bartlett and Smithsonian Journeys for an immersive exploration of Rome, Florence, Venice, Pompeii, Tuscany, the Amalfi coast, and other must-see destinations that define Italian art, history, and culture.

Course Description

This Grand Tour of Italy presents the country’s crown jewels of civilization—Roman monuments, Renaissance masterpieces, medieval hill towns, and Venetian splendour—framed by expert historical and artistic commentary. Each lecture focuses on a specific city, monument, museum, or district: its historical context, major works of art and architecture, civic and religious functions, and travel‑practical insights. Designed for travelers and armchair explorers alike, the course combines site visits with interpretive analysis to enhance appreciation of Italy’s contributions to Western culture.

Instructor

Professor Kenneth R. Bartlett — Specialist in Italian art and history; longtime leader of cultural tours for Smithsonian Journeys.

Lecture List

• Rome: The Eternal City

• Description: Begin along the Tiber; Monte Caprino, monumental sculpture, Michelangelo’s piazza and palaces, and the Church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli.

• Duration: 30 min

2. The Capitoline and the Colosseum

• Description: Piazza Venezia and surrounding palaces, Trajan’s and Augustus’s forums, and history and lore of the Colosseum.

• Duration: 29 min

3. Imperial Palaces of the Palatine Hill

• Description: Roman hydraulic engineering, Circus Maximus, Domitian’s palace complex, houses of Augustus and Livia, and the Farnese Gardens.

• Duration: 30 min

• Pompeii: A City Frozen in Time

• Description: Pompeii’s forum, temples, baths, mansions, brothels, bakeries, theatre, palaestra, and the Villa of Mysteries.

• Duration: 30 min

5. The Roman Forum

• Description: Monumental civic space—Temples of Venus and Rome, Arch of Titus, Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine, Vestal complex.

• Duration: 30 min

6. Along the Via Sacra to the Capitoline

• Description: Basilica Aemilia and Julia, pagan shrines, the Curia, Arch of Septimius Severus, Saints Mark and Martina, and Mamertine Prison.

• Duration: 29 min

7. The Via del Corso and Princely Palaces

• Description: History of Via del Corso and visits to Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, Palazzo Odescalchi, Palazzo Colonna, and Galleria Sciarra frescoes.

• Duration: 29 min

• The Trevi Fountain and Baroque Rome

• Description: Trevi Fountain as Baroque papal display; Piazza Quirinale, Baroque palaces, Bernini and Borromini churches, including Cornaro Chapel.

• Duration: 30 min

9. Above and Beyond the Spanish Steps

• Description: Via Veneto, Bernini’s Fontana del Tritone, Palazzo Barberini museum, Spanish Steps, Villa Medici, Via Condotti, Palazzo Borghese.

• Duration: 29 min

• At the Bend in the Tiber

• Description: Piazza Montecitorio and Italian parliament, Palazzo Chigi, Temple of Hadrian, Sant’Ignazio interior, and Solarium Augusti.

• Duration: 30 min

• The Pantheon to Campo dei Fiori

• Description: Pantheon (Raphael’s tomb), Gothic and Renaissance churches, Piazza Navona, Palazzo della Cancelleria.

• Duration: 31 min

12. Piazza Farnese to the Ara Pacis

• Description: Piazza Farnese and Palazzo Farnese, Palazzo Spada and Borromini illusion, Villa Farnesina, Mausoleum of Augustus, Ara Pacis.

• Duration: 30 min

• Piazza del Popolo to San Clemente

• Description: Santa Maria del Popolo frescoes, Villa Museo Borghese, San Giovanni in Laterano, Scala Santa, and multilayered San Clemente.

• Duration: 29 min

• The Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica

• Description: Apostolic Palace, Raphael Rooms, Sistine Ceiling, and St. Peter’s Basilica as the center of Renaissance and papal art.

• Duration: 30 min

15. Orvieto, Siena, and San Gimignano

• Description: Orvieto Cathedral and papal palace; Siena’s medieval core; San Gimignano’s towers and frescoed churches.

• Duration: 30 min

16. Florence: Politics in Art and Architecture

• Description: Florence’s feudal and merchant origins; Uffizi Gallery, Palazzo Vecchio and Medici history, Orsanmichele and civic identity.

• Duration: 31 min

17. From the Piazza del Duomo to San Marco

• Description: Florence’s Duomo and Brunelleschi dome, Baptistery doors by Ghiberti, Palazzo Medici-Riccardi and Medici Chapel.

• Duration: 31 min

18. Santa Croce and the Pazzi Chapel

• Description: Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia, Santa Croce (Donatello, Giotto), and Brunelleschi’s Pazzi Chapel.

• Duration: 30 min

19. En Route to the Ponte Vecchio

• Description: Via del Proconsolo, Abbey of Florence, Dante’s house, Museum of the Old Florentine House, and Palazzo Bartolini-Salimbeni to Ponte Vecchio.

• Duration: 30 min

20. The Pitti Palace

• Description: Palatine Gallery masterpieces, Pitti Museum collections, and Boboli Gardens as Renaissance landscape and display.

• Duration: 30 min

21. The Oltrarno

• Description: Bianca Cappello’s house, Santo Spirito basilica and family chapels, Brancacci Chapel frescoes.

• Duration: 30 min

22. Walking to Santa Maria Novella

• Description: Ponte Santa Trinita, Via Tornabuoni, Santa Maria Novella complex, Tornabuoni Chapel and Dominican art.

• Duration: 29 min

23. From Santa Maria Novella to San Lorenzo

• Description: Green Cloister frescoes, Spanish Chapel, medieval pharmacy, Medici Fortezza da Basso, San Lorenzo and Brunelleschi’s Old Sacristy.

• Duration: 30 min

24. The Medici Legacy

• Description: Michelangelo’s New Sacristy, Chapel of the Princes, Laurentian Library, and Florence’s historic markets.

• Duration: 30 min

25. The Ognissanti, Palaces, Parks, and Villas

• Description: Borgo Ognissanti, Ognissanti church and Vespucci Chapel, Cascine Park, Bardini Gardens, and Galileo’s Villa.

• Duration: 30 min

• Romantic Views: San Miniato and Fiesole

• Description: San Miniato al Monte and its chapels, Fiesole’s Roman and medieval remains, Villa Medici, and panoramic views over Florence.

• Duration: 30 min

27. Arezzo, Perugia, and Assisi

• Description: Arezzo’s Piazza Grande and churches, Perugia’s guildhalls and fortress, and Assisi’s Temple of Minerva and Basilica of St. Francis.

• Duration: 30 min

28. Venice: The Center of Power

• Description: Venice’s political and commercial history; the Molo, Doge’s Palace, and the Basilica di San Marco.

• Duration: 31 min

• The Drawing Room of Europe: Piazza San Marco

• Description: Procuratie buildings, Napoleon’s neoclassical palace, the clock tower, basilica exterior mosaics, and civic wells.

• Duration: 30 min

30. The Basilica of San Marco

• Description: Interior mosaics, symbolic floors, Golden Altarpiece, sacristy doors, and Cappella dei Mascoli.

• Duration: 28 min

31. The Ducal Palace

• Description: Staircase of the Giants, Golden Staircase, ducal apartments, ceremonial rooms, and the Doge’s role.

• Duration: 30 min

32. Venetian Civilization

• Description: Hall of the Great Council, prisons and Bridge of Sighs, and the Correr Museum on Venetian institutions and society.

• Duration: 29 min

33. Along the Giudecca and Grand Canals

• Description: Vaporetto ride, Palladian churches, Santa Maria della Salute, and palace museums such as the Galleria dell’Accademia and Casa Rezzonico.

• Duration: 29 min

• The Upper Grand Canal and San Marco on Foot

• Description: Waterside palaces, former Jewish ghetto, San Marco district architecture, and the lore of the gondola.

• Duration: 30 min

35. The Rialto and Sestiere San Polo

• Description: Rialto Bridge and mercantile San Polo quarter; the Frari church and the Scuola Grande di San Rocco.

• Duration: 29 min

36. Sestiere Castello and the Outer Islands

• Description: Castello district treasures, San Zanipolo equestrian and ducal tombs, lagoon islands with glass and lace workshops.

• Duration: 37 min

Learning Objectives

• Recognize Italy’s major artistic, architectural, and archaeological sites and understand their historical contexts.

• Interpret key works of art and architectural ensembles within political, religious, and social frameworks.

• Gain practical insights for visiting the sites (what to look for, historical narratives that enrich the experience).

• Connect regional histories—Roman, medieval, Renaissance, and early modern—to Italy’s cultural continuity and global influence.

Target Audience

Travelers planning visits to Italy, students of art history and European history, museum professionals, and anyone passionate about Italian culture who wants a structured, expert tour of the nation’s most important sites.