Visit the ‘Last Supper’ of Leonardo da Vinci followed by the beautiful church of San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, to admire the counter-façade painted by Simone da Peterzano, teacher of the young Caravaggio. Time for a short walk through the narrow streets of ancient Milan.

Lunch and brief introduction to the artist by the expert, followed by the visit to the Ambrosiana Gallery to admire Caravaggio’s youth masterpiece: ‘Basket of Fruit’. Free time to discover the heart of the city.

Dinner by candlelight to understand the importance of light and shadows in Caravaggio’s work.

Overnight in Milan.

Walk to the impressive Duomo Cathedral to reach the top of the magnificent building by elevator. This perspective is ideal to understand the history of the city. Walk through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele to Piazza della Scala. Narrow city roads take the famous neighborhood of Brera.

Light lunch in the city center and visit the Art Gallery of Brera Academy to admire the ‘Supper at Emmaus’, one of Caravaggio’s latest famous paintings. Time to admire the ‘Last Supper’ by Rubens, a painter who appreciated Merisi’s talent.

Dinner with a special photography lecture to understand the difference in still life between darkness and light.

Overnight in Milan.

Breakfast and private transfer to Bologna to visit the Museum and the house of the Italian painter Giorgio Morandi, to understand the great influence of Caravaggio’s study of lights and shadows.

Walk to explore the city center of Bologna, its churches, squares, palaces, and the unique medieval towers.

Lunch in a typical “trattoria bolognese”. Private transfer to Florence: a chance to admire the beautiful hilly landscapes of the Apennines.

Check in at the hotel in Florence.

Overnight in Florence.

Immersive visit of the Uffizi Gallery to investigate the relationship between naturalism and idealization in Florentine art, through a selection of masterpieces such as Sandro Botticelli’s Spring, Michaelangelo’s ‘Doni Tondo’, and Leonardo’s recently restored ‘Adoration of the Magi’. Time to admire Caravaggio’s ‘Bacchus’, the ‘Sacrifice of Isaac’ and the ‘Head of Medusa’, and understand the specific balance between nature and art created by the artist. The newly refurbished Caravaggio wing at the Uffizi allow to deeply understand his success and to learn about his imitators.

Lunch and visit to the Accademia followed by a private visit to the biggest private garden in Europe, with time to explore the palace to which it belongs and meet the owner, to learn about one of the greatest Italian ancient families.

After a light dinner in the private garden enjoy some free time in the centre of Florence.

Overnight in Florence.

Walking tour of the city center to admire Brunelleschi’s Dome and Giotto’s Tower. The perfect moment to learn about the life of many artists that worked during the Renaissance in this small city that was one of the most important in the world.

Lunch and visit of Museo del Bargello to admire some of the most amazing and famous sculptures by Michelangelo, such as the ‘Pitti Tondo’, the ‘Brutus’ and especially the ‘Bacchus’, a source of inspiration for Caravaggio and his version of the mythical image.

Transfer to Rome, check-in at the hotel.

Welcome dinner.

Overnight in Rome.

Walking tour accompanied by a professional photographer to discover where Caravaggio lived and worked, to follow his footsteps, and understand how the light and the darkness of the narrow roads in Rome inspired the artist. Lunch in a taverna that still preserves the ancient roman atmosphere. Time to admire Caravaggio’s Stories of ‘Saint Matthew’ in the church of San Luigi dei Francesi. Visit to the Doria Pamphilj Gallery, to admire Caravaggio’s ‘Rest on the flight into Egypt’, the ‘Penitent Magdalene’, and a selection of the Baroque masterpieces of the gallery.

Overnight in Rome.

Private visit to the Cerasi Chapel in the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, with Caravaggio’s ‘Crucifixion of Saint Peter’ and ‘Conversion of Saul’. At the moment he took up the commission for these paintings, the artist was defined in documents as ‘the very best painter in Rome’. Visit to the Borghese Gallery, holding an impressive nucleus of Caravaggio’s pieces, originally acquired by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, the nephew of Pope Paul V ( 1605-1621): ‘The Sick Bacchus’, the ‘Boy with a fruit basket’, the ‘Saint Jerome’, the ‘Young Saint John’, ‘David with the head of Goliath’ and the ‘Virgin and Child with Saint Anne’. The immense collection of the Borghese Gallery will allow you to compare Caravaggio’s art with the previous experience of Venetian painters like Titian, to the paintings of his contemporaries like the Cavalier d’Arpino, and to the artistic output of the great Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Farewell dinner in a privately owned Renaissance palace.

Overnight in Rome.

Check out after breakfast and transfer to the airport.