Rome & Art: Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini, Caravaggio

The tour begins at the Accademia di San Luca, the hub of the great artists in the Pope’s service. It continues to the Trevi Fountain, where you’ll hear about the great rivalry between two famous artists for the 1650 Jubilee. We’ll then head to Piazza di Pietra, where Ancient Rome meets the origins of Christianity.

The tour continues with visits to two marvelous churches: the first is Sant’Ignazio. Popes, Jesuits, Knights, and 15th-century artists setting out to discover the New World! The second is Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, which hosted the celebrations of the first Jubilee in history in the year 1300 and where St. Catherine of Siena, patron saint of Italy, is buried! The tour continues to one of Rome’s most famous landmarks, the Pantheon: its millennia-old history began at the heart of the Roman Empire and has been at the heart of the Jubilee ever since the Renaissance!

Just a short walk away, you’ll see the grand courtyard of St. Ivo alla Sapienza, and then conclude the tour with the turbulent and fascinating story of Caravaggio, exploring the churches of St. Augustine and St. Louis to discover the talent and passion of this “rebellious artist” of the 1600s.