- Led by Gijs van Hensbergen, art historian and author specialising in Spain.
- Architectural magnificence throughout including the cathedrals of Burgos and Segovia. Much fine sculpture as well.
- Walled villages, grand monasteries, hilltop castles and a backdrop of vast, undulating landscape.
- In Madrid, some of the world’s greatest collections of art: multiple visits to the Prado plus the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Reina Sofía, home to Picasso’s Guernica.
- Toledo is one of the most architecturally varied cities with Moorish, Jewish and Christian monuments, and was home to El Greco.
- Good food: suckling pig, slow-roast lamb and kid; good wine of the Ribera de Duero.
INTRODUCTION
Madrid, The Prado after a drawing by Joseph Pennell, 1903
4–16 October 2015 (EC 495)
13 days • $6,580
Lecturer: Gijs van Hensbergen
13 days • $6,580
Lecturer: Gijs van Hensbergen
From the ancient kingdom of Castile - with its breathtaking proliferation of Romanesque churches, cloisters and Gothic splendours - to the modernity of contemporary Madrid, this special pilgrimage focuses on some of the world’s greatest works of art.
The spectacular geography that leads from high sierra to the meseta plain is punctuated by the distant silhouettes of the castles of Castile and criss-crossed by the ancient cañadas reales – the royal sheep trails. The ancient kingdom populated respectively by Iberian tribes, Romans, Carthaginians and the sophisticated Moors marries together the great cultural achievement of the Jews, Moors and their Christian conquerors. From the great synagogue of the royal rabbi Samuel Halevi to the recently discovered fourteenth-century royal palace of Tordesillas (in full-blown Alhambra Nasrid style) to the greatest Romanesque cloisters of Silos (possibly carved by Arab or Byzantine journeymen) the terrain reveals many hidden treasures.
Above our heads imperial eagles and griffon vultures soar above the corduroy stands of oak, maquis lavender scrub and the vineyards that produce the exceptional reds of the Ribera del Duero and the 250 year old, pre-phyloxera Rueda whites. This is the land of the roasts: the milk-fed lamb, kid and cochinillo – suckling pig. Convent gardens fed by ancient Arab water courses supply the vegetable treats, while giant, white fava beans are grown up slender poles behind the royal polo ground at La Granja, whose Bourbon royal palace has been justly described as “Versailles in the sky.”
The two cities of Toledo and Segovia, one time capitals of mediaeval Spain and, in Toledo’s case, the sixth-century Visigothic Iberian empire are mysterious, secretive and enchanting. El Greco’s masterpiece The Burial of the Conde Orgaz is a private treat. An illuminating contrast is Esteban Vicente – the last surviving member of the Abstract-Expressionists – who depicts the Castilian plain in his poetic Rothko-like scumbles of seductive floating colour.
Madrid is a complete contrast. The tertulia culture of its gossip-filled bars is the perfect accompaniment to the incredible variety and depth of its great art collections. 70% of the world’s works by Velazquez are in the Prado, as well as the single greatest holding of the mysterious Hieronymous Bosch. Goya’s glorious frecoes that hover above his tomb at San Antonio de la Florida, the Thyssen Collection, the lesser-known joys of the Sorolla Museum and the recently restored Archaeological Museum provide an embarrassment of riches. Working our way back to the present via the twentieth-century masters Dalí, Miró and Tàpies, no amount of preparation can weaken the shocking impact of the first direct encounter with Picasso’s Guernica.
The spectacular geography that leads from high sierra to the meseta plain is punctuated by the distant silhouettes of the castles of Castile and criss-crossed by the ancient cañadas reales – the royal sheep trails. The ancient kingdom populated respectively by Iberian tribes, Romans, Carthaginians and the sophisticated Moors marries together the great cultural achievement of the Jews, Moors and their Christian conquerors. From the great synagogue of the royal rabbi Samuel Halevi to the recently discovered fourteenth-century royal palace of Tordesillas (in full-blown Alhambra Nasrid style) to the greatest Romanesque cloisters of Silos (possibly carved by Arab or Byzantine journeymen) the terrain reveals many hidden treasures.
Above our heads imperial eagles and griffon vultures soar above the corduroy stands of oak, maquis lavender scrub and the vineyards that produce the exceptional reds of the Ribera del Duero and the 250 year old, pre-phyloxera Rueda whites. This is the land of the roasts: the milk-fed lamb, kid and cochinillo – suckling pig. Convent gardens fed by ancient Arab water courses supply the vegetable treats, while giant, white fava beans are grown up slender poles behind the royal polo ground at La Granja, whose Bourbon royal palace has been justly described as “Versailles in the sky.”
The two cities of Toledo and Segovia, one time capitals of mediaeval Spain and, in Toledo’s case, the sixth-century Visigothic Iberian empire are mysterious, secretive and enchanting. El Greco’s masterpiece The Burial of the Conde Orgaz is a private treat. An illuminating contrast is Esteban Vicente – the last surviving member of the Abstract-Expressionists – who depicts the Castilian plain in his poetic Rothko-like scumbles of seductive floating colour.
Madrid is a complete contrast. The tertulia culture of its gossip-filled bars is the perfect accompaniment to the incredible variety and depth of its great art collections. 70% of the world’s works by Velazquez are in the Prado, as well as the single greatest holding of the mysterious Hieronymous Bosch. Goya’s glorious frecoes that hover above his tomb at San Antonio de la Florida, the Thyssen Collection, the lesser-known joys of the Sorolla Museum and the recently restored Archaeological Museum provide an embarrassment of riches. Working our way back to the present via the twentieth-century masters Dalí, Miró and Tàpies, no amount of preparation can weaken the shocking impact of the first direct encounter with Picasso’s Guernica.
ITINERARY
DAY 1
Madrid, Lerma. The tour begins at 1.30pm with lunch at the Westin Palace hotel in central Madrid. Drive north to the village of Lerma, with a wealth of buildings from the early 17th century including an arcaded main square with Ducal Palace and the Collegiate church of San Pedro. First of three nights in Lerma.
DAY 2
Burgos, Quintanilla de las Viñas, Covarrubias. Drive to Burgos, the early capital of Castile, whose cathedral combines French and German Gothic styles and has remarkable vaults and 16th-century choir stalls. On the outskirts is the convent of Las Huelgas Reales with its important early Gothic church. Visit the Visigothic chapel at Quintanilla de las Viñas. Covarrubias is an attractive walled village with a mediaeval Colegiata containing fine tombs.
DAY 3
Burgos, Santo Domingo de Silos. Return to Burgos to visit the Museum of Human Evolution, housing pre-historic findings from the nearby Atapuerca mountains. See also the Museum of Burgos and the late-Gothic Church of St Nicholas with a magnificent carved retable. Drive in the late afternoon to Santo Domingo de Silos, which has the finest Romanesque monastery in Spain, outstanding for the sculpture of the 12th-century cloister.
DAY 4
Palencia, Valladolid, Tordesillas. Renaissance masters including Pedro Berruguete and Gil de Siloé are represented in Palencia’s Gothic cathedral and the Colegio de San Gregorio, now the National Museum of Sculpture, in Valladolid. The 14th-century convent at Tordesillas has some fine Mudéjar sculpture. Built on a steep-sided hill, Segovia is one of the loveliest cities in Spain and architecturally one of the most richly endowed. First of three nights in Segovia.
DAY 5
Segovia. Straddling the town, the remarkable Roman aqueduct is one of the biggest in Europe. See the churches of Corpus Cristi, a former synagogue, the 16th-century Fuencisla, the Romanesque San Justo and the cathedral, a soaring Gothic structure. The afternoon is free, perhaps to visit the restored Alcázar (castle), dramatically perched at the prow of the hill.
DAY 6
Segovia, Turégano, La Granja. Drive in the morning to the charming village of Turégano with Romanesque church containing impressive sculpture. Continue to the convent of San Antonio el Real, former palace of Henry IV. In the afternoon drive to La Granja de San Ildefonso, the palace constructed for Philip V in the early 18th century, with magnificent formal gardens.
DAY 7
Segovia. Free morning; suggestions include the Contemporary Art Museum of Esteban Vicente and the Museum of Segovia. Drive in the afternoon to Toledo, via El Escorial. This vast retreat-cum-palace-cum-monastery-cum-pantheon was built from 1563 to 1584 for Philip II, successfully embodying his instructions for ‘nobility without arrogance, majesty without ostentation, severity in the whole’. First of two nights in Toledo.
DAY 8
Toledo. Crammed onto the crown of a river-girt promontory, Toledo displays the masonry residue of a greater mix of peoples and civilizations than perhaps any other city in the world. The Cristo de la Luz mosque dates from 999 and is one of the earliest surviving examples of Moorish architecture in Spain, while the Synagogue of El Tránsito contains impressive Mudéjar decoration. El Greco’s house and museum contains his finest series of apostles and View of Toledo. Further works by El Greco and excellent Spanish ceramics are in the Museum of Santa Cruz, a fine Plateresque building. The Gothic cathedral is Spain’s largest and the most richly endowed with paintings (El Greco, Velázquez, Titian) and also has furnishings and sculpture of the highest quality. Finish at El Greco’s burial place, the convent of Sto Domingo.
DAY 9
Toledo, Illescas, Madrid. Private view of El Greco’s Burial of the Conde Orgaz, his greatest work, in the church of Santo Tomé. Drive to Illescas where El Greco spent two years. The Hospital de la Caridad contains five of his works. Continue to Madrid for a first visit to the Prado, concentrating on the Spanish school. First of four nights in Madrid.
DAY 10
Madrid. Begin at the recently renovated Archaeological Museum, good on ancient Iberian civilization and Roman Spain. Continue to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, housed in the 18th-century Palacio de Villahermosa until its purchase by the Spanish state in 1993 and one of the world’s largest private art collections. The Royal Academy of Fine Arts is home to works by Goya, Zurbarán, Ribera and Murillo.
DAY 11
The day is free for independent exploration. Details of temporary exhibitions will be provided.
DAY 12
Madrid. Travel by coach to the church of San Antonio de la Florida, with stunning
Goya frescoes and then to the Sorolla Museum, in the charming house of the eponymous Impressionist painter. Continue to the arcaded, balconied Plaza Mayor, centrepiece of Habsburg town planning. In the afternoon return to the Prado, this time primarily to see the Italian and Netherlandish schools.
Goya frescoes and then to the Sorolla Museum, in the charming house of the eponymous Impressionist painter. Continue to the arcaded, balconied Plaza Mayor, centrepiece of Habsburg town planning. In the afternoon return to the Prado, this time primarily to see the Italian and Netherlandish schools.
DAY 13
Madrid. Walk via Herzog & de Meuron’s Caixaforum to the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, one of the greatest modern art museums and home to Picasso’s Guernica plus works by Miró, Dalí and Tàpies. Return to the hotel by 12.30pm.
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