Study trip: glories of the Florentine Renaissance
Sorry, this course is now full
- Course Code: VB801
- Dates: 14/03/25 - 16/03/25
- Time: 10:30 - 16:30
- Taught: Fri-Sun, Daytime
- Duration: 3 sessions
- Location: Off Site
- Tutor: Marie-Anne Mancio
Course Code: VB801
Duration: 3 sessions
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
This course is an opportunity to view Renaissance paintings, sculpture, and architecture in situ. Discover Fra Angelico’s stunning frescoes for the monastery of San Marco. See Michelangelo’s tombs and his David. Admire the Brancacci Chapel and that feat of engineering - Brunelleschi’s dome. Hear the fascinating story of the Medici family then visit the world-famous Uffizi gallery to see Botticelli’s paintings.
This course is NOW CONFIRMED – please feel free to book your hotels and accommodation now. Please ensure you have travel insurance, as this course is exempt from our normal refunds and transfer policy.
Please note the following disclaimers before you book:
1. The course fee covers three full days of guided visits and all entrances to museums, churches, and historic sites. It does not include flights, accommodation, meals etc. which you will be required to book independently.
2. City Lit is not responsible for flight/travel cancellations or delays. Please ensure you have travel insurance. We recommend that you wait until the course is confirmed* before booking flight/travel accommodation.
3. Course *confirmation is based on enrolment, once the course meets its minimum enrolment requirements it will be confirmed. Once confirmed, you will be sent an email confirmation and, once confirmed the course will be exempt from our normal refunds and transfer policy.
4. You will be sent the itinerary within a week of the course start date. Please be aware that Florence museums and historic sites have different booking procedures and availability, so we are not likely able to provide the specific itinerary sooner than this.
What will we cover?
- The history and layout of the city and its patrons
- Brunelleschi’s dome and church architecture
- Developments in sculpture: Donatello, Ghiberti, and Michelangelo
- The art of fresco: Fra Angelico, Masaccio
- The Medici family and patronage.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Recognise and identify key paintings, sculptures, fresco cycles, and buildings in Florence
- Follow the connections in the development of sculpture from the Early to the High Renaissance
- Describe the narratives in key fresco cycles
- Describe the role of the Medici family in Florence and how they used patronage to reinforce their status.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
The course is open to all. No prior knowledge is required other than a general interest in art and architecture.
You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions, demonstrations, hand-outs and health and safety information, and will be invited to take part in group discussion.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
You will be taught through guided visits and discussions. There will be breaks throughout the day, as well as a break for lunch. The pace will be determined by the group.
This course will be held in Florence, Italy at various venues. There will be a reasonable amount of walking between venues. We cannot guarantee stools at venues. Offsite courses take place during public access hours. Tutors are not able to control sound levels or behaviours of visitors outside of the course group. Unless you are a wheelchair user, and have confirmed access details with us (as levels of access can vary between buildings), you will need to be able to walk between sites and stand for some time while looking at them (you may bring your own portable stool if you have one, but we cannot guarantee access to seating offsite.) If you feel you may be impacted by these environmental variations, please inform the department on humanities@citylit.ac.uk before the course begins, to discuss reasonable accommodations we can make to assist your learning in offsite.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
You will be required to book and pay for your own travel, accommodation, food, etc. Please ensure you have travel insurance. We recommend that you wait until the course is confirmed before booking flight/travel accommodation. City Lit is not responsible for cancellations or fees related to bookings outside of our institution.
Please also make sure you bring comfortable shoes and something waterproof. There will be a reasonable amount of walking between venues and some looking at buildings from the outside. Please note you are responsible for getting yourself to and from meeting points so please bring a city map/app.
Once the course has confirmed enrolment minimum, it will be exempt from our normal refunds and transfer policy.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
The Rise and Fall of the Italian Renaissance
London Architecture: Renaissance, Baroque and Palladian.
Dr Marie-Anne Mancio trained as an artist before gaining a D.Phil. from the University of Sussex for her thesis ‘Maps for Wayward Performers: feminist readings of contemporary live art practice in Britain’. She is an accredited NADFAS lecturer and has lectured on art, architecture, and cultural studies for Tate Modern, The Course, Art in London, London Art Studies, and the London Art Salon. She is an accredited Art Society lecturer. Fluent in Italian and French, she lectures on City Lit’s art history study trips abroad. She has led trips to Venice, Florence, Rome, Perugia, Assisi, Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid, and St. Petersburg. Since attaining an MPhil (Distinction) in Creative Writing from Glasgow University, her art practice has become primarily text-based, including a novel about four migrant women in antebellum America: ‘Whorticulture’.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.