Dates: 24th-30th May, 2024

An Artist’s Week in Venice and the Glorious Venetian Countryside

2 rooms remain……

• Yours hosts are Caroline Elliot (artist) and Janet Simmonds (tour guide)
• We are competent and more importantly – we are fun!

_{Paintings by Italico Brass – recently exhibited in Venice}

Itinerary

24^th May, 2024 (Friday) – Arrival in Venice

Our adventure starts at Venice Airport where guests will be met from various flights by our private car & driver. It’s a 20 minute drive from the airport to the Hotel Villa Franceschi.

Our residence for the week is a beautiful country house hotel, situated on the edge of the River Brenta and surrounded by a large private garden. Here you can relax, unpack and sketch. Caroline Elliot (artist) and Janet Simmonds (art historian and tour guide) will be your hosts.

There’s a magnificent 17^th century villa in the grounds – perfect for sketching – if you can’t wait to get started! We will meet around 7.30 pm for welcome drinks and dinner in the hotel restaurant, featuring traditional Italian and Venetian dishes. www.villafranceschi.com

Meals included today: Dinner

_{Janet Simmonds at The Molino, Dolo (left). Rialto Bridge (right)}

25^th May, 2024 (Saturday) – Venice

We start today with breakfast on the terrace. Then around 9.30 am we will head into Venice. We’ll board our boat on the edge of the Venetian Lagoon and cruise across the water watching the palaces, towers and spires coming into focus. First stop is the Grand Canal where we step back in time. Magnificent palaces line our route and boats of every kind ply their trades. As we approach the Rialto Bridge, you can hear the shouts from the traders in the fish market, which has operated here for more than 700 years. There’ll be time to explore the market and perhaps get inspiration for a painting or a sketch. Then we’ll continue to San Giorgio Maggiore for an exceptional panoramic view of the city and lagoon.

After lunch on a Venetian terrace, there’s a ‘plein air’ art session scheduled. The views are spectacular and inspiration surrounds us. If it’s a nice day the setting sun offers a spectacular colour palette as the sun sinks gently towards the western horizon.

Meals included today: Breakfast, Lunch 

_{Venice – Grand Canal, Guggenheim, Salute – January, 2020 (left) – Mary Lou Peters (artist) right.}

26^th May, 2024 (Sunday) – Venice – Dolo – Brenta

Once again we’ll start the day with breakfast at Villa Franceschi. Then we’ll discover the beautiful countryside surrounding our hotel. Driving along the River Brenta we pass numerous Palladian-style villas built by wealthy Venetian families in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. We will stop to sketch and photograph various properties. Then we’ll stop at Dolo to see the restored water mill. Here we can compare a scene painted by Canaletto in the 1740s with the scene you see today. The two views are remarkably similar. Caroline will lead a sketching and painting session here on the banks of the Brenta.

Meals included today: Breakfast, Light Lunch, Dinner   

_{Canaletto – Dolo View with Burchiello (left) Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Molino at Dolo (right) unchanged today}

27^th May, 2024 (Monday) – The Lagoon – Torcello – Burano

Today we discover the shifting light patterns of the Venetian Lagoon. We will drive to the edge of the lagoon and board a boat at Fusina and make our way across the lagoon to the islands of Torcello and Burano. Torcello is famous for its mosaics and was one of the first islands to be inhabited in the lagoon. At its peak the island had a population of thousands, today the population is less than a hundred people. The Devil’s Bridge, Ponte Diavolo spans the small canal leading up to the basilica and to Locanda Cipriani. Winston Churchill came to paint here in the early 1960s.

Back on the boat we proceed to the island of Burano, known for its brightly coloured houses and lace-making ladies. Lunch today is at the fantastic Da Romano Trattoria where risotto is the speciality. This restaurant recently celebrated 100 years in business. It is a favourite of mine. One of the waiters has worked here for 55 years. In fact the restaurant was the haunt of a group of Italian intellectuals in the 1930s and 40s you can still see their art on the walls! This restaurant is paradise, it’s not just a place for a delicious lunch (although the food is fantastic), it’s also a friendly meeting place for locals and it’s an art gallery – what could be more perfect for a group of artists.

Meals included today: Breakfast, Lunch

_{Burano – Trattoria da Romano – a fish restaurant filled with art}

28^th May, 2024 (Tuesday) – Painting and sketching at the villa

A wonderfully relaxing day of painting and sketching at the Villa Franceschi. The park around the villa is delightful and there are numerous peaceful spots for painting and finding inspiration. Caroline will be on hand to guide and instruct you.  

Meals included today: Breakfast, Dinner  

_{The Brenta waterway, our base for The Artist’s Week 24-30 May and then later in the year a Writer’s Retreat 18-24 Sept, 2022}

29^th May, 2024 (Wednesday) – Venice and the Biennale

The Venice Biennale runs from 20^th April until the end of November, 2024. For those guests who are interested we will offer a ‘highlights’ of the Biennale visit today. The Biennale is the largest and most important contemporary art event in the world. In 2024 this will be the 60^th edition of this international exhibition. The event stretches across the Giardini (Gardens) and The Arsenale (old ship building docks) of Venice. It’s a very large show and we’ll include just a few national pavilions.

Alternatively, if the hustle and bustle of the Biennale is not for you we’ll offer an additional day of painting, possibly views of La Dogana, Salute and/or Giudecca.

This evening we’ll enjoy a Farewell Dinner together at Villa Franceschi. A fitting end to our week together in the Veneto.

Meals included today: Breakfast, Farewell Dinner

_{Scenes from previous Biennale exhibits, 2022, 2019, Borges Labyrinth c. 2010}

30^th May, 2024 (Thursday) – Departures

After a final breakfast on the terrace it’s time to head home, filled with the inspiration and art of a week in Venice. We hope to welcome you back to Venice in the near future. There’ll be transport to the airport for all guests. Buon Viaggio – a presto!!

Accommodation – you will be staying at:

Hotel Villa Franceschi – Via Don Minzoni, 28 – 30034 Mira, Venezia, Italy

Fabulous country house hotel, 20 minutes from Venice – gorgeous pool, delicious food. Lovely family-run property, first class accommodation, great location. www.villafranceschi.com

www.villafranceschi.com

Practical information – what’s included:

• 6 nights accommodation in Villa Franceschi Hotel. A beautiful country house hotel set in a private park with beautiful swimming pool and elegant terraces.
• A choice of rooms available; choose from double, twin, junior suite
• Four art lessons with Caroline
• Full sight-seeing programme with Janet
• Breakfast included daily – buffet style, served ‘al fresco’ weather-permitting.
• 3 x lunches included
• 4 x Dinners included
• Wine is served with dinner (2 glasses per person), water, tea, coffee included.
• Wine is not included at lunch – it makes for a sleepy and/or emotional audience!
• All transportation and guiding services included as listed in the itinerary.
• All visits, activities, boat rides and excursions as listed in the itinerary.

Special features:

• Staying in a stunning high quality country house hotel near Venice
• Private boat tours of Venice and lagoon; Grand Canal, St Mark’s Basin, islands.
• Visit Palladian villas filled with extraordinary art and frescoes
• Discover Ernest Hemingway’s Lagoon with a boat tour to Torcello & Burano
• Numerous painting opportunities in Venice and on terraferma.

Package Cost:

• GBP £ 3950 / Euros € 4600 pp / in double for single use.
• GBP £ 3650 / Euros € 4300 pp / sharing a double-twin room

Not included:

• Flights are not included. The tour starts in Venice and finishes in Venice.
• There are numerous flights from the UK to Venice, including British Airways, Easy Jet and Ryan Air.
• Travel insurance is compulsory – please see our T’s & C’s.
• Items of a personal nature, toiletries, room service, minibar etc – not included.
• Snacks, drinks outside meal times are not included.
• Gratuities for guides and drivers are not included and much appreciated.

To book your place:

• Please drop me an e-mail and register your interest. janet@grand-tourist.com
• I will then send you a booking form and a deposit request.
• Please complete the booking form and return it via e-mail or by post.
• A deposit of 50% of the total cost is required to confirm your place.
• Alternatively – payment in 3 tranches is possible – approx. £ 1350 per payment.
• Please make payment by bank transfer into our UK sterling account
• Additional nights at the hotel pre/post ‘Artist’s Week’ available on request.

Further reading:

My contact details:

• Janet Simmonds is a Geographer and Art Historian. You can read more about Janet on her blog: www.greyhoundtrainers.com
• Janet also runs a specialist travel company called www.grand-tourist.com – she divides her time between Chester, London and Venice.
• Caroline’s contact details: 07813 701222

• You can reach Janet by phone: 07590 990 160
• E-mail: janet@grand-tourist.com
• What’s app: +44 7590 990 160 (also what’s app)
• Visit the Grand Tourist web site for more info: AN ARTIST’S WEEK IN ITALY… (grand-tourist.com)

• janet@grand-tourist.com
• www.grand-tourist.com

_{Join us for a week of inspiration and creativity. As a recent guest commented, ‘It was the best investment I’ve made in my own creativity, ever!’}

_{Cover photo (above and header image) painting by Davide Battistin – currently on show in Venice – Campo Santo Stefano, until the end of February. For more info: www.lineadacqua.com}

20th January 2024