8 artistic secrets of Europe worth travelling for
Go beyond The Louvre with Europe art tours by Limelight Arts Travel.
| THIS ARTICLE WAS CREATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Limelight Arts Travel |
Go beyond The Louvre to discover some of Europe’s lesser-visited artistic wonders.
Seeing the Mona Lisa through the screen of 1000 phones and GoPros rather dulls the shine of standing in the presence of the world’s most famous artwork. There’s a better way to immerse yourself in this rich cultural history on Europe art tours with Limelight Arts Travel.
Expert guided tours bypass the crowds and take guests beyond the obvious, exploring some of the continent’s lesser-known destinations ripe with history and culture. From mosaic-covered cathedrals to archaeological museums, these are some of Europe’s best artistic secrets worth travelling for.
1. Museo di San Marco, Florence
Art is one of the major driving forces of travel to Florence, with Michelangelo’s David, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Donatello’s David all at home in the Tuscan city. However, these famed sculptures and paintings are just the tip of Florence’s artistic iceberg.
At Museo di San Marco – an art museum in a historic convent of San Marco – you can uncover the city’s beauty as it was in the Middle Ages and early Renaissance. Marvel at the detailed frescoes by Dominican friar and artist Fra Angelico, painted post-1436, and delve deep into their complex meanings with the help of Renaissance historian Nick Eckstein. He leads Limelight Arts Travel’s 13-day Florence in Depth tour, which gives guests unparalleled access to lesser-visited Florentine art hot spots.
Be awed by Florence.
2. Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, Istanbul
Study the transforming impact of the Ottoman Empire through art at the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts; there’s nowhere else in Türkiye where the two art styles sit harmoniously under one roof.
The 110-year-old museum is one of the final stops in Istanbul on Limelight’s 16-day Istanbul to Venice: the Byzantine Legacy tour, after which the tour leader – art historian Dr Louise Marshall – leads the group across borders into Italy to continue studying the impressive legacy of the Byzantine Empire. Its recently renovated halls are dripping with glassware, calligraphy and ceramics dating back to the seventh century. Here, a 1700-strong carpet collection is considered one of the most important in the world.
Wander the arts of the Ottoman Empire. (Image: pdbreen)
3. Murals and Frescoes, Lyon
As France’s capital of gastronomy, visitors to Lyon often arrive with a one-track mind and a long list of local delicacies to try. The regional capital may capture hearts with its petit salé and bugnes lyonnaises, but it’s as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the stomach.
Over 100 modern frescoes and murals cover the walls of Lyon, the most famous being La Fresque des Canuts. It’s the largest fresco in Europe and is constantly updated to reflect daily life in the Croix Rousse district. For a glimpse into the lives of Lyon’s silk weavers, who used to populate this district, visit the Maison des Canuts for a guided introduction to the process of silk-weaving. Join Limelight’s eight-day Lyon and Marseille tour to experience both.
Feast your eyes on Lyon’s vibrant murals and silk-weaving heritage.
4. Abruzzo, Italy
Sun-chasers centre their Italian travels around Amalfi and Palermo, wine connoisseurs in Tuscany and Veneto, and art lovers in Venice, Florence and Rome. Because the latter cities contain a high concentration of quality artworks, they often overshadow other destinations’ contributions to Italy’s art landscape.
Take, for example, Abruzzo. The picturesque southern region was the focus of early Roman conquest and rebuilding, which forms part of this region’s legacy of captivating archaeological sites and medieval buildings. Historically significant works of art remained scattered around the countryside.
Limelight’s Along the Apennines tour delves deep into the fabric of Abruzzo, exploring medieval and Renaissance art and architecture, including the tiny, fully-frescoed Oratory of San Pellegrino church.
Journey through Abruzzo’s stunning and historically significant landscapes.
5. The Archaeological Museum of Pella, Greece
Founded in the mid-seventh century B.C., the ancient city of Pella was the capital of the Kingdom of Macedon and the birthplace of Alexander the Great. By the archaeological site of the ancient Macedonian palace sits the Archaeological Museum of Pella, which was completed and opened to the public in 2009. In the city’s excavation, an exquisite fourth-century B.C. mosaic of a lion hunt was uncovered in Dionysos’ house. It now lies in the museum, joining the likes of Hellenistic sculpture, pottery and ancient gold jewellery to paint a picture of what life was like in ancient Macedonia.
Join Limelight’s Via Egnatia tour to explore it, as well as the museums and galleries in Albania and Thessaloniki.
Walk in Alexander the Great’s footsteps at ancient Pella.
6. Monreale Cathedral, Sicily
Externally, Sicily’s Monreale Cathedral looks no more impressive than any other cathedral on the island. Step inside, and the 102-metre-long church surpasses all expectations, with over 6000 square metres of its interior covered in decorative mosaic.
The intricate Arab, Byzantine and Norman-style artworks date back to 1172, taking 13 years to complete and utilising some 2200 kilograms of pure gold. Though the mosaics are the stars of the show, take the time to study the decorative antique columns and ornamental flooring, too, as no surface of the cathedral is untouched by detail.
Take a self-guided day trip to Monreale from Palermo, or join Limelight’s 15-day Essential Sicily tour for a guided tour led by Dr Kathryn Welch, who has a PhD in Roman history and a wealth of knowledge on the cathedral.
Experience the artistic marvels of Monreale Cathedral.
7. New Art Centre, Roche Court Sculpture Park, Wiltshire, UK
Championing young and emerging artists has been at the heart of what the New Art Centre does since its opening in London in 1958. Now, the specialist 20th and 21st-century art gallery is at home in the Wiltshire countryside – a 25-minute drive from Stonehenge – and encompasses multiple contemporary gallery spaces and an outdoor sculpture park.
It’s not the only one in the area, with Messums Wiltshire and Hauser and Wirth Somerset in close proximity, making this slice of English countryside a hotspot for any art enthusiast.
Explore the region’s thriving art scene on an 11-day tour of Southern England with Fiona McIntosh, an art advisor and Limelight Arts Travel tour leader.
8. Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation, Athens
As far as modern art goes, it doesn’t get much bigger than Picasso, Pollock and Monet. They’re just a few of the names you’ll find in the Goulandris Museum of Modern Art, one of the stops on Limelight’s 12-day Athens in Depth tour.
Opened in 2019, the 11-storey museum houses shipowner couple Basil and Elise Goulandris’ private collection of Impressionist, Modernist and post-war art, estimated to be worth some $3 billion. Rare paintings and sculptures from the biggest names in Western art hang alongside pieces from notable Greek artists of the past 100 years, the latter collection an extension of the Goulandris Museum of Contemporary Art in Andros. In the shadows of the sixth-century Panathenaic Stadium, the gallery is a poignant reminder that Greece’s cultural riches didn’t end in the ancient world.
See Van Gogh, Picasso, Pollock, and Monet’s masterpieces in one place.
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