Tag: Art

Istanbul, Imperial City: The Definitive Guide

Istanbul, Imperial City | Small Group History Tours Turkey For more than a thousand years, Constantinople stood as the capital of the Byzantine Empire, surviving numerous attacks and internal rebellions, until the cannons of the Ottoman Empire breached its walls. Constantinople, the bastion of Christianity, was renamed Istanbul, “the city of Islam”. It became the starting […]

Great Museums of New York City

Great New York City Museums, United States New Yorkers are obsessed with their museums. And why wouldn’t they? The city has arguably the richest and best museum culture in the world, with the utter number of museums and cultural institutions absolutely mind-blowing. In addition to an impressive number of classic institutions, there is also a […]

John Constable

John Constable  English artist John Constable (1776-1837) is one of the greatest landscape painters of all time and one of the most important artists of the Romantic Tradition. Nature was his primary inspiration. Along with his rival J M W Turner, he created a new style that detailed nature as the focal point in the […]

From Anatolia to the Ottoman Empire: A History of Turkey

From Anatolia to the Ottoman Empire: A History of Turkey For six centuries, the Ottoman Empire ruled from the gates of Vienna to the deserts of Arabia, absorbing the older civilisations of Anatolia — the Hittites, Greeks, Persians, Romans, Byzantines and Seljuks — into one of history’s most enduring superpowers. Its palaces, mosques and battlefields […]

William Morris’ Kelmscott Manor

Kelmscott Manor: ‘Heaven on Earth’ Described as ‘heaven on earth’, Kelmscott Manor was beloved by William Morris – the poet, author, architectural conservationist, and social reformer, widely regarded as the founding father of the Arts and Crafts movement. The limestone farmhouse in the English West Oxfordshire village of Kelmscott was Morris’ country home from 1871 […]

Italian Renaissance Families: The Medicis

This blog is part of a series on five influential Italian Renaissance families that shaped Italy, especially during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is based on both our Italian Renaissance Summer School course, and our Small Group Tour of Italy, structured around the story of these five families. The Medici Family Today, the legacy […]

Personalities from Queen Victoria’s Britain

Article for senior couples and mature solo travellers exploring Queen Victoria’s Empire including Britain and the personalities. Supports small group educational tour about the monarch and the industrial revolution. 

England’s Liverpool: Port City, Architecture Marvel

During the Industrial Revolution, the city became one of the most important ports in North-West England, prominent for its cotton, tobacco, and slave trade (especially during the American civil war).

Small Group Literary Tours of England for Seniors

England offers amazing attractions to lovers of literature and art. Many famous figures lived and worked here over the years, and because of the country’s beautifully preserved history, it is possible to feel as though you are being transported back in time.

Exploring York

Exploring York Like a page out of a history book, the North-Eastern city of York in the United Kingdom is a Gothic wonder. This is a great day tour from London, with its rich history and amazing scenery. From your London hotel or accommodation, you can simply hop on a train and be in York […]

Challenges of Art Restoration

The Challenges of Art Restoration For centuries, professionals have been restoring masterpiece artworks back to their original appearance or function so that future generations can also experience their grandeur. Restoration involves any attempt to preserve and repair paintings, drawings, sculptures, architecture, or objects of the decorative arts. It focuses on the repair or renovation of […]

Discovering Georgia: The Definitive Guide for Travellers

Discovering Georgia Standing at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains, where Europe and Central Asia intersect, the land of Georgia is filled with wondrous landmarks and cultural experiences just waiting to be discovered on a sightseeing tour. A place of exotic beauty no bigger than Ireland. On a trip to Georgia you could ski down […]

Tuscany and its beautiful hilltop towns

Tuscany’s gorgeous countryside Tuscany, named after the Etruscans, the forerunners of the Romans, with its spectacular hill towns and scenery, is one of Italy’s top vacation destinations. Tuscany‘s attractions include historic cities and art, lush vineyards, great wine and food, medieval hill towns, beaches, and beautiful countryside. These medieval town(s) are best explored on a […]

Pro Hart and the ‘Brushmen of the Bush’

A group of self-taught artists from Broken Hill, Pro Hart and the ‘Brushmen of the Bush’ took the world by storm in the 1960s and 1970s,

Exploring the museums of Port Adelaide, South Australia

Port Adelaide offers a number of fascinating opportunities to delve into the maritime history of South Australia.

William Morris at the Art Gallery of South Australia

One of the lesser-known Adelaide highlights is the Morris & Co. collection at the Art Gallery of South Australia, the world’s second biggest collection of Morris decorative arts after the Victoria and Albert Gallery in London.

Aboriginal Sites of Importance in Outback Queensland, Australia

Outback Queensland is particularly hiding a number of unforgettable indigenous tourism experiences. Especially at the Brewarrina Fish Traps, Carnarvon Gorge, and Wallaroo station you can experience and learn about dreamtime creation stories, age-old cultural practices and traditions, and Aboriginal art.

Aboriginal Rock Art in the Kimberley, Australia

The Kimberley is home to thousands of ancient rock art sites, believed to be the world’s oldest examples of rock art.Discover more on this Odyssey Traveller small group tour.

Continental Crossroads: Discover Morocco

Continental Crossroads: Discover Morocco Morocco is a land of incredible diversity. On an Odyssey Traveller Morocco tour of this magnificent country you will encounter bustling marketplaces, grand and ornate architecture, spectacular deserts, rugged mountain ranges and thrumming African cities.  Situated at the crossroads of two continents, this corner of North Africa been repeatedly conquered and reconquered […]

Musée Maillol, Paris

Musee Maillol, a small museum devoted to the work of Aristide Maillol, a pioneering turn-of-the-century sculptor.

Marmottan Monet Museum, France

Marmottan Monet Museum – home to the world’s largest collection of Monets, along with works by the other great impressionists – remains a hidden gem, often left out of the standard tour of Paris.