Tour Details
Duration
3 hours
Product Type
Tour
Venues
- Santa Maria della Vittoria
- Sant'Andrea al Quirinale
- San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane
Photos & Highlights
- Explore three churches famous for their Baroque architecture while learning about religious icons and their role in Baroque art
- Led by a scholar of the Baroque
Select a date
Tour Description
In the mid-1600s, as gold from the Age of Discovery began pouring into Rome, two geniuses appeared on the scene—each attuned in a very different way to the city's transformation, and both put into motion the great artistic movement called the Baroque. During this three-hour Baroque Rome tour, we will explore the work of Bernini and Borromini visiting three extremely important churches that bear their imprint (one of which was made famous by a Dan Brown novel), and discover how the Baroque swept across Rome—and Europe at large—changing our understanding of the relationship between art and power.
Baroque Rome Tour
Our walk begins at Santa Maria della Vittoria to view Bernini's magnificent Ecstasy of St. Teresa, featured prominently in Dan Brown's popular novel. A sculptural masterwork, St. Teresa will enable us to think more significantly about religious icons and their role in Baroque art. We will also discuss patronage and why so much of Rome's great art of this period rests in churches—much of it in the same place in which it was created five hundred years ago. Participants who have taken one of our other art tours in Rome will be able to make connections and comparisons here to ancient art, the Renaissance, and other eras.
Our next stop, just down the street, is the even smaller but even more stunning San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane by Francesco Borromini. San Carlino, as this church is called, is a favorite among architects, with Richard Meier calling it one of the most inspirational. Our discussion of art and politics will continue here, we'll dig deeper into some of the finer aesthetic details that Borromini honed and which form the basis of high Baroque art.
Personalities in Conflict
As we peer into the biographies of both of these artists, who, though both influential, represent nearly polar opposites, we'll pull out some salient details. Bernini was the consummately connected insider who built a career—and studio of artists—churning out dozens of amazing works. Borromini, on the other hand, was the sole practitioner who labored for years on smaller, more private projects. Never to achieve the fame of his rival during his lifetime—and eventually committing suicide—many consider his work to be of a higher quality. Using biography as a lens, we'll look at how our conceptions of genius were shaped by the art of this period.
Sant'Andrea al Quirinale
Our final stop will be at Via del Quirinale with the church of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Considered by many to be a masterwork of the Baroque, this small, intimate church offers a perfect place to discuss some of the basic principles of Baroque art and architecture—movement, perspective, grandeur—as well as diving into the social and political atmosphere in Rome during the 1660s. In the company of our guide, a trained art historian, we will learn how to pull apart the details of architecture and put them back together again, to read the program of the artist.
Want to explore more of our Rome architecture tours? Try our Forum Tour or our Colosseum Tour.
Take-Aways
We will emerge from our time together with a better understanding of the Baroque and an appreciation of the work of two of Rome's greatest artists—Bernini and Borromini. We will also have the chance to visit several lesser-known tourist sites that happen to house some of the most significant artworks in the world.
Experts
Where You'll Start
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116 Reviews
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Not through any fault of Frank, but unfortunately the Sant'Andrea church was closed and under scaffolding due to a leak in the roof and we were not able to go inside as a result. So, for me, that was a huge disappointment . According to Frank it all happened so fast and there was no time to notify us, but unfortunately that dampened my enthusiasm for the walking tour. Even at a late hour, I still think Context should have sent us an email alerting us to the change. At the very least, an email could have been sent after the tour apologizing for any inconvenience or disappointment. If I were looking at the tour anew, I would not sign up for it if I knew the church interior was closed as I think I missed out on a lot. Not seeing the interior of Sant'Andrea made it much harder to see the differences between Bernini's style, and Borromini's interior of San Carlino which we were able to see and which was superb.
Having said that, Frank did a great job leading the walk, and I expect we stopped by some sights that we wouldn't otherwise have had time for. The small group size is a big plus. He was certainly very knowledgeable and engaging and an excellent guide and highly recommended.
It seemed that the church would be closed for a while. I see on your website, that it is still listed as a sight on the tour and I didn't see any mention that one could not visit the interior. Perhaps it is open again, otherwise the website should reflect the fact that you can't go inside, otherwise I think the description is misleading. Perhaps the description should be rewritten or other sights should be substituted if it is still closed.
Mark
Reviewed on:
Jul 13, 2013
We started at one church which was closed, unfortunately. I think that Hilary should have known that. On the other hand, this is Rome, so tough to predict. We then had the same problem with the Barberini Palace - she thought it stayed open until 7 PM and when we got there at 6 PM on Friday night, they said they closed at 6 PM. Again, not sure how much of this was Hilary and how much was just general life in Rome! Having said that, Hilary tried to make up for it, ad stayed with us until 7:30 showing us other sites in Rome. She had another woman with her - who may have been in training - Lydia was her name - a PHD in Architecture who was outstanding.
Kathy
Reviewed on:
Jun 9, 2013
I generally don't go in for superlatives, so please don't interpret the 5s as criticisms. The tour was quite good, and we enjoyed Ms. Bockham very much. She was quite generous with her time (the tour ended up lasting an extra hour). What worked for us was the small size of the group, Ms. Pellegrini's ability to provide context, interesting details, etc. and to generally be willing to chat. It was particularly interesting to get her view of Rome from a foreigner's perspective. We also enjoyed taking a coffee break to relax and chat about halfway through the tour. If there was one thing I would change, it would be to have a prepared finale. The tour kind of just ended. It would have been nice to have a concluding talk/presentation that packaged the tour a bit better.
Dennis
Reviewed on:
Jun 5, 2013
