Wish we were there! : Travels with the Nuttalls

Fun two sessions of online lectures from Paula and Geoff Nuttall recreating two of their guided tours of two Italian cities and buildings.

I’ve not done any other guided tour type talks by other people as I thought it would feel strange to not actually go to a place, however as I’ve so enjoyed other talks and courses by this couple I thought I’d give it a go. I enjoyed their balance of good solid art history alongside a sense of moving around a place even down to pictures of how we would have arrived and where we might be having our coffee.

Week one was Lucca with Geoff. I had previously done a five week course by him on the silk merchants of the city but it was nice to concentrate on what was actually in the city. The first lecture walked us through the cathedral looking at it from a pilgrim’s perspective then moved onto San Frediano’s with he tombs of St Richard at St Zita. In the second half he looked in particular at the painters who came to the city including Filippino Lippi who painted two great altarpieces. He also talked about the strange Amico Aspertini from Bologna who decorated a chapel in San Frediano in the early 16th century.

Week two took us to Urbino with Paula for a detailed look at Federico de Montefeltro’s palace. Before the break we explored the exterior discussing how the project reflected his ambitions to be a great prince using the vast fortune he made from being a soldier for hire. We talked about which architects might have been involved and how it changed over the years to reflect Renaissance ideals. In the second half we went inside and walked through the rooms including the wonderful studiolo with Trompe-l'œil inlaid woodwork and possibly the first indoor bathroom of modern times.

Two really enjoyable mornings spent imagining what life can be like again when we can travel.

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