Cruising the Jewels of Northern Italy

We wake up in Mantova, the birth city of the Roman poet Virgil and home of the powerful Gonzaga family which bred horses for the Holy Roman emperors. The beautiful city centre, with its medieval and renaissance core, is resonant of its vast history. The ship remains docked here overnight.

Exclusive Andante Excursion: We spend the morning exploring the extraordinary Palazzo Ducale in Mantova, the home and court of the Gonzagas, who ruled over the city for centuries and made Mantova a centre of artistic patronage. In addition to the incredible architecture, we wonder at Mantegna’s masterpiece, the Camera degli Sposi commissioned by Ludovico III in the mid-15^th century. Returning toward the city centre we take in the Basilica of Sant’Andrea, commissioned by Ludovico III Gonzaga in 1471 and constructed by the innovative Leon Battista Alberti.

The ship remains docked in Mantova for the day, until sailing towards Valdaro this evening.

Exclusive Andante Excursion: We drive to Brescia and spend time in the acclaimed Museum of Santa Giulia, first established as a female monastery by Desiderius, the last of the Lombard kings. The museum houses two in situ, stunningly preserved Roman domus, as well as the important 8th century Lombard Church of San Salvatore. We also see the coro delle monache (choir of the nuns), with its vibrant frescoes based around the theme of salvation by Floriano Ferramola and Paolo da Caylina the Younger, as well as the unique Cross of Desiderius with its staggering collection of ancient gems. We end the visit with an exploration of the remarkably preserved Roman capitolium and theatre to remind us of the city’s resplendent Roman period.

Today the ship leaves Valdaro and cruises towards the Veneto, stopping at various places enroute. The ship docks at the little-known Venetian city of Rovigo.

Exclusive Andante Excursion: Today we explore the staggering city of Verona, taking in sites from across the ages. We start with its famous Arena, once famous for gladiator fights and now renowned for its staging of operas. Like many Roman cities north of the Po, the city preserves the Roman street grid, allowing us to walk down towards the Piazza delle Erbe, the site of the Roman forum and continue to the Augustan Porta Borsari, along the decumanus maximus. We also walk nearby to the Arco dei Gavi, thought to have been designed by the Roman architect Vitruvius, before exploring the city’s illustrious medieval past by visiting the Arche Scaligere, the tombs of the powerful Scaligeri who ruled Verona from the 14th until its Venetian conquest at the beginning of the 15th century.

Departing Rovigo early, the ship cruises eastwards along the canal with the river Po to the south and Adige to the north. Then, makes its way to Chioggia and thence to Venice, its final destination.

Exclusive Andante Excursion: We drive to Padova, the erstwhile Roman city and home to one of the oldest universities in the world, in order to explore 14th century frescoed sites which have only this year been declared a World Heritage site. We start with one of the jewels of the proto renaissance and Giotto’s masterpiece, namely the Cappella degli Scrovegni which is in the spectacular Eremitani Museum. From there we travel to the Baptistery to view the wondrous 14th century frescoes painted by Giusto de Menabuoi.

We awake in the Venetian lagoon, seeing the city from the vantage point of the water, in the way that it is meant to be seen. The Queen of the Adriatic, so improbably built on an archipelago of 118 islands, linked by 400 bridges, has so many hidden wonders that it is impossible to see the city a new with each visit.

Exclusive Andante Excursions: We hire a private boat and venture into the North Lagoon where we explore some of the most beautiful and historical Venetian islands. We start at Torcello, the oldest settlement in the lagoon, in order to explore the Basilica Santa Maria Assunta with its stunning 12th century mosaics. From there we venture a short distance to Burano, famed for its lace and colourful houses, and thence to Mazzorbo to see its medieval Chiesa di San Pietro e Santa Caterina.

This morning we disembark the ship and make our way to our hotel in Venice for a final day in this spectacular city. We spend the day visiting sites which are evocative of everyday life in the city, starting with the Scuola Dalmata, the confraternity of Slavs which was founded in order to offer support to the many Dalmatian sailors working for the Venetian republic. From there we walk around the Castello region, taking in Vivaldi’s Pieta, a charitable organisation which trained abandoned children, as well as the Arsenale, workplace for some 16,000 Venetians responsible for making Venice a naval superpower. In the afternoon, we visit the stunning Basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo and the Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli in anticipation of our private, evening visit to the stunning Basilica di San Marco, a fitting way to end this tour.

Time permitting, we will continue our exploration of Venice before taking our return flights to London.