Botticelli, Bernini, and Beyond: A Journey Through Italian Art
8 May 2025 - All
At the start of the Easter holidays, nine Art Historians embarked on a trip to Italy. Day one was a complete immersion in Florence, beginning with the beautiful Uffizi Gallery. While sitting in front of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, a crowd gathered around us, highlighting art’s ability to unite strangers from around the world. Next, we stumbled upon the famous Gothic exterior and dome of the Duomo, leaving us awestruck. Then, we visited the Galleria dell’Accademia, seeing Michelangelo’s David standing there in full glory. Our first day in Florence ended with an astounding sunset on the Ponte Vecchio.
Day two began with discussions of Donatello’s David and the significance of the feather, followed by a conversation about the public display of The Rape of the Sabine Women in the Piazza della Signoria, where the UVI also came face to face with their mock visual analysis sculpture, Perseus and Medusa. We then walked to the Galleria del Duomo, where we chose between the two golden Gates of Paradise, saw the haunting wooden sculpture of Mary Magdalene, and viewed Michelangelo’s final work, Calibri The Deposition, intended for his own tomb. After lunch, we explored one of our set pieces, The Old Sacristy, where we could all truly feel the order, balance, and harmony that typifies the Renaissance. We then headed over to the magnificent Palazzo Medici.
The next morning, we left for Rome, where we enjoyed the endless splendour of the Vatican Museums, culminating in the Sistine Chapel, and the breath-taking illusionistic ceilings of St Ignatius of Loyola Church, which made us feel like we were in a High Renaissance fairy tale. The excitement of finally standing beneath the Pantheon’s dome, followed by revelling in the glory of St Peter’s Basilica and admiring Bernini’s sculptures at the Villa Borghese, filled us with joy. We were also lucky enough to have the Villa Farnesina almost entirely to ourselves to explore.
But what made the trip so distinctive wasn’t just the art. It was sitting down together whenever we liked an artwork, taking photos of each other to capture the moment, and laughing on the hotel rooftop while reminiscing during the final evening. Whether walking through the Holy Doors toward the tear-inducing Pietà, sharing observations, or eating ‘strangled priest’ pasta, this trip was a genuine blessing.
We’d like to say a huge thank you to our wonderful AHA tutor, Celia, the brilliant Sra Woods and the incredible Ms Bowen, whose passion for History of Art continues to inspire us all.
Ciao!
Jess and Ava
(UVI)
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