ISTANBUL, Ravenna & VENICE:
THE BYZANTINE LEGACY
october 2026
DR Louise Marshall
*** Preliminary Itinerary ***
Explore the wealth of the Byzantine Empire, from its eastern capital at present-day Istanbul to its apotheosis in Ravenna and enduring influence on Venice
OVERVIEW
For over 1,000 years, the Byzantine Empire was a European byword for sophistication. Keen observers from Christian Europe, the Arab world and the Far East sought to emulate and improve on its government and navy, its art and architecture. Even everyday details captivated people, from the humble fork – introduced to Western Europe through Venice – to a penchant for the emperor’s red shoes among European kings.
This 16-day tour surveys the impressive legacy of the Byzantine Empire, commencing with a week-long stay in its powerful capital. Present-day Istanbul – Byzantium, Constantinople, Stamboul – still boasts its strategic position, located at the mouth of the Bosporus, straddling Asia and Europe, East and West. From Constantine onwards, successive Eastern Roman emperors made extensive investments in their capital city and its infrastructure, churches and palaces. The emperors’ adoption of Christianity gave them a potent new visual language of authority that projected well beyond their Mediterranean empire.
Travelling to Ravenna in Italy for 2 nights, we enjoy a unique opportunity to compare a Byzantine metropolis with the messages of power and prestige conveyed in a regional capital. For centuries, Ravenna was a centre for Roman, Byzantine and Ostrogothic rule, but it fell into a decline in the Middle Ages and its Byzantine churches, chapels and tombs, with their UNESCO-listed mosaics, are beautifully preserved as a result.
Finally, we unpack our bags for a week in Venice, travelling to the northernmost reaches of the lagoon to appreciate the Byzantine legacy on Torcello and in the glowing mosaics of St Mark’s Basilica. Exploring Venice’s maritime trade, foreign communities and their places of worship, we admire great art and architecture, from Carpaccio and Bellini to Titian, Tintoretto and the birth of modern art.
The tour is complemented by the expert guidance of your tour leader, and by fine food and wine in carefully chosen restaurants.
Highlights
Unpack your bags for long stays in central Istanbul and a family-owned boutique hotel in Venice
Discover a Roman legacy in Istanbul’s hippodrome, basilica cisterns and impressive walls
Chart the rise of Christianity at Hagia Sophia and in Ravenna’s mosaic-encrusted churches
Survey superlative medieval art, including frescoes in Istanbul’s Chora and Padua’s Scrovegni Chapel
Appreciate a different aesthetic, from Ottoman tiles to a little-known museum of Greek icon painting in Venice and cutting-edge modern art
Enjoy outstanding scenery from land to sea, including a day on the Bosporus and excursions into the Venetian lagoon
TOUR LEADER
Dr Louise Marshall is an art historian, with a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and a research specialisation in Italian art of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. She is an honorary senior lecturer in the Department of Art History at the University of Sydney, where she taught for over thirty years.
Louise is a popular lecturer on Italian art history and has frequently presented on the subject at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, including in conjunction with the Italian Institute of Culture (Sydney), and at the National Gallery of Victoria. She has been invited to speak at international conferences in Europe and North America, and has often been interviewed as a specialist on Italian art by ABC Radio National.
Questions?
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