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Brian Sewell’s Grand Tour of Italy
Follow in the footsteps of young 18th-century aristocrats who embarked on the “Grand Tour” for refinement and a good time. Brian Sewell, Britain’s most famous and fearless art critic, is your brainy guide to Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, and other destinations, discussing classical and Renaissance art, architecture, manners, and mores. “Splendidly eccentric and thoroughly endearing”—Daily Mail (UK). SDH subtitles; 10 episodes; approx. 386 min. on 4 DVDs plus viewer’s guide.
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Disc 1
Episode 1: Mont Cenis Pass, Turin, and Milan
Experiencing little of the dangers or discomforts of his 18th-century predecessors, Sewell crosses the Alps to explore Turin’s architecture, academy, opera house, and royal hunting palace—even indulging in a wild boar hunt. Then he takes in Milan’s fashion boutiques.
Episode 2: Cremona, Parma, and Bologna
After a visit to a carriage museum outside Cremona, delicacies from Parma’s shops make a fine picnic outside the Palazzo Farnese. An 18th-century art critic offers clues to how Grand Tourists appreciated paintings by Bolognese masters Carracci, Reni, and Guercino.
Episode 3: Florence
Like the Grand Tourists 200 years ago, Sewell lingers among the pleasures of Florence, including Brunelleschi’s magnificent Duomo, the artistic treasures in the Pitti Palace, the hospitality of Horace Mann’s palace, and Michelangelo’s spectacular David—by torchlight.
Disc 2
Episode 4: San Gimignano, Siena, Radicofani, and Orvieto
A hillside town gives a glimpse of 18th-century crime and punishment. In Siena, Sewell offers a revisionist take on Pisano’s pulpit in the cathedral and muses about government in the Palazzo Pubblico. Then Orvieto’s magnificent cathedral reveals the frescoes by Signorelli that inspired Michelangelo.
Episode 5: Rome
How would young 18th-century grandees have viewed St. Peter’s, the Forum, Coliseum, and Pantheon? Sewell looks past today’s tawdry tourist crowds for answers before venturing among the cool fountains at the Villa d’Este and standing for a portrait by a modern-day successor to Batoni.
Episode 6: Naples and New Pompeii
After a private operatic performance and a visit to the royal sculpture collection, Sewell intrepidly takes to the sea, crosses the harbor, and climbs the slopes of Vesuvius. Nearby, New Pompeii has risen in sharp contrast to the decadence of the old, once-buried city.
Disc 3
Episode 7: Paestum, Todi, and Urbino
Ancient Greek ruins still stand silent watch in Paestum, but banditti no longer lie in ambush in the surrounding countryside. Next, Sewell reminisces among the narrow streets of Todi before traveling to Urbino, which preserves the early Renaissance style like no place else.
Episode 8: Rimini, Ferrara, and Mantua
After exposing the colorful history of Rimini’s Tempio Malatestiano and pausing briefly for an antique-car rally, Sewell learns all about olive oil’s degrees of virginity and admires Palazzo del Te, unapologetically dedicated to pleasures of the flesh.
Disc 4
Episode 9: Vicenza, Possagno, and Padua
After examining Palladio’s basilica and Olympic Theatre in Vicenza, Sewell tours the Villa Valmarana and its Tiepolo frescoes. In Possagno, Antonio Canova’s studio opens its wonders, and the university in Padua affords the opportunity to discuss 18th-century treatments for venereal disease.
Episode 10: Venice
Even a costume at a Carnival ball can’t mask Sewell’s sweet melancholy at journey’s end; neither can the views along the Grand Canal or a visit to a clandestine 18th-century gambling den. But a cup of chocolate, served Italian style, helps. |
- Biographies of Brian Sewell and Grand Tour artists
- "Side Trips: Tour Tidbits Explained"
- Exclusive web extras
- Viewer’s guide
| Packaging: Boxed Set
Run Time: 386 minutes
Format: Widescreen
Number of discs: 4
Language: English
Subtitles: N/A
Color or B&W: Color
CC: No
SDH: Yes
Region Code: 1
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Rating: N/A | | "Splendidly eccentric and thoroughly endearing"—Daily Mail (UK) | | Brian Sewell writes for the London Evening Standard and advises museums on three continents. His numerous awards include the Hawthornden Prize for Art Criticism and the George Orwell Prize for cultural commentary. |
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