Considered nowadays the best painter of XVII century, Caravaggio masterpieces are mostly in Rome
This masterpiece is part of a series of three scenes depicting the life and death of apostle Matthew
This famous painting is located in the church of St. Augustine near Piazza Navona
This beautiful chapel located in the church of St. Maria del Popolo hosts paintings by Caravaggio and his rival Carracci
Caravaggio, alias Michelangelo Merisi (1573-1610), brought huge innovations in the world of art, yet the man was surrounded by lots of controversies. The city of Rome contains several of his masterpieces, whose beauty left an indelible mark in the history of art, defining the whole Italian Baroque Period thanks to their originality and undisputed quality.
Join us on this private guided walking tour led by an art historian that will take you through the original context of this accursed painter, who fled Rome after killing a man. .
As the tour is specifically focused on Caravaggio’s in situ works, those paintings that are still hosted by the original location they were created for, we will visit three important churches in the historic centre: Santa Maria del Popolo, San Luigi dei Francesi and Sant’Agostino.
While the walking tour goes on, we will pass by the same streets inhabited by Caravaggio and his models in the 1600’s. A picturesque, mostly unchanged scenario, rather dangerous at the time, from which the painter drew inspiration. For an overview of the Baroque period as a whole, we’ll start off with Santa Maria del Popolo, in which the work of Caravaggio is put directly next to the one of his stylistic competitor Annibale Carracci, right in the same chapel. Here, you’ll also start getting familiar with the main motifs Caravaggio grappled with.
Passing by Piazza del Popolo, we will reach to the Tridente. Caravaggio used to live and work in this district, in which our guide will tell you more about the rumours and accusation of murder that surrounded the painter, while providing a detailed explanation of his painting techniques.
Then, our next stop is the church of the French Congregation in Rome, San Luigi dei Francesi, home of the series of Saint Matthew, one of Caravaggio’s most wonderful works yet his first public altarpiece. Here, Caravaggio’s main stylistic features are revealed, especially the revolutionary contrast between light and dark, the mastery of chiaroscuro that made him one of the most original artists of all time.
Before saying goodbye, we’ll head to our last stop at Sant’Agostino, home to an amazing late work by Caravaggio not often visited by tourists. Usually led by a Master or Ph.D. level art historian, our tour will let you fully understand not only the art, style and lifestyle of Caravaggio, but also the art of all those painters whose work bejewelled the Baroque era in Rome.
We often heard about Nero from movies and books but only in Rome we really had an idea of his ambition. We were impressed by the knowledge of our tour guide and by the ruins. Thank you guys for such a memorable experience!
Paul V. from St. Antonio, Texas
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