cucina
and cultura
3-day programs in Rome
with Giulia Bernardini
Sample
Itineraries | About
Giulia Bernardini | Rates
and Registration
Sample Itineraries
My goal is to design an experience based on your particular
interests and familiarity with Rome and its environs. Through
e-mail correspondence, we decide together what sites you
would like to see. Below are brief descriptions of a few
sample itineraries. Please keep in mind that these can be
tailored or combined to suit your wishes and that they by
no means exhaust the possibilities of what can be seen and
done in and around the Eternal City.
Sensuality and Splendor:
Caravaggio and Bernini and the
Roman Baroque
(Duration: 1 to 2 days)
We will explore Rome’s centro storico (historic downtown)
following the trail of artistic treasures left by either
or both of these masters and their contemporaries. Immersing
ourselves in the historical and social context of 17th century
Rome, we will visit private collections and public churches,
and become familiar with the patrons and popes responsible
for putting these giants of 17th century art on the map.
Interspersing our exploration with delicious meals, gelato,
espresso, and wine, we’ll come to understand the legacy
left to the art world by these two masters:
Caravaggio, the Baroque period's most avant-garde and provocative
painter
Bernini, sculptor, architect, painter, and designer of theatrical
displays who built the most magnificent monuments of 17th
century Rome
A sample itinerary may include:
- Morning breakfast
at historic Caffè Rosati at Piazza del Popolo
- A
visit to church of Santa Maria del Popolo’s Cerasi
Chapel to see Caravaggio’s controversial Conversion
of St. Paul, and Crucifixion of St. Peter
- Window shopping along elegant, ivy-covered Via
Margutta toward Piazza di Spagna
- A visit to Galleria Borghese’s splendid collection
of Caravaggio paintings and Bernini’s earliest sculpture
- Lunch at a well-hidden,
well-loved trattoria near the Pantheon
- Heavenly
espresso at Bar Sant’ Eustachio
- A visit to the church
of San Luigi dei Francesi to see Caravaggio’s
earliest church commission: the ground-breaking Contarelli Chapel
- Strolling
over to Piazza Navona as the sun goes down to pay our respects to Bernini’s
Four Rivers Fountain
- An aperitivo at Bar della Pace,
tucked around the corner from the famous Piazza, where we’ll join
the locals in enjoying la dolce vita
Testaccio, Trastevere, and the Jewish Ghetto:
Exploring
Rome’s quartieri popolari
(Duration: 1 to 1-½ days)
A raucous produce market, a hill made of ancient terracotta
vases, the melt-in-your-mouth taste of deep-fried artichokes,
a mosaic-encrusted church built on a miraculous oil spring,
a stunning palazzo dressed in frilly frescoes… these
are only some of the sensual pleasures we’ll encounter
on our exploration of three of Rome’s oldest, traditionally
blue-collar, neighborhoods. Though the price of real estate
may be rising across the city, nevertheless, Testaccio, Trastevere,
and the Jewish Ghetto maintain a distinctly Roman flavor.
Here, centuries of history and modern living colorfully coexist,
resulting in those cultural and artistic juxtapositions that
make the city unique.
A sample itinerary may include:
- A Roman breakfast
of cappuccino and cornetto in one of Testaccio’s
lively cafés
- Climbing up Monte Testaccio, crunching ancient Roman
amphorae shards underfoot
- A leisurely wander around Testaccio’s colorful,
noisy market
- A
stroll along the river to the Tiber Island, stopping for ancient sites
along the way
- Wandering through the ruins of the Theater of Marcellus,
the inspiration for the Colosseum
- A typical Roman Jewish lunch at Sora Margherita – a
hole-in-the-wall eatery frequented by construction workers and politicians
alike
- Breath-taking
views over the city from the Gianiculum hill
- Visiting
a jewel-like tiny “temple” that embodies the principles
of Renaissance architecture
- Ice cream at one of Trastevere’s foremost
gelaterie
- A stroll
through the splendid halls and rooms of the Villa Farnesina – commissioned
in the 16th century by the pope’s treasurer
- Admiring the dazzling
Early Christian mosaics of Santa Maria in Trastevere
Far from the Madding Crowd:
The Hidden Treasures of Rome’s
Ancient Roads
(Duration: 1-day excursions)
Many visitors to Rome limit their explorations to the Eternal
City itself. What they don’t know is that the campagna
romana (Roman countryside) is peppered with hidden treasures:
the ruins of millennial Etruscan settlements, ancient Roman
imperial villas, medieval churches and austere towers, and
Renaissance palaces built by powerful papal families. All
it takes to discover these gems is a little time, the desire
to get off the beaten path, and your well-informed guide.
Traveling in a comfortable chauffeured car along famous roads
like the Flaminia, the Cassia, the Appia, or the Tiburtina,
we will treat ourselves to the little-known sites and delicious
food of Rome’s environs.
A sample itinerary may include:
Cassia and Flaminia
- A leisurely north out of the city
up the Via Cassia to Lake Bracciano, where we stop for
a coffee in picturesque Anguillara
- Travel to Sutri to
see its beautifully preserved ancient Roman amphitheater
- Then
we continue north to Caprarola to visit the magnificent
pentagonal Palazzo Farnese, built in the 16th century and
decorated with fabulous frescoes
- A
delicious lunch in Caprarola at a local osteria
- Travel north to Bagnaia,
to visit the famed gardens and fountains of its 16th century Villa Lante
Tiburtina
- We travel east out of the city along the
Via Tiburtina to Tivoli
- Our
morning is spent exploring the famous ruins of Emperor Hadrian’s
villa at the foot of the town
- A delicious lunch at Ristorante Il Ciocco,
with its breathtaking view over the cascading waters of the Aniene river
- After
lunch, we leisurely stroll through the gardens of the 16th century
Villa d’Este, admiring its world-famous fountains
- Travel to Palestrina,
to visit the ruins of its magnificent 1st century BCE Temple of Fortuna
Primigenia: a structure that centuries later would influence the
architects of papal Rome
Beyond the Colosseum: the Rest of Ancient Rome
(Duration:
1–½ to 2 days)
The Colosseum and Roman Forum are known as must-see sites
of the Eternal City but why not expand our understanding
of Ancient Rome by exploring its lesser-known sites? Deep
underneath a 14th century church only two blocks from the
Colosseum, we will explore a temple dedicated to a cult introduced
to Rome by its legionary soldiers. To the southeast of the
city, we will stroll along an ancient road lined with silent,
imperial monuments, twisted umbrella pines and aqueducts.
And no experience of ancient Rome is complete without Ostia
Antica, a fascinating ghost town often overlooked in favor
of the more popular Pompeii.
A sample itinerary may include:
- A refresher visit
to the Colosseum and Roman Forum
- Exploring the multi-layered
church of San Clemente
- Lunch at the picturesque Antica
Osteria, nestled in ancient ruins
- Walking along the
Via Appia Antica to admire its sites
- Visiting Ostia
Antica’s ruins with a picnic meal
Giulia Bernardini:
Private Tour Guide
– Italy and . . .
 Giulia Bernardini credits her peripatetic childhood with
giving her an insatiable curiosity about people and their
visual heritage. Born in Geneva, Switzerland to an American
mother and an Italian father, she grew up in Frankfurt, Los
Angeles, Paris, and Rome, gathering languages and developing
a keenly observant eye for culture and all its manifestations
along the way.
Since the early 1990s, she has been on a life-long journey in pursuit of her two greatest passions: acting and art history. From her base in her beloved Rome, Giulia developed a successful free-lance, guiding business and taught art history for American colleges and universities with programs in the Eternal City. Simultaneously, she performed both in Italian
and English in theater, film, and television, and became
a professional dubber. She believes firmly that her two passions
fuel one another:
"To me, acting and guiding are propelled by the same
desire. Inhabiting a characterís skin or sharing
my knowledge of an artwork is fed by the impulse to share
a fascinating story. I just want to give it away. I want
to grab people by the hand and say, 'Look at this! Isn't
it touching, absurd, moving, wonderful that a person may
behave in a certain manner or make a certain work of art?'
They're
just two ways I awkwardly grapple with understanding human
experiences."
In 2004, Giulia decided she wanted to expand her knowledge
of art history so as to further enrich her – and her
clients'– experiences. She came to Boulder,
Colorado, to study with Italian Baroque art historian, Vernon
Minor, received her M.A. in 2006 in art history from the University of Colorado. Since completing her degree she has been teaching European art history to undergraduates at the university] and working in the internationally-acclaimed Education
department of the Denver Art Museum.
Confident her love and knowledge of Italy would also appeal to a non-student audience, Giulia sought a way to reach out to the Italian gastronomes and culture-vultures of Colorado and beyond. It was her meeting with Peggy Markel in January 2007 that convinced her that there was a place for her passion. The two quickly realized that they shared similar visions: connecting people to the culinary and cultural traditions of Italy through first-hand, carefully tailored experiences. Perfetto! Cucina & Cultura was born.
 Giulia now has the best of both worlds, dividing her time between Boulder, Colorado, and Italy. Her goal is to expand her teaching horizons – both in the traditional classroom setting and on-site in Italy and Europe. Nothing satisfies her more than pouring her expressive, outgoing personality into communicating her love of art and culture to others. As past clients have attested, her solid academic
background, her experience as an actor, and her insider understanding
of Italy make her the ideal person to open the door to a
multi-dimensional experience of Italian art and culture:
"You are truly a marvelous guide and although we
slept all the way home in the car, we loved walking with
you and experiencing Rome through your passionate eyes."
– Tammy Hennessy, Western Springs, IL
"My family and I want to thank
you for making our tours so memorable. Alan and I believe
that the kids will look back on this trip as one of the
most memorable experiences of their teen years. Thank you
for being our guide!" – Lisa Aarenson, Phoenix, AZ
"Thanks again for such a wonderful
day. We all enjoyed your informative tours and your lovely
company."
– Tom Ferguson, Chicago, IL
For More Information
Tours with Giulia available mid-May through August. Contact
us to register.
Rates
•
Euros 200 – Half Day (4 hours, 6 people maximum)
• Euros 400 – Full Day (8 hours, 6 people maximum)
Note: Rates do not include entrance tickets, meals,
snacks, or transport costs.
|
