Turin became the historic seat of the royal House of Savoy and Italy’s first capital long after its founding as Roman Tarinorum. It is like nowhere else in Italy — a place of grand squares, Baroque architecture and historic cafes. A vibrant cosmopolitan city, it has a very rich cultural heritage and is also famous for its fabulous food and wine. It is also the home of a large number of museums and institutions with collections rich in art, Egyptian artefacts, antiquities and automobile history (petrolheads rejoice!). Despite all of its claims to fame, Turin is still something of a secret and is largely off the well worn Italian tourist track.

Brescia is another under-the-radar northern Italian gem often called a "mini-Rome" due to its incredible ancient heritage, yet without the heavy tourist crowds. This city in Lombardy has the perfect blend of historical charm, vibrant culture, and welcoming atmosphere.

If Brescia is a quiet gem, Milan is Italy's bustling contemporary art hub. The northern metropolis has long held a reputation as Italy’s capital of finance and of design and fashion too, but it is also developing a reputation as a premier European art destination, blending legendary Renaissance masterpieces, exceptional 20th-century collections, and cutting-edge contemporary spaces and a new home to international art fairs.

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

MILAN

● Explore exhibitions at Milan’s leading contemporary galleries like Thaddeus Ropac and MASSIMODECARLO
● Visit to the Pirelli Hangar Bicocca for contemporary art exhibitions and a guided tour of Anselm Kiefer’s permanent installation The Seven Heavenly Palaces
● Tour the house museums of Casa Museo Boschi di Stefano and Villa Necchi Campiglio housing extensive modern art collections.
● Enjoy shopping in Quadrilatero d’Oro, the home of Milan’s ultra-luxurious high fashion district followed by a restorative aperitivo or bag yourself a design classic at one of the many vintage stores
● Experience works by the giants of the High Renaissance, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci in the Castello Sforzesco in Milan and Raphael in the gallery of the Ambrosiana Library.
● Explore Palazzo Citterio - a dynamic exhibition space dedicated to modern and contemporary art in an historic 18th-century palazzo in the Brera district of Milan.
● Relax in tranquil, hidden green oases such as The Brera Botanical Garden (Orto Botanico di Brera) located behind the Palazzo di Brera

TURIN

● Visit the former Fiat factory with roof-top test track and high-altitude gallery at Turin’s Pinacoteca Agnelli
● Shop at Porta Palazzo, the largest open-air food market in Europe and look for treasures at the historic antiques and vintage market, the Grand Balon
● Enjoy the grand coffee houses of Turin, known historically as the "drawing room of Europe"
● Sample Bicerin, a drink invented in 1763 in Turin, which features distinct layers of hot chocolate, espresso and whipped cream after a tour of the Museo del Cioccolato.
● Tour the hilltop contemporary art museum Castello di Rivoli outside Turin’s city centre, and experience avant-garde installations.
● Explore the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Palazzo Reale, both a historic palace of the Savoy family and the home of the Royal Museums of Turin

BRESCIA

● Tour Brescia’s UNESCO World Heritage site of the monumental archaeological area containing the San Salvatore – Santa Giulia monastery museum complex and the Capitolium Roman Temple, alongside contemporary art experiences
● Enjoy live music surrounded by stunning frescoes in Brescia’s historic Teatro Grande.
● Exclusive visit to Palazzo Monti residency programme, exhibition space and private contemporary art collection housed in a frescoed palazzo in Brescia