The Guide to Essential Italy

Anyone who is familiar with Italy—its glorious architecture, epic history, exquisite fine arts, and majestic landscape—understands Verdi’s passionate words. For centuries, Italy has been an irresistible magnet for people from all corners of the world, attracting the most illustrious men and women of every age as well as visitors from every walk of life. Today, it remains a mecca for cultural travelers, uplifting, fascinating, and enchanting all who travel there.

But what is behind Italy’s remarkable appeal? What makes this country such an inexhaustible place of discovery, unforgettable to so many?

Historically, Italy is one of the central fonts of Western culture, as the center of the Roman Empire, the cradle of Christianity, and the place where the Renaissance flowered. The sheer geographical density of masterpieces of art is one of the marvels of the world. Italy contains a stunning mix of history, architecture, art, and culture, all within settings of astonishing beauty. From its fabulous panorama of history and art, dating from ancient times to the modern, to its luminous landscapes and incalculable jewels of architecture, it would be hard to exaggerate the riches of this extraordinary country.

Rome — A majestic, one-stop compendium of Western civilization, encompassing wonders from the ancient Palace of Domitian and the great Colosseum to landmarks of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the modern era in multilayered profusion
Assisi — The lovely Umbrian hill town whose Church of St. Francis is one of the greatest monuments in European art
Florence — A matchless treasure house of Renaissance, Gothic, and Baroque art and architecture, where the masterworks of Michelangelo, Bernini, Brunelleschi, Caravaggio, and numerous others abound
Pompeii — An amazingly preserved ancient time capsule, revealing the intimate realities of daily life in the Roman Empire
Venice — A city that is itself a sublime work of art, and whose magical waterways and exquisite architecture give us one of the world’s most romantic and historically rich destinations

The Great Courses, in collaboration with the renowned Smithsonian, brings you The Guide to Essential Italy, your own grand tour of Italy that focuses on the most historically and artistically compelling sites. A world expert in cultural travel for over 45 years, Smithsonian Journeys, the Institution’s worldwide travel program, has created an Italian itinerary that has been honed over time to present a fascinating picture of this amazing destination. With their experts, we created a circuit that explores some of the most culturally significant landmarks, gives the opportunity to view countless impressive masterworks of artistic genius, and examines the impact of Italian history on the rest of the world. A breathtaking travel journey, this 36-segment course is a video tour and travelogue that lets you walk the streets and savor the heritage of Italy’s premiere destinations of Rome, Tuscany, and Venice, with side trips to additional treasures of Italian civilization.

The Guide to Essential Italy is a specially tailored journey of a kind no guidebook anywhere can offer—a personally guided tour that lets you explore the most famous and culturally important sites: splendorous palaces, grand piazzas, dazzling statuary, glorious cathedrals and churches, monumental artworks, and much more. In the process, you’ll take time to visit hidden gems and less traveled byways, and to make unusual and fascinating discoveries.

Your guide is Professor Kenneth R. Bartlett of the University of Toronto, an esteemed historian and scholar who knows these remarkable places in intimate detail, having traveled to Italy every year since 1970. As a cultural tour leader there for decades, Professor Bartlett knows Italy like few others do, and demonstrates a special talent for uncovering its most memorable historic, cultural, and artistic riches.

Professor Bartlett introduces you to the essential sites of these incredible cities, using location footage from the Smithsonian Journeys program as well as plenty of detailed maps so that you always know exactly where you are. In superbly illuminating commentary, he reveals the history and cultural significance of these places in detail, and offers viewing tips for appreciating what you’ll experience—whether you’re planning a trip to Italy, thinking of traveling there, or would simply like to discover this superlative culture from your armchair. Each lecture in this course is organized as a detailed walking tour, which you can take with you and listen to as you walk through the vias of Italy, as well as follow and enjoy as a spectacular visual journey from the comfort of home. Plus, the Smithsonian provides travel advice that appears at the end of every lecture: dozens of expert suggestions for off-the-beaten-path opportunities to explore more about the art, architecture, history, culture, and landscape. These tips build upon the professor’s vivid insights and offer fresh nuances to consider.

Lectures:
TTC3032 S01E01 Rome - The Eternal City.mp4
TTC3032 S01E02 The Capitoline and the Colosseum.mp4
TTC3032 S01E03 Imperial Palaces of the Palatine Hill.mp4
TTC3032 S01E04 Pompeii - A City Frozen in Time.mp4
TTC3032 S01E05 The Roman Forum.mp4
TTC3032 S01E06 Along the Via Sacra to the Capitoline.mp4
TTC3032 S01E07 The Via del Corso and Princely Palaces.mp4
TTC3032 S01E08 The Trevi Fountain and Baroque Rome.mp4
TTC3032 S01E09 Above and Beyond the Spanish Steps.mp4
TTC3032 S01E10 At the Bend in the Tiber.mp4
TTC3032 S01E11 The Pantheon to Campo dei Fiori.mp4
TTC3032 S01E12 Piazza Farnese to the Ara Pacis.mp4
TTC3032 S01E13 Piazza del Popolo to San Clemente.mp4
TTC3032 S01E14 The Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica.mp4
TTC3032 S01E15 Orvieto, Siena, and San Gimignano.mp4
TTC3032 S01E16 Florence - Politics in Art and Architecture.mp4
TTC3032 S01E17 From the Piazza del Duomo to San Marco.mp4
TTC3032 S01E18 Santa Croce and the Pazzi Chapel.mp4
TTC3032 S01E19 En Route to the Ponte Vecchio.mp4
TTC3032 S01E20 The Pitti Palace.mp4
TTC3032 S01E21 The Oltrarno.mp4
TTC3032 S01E22 Walking to Santa Maria Novella.mp4
TTC3032 S01E23 From Santa Maria Novella to San Lorenzo.mp4
TTC3032 S01E24 The Medici Legacy.mp4
TTC3032 S01E25 The Ognissanti, Palaces, Parks, and Villas.mp4
TTC3032 S01E26 Romantic Views - San Miniato and Fiesole.mp4
TTC3032 S01E27 Arezzo, Perugia, and Assisi.mp4
TTC3032 S01E28 Venice - The Center of Power.mp4
TTC3032 S01E29 The Drawing Room of Europe - Piazza San Marco.mp4
TTC3032 S01E30 The Basilica of San Marco.mp4
TTC3032 S01E31 The Ducal Palace.mp4
TTC3032 S01E32 Venetian Civilization.mp4
TTC3032 S01E33 Along the Giudecca and Grand Canals.mp4
TTC3032 S01E34 The Upper Grand Canal and San Marco on Foot.mp4
TTC3032 S01E35 The Rialto and Sestiere San Polo.mp4
TTC3032 S01E36 Sestiere Castello and the Outer Islands.mp4

Cultural Literacy for Religion...ll-Educated Person Should Know

Philosophy and Religion in the West

Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World

Mystical Tradition: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Religions of the Axial Age: An Approach to the World's Religions

Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Rise of Nations

Representing Justice: Stories of Law and Literature

Rise and Fall of Soviet Communism: A History of 20th-Century Russia

Robert E. Lee and His High Command

Roots of Human Behavior

Science of Self

Science Wars - What Scientists Know and How They Know It

Scientific Secrets for Self-Control

Shakespeare Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies

Shakespeare's Tragedies

Skeptics and Believers: Religi...Western Intellectual Tradition

St. Augustine's Confessions

Story of the Bible

Stress and Your Body

Superstring Theory: The DNA of Reality