WE INVITE THE APPASSSIONATI WHO HAVE LOVE FOR ANOTHER ERA TO JOIN US ON THIS UNIQUE JOURNEY TO VENICE. THE VISUALLY ARRRESTING BEAUTY OF THE SERENISSIMA HOLDS A SEDUCTIVE POWER, CAPTIVATING EVEN THE MOST EVOLVED TRAVELER. AS UNEXPECTED TREASURES ARE UNVEILED TO US, WE ENDEAVOR TO UNDERSTAND WHAT SETS VENETIAN ART AND ARCHITECTURE APART.

We are guests at the Hotel Gritti Palace, the 16th century palace of the Doge Andrea Gritti, enviably located on the Grand Canal. The hotel has welcomed kings and queens, presidents and prime ministers, literary giants and theatrical immortals. Luxury and refined elegance reign supreme. The evening of your arrival we meet for a twilight gondola ride on the Grand Canal followed by a champagne reception at the Hotel Gritti Palace.

Sunday

A distinguished local architectural historian gives an introduction to Venetian life, history and art before taking us behind fabulous façades to discover the wonders of Venetian interior decoration. Our visit includes private palazzi which are otherwise inaccessible to the public. The remarkable talent of artists such as Tintoretto, Tiepolo, Titian and Veronese are revealed to us. After lunch, we join Contessa Fulvia Sesani di Sabato for a walk through the colorful Rialto food market. She then welcomes us to her glorious private home, the Palazzo Morosini, where we participate in an exclusive cooking class followed by dinner ­ served in the only oval dining room in Venice. Her magnificent objets d'art create a visual feast that is as enticing as her recipes.

Monday

We discover the treasures of Padua, located just half an hour from Venice. Nicknamed La Dotta ("The Learned"), Padua was home to one of Europe's most acclaimed universities and an intellectual haven to Petrarch, Dante and Galileo. In the Cappella degli Scrovegni, we see Giotto's famous frescoed interior. Giotto was then at the height of his power and this magical temple is his masterpiece. We see what made his innovative art so revolutionary in the early 14th century. Then a Paduan noble family welcomes us to their private palazzo. En route back to Venice along the Brenta River, we visit the villa-temple La Malcontenta. It was built for the Foscari family by Palladio, the greatest architect of the Renaissance in the Veneto. Legend has it that it took its name from an unhappy lady confined to the villa because of adultery. The interior, restored to its original splendor, contains frescoes by Giambattista Zelotti. The evening in Venice is free to relax.

Tuesday

Venice has long been associated with the finest glass in Europe. In 1291 all of Venice's glass furnaces were moved to the island city of Murano in order to control the risk of fire and industrial espionage. It was in the early 15th century when a member of one of the most revered glass-making families, Angelo Barovier, began to make glass in different colors. A veritable revolution occurred on Murano, and ever since, the island has been a laboratory for increasingly elaborate designs and techniques. We visit the private glass-blowing studio of Vittorio Ferro and learn about such revived traditional techniques as vetro a filigrana (thread-like rods of white glass in free-form patterns), vetro pettine (combed glass with a wavy design) and venturina glass (shot through with shiny copper crystals). In the afternoon, we visit the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, once home to a Benedictine Monastery and today the Giorgio Cini Foundation. The church and refectory as well as the Cloister of the Cypresses are the work of Palladio. We enjoy dinner at Osteria Alle Testiere, a favorite of locals and of Julia Child.

Wednesday

The morning is free to explore on your own. In the afternoon, we familiarize ourselves with the work of artist Geoffrey Humphries who earned his degree from the Accademia di Belle Arti. The visit to his private studio overlooking the Giudecca Canal as well as to the gallery near the Palazzo Grassi where his art is displayed allows us to see his diversity in style and subject. In recent years, Geoffrey has turned his attention to watercolor, creating an intimate portrayal of the secret corners of Venice in a series that rejects the commonplace and the cliché. Next we meet Antonia Sauter, a quintessential Italian beauty and hostess of the famous Doge's Ball. She introduces us to a mask and costume studio where we learn about the rich tradition and celebration of Carnivale. Later we enjoy dinner followed by a concert performance.

Thursday

Our art historian joins us for a guided visit to the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. The interior boasts Tintoretto's world-renowned cycle of paintings. After lunch, we discover many of the finest treasures of the 18th century displayed in the Ca' Rezzonico. This splendid Baroque palace evokes memories of the height of Venetian Society. The poet Robert Browning died here in 1889, and it was rented during the summer to Cole Porter during the1930s. Our dinner is at the Cip's Club, located on the ground level of the 16th century Palazetto Nani-Barbaro. Across the canal, the awe-inspiring views of Santa Maria della Salute and the Doge's Palace remind us of Canaletto's paintings.

Friday

We devote the day to Asolo and its environs. We first visit the Villa Emo, a Palladian villa owned by the old patrician Emo family. The furnishings are original 17th and 18th century. Lunch is at the Villa Cipriani, former home to the Guinness family. It is magnificently situated in the hills and enveloped in a paradise of cypresses and an enchanting rose garden. After savoring the views, we enjoy the lovely town linked to Queen Caterina Cornaro and Eleonora Duse and former retreat of Robert Browning. On the way back to Venice, we enjoy a private visit to the Villa Barbaro at Maser. After the bountiful day of discovery, the evening in Venice is free.

Saturday

In the morning, our art historian takes us through the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, housed in the ranch-style Palazzo Venier dei Leoni. The American copper heiress had an irrepressible love affair with modern art and filled the palace with her treasures. In the afternoon, we visit Ca' Zenobia, a monumental Baroque palace built on the Rio dei Carmini by the Venetian noble family Zenobio. The sumptuous Hall of Mirrors, named Tiepolian, is particularly noteworthy for its frescoes, stuccos and bronze work. In the early evening, we join Lorenzo de Castro, the Director of the Scuola Internazionale di Grafica, for a private visit to his art school beautifully situated in Santa Croce. Then we are invited to his private palazzo on the Grand Canal for a farewell epicurean soirée.