Caravaggio & Naples

Caravaggio and Naples are icons of 17th-century Italy.

At a time when most other Italian artists followed the elegant balletic conventions of late Mannerism, Caravaggio did something different. He painted the celestial stories as if they were taking place in the present day, often employing live models and depicting them in modern dress.

Caravaggio used gritty details, like dirty feet and ragged clothing, to emphasize the plight of Christ and his followers. He also developed a new type of chiaroscuro, among other unique techniques. All this helped influence Western art and not just painting.

Caravaggio's work significantly influenced many other artists, including Rembrandt, Diego Velázquez, and Théodore Géricault. His dramatic use of staging and his innovative approach to light and shade inspired many film directors, including Pier Paolo Pasolini and Martin Scorsese.

The artist spent the last years of his adventurous life in the city of Naples, where he fled to from Rome with a murder charge on his head. This tour will focus on Caravaggio's time in the city and the beautiful works of art he created here. Among other things, you will visit the 17th-century church of Pio Monte di Misericordia, where Caravaggio's colossal oil painting “Seven Works of Mercy” has been hanging since its complete

tion in 1607, and the Capodimonte Museum, which houses the painting titled “The Flagellation of Christ”. A delicious lunch of traditional Neapolitan pizza is also included in the itinerary to fuel up during the tour.