The Tarot and Hermeticism Tour of Italy 2008
October 12 - 24, 2008, with guides Robert M. Place, Ernesto Frazioli, and Morena Poltronieri
Deadline extended to July 25
price $3,000 U.S. per person
The Cathedral in Ferrara
In the 18th and 19th centuries several imaginative occultists fantasized that the Tarot originated in ancient Egypt and this has been part of Tarot lore ever since. The Tarot, however, actually emergenced in Northern Italy in the 15th century when a mystical fifth suite with a parade of enigmatic figures was added to a previously existing deck. As a creation of Renaissance Italy, parallels for all of the Tarot's icons can be found in the art of that era. On this tour, we will go to the cities in Northern Italy that have the earliest history of involvement with the Tarot, visit historic and artistic sites, and find comparisons for the tarot trumps in the mystical symbols found in the paintings and sculptures of the 15th century. With this experience, the Neoplatonic mystical nature of the Tarot's allegory will become evident and we will be able to glimpse the Tarot as its creators might have envisioned it.
19th century alchemist's Castle in Riola
This is a tour of historic and artistic sites in Northern Italy that relate to the Tarot, magic, mysticism, and Hermeticism. The Tour will be for two weeks in mid October 2008, from October 12 - 24. It will include a talk by Robert M. Place on the history of the Tarot and the Tarot's relationship to Renaissance art. We will visit the Tarot Museum (Museo dei Tarocchi, in Italian), in Riola, and see the famous Tarot related frescos with some of the earliest depictions of virtues and vices by Giotto in the Scrovegni Chapel, in Padova. We will also visit sites in Bologna, Rimini, Modena, Ferrara, Venice, Mantova, and Milano. These are the cities where the Tarot was first created and used in the 1400s.
Ernesto in front of the Cathedral of Ferrara
Besides Robert, our tour guides will be Ernesto Frazioli and Morena Poltronieri, the curators of the Museo dei Tarocchi and an experts on Italian history and art. The tour will be in English but anyone from any country is invited. To learn more about Ernesto and the Museo dei Tarocchi Here is the Museum's website:
Fountain of Neptune, Bologna
Price $3,000 Per Person
The tour will begin in Bologna and each participant will be responsible for their flight. Once you arrive we will take over. The price is $3,000 U.S.per person, not including the flight to Bologna but including all transportation, all accommodations in four star hotels with private baths and continental breakfast, two lunches and two dinners, all museum fees, and the expertise of our guides, Ernesto Eazioli and Morena Poltronieri, curators of the Tarot Museum, and Tarot author Robert Place.
To register
To be included on the tour I will need to receive the money by July 25th.
You can send the money to me via credit or debit card, check, or Pay Pal.
I can send a Pay Pal invoice on request.
Send to:
Robert Place
34 Moon Rd
Saugerties, NY 12477
(845) 246-0180
robroseplac@aol.com
The Itinerary for the Esoteric Italy Tour 2008
October 12 - The Participants will arrive in Bologna (the flight to Bologna is not included). We will check into the hotel in Bologna, with reserved rooms, bed and breakfast included. This is a free day.
October 13 - After breakfast, we will board our private bus for a tour of Magic Bologna, including the Cathedral of St. Petronio with images of the hanged man dating from 1410. There will be time for dinner and exploring them back to the hotel.
October 14 – Again we board the bus in Bologna for a tour of nearby Rimini, on the Adriatic Sea. This day includes the Tempio Malatestiano, which is the cathedral of Rimini dedicated to St. Francis and one of the earliest examples of the Renaissance reclamation of pre-Christian Classicism, complete with reliefs of ancient gods and signs of the zodiac.
October 15 – We board our bus in Bologna for a tour of Magic Modena. This day includes the Cathedral of Modena, one of the most important examples of Romanesque architecture in Europe and a World heritage Site. We will also see the Cathedral Museum, the Civic Museum, and the Gallery Estense.
October 16 – We board the bus in Bologna for a tour of Ferrara, including the Cathedral, the Cathedral Museum, and the Palazzo Schifanoia, the Este palace with its famous astrological frescos. The Este court was one of the first patrons of Tarot art.
October 17 – We board a train for Padua, where we will check into our reserved rooms and tour the Palazzo della Ragione, a Renaissance town hall, renowned for its mystical frescos with astrological themes. On this day lunch and dinner are included.
October 18 – In Padua we visit the Scrovengni Chapel, also know as the Arena Chapel, this is one Giotto’s greatest works. The entire interior of the chapel is frescoed with Giotto’s paintings, including the famous series of seven virtues and seven vices that had a strong influence on early Tarot designs.
October 19 - We take a short trip by train to Venice, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Here we will visit the Correr Museum, Santa Maria dei Frari – and the fabulous St. Mark’s Square. Then back to Padua and the hotel.
October 20 – We board a train for Milan, where we will check into our hotel and then tour the Brera Art Gallery, one of the greatest collections of Italian art, including the works of Mantegna.
October 21 - We tour nearby Mantova. Here we will visit the 16th century Palazzo Te, famous for its manneristic and mystical works of art, and the Palazzo D’Arco.
October 22 - This is a free day to shop and dine in Milan.
October 23 – We board a train for Bologna, have lunch on the train and when we arrive we check into our hotel. We have dinner together and in the evening visit the Tarot Museum in Riola.
October 24 – After breakfast, we depart for the airport and catch out flights.
For more information contact: Robert M. Place at: (845)246-0180 or robroseplac@aol.com
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