Opera in Sicily, 18-24 October 2024

CELEBRATING MUSIC AND PLACE

18–24 OCTOBER 2024

Five performances in historic theatres in beautiful Baroque cities.

SALZBURG STRING QUARTET FESTIVAL

7–12 MAY 2024

MOZART ALONG THE DANUBE

28 JULY–4 AUGUST 2024

THE DIVINE OFFICE

30 SEPTEMBER–4 OCTOBER 2024

OPERA IN SICILY

18–24 OCTOBER 2024

UK SHORT CHAMBER MUSIC BREAKS:

Mandelring Quartet | 8–10 March 2024

William Howard & the Carducci Quartet

19–21 April 2024

Published:

November 2023

Photograph ©Ben Ealovega.

4. INTRODUCTION TO THE FESTIVAL

6. DISCOVER THE PLACE

South-Eastern Sicily: Baroque cities, dramatic hill country, stunning coastline.

8. THE FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

The day-by-day itinerary including details of the performances.

14. MEET

THE MUSICIANS

International musicians of the highest calibre.

18. ACCOMMODATION & PRICES

Choose between six 3-, 4- and 5-star hotels on the island of Ortygia, Syracuse.

22. TRAVEL OPTIONS

A range of ways to travel to and from the festival.

24.

PRE- & POSTFESTIVAL TOURS

Extend your stay in Italy with a tour that has been designed to link with the festival.

28. BOOKING

Details of how to book, along with the booking form and our conditions.

OPERA IN SICILY AN INTRODUCTION

Sicily is an island of many surprises, and its collection of historic opera houses must rank high among them.

Few visitors ever get a glimpse of any of the bewitchingly beautiful auditoria, many of which are well restored and in serviceable working order. Even locals have few opportunities: in the island’s smaller towns and cities, performances are rare and often of little interest to a wider audience.

This festival fills them with the sounds and life-enhancing experiences for which they were built. If only for a couple of hours, these four historic theatres are joyously transformed – exclusively for participants on Opera in Sicily.

Mostly nineteenth-century by date if basically seventeenth-century in design, these theatres are characterised by a horseshoe plan, several tiers of boxes and sumptuous decoration. Some are bathed in a heavenly symphony of white, crimson and gold, others are sonorously hued with elaborately painted mythological scenes, beguiling personifications and trompe-l’oeil ornamentation.

Owing their genesis to the surge of pride and optimism that followed the unification of Italy in 1860, they were conceived as community facilities and funded by public subscription. Most, however, are small, echoing the court theatres on which they were modelled, and can only comfortably seat between 100 and 300. So in the 21st century they are hopelessly uneconomic for classical music of any ambition.

The unique formula pioneered by Martin Randall Travel enables us to mount five performances in the finest of these theatres. There will be concert performances of four operas by Irish, German, British and Italian companies and an aria recital by alumni of the National Opera Studio of England.

The audience is accommodated in a selection of hotels on the Island of Ortygia, the ancient heart of Syracuse. One of the largest areas of unremittingly picturesque townscape in Italy, it has the added charm of being almost completely surrounded by the waters of the Mediterranean. Two of the operas are performed here, and the others in the amazingly lovely nearby towns of Ragusa, Noto and Modica.

MARTIN RANDALL FESTIVALS

This festival has been devised and planned by Martin Randall and Lizzie Watson. It follows the format that Martin established 30 years ago with our first Danube Music Festival, of site-specific concerts for a private audience. Since then we have organised festivals along the Rhine, Loire and Seine rivers, in Oxford, Suffolk, York, Lincoln, the Cotswolds and the West Country, to Seville, Toledo, Burgos, Santiago, Venice, Florence, Rome, Bologna, the Veneto, to St Petersburg, Prague, through Thuringia, and the Alentejo.

THE PERFORMANCES

L’INCORONAZIONE

DI POPPEA (1643)

Claudio Monteverdi Teatro Massimo Comunale, Syracuse La Venexiana

L’OLIMPIADE (1734)

Antonio Vivaldi

Teatro Tina Di Lorenzo, Noto Irish National Opera

GALA CONCERT

Teatro Donnafugata, Ragusa National Opera Studio Sir Thomas Allen compère

THE TRIUMPH OF TIME & TRUTH (1707)

George Frideric Handel

Teatro Garibaldi, Modica Ensemble 1700

THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO (1786)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Teatro Massimo Comunale, Syracuse The Mozartists

For more information about what to expect at the performances and venues, see page 12.

Illustration:

THE FESTIVAL PACKAGE

The price includes:

• All five performances.

• Accommodation for six nights – choose between six options. See pages 18–21.

• Return flights between London and Sicily. See pages 22–23.

• Breakfasts, four dinners and interval drinks.

• Talks on the music by an opera expert.

• Travel by comfortable private coach.

• The assistance of festival staff and a detailed programme booklet.

OPTIONAL EXTRAS:

• A choice of pre- and post-festival tours. See pages 24–28.

• Arriving a day early at your festival hotel. See pages 18–21.

• Extra dinners, so that each evening is spent in the company of other participants. Details will be available at a later stage.

• A range of walks and visits led by art historians. Details will be available at a later stage.

THE SPEAKERS

Dr John Allison

Editor of Opera magazine and music critic. He was born in South Africa and completed his PhD degree while playing the piano and working as assistant organist at Cape Town cathedral. Since moving to London in 1989 he has written for publications around the world, authored two books and served on the juries of many international competitions. He co-founded the International Opera Awards in 2013. He reviews for the Daily Telegraph and has previously held positions as music critic on The Sunday Telegraph and The Times .

Ian Page

Conductor and artistic director of The Mozartists, and one of the leading Mozart interpreters of his generation. His visionary MOZART 250 project follows the chronological trajectory of the composer’s life, works and influences across 27 years, and his numerous recordings include the first seven releases in a projected complete cycle of the Mozart Operas.

Syracuse, the Duomo, steel engraving c. 1850.

DISCOVER THE PLACE

The south-eastern corner of Sicily – from the ancient city of Syracuse southwards to Capo Pássero and including the Baroque towns of Modica and Noto – is distinctive in so many ways.

The landscape is surprisingly varied, and searingly beautiful. A limestone scarp runs parallel to the shore, with hill country and great ravines to the interior. This is the most fertile and well managed part of the island, with dry-stone walls reminiscent of the Cotswolds and a prosperous and diverse agriculture.

Evidence of the ancient past is all around, never more strikingly than in the Doric temples and fortifications of Ortygia in Syracuse and the Greek theatre a mile away on the mainland.

As Cicero informed the Roman Senate: ‘You will often have been told that Syracuse is the largest of Greek cities and the loveliest of all cities. Gentlemen, what you have been told is true’. This is the base we have chosen for this festival.

In 1693 an earthquake devastated Sicily’s Ionian seaboard. In the following half century the huge campaign of rebuilding that occurred was testament to the native wealth of the island, even though this was largely in the hands of feudal landlords and religious orders.

A very particular form of Baroque architecture is manifest in sumptuous palaces, magnificent churches and monastic houses. Locally quarried limestone was used – although friable and vulnerable, its golden yellow colour is distinctive and beautiful.

These Baroque cities are also astonishing for their dramatic streetscape: churches with soaring belfries, such as San Giorgio at Modica, or the surging curvilinear façade of San Domenico at Noto.

The many theatres, opera houses and concert halls that were constructed are indicative of the sophistication and love of entertainment of the Sicilian aristocracy and townspeople, and of the aesthetic elegance they valued so highly.

Photograph: Ragusa ©Joseph Recca.

THE FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

Arrive

a day early

Thursday 17 October

Day 1

Friday 18 October

Day 2

Saturday 19 October

We are offering the option of arriving at your hotel in Syracuse a day before the festival begins.

Fly from London to Catania, directly or via Milan, or make your own way independently. Coach transfer to Syracuse. For travel options, see pages 22–23.

Fly from London to Catania, directly or via Milan, or make your own way independently. Coach transfer to Syracuse. For travel options, see pages 22–23.

The Island of Ortygia, the ancient heart of Syracuse, is densely packed with structures from ancient Greek to Stile Liberty. Meandering alleys lead to little piazze and seaside promenades, past romantically crumbling or lovingly restored Baroque palaces and churches.

Depending on the arrival of your flight, there is free time to become acquainted with Ortygia.

Settle into your chosen hotel before a drinks reception and dinner.

Optional walks and visits

If you choose to arrive a day early, on 17 October, a range of visits will be available on 18 October – and where there is free time in Syracuse and elsewhere, optional walks and visits will usually be offered. These will be led by:

Dr R.T. Cobianchi. Art historian specialising in the art and architecture of the Renaissance and Baroque. His interests also span from the iconography of the late Middle Ages to the sculpture of Neo-Classicism.

John McNeill. Architectural historian of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. He lectures for Oxford University’s Department of Continuing Education and is Honorary Secretary of the British Archaeological Association.

Details and the option to book these will be sent nearer to departure.

There is a morning lecture on the music followed by some free time or the option of an art historical or architectural walk. The first opera is this afternoon.

Syracuse’s Teatro Comunale is the largest and grandest of the theatres engaged for this festival – though there are only about 300 seats with good sightlines. Unused for 70 years, the recent refurbishment allows occasional access to an auditorium with sumptuous ornamentation and an elaborate ceiling painting.

Performance, 4.30pm

Teatro Massimo Comunale, Syracuse

Claudio Monteverdi L’INCORONAZIONE DI POPPEA (1643)

La Venexiana

Gabriele Palomba conductor, Carlotta Colombo Poppea , Emanuela Galli Nerone , Marta Fumagalli Ottone , Maria Chiara Gallo Ottavia , Salvo Vitale Seneca

Composed in 1643, the last year of Monteverdi’s life, L’incoronazione di Poppea tends towards astonishing modernity –although, of course, the composer created it within the typically Venetian anti-heroic and ironic theatrical conventions of his time. Exclusively among Monteverdi’s operas, the libretto is historical rather than mythological: the Emperor Nero is determined to marry his mistress, Poppea.

Illustration:

Syracuse, engraving c. 1840; photograph opposite ©Ben Ealovega.

‘I loved the whole thing. I came home feeling awash in wonderful music.’

Day 3

Sunday 20 October

Action is relatively subdued, for this is an intense drama of emotional and political brutality, presenting realistically selfobsessed people in situations motivated by sexual lust and political avarice. Its celebration of amoral libertine triumph set the tone for Venetian opera for decades to come – and seems closer to modern-day attitudes of hedonistic materialism and ruthless ambition than most of the operas that have been written since.

Dinner for everyone follows the performance.

A morning lecture on the music precedes some free time in Syracuse before setting off by coach at c. 1.45pm for the early afternoon opera in Noto. Alternatively, leave for Noto directly after the lecture to have time to see something of it before the performance, including optional walks in the company of a lecturer.

Spread across a broad hillside, Noto was rebuilt after an earthquake in 1693 to become one of the loveliest and most homogeneous Baroque towns in the world. A striking feature is the extraordinary number of religious foundations that built for themselves premises of palatial grandeur. The whole city is constructed of honey-coloured stone, with façades enlivened with sculpted balconies and elaborate ironwork.

The opera house opened in 1870 and is dressed in exceedingly pretty, enriched Neo-Classical garb. As with most of the other opera houses in this festival, four tiers of boxes surround the horseshoeshaped auditorium.

Performance, 3.00pm

Teatro Tina di Lorenzo, Noto

Antonio Vivaldi

L’OLIMPIADE (1734)

Irish National Opera

Peter Whelan conductor

Gemma Ní Bhriain Megacle , Meili Li Licida , Alexandra Urquiola Aristea , Sarah Richmond Argene , Chuma

Sijeqa Clistene , Rachel Redmond

Aminta , Benjamin Russell Alcandro

Olivier Award winning conductor Peter Whelan conducts Irish National Opera’s concert performance of L’Olimpiade. With tangled relationships, forbidden love, an unsuccessful assassination and an execution avoided, L’Olimpiade brims with opportunities for all seven characters, showing their personalities and feelings through arias that range from the explosive and almost instrumentally virtuosic, to the slow exploration of more tender thoughts.

Dinner in Noto is included for everyone, after the performance. Coaches return to Syracuse by c. 10.00pm.

Travelling to the venues

For the performances that are outside Syracuse, there are drives in comfortable coaches of between 30 minutes and an hour – and one (only) of just under two hours. These are mostly through attractive green countryside, with the longer journeys being largely on motorways.

THE FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

Day 4

Monday 21 October

Another morning lecture, before coaches depart during the day for Ragusa, where today’s performance takes place.

Ragusa Ibla is a wonderfully picturesque hilltop city surmounted by the great dome of the cathedral of St George. The street pattern remains that of a medieval hilltown, a maze of stepped streets with breathtaking views. (Ragusa Superiore, occupying a neighbouring hilltop, was rebuilt after 1683 on a regular grid plan.)

The Teatro Donnafugata, located in the heart of Ragusa Ibla, is part of the Palazzo Arezzo di Donnafugata. It was built in the second half of the 19th century, and then restored between 1997 and 2004. A tiny gem of a theatre, it only seats around 100 people, making it one of the smallest in Europe. The performance here is therefore repeated several times.

Performances, 11.30am, 2.15pm, 4.30pm

Teatro Donnafugata, Ragusa

Gala Concert

National Opera Studio

Sir Thomas Allen compère

Alumni singers and pianists from the National Opera Studio perform a programme of some well-known and some more obscure operatic arias and ensembles. Sir Thomas Allen, established star of the great opera houses of the world, compères the event. The programme includes music by Mozart, Rossini, Verdi and Strauss.

Coaches return to Syracuse after each performance in time for an independent dinner, or an optional dinner if you choose to attend.

Photographs: above ©Ben Ealovega; opposite: Modica, Cathedral of San Pietro ©Dagnija Berzina.

Participation in our festivals is a very different experience from conventional group travel.

No repetitive or redundant announcements, no herding by elevated umbrella, no unnecessary roll calls, little hanging around. We work on the assumption that you are adults, and our staff cultivate the virtue of unobtrusiveness.

Though there will be up to 220 participants, you will often find yourself in smaller groups – the audience is divided between six hotels, and into different restaurants for some of the dinners.

For those who are not averse to group activities there are extra meals, walks and visits to sign up to. You choose the level of participation that suits you.

We provide sufficient information to enable you to navigate the festival events without needing to be led. However, festival staff are also stationed around the events to direct you if needed.

‘The festival was full of interest. We are so impressed with the planning and organisation.’

Day 5

Tuesday 22 October

There is an entirely free morning in Syracuse, before departing for Modica at 1.30pm. Alternatively, depart at 9.30am for time to explore Modica.

The exceedingly lovely town of Modica is dramatically situated at a conjunction of valleys at the foot of Monti Iblei. The theatre is in a broad meandering tree-lined avenue in Modica Bassa (‘lower Modica’), the more recent (though still historic) part of the town. Its gorgeous interior was recently restored and is embellished with trompe l’oeil decoration and paintings.

The land rises steeply to the east, where there is a delightful congestion of amber buildings, including the great churches of San Pietro and San Giorgio (the cathedral). A net of alleys, narrow streets and steps leads to the oldest part of the town, Modica Alta (‘Upper Modica’).

Performance, 3.30pm Teatro Garibaldi, Modica

George Frideric Handel

THE TRIUMPH OF TIME & TRUTH (1707)

Ensemble 1700

Dorothee Oberlinger conductor, Anna Dennis Bellezza, Dennis Orellana Piacere, Alois Mühlbacher Disinganno, Stefan Sbonnik Tempo

An opera disguised as an oratorio: as the Pope had demanded all opera stages in Rome to be pulled down, the 22-year-old Handel cunningly conceived The Triumph of Time and Truth as his very first oratorio. It was to become one of his greatest works.

Extra dinners

Choose to join two extra dinners in Syracuse on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 October. This ensures that you eat in the company of other festival participants on all evenings. Details and the option to book these will be sent nearer to departure.

The allegories of Beauty, Pleasure, Truth and Time battle in ravishing arias, duets and quartets as Bellezza follows the thorny path to self-knowledge. Ultimately, Bellezza triumphs over Piacere in a culmination of unsurpassed melodic richness, psychological realism and dramatic irony in this eternal masterpiece of music.

Coaches return to Syracuse after each performance in time for an independent dinner, or an optional dinner if you choose to attend.

THE FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

Day 6

Wednesday 23 October

Day 7

Thursday 24 October

A final morning lecture, then the day is free before returning to the Teatro Comunale for the last performance of the festival.

Performance, 3.30pm

Teatro Massimo Comunale, Syracuse

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO (1786)

The Mozartists Ian Page conductor Cast to be confirmed.

The Marriage of Figaro is widely considered to be the greatest opera ever written – an astonishing fusion of music and drama, of comedy and profundity – and over the 238 years since its first performance it has never lost its ability to captivate and exhilarate audiences.

The Mozartists’ concert staging will place Mozart’s scintillating score at the heart of the story-telling, with their winning combination of world-class young singers and vibrant period instruments bringing fresh insights and dramatic flair to this ultimate miracle of composition.

Dinner for everyone follows the performance.

Coaches take participants to Catania airport. Fly to London directly or via Milan, or leave the festival independently. For travel options, see page 22–23.

More about the performances

Private. All the performances are planned and administered by us, and the audience consists exclusively of those who have taken the festival package.

Seating. Specific seats are not reserved. You sit where you want.

Audience size. There will be up to 220 participants on the festival. At the one venue which cannot accommodate this number, the opera is repeated.

Historical venues. All four theatres were built in the 19th century, and though they have been refurbished, some of the seats may be less comfortable than those in a modern opera house. Many are in boxes rather than in the stalls (orchestra), though we are limiting audience capacity so everyone has good sight-lines. If you are uneasy with the idea of sitting anywhere other than in the stalls, please talk to us before booking.

Acoustics. This festival is more concerned with locale and authenticity than with acoustic perfection. The venues may have idiosyncrasies or reverberations of the sort not found in modern concert halls. However, as most are theatres and therefore purpose-built for this genre of music, acoustics are generally very good.

Changes. Musicians fall ill, venues may close for repairs, airlines alter schedules: there are many circumstances which could necessitate changes to the programme. We ask you to be understanding should they occur.

Photograph opposite: Avola, Teatro Garibaldi ©Hannah King.

‘Choice of artists was superb – a privilege to hear and see them.’

MEET THE MUSICIANS

THE MOZARTISTS

Under the direction of conductor Ian Page, The Mozartists (formerly Classical Opera) have established themselves among the most exciting period-instrument ensembles in Europe, attracting recognition for their fresh, dramatic and stylish performances, their imaginative and innovative programming, and their ability to discover and nurture outstanding young artists.

On stage and in concert, they have performed many of Mozart’s operas, and given the UK premières of operas by Gluck and Telemann (among others). They appear regularly at the most prestigious venues in London, and have presented Mozart’s La finta semplice and Il re pastore at the Royal Opera House. They have also performed at many of the leading festivals in the UK and in Europe.

In 2015, the company launched MOZART 250, a groundbreaking 27-year project following the chronological trajectory of Mozart’s life, works and influences. Each year MOZART 250 explores the music being composed and performed by Mozart and his contemporaries exactly 250 years previously, and this major initiative has already incorporated music by over 40 composers.

The Mozartists’ extensive discography has attracted widespread acclaim. In 2012 they embarked on a major new recording cycle of the complete Mozart operas, and the first seven releases in the series have all received outstanding reviews.

IAN PAGE

Ian Page is the founder, conductor and artistic director of The Mozartists, and has established an outstanding reputation as one of the world’s leading interpreters of the music of Mozart and his contemporaries.

With The Mozartists, he has conducted most of Mozart’s operas, including the world premières of the ‘original’ version of Mitridate, re di Ponto and a new completion of Zaide He has also conducted the UK premières of Gluck’s La clemenza di Tito and Telemann’s Orpheus among others, and the first new staging for 250 years of J.C. Bach’s Adriano in Siria

He made his Royal Opera House début conducting his own new performing edition of Thomas Arne’s Artaxerxes Other engagements have included English Touring Opera’s 25th anniversary production of Le nozze di Figaro , the opening two concerts at the 2016 Eisenstadt Haydn Festival, and Handel’s Ariodante – with Ann Hallenberg in the title role – at the 2019 Drottningholm Festival in Sweden.

LA VENEXIANA

La Venexiana was founded in 1997 by Claudio Cavina, who directed it with a fierce passion and dedication until 2016.Years of intense activity involving both concert work and recording have made the group a significant reference point within the early music world, particularly having showcased composers such as Luzzaschi, d’India, Marenzio and da Venosa. Claudio Monteverdi has been a special focus, with the Monteverdi Edition promoted by Glossa, and most recently celebrated with the re-releasing of Orfeo (Choc du Monde de la Musique, the First Choice of the BBC Classical Music and Gramophone Editor’s Choice 2007, Gramophone Award 2008 –Baroque Opera) accompanied by the complete re-issuing of the madrigals.

GABRIELE PALOMBA

NATIONAL OPERA STUDIO

The group also focuses on the sacred and theatrical music of Scarlatti, Handel, Steffani, Cavalli, in interpretations that are both lively and troubled –like the composers themselves. Its fundamental philosophy is that in music it is always better to take risks than to remain half-hearted: a route followed by Round M, a recording project which takes in both Monteverdi and jazz, or indeed the utopian and visionary project re-introducing today’s public to Arianna by Monteverdi (the first live performance of which took place on Martin Randall Travel’s Monteverdi in Venice festival in 2015).

Gabriele Palmoba has collaborated with La Venexiana since 1997 and is now the artistic director and musical conductor of the ensemble.

Palmoba graduated from the Civic School of Milan with a Lute Diploma under the guidance of Paul Beier. He performs as a soloist and continuo player in Italy and abroad, playing for European festivals and theatres with many important early music ensembles.

With Emanuela Galli and Franco Pavan, he took part in an important project related to Renaissance lute music. On the occasion of the fifth centenary of Petrucci’s printing (2007), this project continued with the release of a CD dedicated entirely to the first publication of music for lute by Spinacino and, as soloist, with a monograph on Giovanni Maria da Crema and Alberto da Mantova.

The National Opera Studio exists to train talented young musicians to become the leading artists of their generation. They aim to make a significant contribution to the opera ecosystem and the wider creative and cultural life of the UK through the provision of top-quality professional training, and by their engagement and position in the sector.

At its core, the National Opera Studio (NOS) provides intensive and bespoke professional training at the highest level for a small group of singers and repetiteurs each year, and prepares them for life on an international operatic stage. They work in partnership with six of the leading opera companies in the UK: English National Opera, Glyndebourne, Opera North, the Royal Opera House, Scottish Opera and Welsh National Opera.

Their Young Artists are with them for nine months, and undergo a rigorous programme that is individually designed around their particular vocal and developmental needs. In addition to the coaching programme, Young Artists work closely with leading directors, conductors and opera orchestras.

The time that Young Artists spend at the Studio often makes the single biggest difference to their future prospects as top-level solo artists. NOS repetiteurs have become festival directors, conductors, artistic directors, and can be found on the music and artistic staff of major companies, both in the UK and abroad

Photographs, left to right: Ian Page ©Ben Ealovega; La Venexiana; Gabrielle Palomba ©Jakub Joleny; National Opera Studio ©Fiona Hanson (performance at Hoxton Theatre).

IRISH NATIONAL OPERA

Irish National Opera is Ireland’s largest opera company and provides inspirational, vibrant and ground-breaking opera of exceptional quality with a wide national reach, accessible to everyone. INO responded creatively to the challenges posed by the global pandemic, commissioning and producing 20 Shots of Opera, 20 new short operas for film described by The Wall Street Journal as “an exhilarating jaunt through up-to-the-minute lyric creativity”.

PETER WHELAN

The company’s Vivaldi’s Bajazet , a co-production with the Royal Opera House, received an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera 2022 for conductor Peter Whelan and the Irish Baroque Orchestra, and its production of Brian Irvine and Netia Jones’ Least Like The Other, Searching for Rosemary Kennedy received a 2023 Olivier Award nomination for Best New Opera Production. INO received an inaugural Next Stage Grant (Fedora Platform and Opera Europa with the support of Kearney) to develop the Isolde App, and its virtual reality opera, Finola Merivale’s Out of the Ordinary/ As an nGnách, won the Fedora Platform Digital Prize.

Olivier award-winner Peter Whelan is among the most dynamic and versatile exponents of historical performance of his generation, with a remarkable career as a conductor and director. He is Artistic Director of the Irish Baroque Orchestra as well as Curator for Early Music of Norwegian Wind Ensemble. Peter is an acclaimed solo artist with an extensive and award-winning discography as a solo bassoonist.

As conductor, Peter has a particular passion for exploring and championing neglected music from the Baroque and Classical eras. Orchestral highlights of the 2022-23 season included Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, as well as returns to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and Irish National Opera for Così fan tutte

Recent opera productions have included the Marriage of Figaro, Magic Flute and Acis and Galatea with Irish National Opera and Handel’s Radamisto with English Touring Opera. He made his debut at San Francisco Opera for Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice in 2022.

Peter’s artistic direction in live performance and the recording studio has been widely praised for its “rich insight, style and charisma” (Guardian), its “stylish verve” (BBC Music Magazine) and “phenomenally energetic direction” (Artsdesk). As a champion of early music, Peter represents “the very best of contemporary trends in bringing this music to life: flex and zest with tempi, lithe and vigorous … an incredible alertness to colors and moods summoned by the cut-andthrust harmonic footwork of this music” (Operawire).

Photographs, above: group, clockwise from top left: Benjamin Russell; Chuma Sijeqa; Gemma Ní Bhriain; Sarah Richmond; Meili Li. Right: Peter Whelan.

ENSEMBLE 1700

Ensemble 1700 was founded by Dorothee Oberlinger in 2002. Under her direction, the ensemble has become a first-class European specialist ensemble for Baroque music.

Following its opera debut in 2017, Ensemble 1700 has also made a name for itself as an opera producer, and has staged and recorded operas and serenatas by Handel, Bononcini, Telemann, A. and G. Scarlatti, Ristori and Bernasconi. These have included both historic and present-day stage directions on the most influential early music stages in continental Europe.

The CD recording Polifemo by G.B. Bononcini (2020, Sony DHM) was awarded the Diapason d’Or, the Joker (Crescendo BE) and Opus Klassik (2021).

DOROTHEE OBERLINGER

Recorder player, ensemble leader, conductor, festival director at Potsdam-Sanssouci Music Festival and Arolsen Baroque Festival, and head of the Early Music Department at the Salzburg Mozarteum: Dorothee Oberlinger is one of the most influential Early Music personalities in Europe.

Following her debut with Handel’s Lucio Cornelio Silla 2017 at the International Handel Festival Göttingen, she is a sought-after opera conductor of her own Ensemble 1700 and State Theatre orchestras in Germany. She has been awarded the most important music prizes, including the Telemann Prize, and has received the Federal Cross of Merit First Class.

‘Every moment was interesting, whether it was the music, the architecture, the history or the setting.’

Photographs, above: top: Ensemble 1700 ©Johannes Ritter. Above right: Dorothee Oberlinger ©Thomas Kost.

ACCOMMODATION & PRICES

There is a choice of six hotels in Syracuse (Ortygia):

3- 4- or 5-star. These are the best hotels on the island.

They differ in size, architecture and style, and have Sicilian charm of varying degrees. They range from rustic and family run to luxury resort hotels.

Coaches cannot enter Ortygia, and so stop at the bridge that connects the island with mainland Syracuse. Walking distances are indicated on the following pages. Luggage is transferred separately by minivan.

Your choice of hotel is the sole determinant of the different prices.

The prices given are all per person and include flights (see pages 22–23).

If you choose to make your own travel arrangements, there is a reduction of £300 per person on the prices given over the next three pages.

Photograph ©Ben Ealovega.

‘A real triumph which richly deserves to be repeated.’

HOTEL LIVINGSTON (3/4*)

This small, family-run hotel is situated on the curve of the Lungomare at the tip of the island, looking south-east. This is the much quieter side of town. The decor is traditional, and somewhat dated, but very well maintained. Bedrooms have dark wood panelling and a mix of green or red brocade fabric furnishing. It is a comfortable hotel but rather plain, and more the standard of a 3-star.

Rooms have all modern amenities: air-conditioning/ heating, hairdryer, safe, WiFi. Bathrooms mostly have showers, or baths with shower attachments.

There is a breakfast room but no restaurant or bar. Good restaurants (and cafés) are nearby.

Walk to coach: c. 20 minutes.

www.hotellivingston.com

PRICES, per person

ARRIVING 17 OCTOBER

Two sharing:

Standard double • £4,340

Junior suite • £4,880

Single occupancy:

Standard double • £4,840

ARRIVING 18 OCTOBER

Two sharing:

Standard double • £4,220

Junior suite • £4,680

Single occupancy:

Standard double • £4,650

HOTEL GUTKOWSKI (3*)

This boutique hotel occupies two 19th-century palazzi located on the Lungomare which looks onto the open sea. Decor is minimalist and somewhat quirky, featuring local art and artefacts. It has the feel of a seaside hotel, light and airy with wood painted in greys and blues, exposed sandstone and terracotta tiles. There is a roof terrace. Some rooms are quite small, and there may be details in need of maintenance or renewal, but most guests would feel the charm of the people who run it compensates for such minor defects.

All rooms have airconditioning/heating, hairdryers, safes, WiFi. Some have showers, some have baths. Classic rooms vary in size and shape. Basic rooms are very small, but still comfortable, light and airy.

There is a small restaurant, which has become known locally for its good authentic food.

Walk to coach: c. 10 minutes. www.guthotel.it

PRICES, per person

ARRIVING 17 OCTOBER

Two sharing:

Classic double • £4,340

Single occupancy:

Classic double • £4,840

ARRIVING 18 OCTOBER

Two sharing:

Classic double • £4,220

Single occupancy:

Classic double • £4,650

‘The staff and guides were up to MRT’s highest standards.’

ANTICO HOTEL ROMA 1880 (4*)

A 4-star hotel situated near the cathedral in a pretty pink palazzo . The location could not be better; in fine weather the breakfast and restaurant extend onto Piazza Minerva, the heart of the historic centre. Staff are friendly in the main – many are local and have worked here for a long time, so are able to give extensive and reliable advice.

Currently, decor is simple, featuring a peach/yellow palette. Standard rooms have parquet floors and slightly dated furnishings, but are comfortable and well maintained. The hotel is undergoing a major renovation in winter 2023.

Most rooms only have showers although a bath may be available on request. All rooms are equipped with airconditioning/heating and have safes and hairdryers. WiFi is accessible in the rooms as well as in the public areas. There is a restaurant.

Walk to coach: c. 15 minutes.

www.vretreats.com/hotelroma

PRICES, per person

ARRIVING 17 OCTOBER

Two sharing:

Superior double • £5,090

Junior suite • £5,520

Suite • £6,420

Single occupancy:

Superior double • £5,810

Junior suite • £6,830

ARRIVING 18 OCTOBER

Two sharing:

Superior double • £4,830

Junior suite • £5,220

Suite • £5,740

Single occupancy:

Superior double • £5,450

Junior suite • £6,340

ALGILÀ ORTIGIA CHARME HOTEL (4*)

A delightful 4-star hotel in two adjacent Baroque palazzi overlooking the Ionian Sea. There are sea views from many rooms (those listed below as ‘sea view’ have direct views, but many not in this category have lateral sea views from windows or balconies). Designed by Syracuse-born theatre designer Manuel Giliberto, decor features majolica tiles, kilims and antique furniture. It has the most charm and best taste of all the hotels on Ortygia. It is slightly further from the Duomo than some of the other hotels (c. 10 minutes on foot).

All the rooms are airconditioned/heated, and are equipped with hairdryers and safes. Some rooms are split over two levels, with two or three steps into the room or separating the levels. All rooms have walk-in showers, in some cases the shower is separated from the bathroom, and higher category rooms may also have baths. WiFi is available throughout the hotel. The hotel also has a restaurant.

Walk to coach: c. 10 minutes.

www.algila.it

PRICES, per person

ARRIVING 17 OCTOBER

Two sharing:

Classic double • £5,180

Superior double • £5,270

Junior suite • £5,720

Full sea view • £5,580

Suite • £6,280

Deluxe spa • £6,720

Single occupancy:

Classic double • £6,040

Superior double • £6,240

Junior suite • £6,830

Full sea view • £6,710

ARRIVING 18 OCTOBER

Two sharing:

Classic double • £4,970

Superior double • £5,040

Junior suite • £5,450

Full sea view • £5,310

Suite • £5,980

Deluxe spa • £6,390

Single occupancy:

Classic double • £5,710

Superior double • £5,870

Junior suite • £6,390

Full sea view • £6,270

ORTEA PALACE HOTEL (5*)

A 5* luxury hotel in the island’s former 1920s post office building. It is well located for the coach stop but about a 10-minute walk from the Duomo. Following many years spent renovating the building, it finally opened in 2020. The result is luxurious, if rather showy and ostentatious. The dominant colour is white, emphasising the quality of the Sicilian light, with white walls and expanses of white marble omnipresent. Staff are very friendly and willing. The restaurant and bar are in the covered courtyard.

Décor in the bedrooms continues the white theme, with more marble and modern furnishings and artworks, sometimes in rather outrageous taste. Classic rooms overlook the internal courtyard, while the rest have fabulous views over the sea and city.

WiFi is available throughout; all rooms have safes, airconditioning/heating and hairdryers. Most bedrooms are duplexes, with (sturdy) stairs separating sleeping from sitting areas. Only twin suites can be twin bedded. Some bathrooms have showers only, while some also have a separate bathtubs.

There is an extensive spa, with a large pool and a full range of spa treatments available, with one complimentary entry for hotel guests.

Walk to coach: c. 5 minutes.

www.marriot.com

PRICES, per person

ARRIVING 17 OCTOBER

Two sharing:

Classic double • £6,130

Junior suite (sea view) • £6,920

Twin junior suite (sea view) • £6,920

Executive suite (sea view) • £9,260

Single occupancy:

Classic • £7,230

Junior suite (sea view) • £9,040

ARRIVING 18 OCTOBER

Two sharing:

Classic double • £5,870

Junior suite (sea view) • £6,410

Twin junior suite (sea view) • £6,410

Executive suite (sea view) • £8,350

Single occupancy:

Classic • £6,810

Junior suite (sea view) • £8,230

GRAND HOTEL DES ÈTRANGERS (5*)

The Grand Hotel des Ètrangers offers a level of luxury and elegance not found in any of the other hotels. It is in two Stile Liberty palazzi , on the waterfront overlooking the sheltered bay of Syracuse. A full renovation has just been completed, though period features such as the mosaic floor and ceiling in the entrance remain. Decor is elegant and lavish throughout, with a focus on the quality and provenance of materials. A balance is carefully struck between modern high-end and the hotel’s art deco roots. Staff are infallibly polite, and service clearly aims for the cosmopolitan approach of European luxury city hotels.

WiFi is available throughout the hotel, and all rooms have safes, air-conditioning/heating and hairdryers. The restaurant and bar are on the top floor and have fabulous views. There is a swimming pool and spa.

Junior suites and Suites are available on request and for a supplement. If you are interested, please note this in the ‘Further information’ box on the booking form.

Walk to coach: c. 15 minutes.

www.desetrangers.com

PRICES, per person

ARRIVING 17 OCTOBER

Two sharing:

Superior double • £6,620

Deluxe double (sea view) • £7,290

Single occupancy:

Superior double • £8,390

Deluxe double (sea view) • £9,470

ARRIVING 18 OCTOBER

Two sharing:

Superior double • £6,190

Deluxe double (sea view) • £6,710

Single occupancy:

Superior double • £7,710

Deluxe double (sea view) • £8,770

Illustration, opposite: Syracuse, the Temple of Minerva, 18th-century copper engraving. Photograph, left: Ortygia.

TRAVEL OPTIONS JOINING & LEAVING THE FESTIVAL

Flights with British Airways, from London Gatwick to Catania, or with ITA Airways (formerly Alitalia) from London City to Catania, via Milan, are included in the price.

There is the option to fly out on 17 October, the day before the festival begins – see the previous four pages for accommodation details and prices.

The majority of these flight options are indirect flights because British Airways only offers one direct flight per day between London and Catania in this period.

Please be aware that flight times are subject to change, and in our experience on these routes, can change more than once.

Alternatively you can choose to make your own travel arrangements, and select our ‘No flights’ price.

FESTIVAL FLIGHT OPTIONS

ARRIVING 17 OCTOBER (a day early):

OPTION 1 • BA

17 October: London Gatwick to Catania (BA2610), depart 07.15 and arrive 11.30.

24 October: Catania to London Gatwick (BA2611), depart 12.20 and arrive 14.35.

OPTION 2 • ITA

17 October: London City to Catania via Milan Linate (AZ217 & AZ1723), depart 07.40 and arrive 14.40.

24 October: Catania to London City via Milan Linate (AZ1714 & AZ220), depart 12.30 and arrive 18.20.

OPTION 3 • ITA

17 October: London City to Catania via Milan Linate (AZ227 & AZ1727), depart 13.45 and arrive 19.50.

24 October: Catania to London City via Milan Linate (AZ1714 & AZ220), depart 12.30 and arrive 18.20.

ARRIVING 18 OCTOBER:

OPTION 4 • BA

18 October: London Gatwick to Catania (BA2610), depart 07.20 and arrive 11.35.

24 October: Catania to London Gatwick (BA2611), depart 12.20 and arrive 14.35.

OPTION 5 • ITA

18 October: London City to Catania via Milan Linate (AZ217 & AZ1723), depart 07.40 and arrive 14.40.

24 October: Catania to London City via Milan Linate (AZ1714 & AZ220), depart 12.30 and arrive 18.20.

Connecting flights

It may be possible to arrange connecting flights with British Airways from Edinburgh, Manchester, Glasgow, Aberdeen or Belfast. Please request these on your booking form if you require them.

THE NO-FLIGHTS OPTION

You can choose not to take any of our flight options and to make your own arrangements for joining and leaving the festival.

Price reduction for ‘no flights’: £300.

Ryanair and Easyjet operate direct flights to Catania in October. Although we cannot make a group booking with them or indeed recommend them, we can advise on timetables and routes once they are published (see below). You are welcome to join our airport coach transfers if your flights coincide with any of our flight options.

Ryanair

17 October: London Luton to Catania (FR628) 08.45–12.55.

18 October: London Luton to Catania (FR5059) 18.25–22.30.

24 October: Catania to London Luton (FR629) 13.45–16.05.

Easyjet

17 October: London Gatwick to Catania (EZY8285) 05.45–09.55; London Luton to Catania (EZY2491) 07.00–11.15.

18 October: London Gatwick to Catania (EZY8285) 07.00–11.10; London Gatwick to Catania (EZY8287) 10.15–14.25; London Luton to Catania (EZY2491) 08.00–12.15.

24 October: Catania to London Gatwick (EZY8286) 10.30–12.50; Catania to London Luton (EZY2492) 11.50–14.20.

FLIGHTS FOR PRE- AND POSTFESTIVAL TOUR PARTICIPANTS

The prices for these tours include the option of a return flight – out at the start of the tour, and back at the end of the festival or vice versa.

We charge for flights, if you are taking them, as part of your pre- or post-festival tour booking. You therefore pay the ‘no flights’ price for the festival regardless.

See pages 24–28 for full details.

Fitness for the festival

This is a physically demanding festival and fitness is essential. Within towns and cities, you will be expected to walk for anything up to 20 minutes and at a pace which is unlikely to slow others down when moving together.

Some hotels are a 20-minute walk from where coaches can stop, a walk that is repeated each time we leave Ortygia.

Many streets are uneven or cobbled and there are some ascents and descents, although mostly you will only need to be capable of these if you opt to spend more free time in Noto, Ragusa or Modica. There are often stairs to negotiate in the theatres, which do not have lifts.

There is a lot of driving. Average distance by coach per day (including airport transfers): 48 miles.

If you have a medical condition or a disability which may affect your holiday or necessitate special arrangements being made for you, please discuss these with us before booking – or, if the condition develops or changes subsequently, as soon as possible before departure.

Illustration: Syracuse, the Greek Theatre, engraving c. 1830.

GASTRONOMIC PUGLIA ‘L’ORTO D’ITALIA’: FOOD & WINE IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN OF ITALY

Pre-festival tour:

10–16 October 2024 (mk 545)

7 days • £3,410

Lecturer: Christine Smallwood

The ‘heel’ of Italy is one of Europe’s most bountiful agricultural areas.

Staples of Italian cuisine – bread, pasta, oil and cheese – in their primitive perfection.

A spectrum of traditions from the family-run trattoria to the Michelinstarred restaurant.

ITINERARY

Day 1: Trani. Fly at c. 6.45am from London Heathrow to Bari, via Milan. Drive to the small city of Monopoli, stopping at a charming winery on the way. First of three nights in a converted masseria in Monopoli.

Day 2: Monopoli, near Alberobello, Ceglie Messapica. A short introductory walk around Monopoli, taking in the fish market, precedes a visit to an awardwinning oleificio near Alberobello to learn the little-known art of tasting olive oil. Ceglie Messapica is a delightful town containing a Norman castle and several churches. It has made a name for itself in recent years as a centre of gastronomy, relying on the produce of the local area where agriculture is the largest employer. Lunch is at an outstanding restaurant. Discover biscotti cegliesi, local biscuits made from almonds and cherry jam.

Day 3: Cisternino, Martina Franca, Conversano. The gastronomic speciality of Martina Franca is capocollo , a cold cut marinated in spiced red wine and smoked with oak and almond husk. Visit a familyrun producer and taste the meat with wine. Continue through the Itria Valley

to Martina Franca, a beautiful hill town of winding streets, sudden vistas and Baroque and Rococo buildings. Dinner is at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Carovigno.

Day 4: Altamura, near Monopoli. Visit Altamura, for lunch in a traditional restaurant where you can try making and then taste orecchiette , a typical pasta shape. Visit a bakery that produces Altamura’s unique bread. Continue to Trani, where the following three nights are spent in a converted 15th-century convent.

Day 5: Trani, near Andria. A walk along the harbour includes the 12th-century church of Ognissanti and the magically beautiful Romanesque cathedral perched on the waterfront. Drive to the countryside near Andria to visit a family-run wine and olive oil producer, dating back to the 17th century. Visit the vineyards, the farm and the cantina, as well as the wine cellars in the castle where the family still lives. There is a wine tasting and a simple but plentiful lunch of fresh produce from the farm.

Day 6: Andria, Montegrosso. Nearby Andria is the home of burrata , the now world-famous mozzarella stuffed with stracciatella – an oozing mixture of cream and mozzarella scraps. Visit an artisan producer, where there is the opportunity to try your hand at making it. Also in Andria is the Museo del Confetto (sugared almonds). Continue to the small town of Montegrosso for lunch at an exceptional restaurant with a vast kitchen garden. The self-styled ‘chef-contadino’ (farmer chef) gives a guided tour of his extensive orto

– a fitting introduction to one of the best lunches in Puglia. Conclude the day with a wine tasting given by the lecturer.

Day 7: Trani. Visit a producer of Moscato di Trani, a sweet wine whose history dates back to the 13th century, when the merchants of the Republic of Venice made it famous throughout much of Europe. Continue to Bari and fly to London Heathrow, via Milan, arriving c. 8.45pm.

If you are joining Opera in Sicily, fly from Bari to Catania; a transfer is provided to Ortygia. Spend the night of 16 October in the Hotel Antico Roma, Ortygia, and transfer to your festival hotel on 17 October (you will need to opt to arrive a day early). Final day of the festival, 24 October: fly Catania to London Heathrow, arriving at c. 6.15pm.

PRACTICALITIES

Price, per person. Two sharing: £3,410 or £3,170 without flights. Single occupancy: £3,890 or £3,650 without flights.

If combining this tour with Opera in Sicily, we will arrange travel from Bari to Syracuse, and two extra nights in Ortygia. The price, per person, for the night of 16 October is £260 (two sharing) or £360 (single occupancy). We will assume that you also require festival accommodation on 17 October (‘arriving a day early’) unless you advise us otherwise – see pages 18–21 for prices. Flights are charged as part of your pre-festival tour booking, so you take the ‘no flights’ price for the festival.

Included: flights (Economy class) on scheduled ITA flights (Airbus 319, Embraer 90); travel by private coach; hotel accommodation; breakfasts, 4 lunches and 4 dinners with wine, water, coffee; all admissions; all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager.

Accommodation. Hotel Il Melograno, near Monopoli (melograno.com): very comfortable 5-star hotel in a converted masseria in the countryside. Hotel San Paolo al Convento, Trani (hotelsanpaoloalconventotrani.it): charming 4-star hotel, former 15th-century convent, in the centre of town.

How strenuous? There is a lot of walking, some of it over rough ground and cobbled or uneven paving. Fitness and surefootedness are essential. The tour should not be attempted by anyone who has difficulty with everyday walking and stairclimbing. There is a lot of driving on this tour; Puglia is a very long region and we have decided to keep hotel changes to a minimum. The coach often cannot reach town centres. Average distance by coach per day: 77 miles.

Group size: 10–22 participants.

PALERMO REVEALED ART, ARCHAEOLOGY, ARCHITECTURE & GASTRONOMY

Pre-festival tour:

12–17 October 2024 (mk 508)

6 days • £3,320

Lecturer: Dr Luca Leoncini

A captivating city, richly encrusted with the art and architecture of many periods.

Exclusive visits: meals at two private palazzi and drinks at another; see the outstanding Palatine Chapel outside public opening hours.

Includes an excursion to see the spectacular mosaics at Monreale.

ITINERARY

Day 1. Fly at c. 8.30am from London City via Milan to Palermo (ITA Airways). Overnight Palermo where all five nights are spent.

Day 2: Palermo. A morning walk through the old centre includes a visit to several oratories. The afternoon is spent at the Galleria Regionale della Sicilia (Palazzo Abatellis), which has an excellent collection of 15th-century pictures , and at La Martorana and S. Cataldo, two outstanding Norman buildings. Dinner at a private palazzo.

Day 3: Monreale, Palermo. Monreale dominates a verdant valley southwest of Palermo, and its cathedral is one of the finest Norman churches with the largest scheme of mosaic direction to survive from the Middle Ages. Free afternoon before a private evening visit to the Palatine Chapel.

Day 4: Palermo. Spend most of the day with the Duchess of Palma in an 18thcentury palazzo facing the Bay of Palermo. The palace is the former residence of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, author of The Leopard, now the home of his adoptive son. Visit the city’s best market with the Duchess herself to select fresh seasonal produce, before returning to the palazzo for a cooking class, lunch in the grand dining room and a tour with the Duke and Duchess.

Day 5: Palermo. Visit the Chiesa del Gesù, an extraordinary example of Palermitan Baroque with a profusion of marble inlay, stucco and sculpture. S. Giovanni degli Eremiti is a Norman church with five cupolas and a charming garden. The cathedral, a building of many periods, has grand royal and imperial tombs. Free afternoon. In the evening, there is a visit and reception by special arrangement to an otherwise inaccessible palazzo, with astonishing Rococo interiors and many original furnishings (used as a set in Visconti’s film of The Leopard ).

Day 6: Palermo. Visit the Castello della Zisa, an Arab-Norman palace. Fly from Palermo via Milan to London City, arriving c. 6.30pm.

If combining this tour with Opera in Sicily, a coach transfer is provided to Ortygia on 17 October. Spend the night of 17 October in your festival hotel. Final day of the festival, 24 October: fly from Catania to London Heathrow, arriving c. 6.15pm.

PALERMO REVEALED CONTINUED

PRACTICALITIES

Price, per person. Two sharing: £3,320 or £2,920 without flights. Single occupancy: £3,690 or £3,290 without flights.

If combining this tour with Opera in Sicily, we will arrange travel from Palermo to Syracuse, and we will assume that you require festival accommodation on 17 October (‘arriving a day early’) unless you advise us otherwise – see pages 18–21 for prices . Flights are charged as part of your pre-festival tour booking, so you take the ‘no flights’ price for the festival.

Included: flights (economy) with ITA Airways (Airbus 319 & 320); private coach; accommodation; breakfasts, 1 lunch, 4 dinners with wine; cooking class; drinks reception; all admissions; all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturer.

Accommodation. Grand Hotel Piazza Borsa, Palermo (piazzaborsa.it): centrally located 4-star hotel housed in an assortment of historical buildings.

How strenuous? There is a lot of walking on this tour, and it would not be suitable for anyone who has difficulties with everyday walking or stair-climbing. Fitness and sure-footedness are essential. Average distance by coach per day: 10 miles.

Flights: we opt to fly with ITA Airways because British Airways flights to Palermo are infrequent at this time of year.

Group size: 10–22 participants.

SICILY: FROM THE GREEKS TO THE BAROQUE TEMPLES, CHURCHES & PALAZZI

Post-festival tour:

25 October–3 November 2024 (mk 526)

10 days • £4,880

Lecturer: John McNeill

Based in Taormina, a charming seaside town, and Palermo, a bustling centre of culture.

Cross the Straits of Messina to Reggio di Calabria to see the Riace Bronzes. Several special arrangements to visit places not normally open to the public.

Sicily is the pre-eminent island in the Mediterranean – the largest as well as the most eventful historically. It is also more or less in the middle, a stepping stone between Europe and Africa and a refuge between the Levant and the Atlantic. Throughout history Sicily was viewed as a fortuitous landfall by migrating peoples and a prized possession by ambitious adventurers and expansionist princes. And as the Mediterranean has been the catalyst and disseminator of a greater variety of civilisations than any other of the world’s seas, the island has accumulated an exceptionally rich and incomparably varied inventory of art, architecture and archaeological remains.

Here are to be found some of the finest surviving ancient Greek temples and theatres; Roman floor mosaics which have no peer in Europe; and wall and vault mosaics by Byzantine craftsmen which are unequalled anywhere. Medieval churches and Baroque palaces abound, and there are many memorable paintings, sculptures and other works of art.

As much part of the experience as these masterpieces are the picturesque hill towns, coastal settlements lapped by a gentle sea, haphazard alleys and vibrant city boulevards ornamented with wroughtiron balconies.

In every town there are buildings of unexpected magnificence and a plenitude of modest structures of ineffable charm. Some are well preserved, some are crumbling – witness to a deeper malaise.

For much of its history, Sicily was regularly one of the most prosperous of European territories, but political mismanagement and social dislocation led to a long, deep slump. Into the space vacated by absentee landlords and self-serving authorities, the ‘Honoured Society’ inserted itself as protector – though it has been even more exploitative and malign than the worst of earlier tyrants. And the region remains low in the tables of prosperity.

Matters are improving, however. Conservation and curatorship have made great strides in recent years, the Mafia has lost its dominance, poverty has lessened, and other indicators of wellbeing – the high quality of cuisine among them – are more evident as each year goes by. Sicily has been a part of a unified Italy since 1861 and ethnically and culturally it is unmistakably Italian. But it is also distinctly Sicilian, a world apart. Forming the backdrop to all this are some ineluctable landscapes, the formidable stark hills of the interior and

Illustration, above left: Palermo, detail from the Palatine Chapel, engraving c. 1880.

the glittering greens of intensely farmed valleys. The smoking bulk of Etna, Europe’s largest active volcano, is visible from much of the eastern part of the island.

ITINERARY

If combining this tour with Opera in Sicily. First day of the festival, 18 October: fly from London City to Catania via Milan, arriving c. 2.30pm. First day of the tour, 25 October: a coach transfer from Ortygia to Taormina is provided.

Day 1: Taormina. Non-festival participants fly at c. 8.30am from London City to Catania, via Milan (ITA Airways). Drive to Taormina, an extremely pretty hillside town, where four nights are spent. A smart resort since the 19th century, our hotel has shaded gardens which spill down a series of terraces.

Day 2: Catania. Sicily’s second city, Catania was largely rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693 with long straight streets lined with Baroque palaces. Special arrangements to see a magnificent private palazzo and a Byzantine chapel, and visits to the Roman theatre and Normano-Baroque Cathedral.

Day 3: Taormina. A leisurely day to visit the town’s buildings which span five centuries. The Teatro Greco (actually largely Roman) is incomparably sited with far-reaching views encompassing Mount Etna, the Ionian sea and the Calabrian coast of mainland Italy.

Day 4: Messina, Reggio di Calabria. Drive along the coast to Messina. The city was one of Caravaggio’s Sicilian refuges, and in the art gallery there are two paintings by him and the bestsurviving work by the 15th-century painter Antonello da Messina. Cross the Straits of Messina by hydrofoil to Reggio di Calabria on mainland Italy to see the Riace Bronzes, over-life-size male nudes associated with Phidias and Polyclitus, among the finest Greek sculpture to survive.

Day 5: Piazza Armerina, Palermo. Leave Taormina and drive through the hilly interior of Sicily. At Piazza Armerina are the remains of one of the finest villas of the late Roman Empire, whose floor mosaics comprise the most vital and colourful manifestation of Roman figurative art in Europe. Continue to Palermo, where the remaining five nights are spent.

Day 6: Palermo. The largest and by far the most interesting city on the island, Palermo has been capital of Sicily since the period of Saracenic occupation in the ninth century. It reached a peak under the Normans and again during the Age of Baroque. A morning walk through the old centre includes visits to the Palazzo Abatellis and outstanding Norman buildings including La Martorana with fine mosaics. Lunch is at a private palace, by special arrangement. In the afternoon see the remarkable Greek sculpture in the Archaeological Museum. In the evening there is an out-of-hours visit to the Palatine Chapel in the palace of the Norman kings. Entirely encrusted

with Byzantine mosaics, this is perhaps the finest assembly of Byzantine art to survive anywhere.

Day 7: Monreale, Cefalù. The small town of Monreale dominates a verdant valley southwest of Palermo. Its cathedral is one of the finest Norman churches on the island and possesses the largest scheme of Byzantine mosaic decoration in existence. Cefalù, a charming coastal town, has another massive Norman cathedral.

Day 8: Palermo. Start with the cathedral, a building of many periods (though largely medieval), with grand royal and imperial tombs, then to San Giovanni degli Eremiti, a Norman church with tall cupolas and a charming garden, and Il Gesù, grandest of Palermo’s Baroque interiors. The afternoon is free.

Day 9: Segesta, Palermo. Set in an unspoilt hilly landscape, the almost complete but fascinatingly unfinished fifth-century temple at Segesta was built by indigenous, if thoroughly Hellenised, Sicilians. On an adjacent hill is a spectacularly sited theatre with views to the sea. Optional visit to three tiny stuccoed oratories in the afternoon, or free time.

Day 10: Palermo. En-route to the airport visit Castello della Zisa, an Arab-Norman Palace. Fly from Palermo, via Milan, arriving London City at c. 6.30pm.

Illustration, above:

Mount Etna and Catania, engraving 1804.

SICILY: FROM THE GREEKS TO THE BAROQUE CONTINUED

PRACTICALITIES

Price, per person. Two sharing: £4,880 or £4,580 without flights. Single occupancy: £5,780 or £5,480 without flights.

If you are combining this tour with Opera in Sicily, we will arrange an extra night for you on 24 October (the night between festival and tour) – the price you pay for the festival will be the same as if you were taking our option to arrive a day early (see pages 18–21 for prices). Flights are charged as part of your post-festival tour booking, so you take the ‘no flights’ price for the festival.

Included: flights (economy class) with ITA Airways; travel by private coach throughout; hotel accommodation as described below; breakfasts; 3 lunches and 5 dinners with wine, water, coffee; all admissions; all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager.

Accommodation. Hotel Villa Belvedere, Taormina (villabelvedere.it): charming 4-star family-run hotel in the old town, with its own garden (rooms vary in size and outlook). The swimming pool is open until the end of October. Grand Hotel Piazza Borsa, Palermo (piazzaborsa.it): centrally located 4-star hotel housed in an assortment of historical buildings.

How strenuous? This tour involves a lot of walking, some of it over rough ground at archaeological sites and cobbled or uneven paving in town centres. Fitness and sure-footedness are essential. There are also some long coach journeys. Average distance by coach per day: 58 miles.

Group size: 10–22 participants.

Illustration: Segesta, engraving c. 1840.

MAKING A BOOKING

1. Booking Option. We recommend that you contact us first, or visit our website, to make a booking option which we will hold for seven days. To confirm it, please send the booking form and deposit within this period – the deposit is 10% of your total booking price.

2. Definite booking. Fill in the booking form and send it to us with the deposit. It is important that you read the Booking Conditions at this stage (see page 31). and that you sign the booking form. Full payment is required if you are booking within 10 weeks of the date the festival begins.

3. Our confirmation. Upon receipt of the booking form and deposit we shall send you confirmation of your booking. After this your deposit is non-returnable except in the special circumstances mentioned in the Booking Conditions. Further details about the festival may also be sent at this stage, or will follow shortly afterwards.

FITNESS TESTS

We ask that you take the following fitness tests before booking. By signing the Booking Form, you confirm that you have done so. Please also read ‘fitness for the festival’ on page 23.

1. Chair stands. Sit in a dining chair, with arms folded and hands on opposite shoulders. Stand up and sit down at least eight times in 30 seconds.

2. Step test. Mark a wall at a height that is halfway between your knee and your hip bone. Raise each knee in turn to the mark at least 60 times in two minutes.

3. Agility test. Place an object three yards from the edge of a chair, sit, and record the time it takes to stand up, walk to the object and sit back down. You should be able to do this in under seven seconds.

An additional indication of the fitness required, though we are not asking you to measure this, is that you should be able to walk unaided at a pace of three miles per hour for at least half an hour at a time, and to stand for at least 15 minutes.

OPERA IN SICILY • 18–24 OCTOBER 2024 (MK 525)

NAME(S) – as you wish them to appear on the list of participants. Please note that we do not use titles:

Participant 1: Participant 2:

Contact details for all correspondence:

Address Postcode/Zip Country

Telephone (home)

E-mail

Mobile

Tick if you are happy to receive your festival and booking documents online where possible (confirm your e-mail address above).

How would you like to be kept informed about our future tours and events?

By post: Yes No E-newsletter: Yes No

What prompted this booking? It is very helpful for us to know how you first heard about this event, and if you can be specific, e.g. if in an advertisement, the name of the publication it appeared in; if we sent you a communication, what type? (e-mail or post?):

ACCOMMODATION – please tick:

LIVINGSTON

Two sharing:

Standard double

Junior suite

Single occupancy:

Standard double

GUTKOWSKI

Two sharing:

Classic double

Single occupancy:

Classic double

ANTICO ROMA

Two sharing:

Superior double

Junior suite

Suite

Single occupancy:

Superior double

Junior suite

ALGILÀ

Two sharing:

Classic double

Superior double

Junior suite

Full sea view

Suite

Deluxe spa

Single occupancy:

Classic double

Superior double

Junior suite

Full sea view

ORTEA PALACE

Two sharing:

Classic double

Junior suite (sea view)

Twin junior suite (sea view)

Executive suite (sea view)

Single occupancy:

Classic

Junior suite (sea view)

DES ÈTRANGERS

Two sharing:

Superior double

Deluxe double (sea view)

Single occupancy:

Superior double

Deluxe double (sea view)

ADDITIONAL OPTIONS:

YOUR ARRIVAL DATE

Please tick one to confirm:

17 October (a day early)

18 October (day 1)

Please tell us about any other accommodation requests (upgrades, etc.) overleaf.

SHARING A ROOM?

Please tick one:

Twin beds

Double bed

NB at the Ortea Palace, only ‘twin suites’ can be twin bedded.

TRAVEL OPTION – please tick one (please leave this section blank if also booking pre- or post-festival tours).

ARRIVING 17 OCTOBER

Option 1 • BA

Option 2 • ITA

Option 3 • ITA

NO FLIGHTS

ARRIVING 18 OCTOBER

Option 4 • BA

Option 5 • ITA

Making own arrangements for travel to and from the festival.

PRE/ POST-FESTIVAL TOURS – tick to add to your booking:

Gastronomic Puglia, 10–16 October 2024

Palermo Revealed, 12–17 October 2024

Sicily: from the Greeks to the Baroque, 25 Oct.–3 Nov. 2024

Room-type:

Double / twin room

Double for sole use

Travel option:

I require the group flights, either side of the tour and festival. I will make my own travel arrangements.

FURTHER INFORMATION – Please notify us of dietary restrictions, or any requests for room or flight upgrades, etc.

PASSPORT DETAILS & EMERGENCY CONTACT. Essential for airlines, hotels, and in case of emergency. Please use capital letters.

1.

2.

1.

2.

1.

2.

PAYMENT

We prefer payments by bank transfer. We cannot currently accept payment through our website. All money paid to us is fully protected regardless of payment method. Please tick one option:

BANK TRANSFER . Please use your surname and the festival code (MK525) as a reference and ask your bank to allow for all charges.

Account name: Martin Randall Travel Ltd.

Bank: Barclays, 1 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HP

Account number: 4054 4558 • Sort code: 20-96-63

Transfers from non-UK bank accounts: please instruct your bank to send payment in pound sterling (GBP)

IBAN: GB19 BARC 2096 6340 5445 58

Swift/BIC code: BARC GB22

DEBIT OR CREDIT CARD. I authorise Martin Randall Travel to contact me by telephone to take payment from my Visa credit/Visa debit/Mastercard/AMEX.

Please tick payment amount, and then ensure you sign at the bottom of this form:

EITHER Deposit 10% of total booking cost.

OR Full balance

Required if you are booking within 10 weeks of departure.

Add carbon offset (£5 per person). Tick to offset the emissions generated by your booking. Read about the project we currently support through carbon offsets by visiting martinrandall.com/sustainable-tourism.

TOTAL: £

I have read and agree to the Booking Conditions and Privacy Policy (www.martinrandall.com/privacy) on behalf of all listed on this form.

Signature:

Martin Randall Travel Ltd

10 Barley Mow Passage London W4 4PH, United Kingdom

Tel +44 (0)20 8742 3355

From North America: 1 800 988 6168 info@martinrandall.co.uk www.martinrandall.com

Martin Randall Australasia PO Box 1024

Indooroopilly QLD 4068, Australia

Tel 1300 55 95 95 New Zealand 0800 877 622 anz@martinrandall.com.au

Date:

PLEASE READ THESE

You need to sign your assent to these Booking Conditions on the booking form.

OUR PROMISES TO YOU

We aim to be fair, reasonable and sympathetic in all our dealings with clients, and to act always with integrity.

We will meet all our legal and regulatory responsibilities, usually going far beyond the minimum obligations.

We aim to provide full and accurate information about our holidays. If there are changes, we will tell you promptly.

If something does go wrong, we will try to put it right. Our overriding aim is to ensure that every client is satisfied with our services.

ALL WE ASK OF YOU

That you read the information we send to you.

SPECIFIC TERMS

Our contract with you. From the time we receive your signed booking form and initial payment, a contract exists between you and Martin Randall Travel Ltd.

Eligibility. You must be in good health, free of infectious illness, and have a level of physical and mental fitness that would not impair other participants’ enjoyment by slowing them down or by absorbing disproportionate attention from the tour leaders. Please read ‘Fitness for the festival' on page 23 and take the self-assessment tests described on page 28; by signing the booking form you are stating that you have understood what we are asking of you and are fit to participate. If you have a medical condition or a disability which may affect your holiday or necessitate special arrangements being made for you, please discuss this with us before booking – or, if the condition develops or changes subsequently, as soon as possible before departure. If during the festival or tour it transpires, in the judgement of the tour leaders, that you are not able to cope, you may be asked to opt out of certain visits or to leave altogether. This would be at your own expense. We reserve the right to refuse to accept a booking without necessarily giving a reason.

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advice. Before booking, please refer to the FCDO website to ensure you understand the travel advice for the places to which the festival or tour goes. Non-UK citizens should look at the advice issued by their governments, which may differ significantly.

Insurance. It is a requirement of booking that you have adequate holiday insurance cover. The insurance must cover, at minimum, medical treatment, repatriation, loss of property and loss of payments to us in the event that you cancel your booking. If you are making your own arrangements for international travel, please ensure you have insurance that protects you in the rare event of Martin Randall Travel cancelling the festival or tour. Experience indicates that free travel insurance offered by some credit card companies is not to be relied upon. Passports and visas. British citizens must have valid passports for travel outside the United Kingdom. The passport needs to be valid for 6 months beyond the date of the festival and/ or tour. For Schengen countries, your passport must have been issued less than ten years before the date you enter the country and valid for at least three months after the day you

leave. Non-UK nationals should ascertain whether visas are required in their case.

If you cancel. If you have to withdraw from a festival or tour on which you had booked, there would be a charge which varies according to the period of notice you give. Up to 57 days before departure the deposit would be forfeited. Thereafter a percentage of the total cost of your booking will be due:

Up to 57 days: deposit only

Between 56 and 29 days: 40%

Between 28 and 15 days: 60%

Between 14 days and 4 days: 80% Within 72 hours: 100%

Additional costs for individual arrangements (including but not limited to flight upgrades, flight amendments, extra nights at hotel(s), room upgrades and airport transfers) are subject to the same cancellation charges, apart from in the instance where we have previously notified you that an additional cost is non-refundable.

If you cancel your booking in a shared room but your travelling companion chooses to continue to participate, the companion would have to pay the single-occupancy price.

We take as the day of cancellation that on which we receive written confirmation of cancellation.

If we cancel. We may decide to cancel a festival or tour if there were insufficient bookings for the it to be viable (though this would always be more than 8 weeks before departure). We would refund you with everything you had paid us.

Safety and security. Cancellation may also occur if civil unrest, war, natural disaster or other circumstances amounting to force majeure arise in the region to which the festival or tour was due to go. If the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against travel, we would either cancel or adjust the itinerary to avoid risky areas.

Health and safety. We have a safety auditing process in place and, as a minimum, request that all of our suppliers comply with local health and safety regulations. However, we operate tours in parts of the world where standards are lower than those you are used to at home, particularly in the areas of accessibility, handrails and seatbelts. We ask that you take note of the safety information we provide.

The limits of our liabilities. As principal, we accept responsibility for all ingredients of a tour or festival except those in which the principle of force majeure prevails. Our obligations and responsibilities are also limited where international conventions apply in respect of air, sea or rail carriers, including the Warsaw Convention and its various updates.

If we make changes. Circumstances might arise which prevent us from operating a tour or festival exactly as advertised. We would try to devise a satisfactory alternative, but if the change represents a significant loss to the tour or festival we would offer compensation. If you decide to cancel because the alternative we offer is not in your view an adequate substitute, we would give a full refund.

Financial protection for UK residents. Any money you have paid to us for a holiday which includes an international flight is protected by our Air Travel Organiser’s Licence (ATOL, number 3622). Payments for holidays which do not include a flight from/to the UK are protected by ABTOT – The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited. So, in the (highly unlikely) event of our

insolvency in advance of the festival or tour, you would get your money back, or if we failed after it had begun, it would be able to continue and you would be returned to the UK at its conclusion. Clients living elsewhere who have arranged their own flights should ensure their personal travel insurance covers repatriation in the event of holiday supplier failure.

Financial protection – the official text. We are required to publish the following:

We provide full financial protection for our package holidays which include international flights, by way of our Air Travel Organiser’s Licence number 3622. When you buy an ATOL protected flight inclusive holiday from us you receive an ATOL Certificate. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong. Most of our flights and flight-inclusive holidays on our website and in our brochure are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. In order to be protected under the ATOL scheme you need to be in the UK when you make your booking and/or one of the flights you take must originate or terminate in the UK with the group.

We provide full financial protection for our package holidays that do not include a flight, by way of a bond held by ABTOT – The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited.

We will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative). In some cases, where we aren’t able do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable). If we, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise) for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us (or your credit card issuer where applicable). You also agree that any such claims maybe re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme.

English Law. These conditions form part of your contract with Martin Randall Travel Ltd and are governed by English law. All proceedings shall be within the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

Privacy. By signing the booking form, or by booking online, you are stating that you have read and agree to our Privacy Policy (available online at www. martinrandall.com/privacy).

MARTIN RANDALL TRAVEL LTD

10 Barley Mow Passage

London W4 4PH United Kingdom

Tel +44 (0)20 8742 3355 info@martinrandall.co.uk www.martinrandall.com

Contact the London office from the USA and Canada:

Tel 1 800 988 6168 (toll free) usa@martinrandall.com

MARTIN RANDALL AUSTRALASIA

PO Box 1024

Indooroopilly QLD 4068

Australia

Tel 1300 55 95 95 New Zealand 0800 877 622 anz@martinrandall.com.au

MARTIN RANDALL TRAVEL…

is Britain’s leading specialist in cultural travel and one of the most respected tour operators in the world.

MRT aims to produce the best planned, best led and altogether the most fulfilling and enjoyable cultural tours and events available. They focus on art, architecture, archaeology, history, music and gastronomy, and are spread across Britain, continental Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, India, Japan and the Americas.

For 2024 we have planned around 185 expert-led tours for small groups (usually 10–20 participants), four music festivals of our own devising (such as Opera in Sicily ), several short history and music breaks, an extensive programme of online talks, and single days in London.

For over 35 years the company has led the field through incessant innovation and improvement, setting the benchmarks for itinerary planning, operational systems and service standards.

To see our full range of cultural tours and events, please visit www.martinrandall.com