In the Easter holiday, the History of Art department (joined by a handful of other keen Art students) travelled to Florence for four wonderful days exploring this beautiful city. With our fantastic guide, Agata, we were able to appreciate the historical context of the Florentine Renaissance, walking the very streets that great artists such as Donatello and Ghiberti walked 500 years ago and exploring buildings like the Medici Palace where Michelangelo actually lived for a time.

Getting to see so many of our Renaissance case studies first-hand, and sometimes in their original location, allowed us to better understand their communicative power for their original audience: climbing the 463 steps of Brunelleschi’s great dome for Florence cathedral definitely made us appreciate this incredible engineering feat! The views from the top were spectacular.  

All in all, this was a brilliant trip for both students and staff and we were blessed with beautiful sunshine on all four days.  The History of Art students have already tasked Miss Dobell with planning another trip next year – will it be Venice, Rome, Paris, New York…? Watch this space!