CARAVAGGIO’S ROME TOUR: The turbulent life of a true artistic genius

Caravaggio is considered by most art historian as one of the most revolutionary artists of all times.
The extreme naturalism and the new dramatic light effects of his painting was a real shock for the artistic scene of late 16th century Rome.
This tours let you not only enjoy his art, but also see it in the original contest it was created for, some of the most beautiful Renaissance churches of the city. And, consider it a plus, their all visible free of charge!

After moving to Rome from Milan to find fortune, Caravaggio got caught from the darkest side of the city and conducted a troubled life that led him to committing murder, be condemned to death and escape from Rome to spend the rest of his life wandering from place to place till a mysterious and precocious death on the coast of Tuscany.

Our tour will start in Piazza del Popolo, main entrance to the city and monumental square.
In the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, among the several works by the greatest masters of the Renaissance like Raphael, Bramante and Bernini we’ll focus on two of the most incredible works by Caravaggio: the Crucifixion of Saint Peter and the Conversion of Saint Paul.
Enjoy the explanation of your tour guide, specialized in art history, to get how the unusual perspectives, the striking contrasts of dark and light, realistic details, make these paintings so revolutionary and influential.

Walking trough the most fascinating streets of the city center towards the Piazza Navona we’ll see where the artist spent his roman years: discover where he lived and work, the tavernas where he used to hang out to find his models, all chosen from the most humble social classes to make his art more real and relatable.

In the church of Sant’Agostino we’ll see the controversial Madonna dei pellegrini (Pilgrim’s Madonna), that really shocked 17th century viewers: instead of Mary, in the foreground of the painting we see two pilgrims with worn out clothes and dirty feet! Way too realistic for the standards of the time…
In the same church we’ll also enjoy a fresco by Raphael and a beautiful sculpture of one of his most gifted pupils, Sansovino.

We’ll then head towards the church of San Luigi dei Francesi, one of the French national churches in Rome: for the Contarelli chapel Caravaggio created a trilogy of paintings with episodes of Saint Matthew life that consecrated him like one of the most innovative artists of his time. The intensity and realism of the tree canvases make the viewer really emphatize with Matthew: we relive the most important moments of his life, from the calling trough the inspiration to write a gospel to the dramatic martyrdom. Never before Caravaggio biblical scenes like these had been rendered in such a direct and approachable style!

Join us on this trip back in time to the Rome of the Renaissance and enjoy the guidance of a tour guide that is specialized in art history and just genuinely passionate about the topic.

P.S. If you want to discover more about Caravaggio unique painting technique and the way he reached his extreme realism try our Caravaggio ART WORKSHOP! Learn more.