Raphael: The Young Prodigy tells the story of the Italian Renaissance artist from Urbino, starting from his extraordinary portraits of women – the Mother, the Friend, the Secret Lover and the Client. From portraits of his mother, who died when the painter was only 8 years old, to the female admirers who helped him on his road to success, Raphael, (1483-1520), was able to portray an ideal of celestial beauty, and to focus his gaze more on the psychology of his subjects’ features than on their physical form, so that their personalities emerge in a striking manner. Audiences will discover the life and times of one of the most influential Renaissance painters.

An exploration of Pompeii, a city cloaked in mystery and depicted through images and words by the great artists and writers who experienced and imagined it over the course of history: from Pliny the Younger to Picasso, from Emily Dickinson to Jean Cocteau.  Famously known for the catastrophic volcanic eruption which buried Pompeii along with its inhabitants over 2000 years ago, Pompeii: Sin City hosted by Isabella Rossellini offers audiences an extraordinary snapshot of Roman life, frozen at the moment of burial, showing how its citizens lived their lives, spent their free time, experienced pleasure, passion, religion and ultimately, their fate.

Florence in the era of the powerhouse Italian statesman, politician and patron Lorenzo de’ Medici, was the heart of Renaissance art and culture. One artist, above all others, was able to evoke the lights and shadows of this unforgettable era: Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510). Through Botticelli: Florence and the Medici, we re-live Florence and all its art workshops through Botticelli’s life, his collaborations, his challenges and successes. From the outset of Botticelli’s career under the wing of the Medici family, he established himself as the inventor of an ideal beauty, seen in works such as The Allegory of Spring and the Birth of Venus. The death of Lorenzo de Medici marked the downward spiral of the Florentine master, who was destined to be forgotten for over three centuries, but the rediscovery of Botticelli by the Pre-Raphaelites reignited a genuine fascination with the artist and sparked a Botticelli-mania which continues to this day. 

A tour of the magical city, Venice: Infinitely Avant Garde showcases masterpieces by Tiepolo, Canaletto, Rosalba Carriera and the intellectuals who fell in love with Venice: from Canova to Goethe, Lord Byron to Walter Scott, down to the great Hollywood stars drawn to its yearly Film Festival. 1600 years after its legendary foundation, Venice continues to be unique for its urban landscape and for its rich history, but above all, the city is unique for its identity, which combines the charm of decadence with the excitement of being on the cutting edge.