On this walking tour you will explore the lives of Renaissance courtesans — the women who helped shape Renaissance Italy’s cultural and political scene. Rather than a series of dates and facts, the experience focuses on seven unforgettable women, each immortalised in paintings by Caravaggio and Raphael. Along the way you’ll hear how these courtesans acted as muses for great artists and played visible roles in the politics of Renaissance Europe.
You will learn about their wider influence: not just beauty, but resourcefulness, intellect, poetry and fashion-setting that could affect courts and rulers. The stories you’ll hear mix passion and intrigue with scandal and dangerous ambition. As you move through the city, the guide will paint a balanced picture of women admired and condemned by their society, showing how their lives intersected with art, power and reputation in a time when those forces were tightly entwined.
Why Visit
- Walking tour with a live guide telling scandalous Renaissance courtesan stories
- Live storytelling about seven courtesans immortalized by Caravaggio and Raphael
- Portrait focus on paintings by Caravaggio and Raphael featuring these women
- Political intrigue, poetry and influence of courtesans revealed through vivid anecdotes
What's included
- Guided tour
What's Not Included
- Snack bar purchases
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Accessible to strollers
- Service animals welcome
- Public transit links nearby
- Infants must sit on an adult's lap
Tour available in your selected language
Additional information
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
The itinerary of the tour is 95% accessible to wheelchairs. There's only 2 churches which are hard to get in with a wheelchair but that doesn't manage the content of the tour, since in that case we just tell the story outside of the church
Bring your ticket with you to the attraction.
Be aware that operators may cancel for unforeseen reasons.
You must be 18 years or older to book. Children must be accompanied by an adult.