Caravaggio's Art and Life Private Walking Tour in Rome

Explore the secrets of Caravaggio’s art on a 3-hour walking tour guided by an experienced art historian. Learn about the innovations and controversies of Italy’s most famous Early-Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi (1573-1610), known as Caravaggio. He left a distinctive mark on the history of art thanks to the stunning quality of his ground-breaking work. Luckily, Rome hosts a huge portion of his masterpieces, described by several historians as works of art that defined the entire Baroque period in Italy.

Focused on Caravaggio’s insitu works that still lie in the places they were created for. Go to Santa Maria del Popolo, San Luigi dei Francesi and Sant’Agostino, three important churches right in the heart of Rome’s historical center. Walk past the same preserved streets that Caravaggio used to visit in the 1600’s.

Start at Santa Maria del Popolo, where it will be possible to consider the Baroque period under a wide point of view, as well as getting to know the main themes Caravaggio dealt with. In fact, this church hosts two paintings by Caravaggio, juxtaposed to the work of his stylistic rival Annibale Carracci. After a walk that through Piazza del Popolo, the tour will reach the Tridente, the district where Caravaggio used to live and work. In this picturesque neighborhood you will hear about his method in depth. Learn about his scholarship and the controversies that went hand in hand with Caravaggio throughout his career.

Next your adventure through the life and work of Caravaggio goes on with a visit to San Luigi dei Francesi, church of the French Congregation in Rome and home to Caravaggio’s first public altarpiece, the breath-taking series on Saint Matthew. Here, your guide will point out the main features that made Caravaggio one of the most innovative painters of all time. Learn about how he emphasized the contrast between light and dark thanks to his masterful and powerful use of chiaroscuro. Before the end of our journey, there’s still time to feast your eyes on a rarely-visited late work by Caravaggio, in the church of Sant’Agostino.

Under the guidance of a Master or PhD level art historian, this walking tour offers a complete understanding of the peculiar style of Caravaggio, as well as a giving you a chance to know several other amazing artists that livened up the Baroque period in Rome.