Last chance for Rome 2027
We are leading one of our wonderful art-lovers trips, this April 2027: to Rome.
An immersive exploration of the world’s greatest art city, in fun, intelligent and excellent company.
The trip runs 11th-16th April, 2027
If you’d like to join us, the deadline is coming up; so please sign up soon. Just below, you will find the procedure for how to join us…
For those not familiar with our overseas art trips, here is the general background. Some of you may remember our first two “Dublin Decoded” overseas excursions – to the magical city of Venice in October 2025, and then to Rouen and Normandy in May 2026.
Both were terrific successes: enjoyable, highly convivial, and stuffed with beautiful art treasures.
They were, however, only ever meant to be the opening chapters of a much longer story.
Over the next six or seven years, we plan to lead a whole series of these trips:
to destinations including Florence, the Veneto (Verona, Padua and Vicenza) to
Belgium and Bruges, another trip back to Venice within the next 3 years, and other trips to France and Italy, including, of course, this trip to my former home, the Eternal City of Rome.
Our general approach
We tend to focus on quite high-end, small-group tours: staying in excellent hotels, using good restaurants, the best local guides and experts,
and with plenty of cultural “inclusions”
all with quite small groups – typically no more than 10 to 12 guests.
Previous trips have had a mix of couples and solo travelers.
Solo travelers, by the way, are always made feel very welcome, and always fully included,
at more informal, evening excursions. Like for example, smaller groups going out to dinner.
Our April 2027 overseas art trip: Rome
Given the size and richness of the Eternal City, and because Rome is so much larger than either Venice or Rouen, this trip runs a little longer than our previous excursions – at four full days, plus two half-days. Inevitably, and with 5 nights accommodation included, and an extra day’s guiding and museums, the costs are somewhat higher as a result. There was really no way around that, alas. But the trip is going to be wonderful.
Our daily walking tours for example, will be led by one of Rome’s foremost experts – and I’m absolutely thrilled to have her on board.
I lived in Rome myself, and remain more than a little obsessed with the place. So I’ll be on hand every day too of course, throughout the trip, providing additional value, content, company, and practical help.
The details and itinerary for the our Rome Trip are confirmed, as follows.
Ultimate Rome: from Sunday 11th to Friday 16th April, inclusive,
covers most of Rome’s unmissable, classic sights, such as
the Colosseum, the Forum, the temples and fragments from Ancient Rome; as well as the legendary Renaissance works by Raphael and Michelangelo at the Vatican Museums; and highlights of Baroque Rome, such as Caravaggio’s masterpieces in various churches, and the stunning sculptures of Gian Lorenzo Bernini at the Galleria Borghese. There could be no better introduction than this trip, to to the many faces of Rome.
In the pictures at the foot of this page, you can see just a tiny handful of the many art treasures we are going to enjoy together.
We are now taking firm bookings (only) and deposits for the Rome trip (Sunday 11th to Friday 16th April, inclusive). Only two places remain, so do please move fairly quickly. Although we do also operate a wait-list. Further details of the trip are as follows:
Exploring “four Romes”
Rome, of course, isn’t really one city but several, layered one on top of another.
Over our four full days together, and two half days, we will explore many aspects of:
Ancient Rome:
the grandeur, the temples and fragments of the age of the Caesars, discovered on foot, in piazzas, side streets, and even – re-purposed and reused – embedded into the walls of old Christian churches. All of it explored, with superb guiding and with expert historical, and art-historical interpretation.
Medieval Rome:
a sometimes-overlooked side of the Eternal City, and one of the most rewarding. We’ll seek out the shimmering mosaics and venerable churches of medieval Rome, and see how the visual language of early Christian worship developed through art, including visits to some of the oldest and most fascinating churches in Rome.
Renaissance Rome:
our trip includes a visit to the unmissable Vatican Museums, beginning among some of the most celebrated statues of classical antiquity, and culminating in the most iconic frescoes of the Italian High Renaissance and of Western art.
Baroque Rome:
quite simply, Rome is the greatest city in the world for seventeenth-century art and architecture. Bernini, Borromini, Domenico Fontana, Carlo Maderno; Caravaggio, the Carracci and Gentileschi families, Guido Reni, Pietro da Cortona; vast papal urban projects that carved out new avenues, squares, obelisks and fountains; aristocratic palazzi stuffed with treasures. It doesn’t get better than this.
our Ultimate Rome trip (11th-16th April 2027) stays at the excellent, very well-located H10 Palazzo Galla hotel. It also includes many tours and entries, with guided tours of places including the Galleria Borghese and the Vatican Museums, with its Raphael Rooms, and the Sistine Chapel, and so on, all during normal opening hours. Plus many beautiful historic churches that lie along the routes of our daily walking tours.
As with our Venice and Rouen trips, I’m partnering with the highly experienced, luxury Irish travel firm Adams and Butler. Giovana at Adams and Butler will handle deposits and all practical inquiries, like hotel and transport inquiries, before and after the trip.
I will continue to design, refine and improve our itinerary and will liaise with our guides on the ground, provide briefings for my guests. In general, I take care of the art history side of things, and provide on-the-spot, practical and sociable support throughout, while we’re actually in Rome. Giovana at Adams and Butler will handle, as I say, the deposits and all practical inquiries, like hotel and transport inquiries, before and after the trip.
An extra bonus: Ultimate Guide to Italian Art – our winter online art talks (free for my Rome Trip guests)
a few months before we go to Rome, and as just one part of the build-up to these two Rome trips, I’ll be running one of my annual eight-week online art history courses. This will run weekly throughout January and February 2027. The theme this year is
Arran’s Ultimate Guide to Italian Art, “all roads lead to Rome”.
And it starts Tuesday 5th January 2027.
This will be our eighth year of these winter talks, and of course, it’s open to everyone – not just those joining us in Rome.
It will, however, be free for anyone already signed up to the Rome trip.
A small, added bonus, and ideal preparation for your trip.
Rome Trip: Prices and inclusions.
Ultimate Rome (11th-16th April 2027)
Included is: 5 nights at H10 Palazzo Galla (Superior Rooms); tours hosted by Arran Henderson; 2 airport transfers (if you use our recommended flights); welcome dinner; 3 full days (6 sessions) with our Rome expert guide for private touring; 1 guided tour at the Vatican Museums during normal opening times, plus transport there; 5 breakfasts; all admissions while with the group (museums, churches etc); personalised itinerary, coordination and support; 24-hour assistance during your trip.
Ultimate Rome (11th-16th April 2027) costs are
€3,345 per person sharing a double or a twin room
Or the single supplement is an additional €1,215
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Not included:
international flights, meals not listed above, gratuities, and personal and travel insurance.
Minimum numbers for each trip: 10 guests.
(Most spots are already taken).
Please move quickly as this trip is now almost full.
How to apply and join us.
Firstly, and crucially, please do NOT reply to an old email or newsletter from me 🙂
We won’t be able to keep track of anyone who does that, and it won’t count as an application!
Instead, please write a short, new email – not a reply to any previous message from me –
and use the relevant email subject header suggested below, and write only to this address here:
arran@dublindecoded.com
Secondly, please use one of the following the subject lines (subject header) at the top of your email. For one (solo) place, on the first trip: “ONE place for Rome”.
Or – for two places (sharing) on the trip: “TWO places for Rome”.
Also in your email please make clear who you’re sharing with – full names, please –
and whether you, personally, intend to pay for both spaces (or just your own place)
Many thanks. 🙂
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What happens next?
(and FAQs)
As further applications come in, we’ll allocate places strictly in order of application, and continue to send out a booking link, up to the limit : (the first 10-12 people for the trip).
Deposits
Adams & Butler will then contact you to ask you to pay the booking deposit at that point, with a set period to do so,
followed by a gentle reminder for anyone running a little behind.
Flights?
For people firmly signing up, we will also give you the times, and dates and flight numbers for your recommended flights, to and from Rome.
If you use the recommended flights, it means you will be able to travel with the whole group and you will qualify for the included airport transfers, from the airport in Rome, direct to our hotel; and of course back again, at the end of our trip.
Wait List
Even if/when the places entirely fill up, we do also operate a waiting list for the Rome trip. And it’s worth knowing that people initially placed 14th or 15th in the order of application – often do end up traveling with us, as places can sometimes free up along the way. So if you want to join, it is always a good idea to apply, using the exact procedure above, and as soon as you can.
Either way, everyone who applies will always receive a reply, generally within a few days.
Timing: Deadline
We intend to firm up on numbers with the Rome hotel within the coming week or so.
Accordingly, we’d like to receive all the applications to join, for the remaining places
as soon as possible please.
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This trip to Rome is going to be an exceptional treat:
a deep, immersive exploration of the world’s greatest art city, in fun, intelligent and excellent company. We very much look forward to welcoming some of you to Rome,
and to sharing its extraordinary layers of history, and staggering art and architecture with you.
It is going to be wonderful.
made for earlier, 18th century (Grand) Tourists, and still showing many of the sights we shall see on our trip.
This stunning artwork, by Filippino Lippi, is one of my favourite Renaissance paintings in Rome.
Careful examination of its many details reveals fascinating, often amusing secrets about the city, during the Renaissance era.
part of the legendary Papal Stanze cycle of works by Raphael at the Vatican
below: School of Athens by Raphael (1509) the famous detail depicting Plato, Aristotle, and Diogones (right) and Haeraclites (to left) depicted as a likeness of Raphaels’ great rival and contemporary, Michelangelo.
below – A baroque masterpiece, the Madonna of Loreto altarpiece, painted c.1604-6 by Caravaggio, and still at the church of Sant’Agostino – one of several works by Caravaggio in Rome we we see in different churches and museums.
below – The Pantheon of Rome.
above:
a medieval masterpiece: St Paul and other apostles, part of the incredible, hugely significant works in fresco by Pietro Cavallini to be found in Trastevere, hidden away in a hard-to-find spot in the church of Santa Cecilia, in the beautiful Trastevere district of Rome.
These works are now thought to have been a major influence on Giotto, and through him, therefore, on the whole direction of western art.
Come see them with us.
©Arran Henderson and Dublin Decoded