Renaissance Scarlet Ladies Tour: Caravaggio's and Borgia's Women

About this experience

Welcome, to the most scandalous, jaw-dropping, and utterly fascinating walking tour you never knew you needed! Forget the dry history lectures—this is a tour about the women who made Renaissance Italy sizzle. We will dive deep into the world of Renaissance courtesans, scarlet ladies who played a significant role in the politics of Renaissance Europe. Think of them as muses who inspired some of the greatest artists in history. These women weren’t just beautiful; they were resourceful. You will meet seven unforgettable women, each immortalized in paintings by Caravaggio and Raphael. These weren’t just pretty faces—they were trendsetters, intellectuals, poets, and, in some cases, royal game-changers. Their lives were filled with passion, intrigue, and, of course, a little scandal (okay, a lot of scandal).

Description supplied by the operator via Viator Partner API.

What you actually do

You get out at all 7 stops.

1. 1

   Basilica San Marco Evangelista

   The tour begins with a massive statue that in 1477 was named after a famous Courtesan. The statue nowadays is indeed known as "Lady Lucrezia". This XV century woman who lived an incredibly colorful life, is the first story of this storytelling tour

   You get out here20 min

2. 2

   Villa Doria Pamphilj

   We make a stop in the courtyard of the Doria Pamphilj, to talk about our second woman named Anna Bianchini, who modeled many times for a famous italian painter known as Caravaggio. Anna was indeed Caravaggio's first model and also the one who modeled for him most of the times

   You get out here20 min

3. 3

   Chiesa Di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva

   We enter a this magnificent church which is full of important and beautiful artworks and tell we tell the story of the most successful courtesan in all of Europe, back in the early XVI Century

   You get out here25 min

4. 4

   Basilica S. Agostino

   Sant'Agostino church is another fantastic site included in this storytelling walking tour. This church is historically related to women, there's so many stories about the women in here and plus, there is the original "Virgin Mary and the Pilgrims" canvas painted by Caravaggio

   You get out here20 min

5. 5

   Via dei Coronari

   On this storytelling walking tour, we walk amongst original XVI and XV century building that back in the day, were owned by Courtesans. This is the Best Way to bing the stories to Life, since we are really able to eye-witness what their daily life was really like

   You get out here10 min

6. 6

   Campo De' Fiori

   Are you a Borgia Family fan? oh well, you will love the story of Vannozza Cattanei, mother of Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia. Her story is incredible and usually is people's favorite story in all of the tour.

   You get out here20 min

7. 7

   Piazza Farnese

   Here in Piazza Farnese, right by the beautiful Palazzo designed by Michelangelo which is the French Embassy today, the tour ends with the sad story of Giulia Farnese. We don't spoil anything but the finale of the tour is really moving...

   You get out here20 min

Where the day happens

≈ 0.5 km from the city centre. 7 stops shown in visit order.

What is and is not included

The advertised price does not cover halfway through of the storytelling walking tour, there is chance to make a stop in a… — budget for those separately.

Before you book

The operator’s own practical notes — the things people usually discover at checkout.