Kirker Tour Leader Charlie Hall has known Italy intimately since 1965 when his father set up the excellent John Hall Venice course for gap year students who wish to become enlightened by many aspects of Venetian and Italian culture. Below, he elaborates on the Kirker John Hall Venice Course and the unique opportunity this brings for the curious discerning traveller.
How often are you in a city, on a Kirker Cultural Tour and think "if only we had more time to explore, get a bit lost, find a friendly café to while away a half hour and simply people-watch?"
A guided tour is wonderful, and I am writing as one of the Kirker Tour Leaders, but sometimes what one desires is not necessarily what’s on the itinerary, but one doesn’t want to miss that church, museum or even that restaurant. The opportunity to enjoy a city on one’s own, to get a great recommendation and follow it up, or to revisit a spot that is full of personal meaning, is necessarily compromised on a guided tour.
There’s something else; no matter how excellent one’s guide is, sometimes one feels the urge to delve a little deeper into a subject of interest, to sit back and relax, and listen to a charismatic expert speak on their own topic, whether it be the evolution of Opera or Medieval Choral Music or an aspect of Art History that could elevate one’s enjoyment of the works seen or to be seen.
I came to lead tours for Kirker Holidays over ten years ago through the knowledge of Italy that had come through decades of work with my father on The John Hall Venice Course, founded in 1965. We have spent sixty years immersing students in the culture and artistic expression of Italy, from Ancient Rome all the way through to the Contemporary Art of The Venice Biennale (launched in 1895). I know the city well and look forward to coming back each and every time.
What I want to do is to share this with you. We plan to spend almost two weeks in Venice, living in a wonderful hotel that’s in the middle of the Dorsoduro district; central but away from the ‘main drag’.
This residential programme; a combination of the best that Kirker Holidays and John Hall Venice provide means that you can enjoy an unhurried experience in the company of our world-class experts (with presentations on music, literature, art and architecture) as well as enjoying excellent visits around Venice and the lagoon, but also Padua, Ravenna and The Palladian Villas of the Veneto.'
