DISCOVERING THE HIDDEN GEMS OF
NORTHERN ITALY WITH DR ISABELLE FRANK
13TH to 21ST September, 2025
About Our Tour
Friends of Hong Kong Museum of Art are delighted to announce our next tour, Discovering the hidden gems of Northern Italy. From 13th to 21st September, starting from Milan to Ravenna and back, Dr. Frank will lead us on a journey of discovery, opening our minds to the spirituality of Byzantine mosaics while also engaging our senses with the power of art in the Renaissance courts and churches of Ferrara, Bologna, Modena, Mantua (or Mantova) and Brescia.
Together we will explore the brilliant artistic innovations of the Renaissance while also admiring achievements of more recent 20th century and Post Modern Italian architecture.
Just as important, we will immerse ourselves in the famous ‘dolce vita’, visiting local wineries, learning about cheese production, and shopping in the beautiful old markets to savour the authentic flavours of Italy.
Our Accompanying Lecturer
We are honoured that Dr Isabelle Frank will be our accompanying lecturer. Dr Frank is an independent curator in Hong Kong. After six years as the founding director of the Indra and Harry Banga Gallery, City University of Hong Kong (2016 to 2022), she continued serving as consulting curator until 2024. Over this period, she mounted exhibitions combining art and technology and bridging Western and Asian cultures. She has collaborated with such international institutions as the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan and Latvian National Museum of Art. An art historian by training (with a Ph.D. from Harvard University), she has published on Italian Renaissance art and decorative art (The Theory of Decorative Art 1750-1940, Yale University Press, 2000), and has edited many catalogues for the Banga Gallery, most recently Hunters, Warriors, Spirits. Nomadic Art in North China (2022), Amber: Baltic Gold (2022) and A Passion for Silk: The Road from China to Europe (2024).
Overseas Tours are open to current members only. Full tour itineraries will be sent to members by email. You are welcome to join membership at any time during the year. Please proceed to the Membership page.
Connected Cosmopoleis: The Art and Architecture of The Caucasus
About Our Tour
Friends of Hong Kong Museum of Art is very delighted to announce our next tour titled “Connected Cosmopoleis: The Art and Architecture of the Caucasus’ has now been scheduled between 19 September – 1 October 2024. We will visit the three countries of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia.
The Region
Lying between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountain is a natural boundary between Europe and Asia. Impressively compact with cultural diversity, the residents come from disparate ethnic, religious, and linguistic backgrounds.
This tour will take you to discover fabulous cuisine and a wealth of ancient cathedrals, monasteries and cave cities of proud millennia-old civilizations. All the major UNESCO sights have been included. The Caucasus is also home to the world-famous black caviars and the birth of wine-making civilization.
Our Accompanying Lecturer
We are honoured that Professor P.P. Ho will be our accompanying professor for this tour. Professor Ho has been most involved in the planning & implementation of our tour.
Overseas Tours are open to current members only. Full tour itineraries will be sent to members by email. You are welcome to join membership at any time during the year. Please proceed to the Membership page.
Schedule for our day trip
09:30 hrs. – Pick up from Central, Hong Kong (location to be advised)
09:45 hrs. – Pick up from Kowloon Tong (location to be advised)
11:00 hrs. – Visit Nanshan Museum
12:45 hrs. – Lunch at a local restaurant
14:30 hrs. – Tour of Nantou
16:30 hrs. – Return to Hong Kong (the return journey to Hong Kong should take about an hour, depending on traffic)
Language
The tour will be conducted in Cantonese and English. Exhibits at the Nanshan Museum are clearly marked with Chinese and English explanations.
Overseas Tours are open to current members only. Full tour itineraries will be sent to members by email. You are welcome to join membership at any time during the year. Please proceed to the Membership page.