Sicily, April-May 2026
Just to thank you for our splendid tour of Sicily and especially Nick and Angi’s profound knowledge.
Parma, March 2026
What a wonderful trip. I felt so welcomed by all the group. Having been a “like it or not like it” when viewing works of art and that was it, you have given me a whole new insight in to how the painting came about and all the different things to see, the touch of a hand, the story they tell, a dog collar appearing more than once!
If only all guides were like you I would have been fascinated a long time ago. Never mind, I can now make up for lost time.
Thank you for giving us such a fabulous time in Parma. It was so much fun. Fascinating visiting the Parmesan factory and I loved all the stunning frescos, architecture, and beautiful art, and of course loved seeing the theatres! The food was outstanding, great choice of restaurants, I’m already missing the homemade pasta, and I feel inspired to try and make a tiramisu!
I so look forward to going every year, it’s such a special treat, thank you so much for everything you do to make it so fantastic!
Japan, November 2025
Thank you, once again, for curating and organising such a wonderful trip to Japan. It was the perfect introduction to Japan for us, and we are already looking forward to going back.
Friends who we talked to about the trip who have both been to and lived in Japan were really impressed with the variety of cultural insights and experiences you introduced us to, e.g., meeting the Chasen master, meeting the AMA divers, staying in two beautiful Ryokans, sampling some of the most delicious, and beautifully-presented food in Japan, AND having a real “UK celebrity” – Alys – with us who taught us so much about the Japanese gardens. I will never walk past another rock without considering its shape and its occupying “kami” and have learned to love and appreciate moss and fallen leaves!
There were so many highlights that will remain in our memories, but one of the top highlights was the group itself, including you three leaders. You led in a very structured (i.e., you kept us on time), yet very pleasurable and considerate way. Alys was full of interesting information and very amusing anecdotes, and Sally never tiring of constantly being peppered with questions of all kinds. And the group of participants was a “dream team”. We’ve never been on a trip where everyone woke up with smiles on their faces every single morning, and not a single word of complaint about anything was ever uttered. One good indication of how much we enjoyed each other’s company was that we all wanted to “carry on” after the last dinner in Tokyo at the hotel bar, even though most of you had to get up so early.
Both Charlie and Alys were FANTASTIC!! They both presented the information in a very professional and knowledgeable way, yet it was all still presented in a very approachable (i.e., not too stiff/academic) way. Perfect combination. [At supper] every night we were able to sit with and talk to someone different. It gave us the chance to get to know everyone a bit better. It helped with the incredible cohesion that developed within the group. It was such a great group!
Thank you once again for a thoughtfully and professionally delivered trip. You are great at your job: friendly, knowledgeable & relaxed. Your leadership and informed approach made going on holiday with 13 other people that you’ve never met before very easy, cohesive & a great success.
Please pass on my thanks to Alys, whose experience, knowledge & opinions are thought provoking, and she is a natural communicator. I often wanted to hear more from you both.
Sally is a natural! She has a real talent for [tour leading] with your same skill set & kindness.
Fra Angelico in Florence, October 2025
I particularly enjoyed this trip – partly because of the hotel, the weather, (I’m not going to Florence in the summer again!) lovely other people in the group and good food – but also I think because it was centered around an exhibition which in itself was extremely well curated. All the places we visited were like pieces of a jigsaw building up a picture and setting the scene for the central piece – the exhibition/s – so the whole trip hung together really well, and I came back feeling that I had learnt so much.
Naples, September 2025
I would like to say the trip with Cat and Ed to Naples and Ischia was just amazing.
I have thought about it often since we got back and the memories are very special.
From beginning to end they never let us down. The knowledge they shared with us was so impressive. They were always on good form managed to be good company throughout the trip.
All the destinations hit the spot whether it was historical of gastonomical!
We will always remember our first time with AHA and have been spreading the word with friends. Thank you for such a memorable visit.
Ravenna, June 2025
Both Tom and Cecily were so knowledgeable and excellent at imparting that knowledge in a really relatable way.
Romania, June 2025
First I can’t thank you enough for such a wonderful jaunt in Romania. I loved every minute. You and Alys manage a marvellous double act, so passionate and informative, yet with all your erudition you both achieve a light touch.
I also want to say how terrific Doru was, engaging with us individually, but as a group as well.
Puglia, April 2025
I wanted to thank you and Ed for organising a really wonderful and enjoyable trip to Puglia. I had been looking forward to returning to Puglia for a long time and the wait was certainly worth it. You and Ed had put together a fascinating itinerary giving our group an excellent insight into Puglia, the history and culture of the region and arranging visits to some superb churches, cathedrals, and exploring some really lovely towns. In addition your choice of our 3 hotels, the restaurants , meals and wines was perfect. We have some lovely photos to help us remember this trip which was made even more enjoyable by a really delightful group of fellow AHA travellers. We definitely will be returning to Puglia.
You got the balance just right, fascinating places of historical and artistic interest, coupled with excellent food, tastings, picnics and plenty of wine!! Your glorious enthusiasm for it all was infectious, adding greatly to the holiday.
Piero, March 2025
The tutors were both genuinely brilliant – Richard was even better in real life than on Zoom and Cat was a delight and a revelation.
Their encyclopaedic knowledge of the subject matter was no surprise but most importantly for me they were both genuinely kind, attentive, considerate to different walking abilities and folk on their own, keen to draw out input from us rather than just lecture at us and above all fun to be with.
They had obviously done a considerable amount of research beforehand on every aspect of the tour to enhance every moment of our days from coffees, ice creams and loo stops to the best book shops.
I very impressed by the balance of group time and personal freedom so that we had the best of both worlds.
Rome and Orvieto, February 2025
I loved the way Ed and Cat structured the week, the context in each setting so you got a real sense of the progression particularly for Caravaggio but also for Bernini. It was a very special week and one that will sit in my memory for many years. It was a lot of walking but it was all very worth it. They’d clearly put a lot of work into the programme and it felt like a real privilege to be in their company and hear all their knowledge. The discussions in front of the artworks were great, even those without any art knowledge joined in as it felt like a safe space and all questions / comments were welcome. So there was a lot of fruitful discussion which was very stimulating. And they are both great fun to spend time with!
We were lucky that the group were lovely and I was happy with whoever I was sat with or chatted to.
I know how much work goes into making a successful trip so this was absolutely seamless from my perspective. Thanks so much for organising such a wonderful trip! The morning in the Vatican museum and the time we had just our group in the Sistine chapel were truly special.
It was a very special trip and we were lucky on so many counts. The Pope stayed alive …..and we got that wonderful opportunity to be in the Vatican on our own!!. We had 2 of the best lecturers who were informative and impressive but most of all great fun and made it so much more than an art trip (thank you Cat and Ed). It was sunny when it mattered most (outside the Cathedral in Orvieto) – but perhaps above all we had a kind, interesting, creative group. I will remember the conversations, great choices of wine (thank you Peter) clever quizzes (thank you Ben) , limericks and drama – so thank you all – and I hope I our paths will cross again on a future AHA trip.
Thanks Cat and Ed for a great trip. It’s no coincidence that the hotels, restaurants, coaches etc were waiting for us, so thanks to all involved.
Great to meet everyone, hope to see you again on another trip. Our feet still haven’t touched the ground. Many thanks Ed and Cat for raising our sights. Wonderful to meet everybody on the trip and hope our paths cross again on another.
I wanted to add my thanks to Cat & Ed for a truly memorable week. And thanks to all of you for your great company, very interesting conversations and lots of laughs. A pleasure to spend time with you all
Venice, December 2024
I’ve been to Venice several times but never as part of a group. The experience was everything I’d hoped for with enthusiastic and knowledgeable tutors and like minded and interesting fellow travellers. The door to door water taxi was a real treat and all the tours and visits were excellent. I’ve already been recommending to tours to friends!
London Lectures 2024
Just a quick note to say how much both Martyn and I enjoyed our first “live” experience with AHA. The lecture was of course wonderful with Tom Parsons so enthusiastic, knowledgeable and engaging.
I also wanted to say what a lovely, varied and interesting group of people AHA seems to attract. We very much enjoyed our conversations over lunch.
Again, many thanks to you, Nick, Tom and the rest of the team for a lovely day.
Thank you for a wonderful day yesterday. The venue for Tom’s lecture was great – capacious and intriguing – right in the middle of Soho! Lunch was delicious -we’ll definitely go back. The exhibition was fabulous. So many unseen paintings and they all made sense after Tom’s lecture.
Delft, May 2024
It was the first time I’ve gone on a group holiday on my own and I was anxious beforehand. But I enjoyed the whole experience. The group was very friendly and welcoming. I was very pleased to learn as much as I did about this period of Art.
Just to say it was a really lovely trip. Everything was great from the Museums and Galleries we visited to our accommodation and the restaurants chosen for both lunch and dinner. The culmination of a Michelin starred lunch on our final day was definitely the icing on the cake.
I would recommend this trip to anyone it was great.
Antibes, May 2024
Just wanted to say a huge thank you to the Artemisia team for arranging a superb visit to Antibes and surroundings. Tom and Tina looked after us all brilliantly, while also educating and entertaining us. Nothing was too much trouble.
The planning of the timetable was meticulous and everything worked beautifully. And the fellow participants were all so friendly and welcoming that we felt instantly at home in the group.
The exquisite colours, vistas, paintings, sculptures and flora are still reverberating around my head!
The trip to Antibes was fantastic – art, sun and lovely people – what more could one want. Tom and Tina were great, we visited some very impressive sites, stayed in a very unique hotel and everyone had a great time.
Puglia, April 2024
It really was the most amazing trip to Puglia, and I adored every minute of it. It really was the perfect mix of everything, so meticulously put together as always with so much detail, the stunning places we visited, the hotels, the restaurants and all with the loveliest of girls, so many beautiful memories, it was the best trip to date!
Charlie is so lovely, with an incredible knowledge of history, art and everything Italian, I could listen to her for hours never get bored!
Parma, October 2023
Thank you for a fabulous few days in Parma. The trip far exceeded our expectations and as always AHA made it very enjoyable and social.
Tuscany, September 2023
Christopher and I have just come back from the most fabulous trip to Tuscany.
We had a fantastic time – and Christopher will never forget his birthday lunch at the Sesti estate. To go there and meet Elisa was truly magical. What a beautiful place – and we had a sensational meal cooked by the charming chef Simone.
Ed and Ben were excellent tour leaders – everything was perfectly planned and ran smoothly – even the last minute change of plans resulted in a surprise visit to Florence which was great fun.
Cornwall, June 2023
It was Fab and I had a great time. Both Frankie and Fania were fantastic guides. They knew their subject backwards and made everything so interesting- nothing was too much trouble. They both put their heart and souls into making it a very special trip for everyone-two very special people.
Their knowledge and enthusiasm was amazing.
This is a note to say how much we enjoyed our AHA trip to St Ives.
It was our first trip with AHA, which was prompted by the excellent on line lectures that we have been taking for the past few years.
The pace of the trip was excellent and we felt we had a good feel for the area covering the greats like Hepworth and the other very interesting artists that colonised the area. Also the balance of the visits was good covering art galleries and gardens.
In particular we were very impressed by the team work of Fania and Frankie – they had a great depth of knowledge, were excellent at engaging the group and getting us to consider the art work and history of area.
Lisbon, May 2023
Thank you so much for this and for the wonderful trip. I enjoyed it enormously and came home much better informed about Portugal, its history and our historical connections, not to mention its extraordinary architecture, especially from the late 19th century! It’s been ages since I was on a trip with you and it was such fun to hear some of your very entertaining stories and particularly enjoyable to sit in beautiful gardens discussing strange philosophies with the birds singing in the background. And I must congratulate you on your choice of hotels – both York House and Lawrence’s were wonderful. Flic too was terrific – well informed and interesting, great fun and very good company.
Lisbon and Sintra, May 2023
I would just like to commend the team for a truly memorable trip to Lisbon and Sintra. I have had an amazing time, the pacing, sites selected, and information provided were all brilliantly executed and well considered. I certainly would love to join another trip in the future or attend one of the upcoming Artemisia talks.
Bologna, March 2023
Thanks for such a great trip to Bologna, and for the various recipes, trip notes etc. received yesterday. I loved the pasta-making workshop, and had my hand hovering over the online purchase of a pasta rolling machine until sanity prevailed.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every one of the trips I’ve done with you; thank you for making these such memorable and rewarding experiences. Bologna surpassed my expectations and I really want to return, and soon.
Charlie, it was a fantastic trip – thank you and Ed for looking after us and informing us so well, the group was great fun and delightful to meet and spend time with and I loved Bologna and Modena. The snow was an interesting start and certainly testing for some! There were so many highlights, I won’t even begin to list them, but I definitely compliment you/AHA on the choice of hotel (great position and very friendly, helpful staff) and the endless choice of terrific restaurants. I hope you enjoyed the mini artichokes we bought and I am still enjoying the parmesan (although much was gifted away & delighted others). The cookery morning was such fun and I am so pleased we have that photograph of you and Nila unable to stop laughing which was utterly contagious – despite no-one else knowing what you were laughing about! What a happy time we had throughout the trip – and learned a lot too. Thank you so very much.
Florence: The New Generation Festival, August 2018
“Just a quick line to say how much I enjoyed my trip to Florence for the New Generation Festival with AHA in August. It is the first time I have been on a group holiday and as a solo traveler I wasn’t sure quite what to expect. I could not have wished for a more friendly and welcoming group and I had the most wonderful time. Exploring the rich treasures of Florence with such knowledgeable guides brought everything to life in an easy and accessible way. The breadth and depth of your knowledge was amazing, always delivered in a relaxed and fun way. Thank you for what was a most special and memorable trip – I can’t wait to see your 2019 schedule!!”
Florence, the New Generation Festival, August 2017
“Just a note to say congratulations from John and me on such a wonderful visit to Florence.
The four days were organised with precise planning and expertise providing such a good balance between the art history and the culinary delights that the city has to offer. We relived the glory of Florence’s rich, cultural, historical and artistic heritage. As guides you both imparted knowledge in such a relaxed, easy to listen to way which brought the city alive. You also shared some of your favourite restaurants which were all well chosen both for their location and cuisine.
The ‘Twist’ for us was the icing on the cake – on the 2 evenings at the Palazzo Corsini we soaked up a very special atmosphere. The combination of the Gala Dinner and L’Elisir D’Amore on a balmy evening in Tuscany was magical. This was followed the next night by a concert and amazing recital in the Ognissanti Church by Charlie Siem. Quite unforgettable!
It was lovely to travel again with a number of familiar faces but also to meet and get to know some others.You have set the bar very high but hopefully you will be encouraged to continue to plan other itineraries with your own individual flavour and style which makes AHA so special.”
“Wonderful wonderful wonderful …….. I loved every single moment. The places we saw, the people we spent time with and you both have the most infectious enthusiasm for your subject! The opera and concert were amazing! I can’t thank you enough for all the effort you put into making the trip so special in every way.”
Italian Gardens, 2016
“Thank you for organizing the MOST AMAZING GARDEN TOUR – we saw so many marvellous gardens old and new. The roses were spectacular. Everyone is so jealous of our trip and you were so clever to get us in to such very special Villas and Castles. The food was excellent and the wines were delicious and everyone was charming – what more can I say! It was a delight to meet Alys, she is so interesting and I have never spent time with a botanist before so I learnt so much.”
Rome, 2016
“The two words “thank you” are short and trite but in this case they are charged with more than usual significance and weight. And the gratitude extends, also, to all that back office labour which prepared the ground and ensured an uninterrupted stream of pleasure.”
“I can’t tell you what an amazing time I had, and I hope this is going to be my first of many such trips. I so want to go back to school and study History of Art…I was completely bowled over but it wasn’t just what we saw it was the wonderful stories and the way everything was made so accessible by both of you.”
“Three days on and we are both still buzzing after that unforgettable trip. Beautiful places, stunning art, lovely people, super food, what more could we ask? Thank you for opening our eyes to these splendours.”
