A sun-drenched cloudburst of choral rapture

The Tuscan hills are glorious clothed in the crisp freshness of the February sun: vistas of lush green broken only by terracotta canopies. This is Tuscany without the bustle of the tourists or the stifling sun of high season and it was in the majesty of the unspoilt architecture, the resonant churches, the august cloisters that the choir sang the equally decorated music of the English and European renaissance. A tour boasting all the splendour of Florence and San Gimingnano, enriched by a visit to some of the most fabulous exhibits of renaissance art at the Uffizi and nourished (of course) by gelati, it found its most spiritually uplifting moments in Palestrina, Victoria, Byrd, Tallis, Bruckner and Pearsall. More images and excerpts of the trip to follow.