Europe a top destination for lovers of Classical arts

There is simply no substitute for seeing the world’s artistic masterpieces in person. Viewing marble surfaces chiseled into smooth perfection and the brush strokes that capture light and dark like no one has before or since is an experience that lasts a lifetime.

Paris

Make a beeline for the Louvre. The “Mona Lisa,” “Venus de Milo,” and “Winged Victory of Samothrace” are just the beginning of the art icons in this vast museum. Enjoy treasures from the Egyptians, Etruscans, Greeks, Romans and ancient Middle Eastern cultures. Then branch out to Paris’ impeccable smaller galleries. The Musee Jacquemart-Andre, a 19th century mansion, houses fabulous Rembrandts and works by Italian masters Uccello, Mantegna and Carpaccio. The most famous tapestry on Earth — the “Lady and the Unicorn” — hangs in the Musee National du Moyen Age, itself a rare example of 15th century secular Gothic architecture.

Florence

It’s a magical moment — walking down the hall of the Accademia Gallery and catching your first glimpse of Michelangelo’s “David” — tall, pale and perfect in the distant alcove. “David,” carved in 1504, makes an excellent start to your itinerary, as 2014 marks the 450th anniversary of Michelangelo’s death. Special events include “Michelangelo and the 20th Century,” June 18 to October 20, at the Casa Buonarroti museum, a mansion once owned by Michelangelo. The Uffizi Gallery is another thriller — filled with Renaissance legends including Botticelli’s “Primavera” and the Birth of Venus. The Pitti Palace brims with works by Titian, Raphael, Giotto and other greats.

Rome

Enter the art world of antiquity at the National Roman Museum. Ancient coins, statues, sarcophagi, frescoes, mosaics and jewelry from the Imperial and Republic periods through the Middle Ages are displayed across its many locations including the Baths of Diocletian and the Palazzo Massimo. Marvel at the colossal bust of Constantine, carved in 315 AD, and the soul of Rome, the Capitoline Wolf — an ancient bronze statue of Romulus and Remus suckling a she-wolf — both at the Capitoline Museums. The Renaissance works of Raphael, Caravaggio and Correggio are must-sees at the Gallery Borghese. At the Vatican, look up to Michelangelo’s genius on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

Madrid

Be amazed by the almost photographic quality of light perfected by Velazquez, as seen in “Mars,” and his amazingly detailed “The Maids of Honor” at Museo Nacional del Prado. Raphael’s “The Cardinal” and El Greco’s mystical atmosphere of “The Knight’s Oath” highlight Classical portraiture as you explore the collection of Spanish, Italian, Flemish, French and Dutch masters.

St Petersburg

Step outside western Europe and see almost limitless art at the huge State Hermitage Museum. The Winter Palace features 120 rooms packed frame-to-frame with masterpieces including “Abraham’s Sacrifice” by Rembrandt and the likes of Tintoretto, Leonardo da Vinci, Rubens, Van Dyck and Brueghel.

-Barbara Beckley, Brand Publishing Writer

For more great summer travel options, go to latimes.com/summertravelseries.

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