Many of our tours feature knowledgeable specialist lecturers – drawn from academia, publishing, the clergy and the museum sector – who provide detailed insight and enriching commentary, opening up the historical and cultural aspects of your journey.
The lecturers who design and lead these tours use their specialist knowledge to bring your destination to life, with in-depth talks that go beyond the guidebook.
We open doors typically closed to the general public, arranging private visits and rewarding encounters with local artisans and custodians.
As well as specialist lecturers, you are guided and supported by local experts who can share their first-hand knowledge.
Dr William Taylor is an Anglican priest, chairman of the Anglican and Eastern Churches Association, a writer, and broadcaster on the Islamic world and the Orthodox churches. He has worked and lived in Jordan, Cairo, and Turkey and travelled and lectured in the Middle East and Central Asia.
Istanbul: Byzantines and Ottomans
Diana Driscoll read ancient Middle East and Islamic studies at SOAS. She is an independent researcher who gives regular talks at the British Museum. Her area of expertise is the Islamic world: religion, history, culture and languages.
Uzbekistan: The Golden Road to Samarkand
Rowena Loverance is a Byzantine art historian, specialising in sculpture, mosaics and icons. She worked for more than 20 years at the British Museum and is a visiting research fellow at King's College, London.
Dr Sally Dormer is a freelance art historian and lecturer. She read history at the University of Durham, before gaining an MA in medieval art and a PhD at the Courtauld Institute of Art. She is a course tutor and lecturer at the Victoria & Albert Museum and also lectures for the Art Fund and the Arts Society.
With a heritage rooted in the illustrious Sforza dynasty, Valentina Harris is an Italian chef and author who is well established in Britain’s culinary scene. Valentina has written over 40 books on Italian food and regularly participates in television programmes and public events.
Andrew Spira graduated from the Courtauld Institute of Art before working at the Temple Gallery, London, and as a curator at the Victoria & Albert Museum. He was a programme director at Christie’s Education for 14 years and has led numerous cultural tours to Europe.
