Famous People as Tour Guides

Michelangelo’s Rome, Juliet’s Verona, Ulysses’ Aegean, Picasso’s Malaga – larger-than-life characters make good travel companions, and can lead to hidden sights.

Instead of just touring the usual sights, it’s fun to have a quest that gives a theme to your trip. Some of my favorite travels have been in search of some person or group who trod the same streets centuries ago -- or a completely fictional one who walked only in the imagination of an author.

Here are a few quests to get you started:

• Michelangelo’s Rome – Begin at the Vatican with his Pieta and the Sistine Chapel, then visit the churches where his works are visible.
• Gaudi’s Barcelona – The astonishing church of Sagrada Familia, unfinished when the architect died, is the place to start, but the trail leads to many other places in the city.
• Ullysses’ Aegean – as you cruise in the eastern Mediterranean, you’ll “meet” this Greek hero everywhere.
• Cesar Manrique’s Lanzarote – In addition to his most famous works, you’ll discover a hotel, two restaurants and other reminders of how the artist saved his native island.
• Picasso’s Malaga – The city on Spain’s Costa del Sol has recently put up signs identifying places connected with this hometown boy.
• Knights Templars’ Portugal – You’ll be surprised at the places you’ll discover that are associated with this famous order.
• Da Vinci’s Milan – His most famous work, The Last Supper, is only one of the works by this artist. look for his inventions in the Museum of Science and Technology.
• St. Mark’s Veneto – Follow the saint from his first church in Aquilea to Venice’s great basilica (and find the fresco that relates how his lost bones were discovered).
• Juliet’s Verona – Although she was entirely a work of fiction, you can find the castles near Verona that inspired the story, and follow a trail of “sights” that include her famous balcony (built in the 1930s).