Culture-loving Rob Rinder joins architecture fan Rylan as they follow in the footsteps of 19th century romantic poet Lord Byron and other Grand Tourists
Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour follows Rob Rinder and Rylan Clark – presenters, friends, and men who love the finer things in life – as they discover the greatest art treasures in Italy, finding out more about themselves along the way. Together, they retrace the steps of countless English aristocrats who took the Grand Tour – the original gap year – leaving behind the confines of British society for freedom and discovery abroad. But can the Grand Tour still work its magic today?
In the series, Clark and Rinder travelled to Venice, Florence and Rome following in the footsteps of one of the most famous of Grand Tourists, romantic poet Lord Byron, on the 200th anniversary of his death. Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour starts on Sunday 12 May at 9.00 pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
Locations: the historical centre of Florence
Filming took place for a week in June 2023 in the most iconic locations in Florence: the Uffizi Gallery, the Stibbert Museum, the Bargello Museum, Piazzale Michelangelo, Piazza Santa Croce during the final of the Calcio Storico, Piazza della Signoria, Piazza Santa Maria Novella, and Ponte alle Grazie.
Along the trip, the duo learnt what it meant to be a Grand Tourist, trying on flamboyant Italian looks, fencing, dancing. The series was commissioned by Alistair Pegg, commissioning editor for the arts at the BBC. The executive producers are Lana Salah and Dominque Walker.
