Day 1 City tour Brussels with ao. visit of the Kapellekerk in which Bruegel married in 1563 and was buried in 1569. Guided visit of a local chocolatier incl. tasting. Typical 3-course dinner in a centrally located restaurant in Brussels. Day 2 Visit of the new Bruegel visitor centre in an original 16th-century house in Brussels’ city centre (opening foreseen in autumn 2019) - This house will provide visitors with an authentic 16th-century experience including a painter’s atelier. An entire floor, full of natural light, will be dedicated to Bruegel’s working methods. The original environment will be recreated through virtual and augmented reality tools, along with sensorial experiences that make the experience unique or guided visit of the Museum of Fine Arts/Oldmasters in Brussels The bulk of this collection consists of the painting of the former Southern Netherlands, with masterpieces by Rogier van der Weyden, Petrus Christus, Dirk Bouts, Hans Memling, Hieronymus Bosch, Lucas Cranach and Gerard David. For the sixteenth century, Pieter Bruegel the Elder is magnificently represented with major works like The Fall of the Rebel Angels or The Census at Bethlehem. Finally, for the 17th and 18th centuries the Flemish School is represented by Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck and Jacques Jordaens, the French and Italian schools by Simon Vouet, Philippe de Champaigne, Le Lorrain, Jusepe de Ribera, Giovani BattistaTiepolo and others ... Guided visit of the Castle of Gaasbeek, Flanders most romantic castle, surrounded by dramatic park scenery. One of the estate’s crown jewels is its magnificent Museum Garden, boasting a dazzling amount of old fruit varieties and forgotten vegetables. The castle is nested in the gently rolling hills of the bucolic Pajottenland, an authentic, idyllic landscape. This is where Bruegel’s most beautiful vistas have survived. Tip: temporary expo ‘Fest of Fools : Bruegel rediscovered’ (06/04-28/07/19). Day 3 City walk Leuven and visit of the Museum M and/or the treasury of the Church of St. Peter. M’s extremely extensive and diverse collection contains approximately 46,000 objects. Originally an 18th century cabinet of curiosities at the town hall, the collection evolved - thanks to a number of important bequests - into a comprehensive overview of art production in Leuven and Brabant. The Treasury of Saint Peter’s is located in Saint Peter’s Church, which is considered to be one of the finest examples of 15th century Brabantine High Gothic architecture. In 1980, the impressive ambulatory turned into a museum housing numerous statues, paintings and a collection of gold and silver pieces such as reliquaries, monstrances and chalices. In the afternoon: Bruegel cycling tour through the ‘Pajottenland’, the Tuscany of the north taking you past Gaasbeek Castle and St-Anna-Pede church, as well as the lush green landscape that Bruegel depicted in his paintings (45 or 22 kms). Followed by a guided visit of a local gueuze brewery or visit of the visitor centre De Lambiek in Alsemberg. Day 4 Visit of the expo ‘The World of Bruegel in Black and White’ (opening foreseen in spring 2019) at the Royal Library of Belgium/the Palace of Charles de Lorraine, one of Brussels’ few eighteenth centuries treasures. The Royal Library’s graphic collection contains more than one million objects, making it by far the largest collection of graphic works in Belgium and one of the finest in the world. The former Low Countries have a prominent place in the development of graphic art and consequently, it is not surprising that the Flemish and Dutch schools are particularly well represented in the collection. Highlights of the collection include drawings and prints by and after masters such as Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Pieter Paul Rubens, Jacob Jordaens, James Ensor and Léon Spilliaert. City walk of Gent incl. visit of the St. Bavo Cathedral and the Mystic lamb painting, followed by a boattrip. AAB is an incoming DMC for the Benelux countries, with more than 26 years of experience on the field. If you are looking for tailor-made programmes for your clients (leisure or business), we gladly welcome your requests and develop an awe-inspiring programme to meet your specific needs and wishes. Tell us what you are looking for, and we will make it happen. .