For centuries the Grand Tour was the final stage of a gentleman’s education in the arts, though noblewomen, supervised by a chaperone, did also undertake the trip. It involved a long meander through Europe’s major cultural centres — its cities, galleries, ancient ruins and inspirational landscapes — and was documented by writers and artists, notably Wordsworth and Goethe. In a nod to this tradition, this year Sotheby’s Old Masters clients were invited on their very own Grand Tour of a selection of Rome and Florence’s most magnificent private galleries, housed in grand palazzi and hosted in many cases by the resident families themselves.