Merry Christmas from ACE
Dear ACE Travellers,
This year, we celebrated 65 years of ACE. My father, Philip, founded The Association for Cultural Exchange in 1958, and it brings us great joy that people are still discovering cultural connections around the world through our tours.
We count ourselves extremely fortunate to be able to look back over another successful year. We were honoured to win Gold again for the ‘Best Arts & Culture Holidays’ offered in the small company category at the British Travel Awards, thanks to your votes.
Spring tours took us to the beautiful city of Aix-en-Provence for its annual Easter music festival, and to the wild landscapes of the Algarve. Over the summer, we enjoyed revisiting a number of Scottish music tours after a few years away, from the St Magnus Music Festival on Orkney to the East Neuk Festival. We had a busy few months in the autumn, with groups exploring historical sites in Albania, the architecture of Palladio, and the artistic treasures of Florence. As part of our final tour of the year, a festive exploration of some of the musical and historical treasures to be found within the colleges of Cambridge, we very much enjoyed welcoming a group to our home here at Stapleford Granary for a private recital on the Steinway piano.
We look ahead eagerly to another year of travel in 2024, with some new tours and new Tour Directors making their debuts, alongside returns to favourite destinations. In the meantime however, on behalf of all the ACE staff, on tours and in the office, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a restful New Year.
With best wishes,
Paul Brooke Barnes
Managing Director
ACE Cultural Tours
Image credits:
Single Leaf from an Antiphonary: Initial H[odie nobis] with The Nativity, 1471, Benvenuto di Giovanni. Public domain via the Cleveland Museum of Art.
