Brunelleschi’s Dome On 19 August, 1418, the town fathers of Florence announced a competition that would seek to solve a problem that had been plaguing the city for many years. In the roof of the …
History of a City: Florence, Italy Florence is one of the most enduring tourist destinations in Europe, if not the world. For many people it is a short stop in a world heritage city. Odyssey …
The Sicilians and their Kings While popular images of Sicily might focus on the active volcano, Mount Etna, or the poverty that led to the mass migration of Sicilians to America, forming today’s communities of …
Uncovering Caravaggio The following article picks up on, and extends, our general introduction to Caravaggio. Here, we we delve further into the details of Caravaggio’s early life and relationships and use available evidence to piece …
Secrets of Florence: Ten Hidden Gems to Visit Florence, the capital of the Italian region of Tuscany, is considered to be the birthplace of the Renaissance. Today the small city leaves behind a powerful legacy …
Southern Italy: from Magna Graecia to Italian Unification When you ask people about Italy, more often than not one of the first places they mention is the capital city, Rome, or the submerged streets of …
Early History of Sicily: From the Phoenicians to the Arab Conquest (800 BC to the 10th Century) Sicily in Southern Italy is the largest island in the Mediterranean, separated from the mainland by the Strait …
Searching for Caravaggio’s Nativity The hunt for Caravaggio’s stolen painting of the nativity scene may just be the most high-profile art crime of the 20th century. One stormy night in October 1969, an altarpiece painted …
Venetian Maps and How they Ruled the World ‘Venice was always a frontier,’ Peter Ackroyd (2009) declares in Venice: Pure City. ‘When the empire was divided in the time of Charlemagne, the lagoons of Venice …
The Roman Empire The Roman Empire at its peak covered an area of five million square kilometres (1.9 million square miles) and included territories in Asia, Africa, and the Western European nations around the Mediterranean …
Who was Caravaggio? Caravaggio became the greatest painter of religious works of the early 17th century. His dramatic but naturalistic style of painting emphasised the common humanity of his subjects, the apostles and martyrs of …
Who led Rome? From the 8th century BC, Ancient Rome grew from a tiny town on the Tiber River in modern-day Italy to a sprawling empire, that spanned across most of continental Europe, Britain, a …
Practising Responsible Travel In January 2018 we reported on a growing problem: the overcrowding that affects tourist cities across the world. Time Magazine recently called it “The Tourist Trap”, because it is not as simple as …
Italian Renaissance Families: Mantua and the Gonzaga. This blog is part of a series on five influential Italian Renaissance families that shaped Italy, especially during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is based on both …
This article (blog)is part of a series on five influential Italian Renaissance families that shaped Italy, especially during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is based on both our Italian Renaissance Summer School course, and …
This blog is part of a series on five influential Italian Renaissance families that shaped Italy, especially during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is based on both our Italian Renaissance Summer School course, and …
For tours of Italy, 10 great books to consider reading before you visit.
- 8 mins read
Blog, Europe, Italy, Reading lists for Travellers, Travel tips
A collection of books for those mature or senior travellers thinking about taking a small group tour of Italy. This suggested list of 10 books on Italy may assist you with your planning and learning …
About Malta, Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica Many civilisations and empires arose, flourished and declined around the shores of the Mediterranean. Its islands bear the marks of these, from the Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans, to the Arabs, Spanish, …
Thinking about taking small group tours? A small group trip for your next holiday/vacation is a terrific way to meet like-minded travellers. By small group tours, these are groups ofRead more