I came across Neil Griffith’s novel Saving Caravaggio in a second hand bookstore in Tasmania. It took my attention as I read anything about this extraordinary artist – such a fascinating man and a talent which many have tried to emulate but without success. Neil pens a story about...
Caravaggio – the master of light and dark and emotion, a tormented, violent and yet brilliant artist, who died too young, leaving a legacy of art work which captures the imagination and adoration of so many, including myself. The painting above, The Nativity with Saint Francis and Saint Lawrence, is...
Recently I have been doing a lot of reading about mindfulness and what brings out spontaneous creativity in the individual – fascinating stuff and it has all been very helpful to me. One piece I read was by journalist and psychologist Otje van de Lelij in Flow magazine, where...
The story of the Pelican Fountain is interesting for not every day is water turned into wine!! Listed as a historic monument in 1942 (so some classification of monuments went on during the war…), the fountain in Pélissanne consists of a tall, smooth column topped by a partly Ionic,...
The fine Renaissance Palazzo Carafa holds a copy of the horse’s head originally exhibited in Naples National Archeological Museum in the 18th century. Considered as a symbol of the city, the provenance of the head has always been disputed: some have seen it as a Greek original while others ...
The Codex Gigas is the largest known medieval manuscript. It is also referred to as the Devil’s Bible, on the one hand because there is a large illustration of the Devil inside and on the other because of the legend surrounding its creation. The work contains the Vulgate Bible...
The lock at the end of Via San Marco, below Viale Monte Grappa, once marked the arrival point for those coming into the city from the north along the Naviglio Martesana (NM): now emptied of water, it still has the decaying wooden lock gates which are identical to those...
Sebastião José de Carvalho e Mello, Marquis de Pombal and Count of Oeiras (Lisbon 1699 – Leiria 1782), held the position of Secretary of State of the kingdom of King Dom José I from 1750 to 1777. A representative of this enlightened despotism, he experienced first hand Portugal’s...
Standing just a few steps from the Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli, the Façade of Palazzo Bembo-Boldù is decorated with a very distinctive sculpture: a life-size figure of a hairy man holding a round shield adorned with the Sun. This pelt-covered figure us a rare depiction of Homo Silvanus,...
The magic square is one of the greatest mysteries behind Gaudi’s Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia, Barcelona. Its grid is made up of a series of numbers, the sum of which is always 33 whether they are totalled horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Generally in this type of grid,...
Welcome to my love affair with the food, wine, history and culture of the Mediterranean, past and present. Here you will find not only recipes, drinks and fabulous products, but the history of the food and culture of the Mediterranean.
My purpose is to get you to explore and experience new tastes and along the way to immerse yourself in the wonderful history of this diverse and wonderful region – from Venice to Istanbul, Rome to Dubrovnik, Athens to Crete and all places in between and in the surrounds. Be prepared to be surprised, delighted and enthralled as you take this trip with me.
