On the left, just behind Bernini’s Baldachin in the central space of the Basilica you will find the Statue of Veronica by Francesco Mochi, whose extraordinary history is almost unknown. Above the statue is preserved what is said to be her original veil. So who was Veronica and...
Now that the weather is warming up I am putting together my ever increasing list of favourite pasta dishes to turn to when I want something light. Here is a wonderful Ligurian recipe from Antonio Carluccio which is high up on my list. It is just so fresh...
During the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries, Europe was regularly devastated by the plague: 25 million people – about one third of the European population at the time – died from the disease. Like the rest of Italy, Milan was one of the first places in Europe to...
Colour is such an important part of our lives whether it is in the choices of colours that we wear, what appeals to us about what someone else is wearing, the colour of flowers, butterflies, the sky, our surroundings, birds etc. Colour can soothe, disturb, unsettle and...
Within the courtyard of a building facing Via Giannone you will find a free-standing bell-tower that dates from 1230 – all that is left of the old church of Santissima Trinità, which was bulldozed in 1968. This bell-tower, bought by a private individual after it had been spared...
Picpus cemetery in Paris is the earthly resting place of 1,306 victims of the guillotine who died between 14 June and 27 July 1794 in what was at the time called place du Trône renversé (Overturned Throne) – now place de la Nation. The victims were buried in two...
Leo V or Levon V (sometimes referred to as Leon VI, 1342-1393), of the House of Lusignan, was the son of John of Lusignan and Soldane, daughter of George V if Georgia. Last sovereign of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, he governed from 1374 to 1375. His reign...
The little fish carved on the building at the corner of Calle del Pez and Calle de Jesús del Valle in Madrid, denotes the origin of the street name, which goes back to the seventeenth century. At the time, the section between Pozas and San Bernardo streets was...
In the Real Monasterio de la Encarnacíon, Madrid, there is a reliquary which it is alleged contains the blood of St Pantaleon,and once a year, on the 27th July, the blood liquifies, turning from a solid to a liquid state. The church itslef has never confirmed or denied...
These mushrooms are just so versatile and fabulous that I had to share the simple recipe with you. I always have a stock of different types of mushrooms in the fridge, so portobello and button mushrooms are invariably to hand. This dish makes a wonderful side for lamb or...
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.
