On show at the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (National Museum of Ancient Art) in Lisbon, Nuno Gonçalves’ polyptych (comprising two large panels and four narrower ones) is a masterpiece of Portuguese painting from the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance. It’s creator, Nuno Gonçalves, royal...
Sebastiano del Piombo (c.1485-1547) was a Venetian painter who completed his early artistic training in the company of his contemporaries. Titian and Jacopo Palma di Vecchio. A fortunate encounter with Agostino Chigi, resulted in a trip to Rome to assist him in the decoration of the Farnesina villa. Chigi...
On the façade of the Church of San Giuliano, San Marco, you will find a statue by Alessandro Vittoria of Tommaso Rangone, a rather curious but interesting Renaissance figure. Tommaso Rangone was born in 18 August 1493, in Ravenna and died in 1577, aged 84. He was...
I find making my own spice mixes is just so rewarding. I especially love the way that as the ingredients combine the individual aromas almost melt into one another and you are left with ‘spice heaven’. One of the staple spices that I make and keep on hand is...
I have just finished ‘consuming’ John Dickie’s wonderful book Delizia – The Epic History of the Italians and Their Food and I was almost sad to have finished it, much like a fine bottle of wine or a meal in a special location that you don’t want to end....
In the Municipal Museum of Lucignano, Tuscany, you will find an exceptional example of Arezzo’s goldsmiths – the Golden Tree. Also known as the “Tree of Life”, the “Tree of Lucignano”. the “Tree of Love” or the “Tree of St. Francis”, this Golden Tree is, in fact, a reliquary....
“Txakolí is an acquired taste,” Basque wine buffs will say with a smile. The strange name conceals a slightly sparkling, sweet and lively white wine with fresh acidity and rather restrained fruit. The name Txakolí (Spanish Chacolí) is derived from the Arabic, chacalet, which means something weak, light, or thin. The fresh, light...
I must admit that I’ve not quite got swept up in the new fad of adult colouring books, although I have indulged in a couple and admit that there is something therapeutic about sitting down and forgetting you are an adult for a while with a bunch of coloured...
Armagnac has the reputation of being as individual and unique as are the people of Gascony. Individual vintners, distillers and éléveurs who age, assemble and offer this golden liquid are, in the main, responsible for its creation. Rather than asking for a particular brand, restaurateurs and sommeliers select a specific...
The fresco The School of Athens by Raphael (c1509-11) is one of my favourite works by Raphael, so I decided to share a little about this work here, and as an aside I am currently doing an embroidery of this wonderful work. This fresco is the most famous of...
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.
