During excavation work in the mid-19th century, some rooms were discovered from the Roman period about 8 metres underneath the current street level of Via della Settima Coorte. The building was identified as housing a detachment from the seventh cohort of the city’s guards, or firemen, thanks to the...
I love reading historical travel accounts and diary entries, especially about the Mediterranean and here is a small extract from Goethe about Sicily which I wanted to share with you…. Towards the end of the 18th century, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who loved travelling in Italy, kept a...
Agios Oros, the holy mountain of the Orthodox world, is a place of peace and reflection, geared totally to a monastic way of life. In actual fact, it is ruled over by a woman, even though it is now only accessible to men. The Holy Mother of God is...
Located just a short distance from the Termini train station in Rome and squeezed in between the tracks of old and new railway lines, the small Church of Santa Bibiana goes laregly unnoticed due to its unfortunate position, hidden by train pylons, by its own enclosure, and by the...
In the Basilica of Sant’Eustorgio, Milan, with some difficulty, you will see a haut-relief on the capital of the fifth column to the right of the nave, which depicts the transport of the bodies of the Three Magi to Milan. Dating from the eleventh century, it shows Eustorgio leading...
We have all heard the comments that a piece of two of dark chocolate are purportedly good for one’s health, but did you know that in 1775 a Venetian published a dissertation praising the health benefits of chocolate? Well, here is a little about that dissertation…. In 1775, Giovanni...
One of my favourite late Renaissance composers is Claudio Monteverdi who really defined the transition from the Renaissance style to the Baroque. Although his early madrigals show the wonderful chromatic style of the Renaissance, Monteverdi not only was able to embrace the simplified style of the Baroque but was...
One of the best-known ambassadors for French gourmandise is a tiny, egg-shaped pure white candy known as anis de Flavigny. The fact that it appears in the French version of Trivial Pursuit is probably the clearest indication of how well-known it is. Its origins can be traced by to 1591, when...
Opposite Santa Maria della Grazie, Milan – in whose refectory Leonardo painted The Last Supper – stands Case degli Atellani, where the artist owned a vineyard to which he was particularly attached. The building itself dates from the end of the fifteenth century. Constructed at the behest of Ludovico...
I thought I would share with you another one of my favourite, perhaps not so well known paintings – The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine by Parmigianino. Parmigianino (Girolamo Mazzola, 1503-40) was a Renaissance painter much admired for both his landscapes and his Mannerist religious paintings. This painting (c.1530 –...
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.
