Born around 1510 in Barenton, a small village in the diocese of Avranches , Guillaume Postel studied oriental languages at the college of Sainte-Barbe in Paris. Having become one of the foremost experts in his field he was appointed as Lecture royal to the French court of François I...
The age of Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) was profoundly marked by the decline of the Order of the Knights Templars, and above all by the series of persecutions, imprisonments and condemnations to which the Order was subjected following its interdiction by the King of France, Philip IV, and Pope Clement...
In the oratory at the junction of Via Santi Quattro and Via dei Querceti, Rome there is a painting in a very poor condition that has often been interpreted as a memorial of the scandal of the legendary Pope Joan, who gave birth in the street, however, the...
Printed by Aldus Manutius in Venice in 1499, Hypnerotomachia Poliphili is perhaps the most complex roman-a-clef ever published. Illustrated with around 170 exquisite woodcuts, it is also considered one of the finest examples of early printing. The book, written in a mixture of Italian, Latin, Greek, Hebrew,...
Francesco I de Medici (Florence, 1541-1587) commissioned a special Studiolo within the Palazzo Vecchio. The decoration was in part the work of the most famous Mannerist painter of the day, Giorgio Vasari, who was commissioned to oversee the entire project (1570-72), with the assistance of humanist scholars Giovanni Battista...
(Guido Reni – Saint Philip Contemplating the Virgin in the Church of Santa Maria in Vallicella) Founder of the Congregation of the Oratory, also known as the Congregation of Fillippinis after his forename, Saint Philip Neri (1515-1595) was often referred to as the joyful saint because of his cheerful...
According to legend, Athena and Poseidon were unable to agree on which of them was to rule Attica. Zeus, the father of the gods, was summoned to arbitrate. He told the squabbling pair that he would declare the victor whichever of them could show him the most beneficial discovery...
(Perugino, The vision of St. Bernard, c. 1490/91) The history of Bernard of Clairvaux illustrates the power of a single wise man to bring about radical change in the fortunes of a city and an entire region. It was the year 1134, and Bernard, soon to be declared a...
Dionysus was not part of the Homeric panetheon of Mount Olympus and in fact Dionysian worship did not become widespread in Greece until the 6th century BCE, which was precisely the same period in which wine emerged as a common beverage, something that was no longer reserved for society’s...
(Venetian cutlery of the 16th century) Here is an interesting little piece written by the Elizabethan traveller Thomas Coryat of the use of the fork in 1590s Italy….. “Here I will mention a thing…that is not used in any other country that I saw in my travels, neither doe I...
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.
