If ever you are in Madrid, there is one place that you must, if you can, take a tour of, and that is the magnificent Sacristía de los Caballeros (Sacristy of the Knights) in Las Commendadoras de Santiago convent (built between 1584 and 1697). In this magnificent Sacristy, men...
Nuno Álvares Pereira was born on 26 June 1360 in Cernache de Bonjardim, Sertã, and died on 1 April 1431 at the convent of Carmo, Lisbon. He was a noble Portuguese knight of the 14th century, who played a fundamental role in the 1383-85 crisis, when Portugal fought against Castile...
Nuno Álvares Pereira was born on 26 June 1360 in Cernache de Bonjardim, Sertã, and died on 1 April 1431 at the convent of Carmo, Lisbon. He was a noble Portuguese knight of the 14th century, who played a fundamental role in the 1383-85 crisis, when Portugal fought against Castile...
If there is one place that you must visit when you are in Barcelona it is the Museu Frederic Marès, and in particular La Sala Femenina. Frederic Marès was a great and passionate collector, and throughout the 98 years of his life, he nurtured his passion for everyday...
The star-studded fresco on the cupola of the old sacristy at San Lorenzo captures the appearance of the night sky on 4 July 1442 and exactly the same arrangement of heavenly bodies is to be seen within the cupola of the Pazzi Chapel in Santa Croce church –...
The Church of San Giorgio at Montemerano is best known for a polytych by Sano di Pietro (1406-1481) – The Madonna and Child with Saints (below). But to the right of the high altar is another painting that is often overlooked but is worthy of attention. Now known as “La...
The Capilla del Obispo (Bishop’s Chapel) in Plaza de la Paja, Madrid, is a vertiable gem of Gothic art that has survived over the centuries. Now, after some years of restoration work and an investment of some 2 million Euros, visitors can finally view this small oratory, which...
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...
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...
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...
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.
