Giovanni Battista Moroni – Portrait of a Man (‘The Tailor’) c. 1570, Canvas 97.8 x 74.9cm, London, National Gallery. Moroni is one of the most famous North Italian portrait specialists of the 16th century. He was a native of Albino, near Bergamo. In his early years he worked in...
There is something about this painting of Saint Jerome in his Study by Antonello da Messina (1475) which really captures my attention. Saint Jerome is depicted in art as either a penitent (he spent some years in the Syrian desert as a hermit) or as one of the...
Of late I have spent a lot of time looking for unusual works of art from the Renaissance period and I came across this wonderful sketch by Rubens which I wanted to share with you. Rubens was born in Siegen, Westphalia on June 28, 1577 and spent the first...
I am a passionate collector of Phaidon cookbooks (www.phaidon.com) and I am starting on a journey of sharing these with you. The first one I have chosen is the lusciously illustrated Tuscany. This cookbook originates from II cuuhiaio d’argento Cucina Regionale, first published in 2008, and from II cucciaio d’argento first published...
Behind the famous “Pastéis de Belém” bakery in Lisbon, is the Beco do Chão Salgado (Salted Earth Alley), a place that most Lisbon residents have forgotten about but that is linked to a terrible event of Portuguese history that shocked all of civilised Europe in the 18th century. Part of...
I must admit that these days I am not a great reader of novels, even historical ones, which have in the past always been part of my reading preferences. Out of curiosity the other day when perusing e-book downloads, I came across this historical novel of Renaissance Florence by...
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the...
Located in Capella Corner in the church of Santi Apostoli, Cannaregio, Venice you will find a relatively unknown 1748 work by Giambattista Tiepolo – The Last Communion of St Lucy. Lucy was born in Syracuse around the year 300. She was a Sicilian noblewoman who pledged herself to God,...
The Sansevero chapel in Naples, built in 1590, was enlarged and embellished by Raimondo di Sangro in 1744 with an extensive collection of statues all dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Beyond the religious orthodoxy of the statuary, there are a series of symbols of the hermetic heterodoxy...
In the last chapel on the right in the Cathedral of Pescia, a chapel known as the Turini Chapel, you will find a painting which you may think you have seen somewhere before, and if you have visited the Pitti Palace in Florence, then you will doubtlessly have seen...
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.
