Mountain of Ice and Fire: Exploring Etna, Sicily’s Largest Volcano
Even in May, when the temperature was soaring, there was snow on Etna. Lots of it, piled high by the side of the path and clustered around the edge of slippery glaciers. But the sun was shining, and we trudged on towards the volcano puffing gently in the distance,...
The Longest Arcade in the World? The Portico di San Luca in Bologna
There was a solitary jogger, but otherwise silence. The arches of the Portico di San Luca stretched into the distance. We had the place all to ourselves. Roofed Arcade of the Portico di San Luca The roofed arcade of the Portico di San Luca starts in the centre of...
Walking on the Roof of the Cathedral of Milan
Never mind that it is a very fine Gothic cathedral, the fifth largest cathedral in the world. What makes the Cathedral of Milan really special is that you can walk on its roof. And not just a short walk, either: you can walk all around the roof, admiring the 3000 plus...
Milan’s Living Room: The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Anywhere else in the world, a shopping mall would be just that: a place to get your shopping and perhaps to grab a drink and a bite to eat. But this is Milan, fashion capital of a country where style is de rigeur, and the architecture of the Galleria Vittorio Emaneule...
The Bits of Pisa that Most Tourists Miss
Pisa is full of tourists, but most of them seem to be clustered in one spot. In front of the Leaning Tower, capturing a selfie or photographing their friends as they pretend to prop up the tower. But, as we discovered during a recent autumn visit, there is much more...
A Peaceful Interlude at Pisa’s Botanic Gardens
Even at the end of October Pisa is hot and packed with tourists. But the Botanic Gardens were cool and shady, and we had the place to ourselves. A Garden of Simples I’d been wanting to visit these gardens for years. Founded in 1543 as a ‘Garden of Simples’, or...
Walking the Walls of Lucca
I’ve spent a lot of time walking round old city walls this year. York, Londonderry and now Lucca, a small Tuscan town just a half hour train ride from Pisa. All interesting in their different ways, but the walls of Lucca (celebrating their 500th anniversary this year)...
Tivoli’s Historic Villas
Nestling in the Tiburtine hills, around 30 km from Rome, since classical times Tivoli has been a favoured summer retreat for people wishing to escape the heat of the city. Many villas were built by prominent Roman citizens including the Emperor Hadrian and the poet...
Byzantine Mosaics of Ravenna
Ravenna in northern Italy played a crucial part in western civilisation during the 5th and 6th centuries, first as the capital of the Western Roman Empire (from 402 until the fall of the empire in 476) and then as a centre of the Ostrogoth empire under King Theodoric....
Searching for Romeo in Verona
As everyone knows, Romeo and Juliet lived in Verona. Or did they? In fact, the evidence is slim, but this does not deter the Veronese, whose city is home to a thriving "Juliet industry".It was common for writers in 16th century England to set their tales in Italy, and...
