Drama in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, Italy
I’ll flirt with heresy and say, To Florence, the Palazzo Vecchio (“Old Palace”) is every bit as iconic as the Duomo. Or more so. It has the advantage of sitting … Read more
Italy
The Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence, Italy
When it comes to church art (and other interesting stuff) it’s hard to beat the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence. For quality and quantity, it’s far more important than … Read more
Images of Verona , Italy
We were in the Verona Cathedral at night. Consequently, the light inside was even dimmer than normal in an old church. So, I almost missed this amazing feature of the … Read more
The Pope’s Chair, St. John Lateran, Rome
If you said that St. Peter’s Basilica is the Pope’s “home church” in Rome, you’d be wrong. In fact, the Pope’s chair (cathedra in Latin, hence the English word cathedral) … Read more
Duomo Demons, Florence, Italy
There’s a lot of debate about the Vasari paintings that cover Florence. I think the safest thing to say about Giorgio Vasari was that he was a better businessman than … Read more
At the Edge of Italy: Visit Trieste
(Trieste December 1-4) We are drawn to Trieste because of its position on the border of Italy and Slovenia, and because of all the complicated history that goes with the … Read more
The Lowdown on Travel with a Eurail Pass
Our Itinerary The hardest part about traveling with our Eurail pass, good for 15 travel days within two months, was deciding where to go. We studied the maps, solicited ideas, … Read more
A Context Travel Tour in Venice
Travel, at its best, is a lot like the our best college days: sit back and take in a ton of information from people who know what they are talking … Read more
Lion and Saints, San Marco, Venice
The winged lion is the symbol of both Saint Mark the Evangelist and the city of Venice. You see it pretty much everywhere. There is some dispute of the origin … Read more
Grand Canal at Dusk, Venice, Italy
We’re staying near the Rialto Bridge in Venice, a very nice neighborhood to just walk around and enjoy the view. There’s a lot of architecture and painting and sculpture here, … Read more