Most people are not even aware of its existence, and even those who do know it sometimes do not see the pentimenti in this unfinished work. The Rondanini Pietà is the last known work by Michelangelo, carved when the artist was 90 years old and approaching death. This...
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...
In the Corso Indipendenza gardens, just next to the playground you will find a rather sad but very touching statue of Pinocchio, transformed into a little boy. Unveiled on 19 May, 1956, this statue was designed to be an intriguing delight for children playing in the gardens. It was...
In the area of the traffic island at the centre of Piazza Missori are the remains of a Romanesque church. These comprise part of the apse of the Church of San Giovanni in Conca, founded in the fourth century and then rebuilt in the eleventh. In 1162, the...
As well as being one of the oldest churches in Milan and a building of fundamental significance to the history of the city, The Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio is also a rich source of legend and arcane fact. Outside is an immediately noticeable feature that is very unusual in Italy...
When you first turn into Via dei Piatti in Milan, it is difficult to believe that one of these rather characterless post-war buildings actually contains a real gem of Renaissance architecture, which has been attributed to Donato Bramante (1444-1514). At 4, Via dei Piatti you will find a fine...
In the Treasury, Castello Sforzesco, Milan you will find an absolute visual delight. Walking west from the courtyard of Las Rocchetta, you come to Torre Castellana, on the ground floor of which is a superb fresco of Argus that has survived unseen for 500 years, but nowadays is open to...
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.
