Detail of one of the Agnolo Gaddi frescoes recently restored above the high altar of Santa Croce. Previous filling of the cracks has been removed and will not be replaced as it damages the fresco…. continue ›
Baccala or salted codfish One of the many loves that I have developed and nurtured since moving to Italy isbaccalà. I get very excited every time I see it on the menu, especially as it…. continue ›
Camaldoli Monastery, in the Casentino forest Saint Benedict, often referred to as the father of European monasticism, founded his monastery at Monte Cassino (in the region of Lazio) in the early sixth century. Monasteries are…. continue ›
Security, holding a proclamation and overseeing the countryside on the outskirts of Siena, with peasants working the fields and noblemen riding ( c.1337) detail from Good Government fresco by Ambrogio Lorenzetti Siena is, historically, the closest great…. continue ›
Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II – a common meeting place for the Milanese Milan is not usually the first city which springs to mind when thinking about food in Italy. However, like every other…. continue ›
This is the ceiling of the BNL bank in via Cavour 59, once part of the casino of Don Carlo de Medici. The ceiling decoration is from one of the two rooms dedicated to…. continue ›
The Brancacci chapel represents a turning point in art history, and thus is reflective of a change in society. It was studied and admired by all the great artists who lived in or passed through…. continue ›
Gucci cafe on the ground floor The brand Gucci turned 90 last year. They celebrated by inaugurating the Gucci museum in Florence. The location – The medieval fourteenth century palazzo della Mercanzia (the court house for business…. continue ›