Category: Italy
Perugia: The Duomo
Perugia: Sant’Angelo
Perugia: Cappella di San Severo

The small church of San Severo in Perugia is dedicated to Saint Severus, the fourth-century bishop of Ravenna. Until well into the thirteenth century the church and adjacent monastery were administered by the basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe. The monastery has always been associated with the Camaldolese Order, a branch…
My walk along the Via Latina (part 2)
My walk along the Via Latina (part 1)
The 10 highlights of… the Museo Nazionale Romano (Baths of Diocletianus)

The Museo Nazionale Romano opened its doors as early as 1890. The immense collection of the museum is currently distributed across four locations: the Palazzo Massimo and Palazzo Altemps, which have been discussed previously, the Crypta Balbi and the Baths of Diocletianus. The baths can be considered the museum’s original…
The 8 highlights of… the Museo Nazionale Romano (Palazzo Altemps)
The 10 highlights of… the Museo Nazionale Romano (Palazzo Massimo)

The nineteenth-century Palazzo Massimo is currently the main seat of the prestigious Museo Nazionale Romano, which is completely dedicated to Roman civilisation. The museum has much to offer to visitors, basically too much for a single visit. This means it is virtually impossible to write a post about the museum…
Vicenza: Santi Felice e Fortunato
Padova: Santa Giustina

Big, bigger, Santa Giustina. This enormous basilica on the southern edge of Padova’s historical centre will make a lasting impression on just about every visitor. The church adjoins the Prato della Valle, a large piazza in the shape of an ellipse where in Antiquity the theatre of Roman Patavium must…
Padova: Scuola del Santo

The Scuola del Santo (also known as the Scoletta, ‘little school’) is the seat of the Archconfraternity of Saint Antonius of Padova. Saint Antonius (or Anthony) died in 1231, and according to tradition the confraternity was founded a couple of years after he was canonised in 1232. The first written…
Padova: The Duomo
Padova: Oratory of San Giorgio
Padova: Oratory of San Michele
Padova: Cappella della Reggia Carrarese
Ravenna: Museo Arcivescovile
Ravenna: Cappella Arcivescovile

The archiepiscopal museum of Ravenna (Museo Arcivescovile) is located directly behind the cathedral of the city. Although the building that houses the museum can with some justification be called modern, its history goes back a long way. The cathedral itself was built by bishop Ursus (ca. 370-396 or 405-431), and…
Ravenna: Santa Maria Maggiore

Although architectonically unimpressive, the church of Santa Maria Maggiore has an interesting history that goes all the way back to the sixth century. Unfortunately our knowledge of that history is full of gaps. This is hardly surprising, as the Santa Maria Maggiore has been described as “one of the least-studied…