During my walks in Brescia I had already passed by the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo more than once, but I had never actually visited the museum. A bit odd perhaps, as in previous posts I have frequently referred to works in the Pinacoteca. Beautiful paintings from various Brescian churches can nowadays…
By now I have visited the church of San Giovanni Evangelista in Brescia twice. I therefore feel an obligation towards my readers to write a post about it. The church is one of the oldest in Brescia, with a history that reportedly goes back to the days of Saint Gaudentius,…
Underrated. Very few visitors. Ignored by travel guides. This basically sums up the church of San Francesco in Brescia. I did not encounter any other visitors in the building and even the custodian had gone outside for a smoke. Meanwhile, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, as there is much interesting art…
The archaeological museum of Cremona is housed in the former church of San Lorenzo. The history of that church goes back to the tenth century, but it was built over a cemetery that is much older and was already in use in pre-Christian times. In Cremona itself we find very…
The small but recently renovated Museo Diocesano of Cremona is located right next to the cathedral of the city. In a limited number of rooms visitors learn more about the history and spiritual life in the diocese. That history starts well before that of the current cathedral, as in the…
Last summer I climbed the campanile of the cathedral of Cremona for the second time, the mighty Torrazzo with its height of over 112 metres. Once I had reached the top, I struck up a conversation with an Italian man who was wondering whether he could see the river Po…
The archaeological museum of Milan is located directly next to the church of San Maurizio. Visitors enter in one of the cloisters, which is decorated with capitals and sarcophagi. They then go into a building dedicated to the history of Roman Milan. This is by far the most interesting section…
Many people had showed up at the church of San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore. They were not just tourists, but also volunteers from the Touring Club Italiano, who were there to provide visitors with information about the building and its artworks. They had a lot to tell, as San Maurizio…
Santa Maria Incoronata is perhaps the cutest little church in all of Milan. With its unique double façade, it invites the occasional passer-by to pop in and have a look around. The left part of the building is the oldest part and was once a church in its own right.…
San Marco is a very large church just a stone’s throw away from the famous Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan. The church is at least 95 metres deep, and the history of the building goes back to the thirteenth century. Traditionally there is a link between the church and the…
When we visited Milan for the first time in 2016, there was no metro connection yet between the Aeroporto di Milano-Linate and the city centre. Back then, the easiest way for us to get to and from the airport was taking a bus. The bus stop was near the Courts…
It has been a while since I last discussed a bridge in a post. The last occasion was probably when I wrote about the Ponte degli Alpini, a famous wooden bridge across the river Brenta in the charming town of Bassano del Grappa. The post I am writing now is…
It proved to be quite a challenge to find a restaurant in Pavia that was open for lunch. It was August and many Italians were on vacation. Fortunately, a restaurant named Miscusi on the Piazza del Duomo gave us a warm welcome. While we sat outside in the shade and…
Our Trotter travel guide gave the immense church of Santa Maria del Carmine just one little trotter. One trotter means: a tip, but not “interesting” (two little trotters) or “not to be missed” (three little trotters). Despite the rather low score, I would nonetheless certainly recommend a visit to this…
The church of San Teodoro is dedicated to Saint Theodorus of Pavia, who between ca. 740 and 778 served as bishop of Pavia. The history of the church goes back to the eighth century. Originally it was dedicated to Saint Agnes of Rome, who according to tradition was martyred in…
The church of San Michele Maggiore is the most interesting building in Pavia for those who are interested in political history. The church was closely associated with the Longobard Kingdom (568-774) and its successor, the Kingdom of Italy, which in the tenth century became part of the Holy Roman Empire.…
Although we had parked our car fairly close by, we had to take a rather long detour to reach the fascinating church of San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro. The church stands somewhat isolated, perhaps a consequence of the fact that it was originally situated outside the walls of Pavia. Three…
Although the name Certosa di Pavia suggests that this imposing monastic complex is located in Pavia, this is certainly not the case. The distance between the castle of Pavia and the monastery is, in a straight line to the north, at least seven kilometres. Definitely too far to walk, so…
There was a simple explanation for the long, motionless queue in front of the Palazzo Te in Mantova: there had been a power cut, so it was momentarily impossible to print tickets. Paying by card was also not an option as long as the problem had not been fixed. Fortunately…
The city of Mantova is surrounded by water on three sides. The river Mincio is so wide here that three lakes have come into existence: the Lago Superiore, Lago di Mezzo and Lago Inferiore. When we first visited Mantova in 2019 we parked our car on the other side of…