The interiors of the Baroque churches in Palermo seem to have been created by people with a clear ’horror vacui’, fear of emptiness. Every surface has been filled with statues, paintings and ornamentation. From a North European viewpoint, the Sicilian Baroque is really something else. Saints and biblical stories naturally dominate the narrative of theContinue reading “Over-the-top Baroque”
Tag Archives: Italy
Normans in Sicily
As is well known, Normans (i.e. descendants of Vikings from Northern France) conquered Sicily from 999 onwards. They established the Palazzo dei Normanni in Palermo as their headquarters and built this originally Arab defensive fortress into a royal palace (title picture and below). Obviously later occupants have expanded and changed it considerably. Some of theContinue reading “Normans in Sicily”
Scipione Borghese’s art
If you are an art lover, it helps to get a collection going if your uncle is the pope and nepotism is the order of the day. Becoming a cardinal, getting the necessary income and influence happen just like that – and before you notice, you have a huge collection, a large villa and aContinue reading “Scipione Borghese’s art”
Doria Pamphilj – An embarrassment of riches
The Palazzo Doria Pamphilj is the largest in Rome still in private ownership. The family has its roots in Genoa and have appeared in history under various guises. They fought for the French at the battle of Crécy, led Genoa (Andrea Doria), had the papacy (Innocent X), and were princes of the Holy Roman EmpireContinue reading “Doria Pamphilj – An embarrassment of riches”
Cinque Terre – The Fabulous Five
The five towns on the Riviera di Levante that together form the Cinque Terre take full advantage of the rocky coastline, designated as a national park. There is a hiking trail connecting them, as well as frequent boats and trains. Each of these provides a different view to the small towns, although the rocky coastContinue reading “Cinque Terre – The Fabulous Five”
For Genoa and St. George
The reputation of Genoa rests on its past as a powerful maritime republic and Venice’s competitor for sea power in the Mediterranean. However, these days it is more of a modern port than Venice’s competitor for the tourist business. Unfortunately the city carries visible scars from 1960s urban planning (above), although many of its gloriousContinue reading “For Genoa and St. George”
The Riches of the Savoyards
One of the sights of Turin is its royal palace. These royals were not your everyday small-kingdom-rulers, although the county and later duchy of Savoy was originally not very large. However, the family extended their reach to Sicily and Sardinia and finally became the kings of Italy in 1861. Thus, the palace needed to reflectContinue reading “The Riches of the Savoyards”
Egypt in Turin
Go to Turin to learn about the ancient Egypt – it is closer. And the Egyptian Museum (Museo Egizio) in Turin hass the second most important collection of Egyptian antiquities after the Egyptian Museum of Cairo. The collection grew out of the acquisitions of the Savoyard kings since the 1750s. The presentation is approximately chronological,Continue reading “Egypt in Turin”
Rails, wines, worlds 