March 2012

  • Al Dente: Madness, Beauty & the Food of Rome

    Al Dente: Madness, Beauty & the Food of Rome

    I began this quirky, genre-defying book one sunny May morning and by the time I had got halfway through it, I was really enjoying myself. I had had no idea what to expect but was prepared for either a fatuous trawl through Romeโ€™s โ€œeateriesโ€ or for rapturous gushing about dining allโ€™italiana…

  • A celebration of Lucca

    A celebration of Lucca

    โ€œLucca is one of the most beautiful small towns in Italy.โ€ So begins the description of the town inย Blue Guide Tuscany. And it is true. Lucca, in my opinion, is as good as Tuscany gets. It was a Roman town, and the shape of its amphitheatre is atmospherically preserved in…

  • Sixth-century church to reopen

    Santa Maria Antiqua, the oldest church in the Forum, is at last due to reopen after extensive repairs and restorations. It houses some exceptional wall-paintings. See the following review in the New York Times.

  • Romantic music in a Baroque setting

    Romantic music in a Baroque setting

    Tucked away in a sidestreet close to the church of the Frari is Palazzetto Bru Zane, originally a small palace or โ€˜casinoโ€™ where the Zane family would receive guests and host entertainments. Its stairway and first-floor rooms are richly decorated with woodwork by Andrea Brustolon and stuccoes by Abbondio Stazio,…

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