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From Blue Danube: Tales from the Dual Monarchy, a collection of short stories translated from German and Hungarian is NOW OUT. The Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary was formed in 1867. Dual because its titular sovereign, His Imperial and Royal Highness Franz Joseph, was both Emperor of Austria and King of…
For reasons best known to themselves—actually probably not even known to them but only to a faceless and not very clever algorithm—Amazon UK choose to bury Blue Guide Venice in their search results to make it unfindable. The brilliance of programming and AI might suggest that if you search on…
White smoke above the Vatican recently announced the election of Chicago-born Robert Prevost as pope, the 266th incumbent of the Chair of St Peter. He has taken the regnal name of Leo XIV. The world waits to see what kind of a pontiff he will be. Meanwhile, we look at…
Farewell and Rest In Peace to His Holiness Pope Francis, who died on 21st April 2025. The task now must be to find a successor. But how is it done? Blue Guide Rome (12th edition) describes the process as follows: Popes are elected by the cardinals, who comprise the so-called…
“Siena: The Rise of Painting” at the National Gallery, London. Exhibition review. The Background In the late 13th century, the Tuscan city of Siena grew prosperous from trade, from banking, and from its position on the Via Francigena, one of the pilgrim routes to Rome. After it made political peace with…
Two fascinating intineraries, run by the Revd James Buxton, Chaplain in İzmir. Pilgrimage to the Seven Churches of Revelation » (May) These are the seven cities mentioned in the first three chapters of Revelation, in the Bible. They include Smyrna (İzmir) and six other six cities in the area. The…
From Alexander Faludy’s review of Blue Danube title, The Monkey and Other Stories by Miklós Bánffy, in the Hungarian Observer: “Count Miklós Bánffy (1873-1950) wrote captivatingly on a grand scale (his 3 volume epic Transylvanian Trilogy) but also a minute one—as this collection shows. The Monkey is a collection of nine stories…
In the first, 1924, edition of Blue Guide Northern Italy, one of the Blue Guides best-selling titles over the 100 years that followed, the Hotel Elephant was the recommended hotel in Brixen Bressanone. Brixen is a beautiful gothic and baroque town in South Tyrol, the inn has been a welcoming guests…
Mark Dudgeon, the Blue Guides rail correspondent, makes an epic winter trip from Sweden to Norway and back, across the Arctic Circle. It’s a chilly, dark early evening in February at Stockholm’s Central railway station. Sleek Arlanda Express train sets serving Stockholm’s principal airport glide in and out of platforms…
“Matthias is dead—now books will be cheap in Europe!” So Lorenzo the Magnificent is said to have exclaimed on hearing of the passing of the King of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus, in 1490. Matthias was the man behind the famous Corvina Library. renaissance kings and their libraries Matthias, who became King…
An important preservative as well as sweetener, honey was an indispensable ingredient in the Classical kitchen. The honey of Hybla, in Sicily, is among the most famous. Hybla honey and the classical world Along with the bees of Mount Hymettus and Mount Ida in Greece, the wild bees of Mount…
A school of artists in the South Tyrol valley of the Pustertal. where is this valley? The valley is the Pustertal (in Italian, Val Pusteria). It lies in the South Tyrol (Alto Adige) region of Northern Italy, on the border of Italy and Austria. At first sight, it seems remote,…
Is it possible to take Turkish tea or coffee with the sultan? You might not think so. But look carefully at the glassware. recognising the sultan’s insignia When you next order a Turkish coffee or a tea, have look at the glass of water that comes with it. If you…
The shifting fortunes of Ephesus, one of the great ancient cities of Turkey. traces of vanished splendour Visitors touring Ephesus might end their visit at the Terraced Houses, with their beautiful frescoes and opulent marble floors. The degree of preservation is stunning. Left to the elements, frescoes do not survive…
The 19th-century doctor Ignác Semmelweis was the Hungarian pioneer of hand-sanitization. His ideas were to revolutionise medicine, not just in Hungary but around the world. who was semmelweis? How many of us, while methodically washing our hands during the Covid-19 pandemic, spared a thought for Ignác Semmelweis? Semmelweis (1818–65) is…
The art of the Renaissance or the art of food? Do we go to Florence for the food or for the art? Has gastronomy replaced Giotto on the Florence bucket list? how it began ‘Yes,’ said Lucy. ‘They are lovely. Do you know which is the tombstone that is praised…
A look at how the streets of Rome are paved. All roads lead to Rome. And Rome still leads the world in roads. The streets of the ancient city were paved in huge, irregular blocks of stone known as basolato. Today only a very few segments of such paving survive: along…
The Seuso Treasure is one of the finest hoards of Roman silver ever discovered. what is the seuso silver treasure? The Seuso Roman silver Treasure, in the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest, consists of 14 stunning pieces of late imperial Roman tableware: Four huge platters, variously decorated; a washbasin; five…
We asked author Robin Saikia to explain which bars he recommends in his invaluable Drink & Think Venice – The Story of Venice in Twenty-Six Bars and Cafés. Here are his descriptions of 10 of them: Each chapter of Drink & Think Venice begins with an introduction to one of…
A fully revised new 2025 edition of this popular Blue Guide, by Sicily resident and tour guide Ellen Grady, will be available shortly. Now presented in the Blue Guides new, full-colour format, with stunning photographs and award-winning Blue Guides mapping. The guide retains the Blue Guides’ traditional focus on architecture,…
