Like the Chiesa Nuova and Sant’Ivo, San Nicola in Carcere is ridiculously centrally located in Rome in one of the most obvious sites in the city– just down the hill from the Campidoglio and next to the Teatro Marcello. I’d passed it about nine million times. And despite having been told YEARS ago that it… Read More Another Church I’d Meant to Visit for Forever: San Nicola in Carcere
There’s a main thoroughfare through the heart of central Rome that leads from Largo Argentina to the river and the Vatican. Lots of buses (and cars and everything else) take this road including the useful but infamous 87 and 40. Called the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, the road zips by many of the loveliest church… Read More Roman Church Avoiding Stops Now!: Chiesa Nuova and Sant’Ivo
The Carmo Convent right in the heart of Lisbon is one of the loveliest, most spectacular churches/museums I’ve ever seen. A Medieval Gothic church that was ruined in the 1755 earthquake, the ruins were left up, which means you can see the stunning Gothic skeleton with blue sky above you. And despite it being late May (prime… Read More The Carmo Convent is Spectacular and You Get it Pretty Much to Yourself
When living in Italy time is tangibly present in a way that doesn’t exist in the United States. This is probably applicable to other deeply rooted cultures, but there is a physicality to time here that I’ve felt nowhere else. Particularly now that I’m in Rome, time is present and visible, even more so than… Read More When I say layers… Rome as an onion (or parfait?)
You only have to pay for a couple of Florence’s lovely Renaissance churches, but unfortunately those are some of the best. San Lorenzo, Santa Croce, and Santa Maria Novella are gorgeous buildings filled with truly priceless artworks that yes, cost a few euro to get into. But if you’re paying close attention, sometimes you can… Read More The awesomest way to get into Florence’s Churches for Free
Again “surprising” is the feature word for the post, because you know what Prato has that I was not expecting?? A CASTLE. An actual castle with crenellations (the square-ish things on top) and battlements and stone spiral staircases and sculpted lions and all! I had no idea. It wasn’t very big, and it really only… Read More More surprising Prato surprises
Have you ever been to San Miniato al Monte? It’s stunning. It’s a spectacularly well-preserved Romanesque church situated high above Florence. It looks likes this: And it has a view of Florence that looks like this: And despite the manifest and manifold loveliness of San Miniato al Monte and its spectacular view, hardly anybody goes… Read More San Miniato wins the day!
Ruins + Relics 