If I had one morning in Florence, and I wanted to choose only one museum to visit, I would almost certainly choose the Bargello. It would have to be a morning though because the Bargello keeps confusing hours and isn’t typically open in the afternoon. The structure is a medieval barracks/fortress/prison/castle of awesome and has the… Read More Best Museum in Florence: the BARGELLO! Or… is it second best?
Castles are the best. And Castles that have been turned into museums? EVEN BETTER. In Milan, there is the super duper cool Castello Sforzesco, a castle full to the gills with a ton of medieval and renaissance sculpture. AND a frescoed ceiling by Leonardo da Vinci (which you won’t have to wait in line for,… Read More Milan’s Castello Sforzesco and the last work of a Dying Michelangelo?: I am IN!
If I had only one afternoon in Paris and wanted to fill that time at a Museum, it would be at the Musée Rodin. It’s the ideal combination of ridiculously beautiful Parisian architecture–the Hôtel Biron was built in the early 18th century and has all the lovely staircases and fancy moldings one could want (though… Read More The Musée Rodin is the PERFECT Parisian Museum
Lisbon’s dramatic cathedral (Sé Cathedral) is well-appreciated form the outside, but let’s appreciate it from the inside too! It has some of my favorite things: Roman ruins in the cloister and lady tombs!! The Lady tombs even feature book reading, which as I can tell you (as I wrote my dissertation on lady tombs) is really… Read More Lisbon Cathedral: Ruins and Lady Tombs
Rome is a nutty city. The drivers are wild (though with their own certain logic), the store/museum/church/restaurant hours are variable and unreliable, the public transit is a lost cause. Romans, tourists, and ex-pats orbit each other in alternating tense or relaxed revolutions. Amidst all the crazy I always sought out calm and quiet. Usually that… Read More Calm and Quiet amid the Chaos: The Protestant Cemetary
I was not being facetious when I said that Rome is packed with villas. I said that right? I’m back in Italy now, only a few hours off the plane so my brain is zombie-fied, but I’m also clamoring to share more villa-love. How about the Villa Medici, aka the French Academy? In this instance… Read More A lesser known but still lovely villa: the Villa Medici (which, is totally subtle in every way)
Don’t go to the Imperial Forum. I repeat: if you come to Rome, don’t go to the Imperial Forum. I know that statement is completely contrary to what your guidebook is telling you, but trust me, don’t bother. Now let me back up: It’s been a while since I’ve done much Rome-conquering. As a refresher:… Read More Conquering the Lonely Planet Rome List: Museo dei Fori Imperiali or Markets of Trajan
Double-post day! I was out of the house too much yesterday to get a post up, so revel in the wonders of two posts today. Enjoy these lovely photos, all from Ostia Antica (which I may write a more thorough post about next week, because it’s marvelous) and all actual art, not just objet-style, with minimal comments:
Ruins + Relics 