Sammartino’s Veiled Christ: how you carve a veil in marble
What to see in the Sansevero Chapel in Naples: Sammartino’s Veiled Christ, the Disillusion, the Modesty and the labyrinth floor, with hours and prices.
Monumenti Scultura 9 min
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The Doge’s Palace in Venice: the building that stands up the wrong way round
What to see at the Doge’s Palace in Venice: Tintoretto’s Paradise, Veronese’s ceilings, the Bridge of Sighs and the prisons, with 2026 hours and prices.
Monumenti Arte gotica 10 min
St Mark’s Basilica: the church Venice built out of plunder
What to see in St Mark’s Basilica in Venice: the golden mosaics, the Pala d’Oro, the bronze horses, and how the compulsory timed slot works.
Monumenti Arte bizantina 9 min
What to see in Naples in 2 days: the itinerary that holds the old centre and the hill together
What to see in Naples in 2 days: the old centre, the Sansevero Chapel, the cathedral and Capodimonte, with opening hours, prices and the right order.
Guide Itinerari 12 min
Borromini’s works in Rome: what they are, which ones you can visit, and in what order
All of Borromini’s works in Rome: San Carlino, Sant’Ivo, Palazzo Spada, the churches and the closed buildings, with the walking route and what you can visit.
Monumenti Arte barocca 11 min
The Borromini you cannot visit: four works you look at from the street
Propaganda Fide, the Oratorio dei Filippini, Palazzo Falconieri and Palazzo Pamphilj: Borromini’s works closed to the public, and how to see them anyway.
Monumenti Arte barocca 9 min
Borromini in Rome’s churches: four free stops, from the facade to his tomb
The Roman churches by Borromini you can visit for free: Sant’Agnese in Agone, St John Lateran, Sant’Andrea delle Fratte and his tomb at the Fiorentini.
Monumenti Arte barocca 10 min
Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza: Borromini’s spiral, and why you cannot go in today
Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza in Rome, Borromini’s masterpiece with the spiral lantern: the star-shaped plan, the restoration, and how to see it while it is closed.
Monumenti Arte barocca 8 min
Borromini’s perspective gallery at Palazzo Spada: nine metres that look like thirty-five
Borromini’s forced perspective at Palazzo Spada: how the optical trick works, how long the colonnade really is, how tall the statue is, hours and tickets.
Musei Arte barocca 8 min
San Carlino alle Quattro Fontane: the church that fits inside a pier of St Peter’s
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Borromini’s first and last building site: the rippling facade, the oval dome, the cloister and the crypt, with opening hours.
Monumenti Arte barocca 9 min
Bernini in Rome: palaces, angels and the last sculpture
The Minerva elephant, the angels of Ponte Sant’Angelo, three palaces and the Bust of the Saviour: Bernini’s works outside the churches and the museums.
Monumenti Arte barocca 11 min
Bernini’s works in Rome’s churches: five stops, all of them free
Bernini’s five works in Rome’s churches, all free to enter: Saint Teresa, Blessed Ludovica, the Raimondi Chapel, Sant’Andrea and Santa Bibiana.
Monumenti Arte barocca 11 min
Bernini’s works in St Peter’s: seven masterpieces in one building
Baldachin, Cathedra, colonnade, two papal tombs, the St Longinus and the Scala Regia: what to look for in St Peter’s and in what order, with checked dates.
Monumenti Arte barocca 11 min
Bernini at the Borghese Gallery: the works nobody looks at
Beyond the four famous sculptures, the Galleria Borghese holds a goat, two popes, a terracotta horse and three paintings by Bernini. Where to find them.
Musei Arte barocca 10 min
The two busts of Scipione Borghese: the crack that made Bernini start again
A crack ran across the cardinal’s forehead and Bernini carved a second bust in days. They now stand in the same room: here is how to tell them apart.
Musei Arte barocca 8 min
Truth Unveiled by Time: the statue Bernini carved for himself
Bernini carved it the year his St Peter’s bell tower was pulled down, and never sold it. The story, the Time that was never carved and how to see it.
Musei Arte barocca 9 min
Sick Bacchus and Boy with a Basket of Fruit: the two Caravaggios Scipione got through a seizure
The two early Caravaggios at the Galleria Borghese arrived through a 1607 seizure. The story, the self-portrait, the withered leaves and practical details.
Musei Pittura 9 min
David with the Head of Goliath: the painting Caravaggio used to beg for pardon
At the Galleria Borghese Caravaggio painted himself as the severed head of Goliath. The story, the sword inscription and the plea to Scipione Borghese.
Musei Pittura 9 min
Santa Maria Novella in Florence: Masaccio’s Trinity and what to see in the complex
Masaccio’s Trinity, Ghirlandaio’s frescoes and Paolo Uccello’s Green Cloister: what to see at Santa Maria Novella, with opening hours and visiting rules.
Monumenti Rinascimento 12 min
Santa Croce Basilica in Florence: the tombs, the Giottos and what to see
The tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo, Giotto’s fresco cycles and Cimabue’s Crucifix: what to see in the basilica of Santa Croce, with current hours and prices.
Monumenti Rinascimento 13 min
Medici Chapels in Florence: Michelangelo’s New Sacristy and what to see
Michelangelo’s New Sacristy, the mausoleum in semiprecious stone and the secret room: what to see at the Medici Chapels in Florence, with tickets and hours.
Musei Rinascimento 12 min
Bargello Museum in Florence: 8 masterpieces to see and how to plan the visit
The museum of Florentine sculpture, from Donatello’s David to Michelangelo’s Bacchus: eight works to look for at the Bargello, with current hours and tickets.
Musei Rinascimento 13 min
Botticelli’s Birth of Venus: meaning, details and why the title is wrong
The painting is not a birth, the pose comes from a statue and the winds from an ancient gem: Botticelli’s Birth of Venus explained, at the Uffizi in Florence.
Opere d’arte Rinascimento 11 min
Ponte Vecchio and the Vasari Corridor: the history and how to visit them today
The Ponte Vecchio in Florence: why it has shops on it, how it survived 1944 and how to walk the reopened Vasari Corridor above it today.
Monumenti 12 min
Pitti Palace and the Boboli Garden: what to see and how to plan your visit
Pitti Palace and the Boboli Garden in Florence: the palace’s five museums, the Palatine Gallery, what to look for in Boboli and the updated ticket prices.
Monumenti Musei 13 min
Accademia Gallery: Michelangelo’s David and what to see beyond the statue
Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia Gallery in Florence: the story of the rejected block, the Prisoners, updated prices and how to book your slot.
Musei Scultura 12 min
Florence Duomo: how to visit it, Brunelleschi’s dome and which pass to choose
How to visit the Florence Duomo: the three passes compared, the climb up Brunelleschi’s dome with its compulsory slot, and checked prices and times.
Monumenti Architettura 14 min
Botticelli’s Primavera: meaning, figures and the details to look for
Who the nine figures are, why the painting reads from right to left and what hides in the flowered meadow: Botticelli’s Primavera explained at the Uffizi.
Opere d’arte Rinascimento 11 min
Bernini’s fountains in Rome: which ones are really his and how to see them in a day
All of Bernini’s fountains in Rome, from the Barcaccia to the Four Rivers: which are really his, what to look at in each one and the walking route.
Monumenti Arte barocca 15 min
Bee Fountain: Bernini’s smallest fountain and the mistake that cost dear
Bernini’s Bee Fountain in Piazza Barberini: the wrong inscription that foretold the pope’s death, and why what you see today is a reconstruction.
Monumenti Arte barocca 9 min
Fontana della Barcaccia: the sinking boat at the Spanish Steps
The Barcaccia Fountain in Piazza di Spagna: why it sits below street level, who really carved it and what remains of the 2015 damage. History and visit.
Monumenti Arte barocca 11 min
Fountain of the Four Rivers: the story, the symbols and the legend that does not hold
Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona: who the four statues are, where the obelisk came from and why the veiled Nile legend is false.
Monumenti Arte barocca 13 min
What to see in Florence in 2 days: a full itinerary with tickets and opening times
A two-day itinerary in Florence, from the Duomo to the Uffizi and Pitti Palace, with checked ticket prices and the bookings you need to make in advance.
Itinerari 15 min
Uffizi Gallery: 10 works to see and how to plan your visit
From Botticelli’s Primavera to Caravaggio’s Medusa: ten works to look for at the Uffizi, with the room numbers updated after the museum renumbered them.
Musei Rinascimento 14 min
Musée de l’Orangerie: Monet’s Water Lilies and the collection nobody expects
A guide to the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris: Monet’s two oval Water Lilies rooms, the Modiglianis, Renoirs, Picassos and Matisses, with hours and tickets.
Musei 15 min
What to see in Saintes: a Roman arch that was moved twenty-eight metres
Saintes has a Roman arch of AD 18 saved by Victor Hugo, an amphitheatre among the oldest in the empire and a cathedral with a truncated bell tower.
Guide di viaggio 11 min