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
Archive
Monuments & landmarks
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
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
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
Jumièges Abbey: the ruin that survived because somebody bought it
Jumièges Abbey was sold as a stone quarry after the Revolution and saved in 1852. It stands roofless today, and anyone under 26 gets in free.
Monumenti 10 min
The Seu Vella of Lleida: a cathedral that served as a barracks for 241 years
The Seu Vella of Lleida has its cloister in front of the church rather than beside it, and it was an army barracks from 1707 to 1948. The walls still show it.
Monumenti 11 min
Tarragona Cathedral: this is where the altarpiece that ends in Zaragoza begins
Tarragona Cathedral holds Pere Johan’s alabaster altarpiece, the largest Romanesque cloister in Catalonia and an Arabic inscription dated to the year 960.
Monumenti 12 min
Pont du Gard: the extraordinary thing is not the height, it is the gradient
The Pont du Gard is the tallest stretch of a fifty-kilometre aqueduct that fell only centimetres per kilometre. Walking in to see it costs nothing at all.
Monumenti 11 min
The Sagrada Família is not a church to look at: it is a machine for light
The Sagrada Família in Barcelona is read through the colour of its light: blues and greens to the east, reds to the west. Since June 2026 the tallest church.
Monumenti 15 min
The two cathedrals of Zaragoza: why one city has a pair of them
Zaragoza is the only city in the world with two working cathedrals: La Seo, with its Gothic alabaster altarpiece, and El Pilar, with its Goya domes.
Monumenti 14 min
The Aljafería Palace in Zaragoza: the missing link between Córdoba and the Alhambra
The Aljafería Palace in Zaragoza holds the only 11th-century taifa royal seat still standing, a ceiling dated 1492 and the cells of the Inquisition.
Monumenti 13 min
Arena of Nîmes: the best preserved Roman amphitheatre
The Arena of Nîmes is the best preserved Roman amphitheatre: what to look at inside, the centuries it spent as a walled neighbourhood and 2026 prices.
Monumenti 11 min
St Peter’s Basilica: what to see, what you pay for and what you do not
What to see in St Peter’s Basilica: the stars on the floor, the Pietà, the baldachin, the climb to the dome, and what is paid for and what is free.
Monumenti 14 min
The Trevi Fountain: the history, what you are looking at and the new access rules
What to know about the Trevi Fountain: it is Oceanus and not Neptune, the ancient aqueduct feeding it, the coins, and the 2-euro ticket of 2026.
Monumenti 12 min
The Pantheon in Rome: what to see, what the ticket costs and why the dome stands up
What to see at the Pantheon in Rome: the largest concrete dome in the world, the oculus, Raphael’s tomb, and the 7-euro ticket introduced in 2026.
Monumenti 13 min
The Roman Forum and the Palatine: what to see and how to read the ruins
What to see at the Roman Forum and on the Palatine: the Curia, the Arch of Septimius Severus, the Lapis Niger, the imperial palace, with tickets checked.
Monumenti 13 min
The Colosseum: how to visit it, which ticket to choose and what to really look at
How to visit the Colosseum: which ticket to choose between standard, arena and underground, what to look at inside and prices verified in 2026.
Monumenti 13 min
7 churches to visit in Paris besides Notre-Dame (updated 2026)
The 7 most beautiful churches to visit in Paris besides Notre-Dame, between Gothic art, history and masterpieces. From Saint-Denis to the Sainte-Chapelle.
10 min
How to visit Bracciano Castle: everything you need to know (updated 2026)
A guide to Bracciano Castle near Rome: the history of the Orsini and Odescalchi families, the legend of Isabella de’ Medici, opening hours and 2026 prices.
Castelli 8 min
The Memorial Church in Berlin: the "hollow tooth", a warning against war (updated 2026)
The Memorial Church in Berlin, devastated by war and left in ruins as a warning, has a truly unusual history. Here’s why the "hollow tooth" matters so much.
Opere d’arte 7 min
Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia in Palestrina: the most venerated of antiquity (updated 2026)
The sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia in Palestrina is a masterpiece of antiquity and a great oracular site. Here is what to see and why to visit it.
Arte romana Musei 10 min
Mont Saint-Michel: the complete guide to visit it in 8 points (updated 2026)
Mont Saint-Michel: its history, legends, tides and all the practical information you need to visit the abbey and the mount at its best.
13 min
Paestum: 8 things to see and to know about this beautiful archaeological park (updated 2026)
Paestum: what you don’t know about the archaeological park, why it’s famous, and what you really can’t miss in this Magna Graecia site.
Arte greca Musei 13 min
Notre-Dame de Paris: 8 things to know about the 2019 fire and the rebirth (updated 2026)
What caused the Notre-Dame fire, what was lost and how it was rebuilt up to the reopening of December 2024. All the answers.
Opere d’arte 11 min
Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris: 5 tombs you absolutely must visit and practical info (updated 2026)
The Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris, the most visited in the world. Its history, the 5 tombs not to miss (Géricault, Wilde, Jim Morrison) and my practical tips.
Opere d’arte 13 min
The Eiffel Tower in Paris: 7 things to know to visit the symbol of Paris (updated 2026)
All the numbers, the history and the curiosities about the Eiffel Tower, the symbol of Paris, plus the tricks to go up without queuing.
Opere d’arte 12 min
Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa: everything you always wanted to know (updated 2026)
The Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa is a monumental complex unique in the world: history, symbolism and everything you need to know before visiting.
Arte medievale Opere d’arte 13 min
The Malatesta Temple in Rimini: the complete guide to the cathedral (updated 2026)
The Malatesta Temple in Rimini: its history, Leon Battista Alberti’s design, the chapels and the masterpieces by Piero della Francesca and Agostino di Duccio.
10 min
What to see in Sperlonga: the villa of Tiberius in one of Italy’s most beautiful villages (updated 2026)
I tell you what to see in Sperlonga: the village and the archaeological park where emperor Tiberius built his villa to escape Rome.
Arte romana Musei 12 min
Curiosities about the Sistine Chapel: 5 Anecdotes You Do Not Know (updated 2026)
Five stories about the Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo’s work, plus practical tips for visiting it at the Vatican Museums.
Arte del Rinascimento Opere d’arte 10 min
Off the beaten track in Paris: the royal necropolis of Saint-Denis (updated 2026)
The Basilica of Saint-Denis in Paris, the first great Gothic building in France and necropolis of the kings: history, royal tombs and practical tips.
Arte gotica Basiliche e Cattedrali 10 min
The Japanese Garden of Paris: the hidden message among the flowers of the Albert-Kahn museum (updated 2026)
The Japanese garden of Paris at the Albert-Kahn museum, built in the name of peace and interculturality. Its history, the walk through the gardens and my tips.
6 min
Monti Sibillini National Park: 2 things you certainly didn’t know (updated 2026)
The Monti Sibillini National Park, between Umbria and Marche, is perfect for walking in nature: what to see, the boundary stone and the pantani.
Guide di viaggi 6 min
Visiting Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli: the secrets of the emperor’s palace (updated 2026)
Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli is an enchanted place where you feel transported to another age. Here is what to see, its history and how to visit it.
Arte romana Opere d’arte 12 min