The two early Caravaggios at the Galleria Borghese arrived through a 1607 seizure. The story, the self-portrait, the withered leaves and practical details.
At the Galleria Borghese Caravaggio painted himself as the severed head of Goliath. The story, the sword inscription and the plea to Scipione Borghese.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The artworks to see in Paris choosing the ones you can actually look at: stained glass, an enormous Veronese, free museums and the necropolis of kings.
The 8 museums in Rome not to miss, with one emblematic work each, the closing day, the price and the rule for the free first Sunday of the month.
The works to see at the National Roman Museum: the Boxer at Rest, Livia’s painted garden, the Discobolus Hitler bought, the Ludovisi Throne.
The works to see at the Doria Pamphilj Gallery: Velázquez’s Innocent X, Bernini’s bust, two Caravaggios, the Raphael and the Hall of Mirrors.
The artworks to see at Palazzo Barberini: two Caravaggios, Raphael’s Fornarina, the Beatrice Cenci, Pietro da Cortona’s ceiling and the two staircases.
Berlin’s Pergamon Museum is closed for renovation: when it reopens, what happens to the Ishtar Gate, and which Museum Island museums to see instead.
How to visit Leonardo’s Last Supper in Milan: compulsory booking, prices, opening times and what to actually look at during your fifteen minutes.
The School of Athens is a wonderful fresco hiding curiosities not everyone knows. Where to find it, the hidden faces and all its secrets.
Discover how to skip the line at the Louvre museum in Paris and save time to visit the city and other top attractions. Are you ready?
The museums of Lisbon that are worth your time, with the works not to miss in each and a few tips for spending less on tickets.
Picasso’s Guernica, Dalí’s Great Masturbator and seven more works at the Reina Sofía, with the story behind each one and practical tips for the visit.
The Naples Archaeological Museum is one of the finest in Italy. There are so many wonders to see at the MANN: here are the 7 works not to miss.
Apollo and Daphne, Bernini’s David and Rape of Proserpina, Canova’s Pauline and the Caravaggios: ten works to seek out at the Galleria Borghese.
The Petit Palais is one of the most underrated museums in the French capital, full of beautiful works and with free admission to the permanent collection.
Museum Ludwig, the Roman-Germanic Museum, the Cathedral Treasury, the Chocolate Museum and the NS Documentation Centre: the five to pick in Cologne.
Would you ever have thought that a Roman woman with a passion for history and art could discover the Romans in Lyon? Well, that is exactly what happened!
The Capitoline She-Wolf, Marcus Aurelius on horseback, the Dying Gaul and Caravaggio’s Fortune Teller: eight works to find in the Capitoline Museums.
Pinacoteca di Brera: the 8 works I loved most, hand-picked to help you discover the finest masterpieces of this Milan museum.
Piero della Francesca’s Sacred Conversation (the Brera Altarpiece) is a painting dense with symbolic meaning: I explain them one by one in this post!
Gemäldegalerie in Berlin: I show you 10 incredible masterpieces that will take your breath away. Come and discover them!
Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome holds masterpieces by Caravaggio, Raphael, Bernini and Carracci. Its dark history, the works to see and my tips.
The Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon, among the largest in France: the Greek Kore, Tintoretto’s Danaë, Géricault and Braque’s violin.
Canova’s Cupid and Psyche (Eros and Psyche): the myth behind it, the two versions, the secrets of the marble and where to see it at the Louvre.
Inside Italy’s Foreign Ministry, Palazzo della Farnesina, is a major collection of Italian contemporary art: the story, the works and how to visit for free.
Are you planning a tour of the Vatican Museums in Rome? Here are my visiting tips, the anecdotes and 9 masterpieces you can’t miss.
The British Museum has a very ambitious goal: to gather the evidence of every civilisation in the world. My list of the works you can’t miss.
Cartier jewels are true works of art: the story of the maison, the most iconic pieces from the Maharaja of Patiala to Liz Taylor, and where to see them today.
