Bombs and Bastions in Malta
I’ve always had a soft spot for the military-religious orders of the Middle Ages. If I’d been around then I would have loved to have joined the Templers, Hospitallers, Teutonic […]
Jolly Japes at Seaton Delaval
Seaton Delaval Hall has an unusually attractive location, close to the North Sea coast and commanding beautiful vistas in every direction. Just a short drive from Tynemouth where I was […]
Hunting Caravaggios in Rome
Paintings by the great masters were never meant to be viewed in art galleries. These institutions are a modern invention. Most of them were always destined for churches and the […]
Ankara: A city of contrasts
Turkey’s capital is as different from Istanbul as you could imagine. Istanbul is like a decrepit dowager aunt, clad in a dress that might have been in fashion a few […]
The past comes to life in Ephesus
Ephesus is one of the great ruined cities of the world, a truly breathtaking pile of marble that makes you wonder at the artistic aspirations, as well as the organisational […]
Evangelicals and pagan goddesses in Selcuk
With Selcuk (pronounced Seljuk) and Ephesus both within a twenty-minute drive of my hotel – the excellent Tusan Beach Resort in Kusadasi – this summer I was pretty much spoilt […]
On the tiles in Iznik
Located next to a large lake – Iznik Gol – and formerly a capital of the Byzantines, Iznik still marinades in memories of its glory days. Under the Ottomans, it […]
Handmade Houses and Voivodes in Yenisehir
It’s always a bad idea to call anything the new one. ‘New’ castle is about a thousand years old now, and the one it presumably replaced shortly after the Norman […]
The Northumberland Castle Trail
There are castles strewn across the British countryside, but for my money those in Northumberland cannot be beaten for sheer beauty and romance. I recently spent a full day exploring […]
William Morris – Retro by Design
Looking for somewhere interesting to take my parents last week during one of their increasingly infrequent visits, I discovered a real gem just twenty minutes by car from here. I […]
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