From Vienna to Rome Via Zagreb

Year: 2023

  • Italy: Vicenza

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    Joseph
    in

    Long on my list of must-visit cities in Italy is Vicenza, home to Andrea Palladio, one of the Renaissance’s greatest architects. His genius lay in his understanding and respect of proportion. Vicenza is crammed with Palladio’s buildings including the grand basilica, a theater (the first indoor theater in Europe), additions to churches and many palaces.…

  • Italy: Ferrara

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    Joseph
    in

    Ferrara was a great surprise. Once home to the Este family, the city today is more bustling working city than tourist mecca. The city is, however, rich in museums. At the center of everything is the moated Castello Estense, a formidable presence. The Estense were patrons of the arts whose legacy lives on in the…

  • Italy: Ravenna

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    Joseph
    in

    One of Italy’s more remarkable cities is Ravenna, last home of the Roman Empire in the West after the fall of Rome. Ravenna, especially in its churches, has an eastern church feel with its splendid mosaics, among the world’s best. When Charlemagne visited San Vitale at the beginning of the 9th century, he declared it…

  • Italy: Bologna

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    Joseph
    in

    In 2016 I passed through Bologna for the first time and fell in love with this stylish city, its churches and museums and its superb food. The food is good everywhere in Italy, but Bologna is undoubtedly the best. This trip Bologna was a base for trips to Ravenna and Modena. We arrived in Bologna…

  • England, Lincoln

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    Joseph
    in

    Certainly one of the most vertical of English cathedral towns, Lincoln’s cathedral sits atop a very steep hill, so steep I took a taxi from the train station. The cathedral is among the best of the English gothic and I enjoyed wandering around the cathedral, although it struck me as a bit too clean, as…

  • England, Walsingham

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    Joseph
    in

    For years I have wanted to visit the medieval Marian shrine at Walsingham, which according to a few predates the Norman Conquest. The Anglican shrine was rebuilt on the edge of the village in the early 20th century. With its many chapels the shrine church was a snapshot of high church life in England immediately…

  • England, Norwich

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    by

    Joseph
    in

    At first I thought Norwich would be a convenient staging point for my journey to Walsingham, but upon arrival from London I was immediately enchanted with the town. The streets lined with medieval houses twist around the village center where there is an arcade and an enormous open air market. The Norman cathedral is one…