Tag: italy

Postcard from London, England: Journeying inside the V&A

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Above: Reflections in the viewing mirror installed above the Ardabil carpet, a commission for the ruling Shah of Iran made by Maqsud Kashani about 1540

One of the most popular spots in the Victoria and Albert Museum is the long sofa next to the ancient Ardabil carpet. While the rug’s design is exquisitely executed with about 3,500 wool knots per square inch, for many, the bench is the main attraction. Ah, the chance to reflect and rest. We were fortunate to have the time to visit more than once during our stay.

It’s easy to be bowled over by the swirling, shimmering colors of Dale Chihuly’s immense contemporary glass chandelier suspended under the graceful dome of the grand entrance hall to the museum. The sheer size of the 1862 iron choir screen from the Hereford Cathedral addressing the space competes for your attention.

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Postcard from Palermo, Sicily: Byzantine mosaics and Moorish muqarnas

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Adam and Eve, 10th-century mosaic in the Palatine Chapel inside the Norman Palace

The Palatine Chapel is the most beautiful in the world, the most surprising religious jewel ever evolved up by the human mind and executed by the hand of an artist…. where the harshness of the Gothic style brought here by the Normans is tempered by the wonderful art of Byzantine ornamentation and decoration.”

Guy de Maupassant, “La Vie Errante,” 1901

The facade of the immense Norman Palace is so cold and boring, I could not bear to take a photo of it. The original stark building was built to serve as the residence of kings installed after the Norman conquest in 1072. But one should never judge a book by its cover….

Proclaimed the King of Sicily by papal bull in 1130, Roger II (1095-1154) had been exposed to the various architectural influences that had ebbed and flowed with invasions of the island for centuries. For the eight-year construction of the royal chapel within the palace, he recycled some rather wild Corinthian columns and tapped both the talents of Moorish builders to craft the honey-combed muqarnas of the vaulted ceilings and Byzantine artists for the exquisitely detailed mosaics of the transept. The mosaics of the nave, a little bit cruder but still stunning, were commissioned from local artisans by William I (1120-1166), known as William the Bad; and William II (1153-1189), known as William the Good.

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Postcard from Siracusa, Sicily: ‘Mailed’ before summer hell ignited

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The photos on these postcards should be time-stamped before delivery to your mailbox – our stay in Sicily was in late spring. Our travel schedule was designed to avoid the potential of encountering the same type of sizzling summer the island endured during 2022 – a high of 120 degrees in Siracusa.

So far this year, the temperature’s only hit a high of 117 degrees, but horrible wildfires have added to the island’s summertime blues. It’s no wonder that cacti and succulents are popular.

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