I have come from the north of Italy down to the south, into the heel if you know your geography. I am in Lecce. Nicknamed the Florence of the south, it’s a small city I have been wanting to come to for a while. It has a historical centre full of winding alleys and roads and you never really know what is around the next corner. The local limestone has been used to build and be carved into the most beautiful buildings. This is full on Baroque.
Less than a minute’s walk outside my apartment, it was market day today. I had seen the no parking signs go up the day before and they don’t mess around here in Athens. I was a huge market spanning several closed streets with endless fruits and vegetables, the occasional olives, nuts and dry beans. From…
Back on the Buda side to visit St Stephen’s Hall one of the opulent rooms restored after being bombed out in WWII, then being converted to more utilitarian spaces during communism. Over the last few decades Hungary has worked to restore the castle and its many past treasures.
It’s a bit of a love/hate relationship with the Louvre. It’s stunning, the largest and one of the most important art galleries in the world. Some 35,000 pieces of art across 780,000 square feet. It hosted 8.7 million visitors in 2024. Thankfully I had a 09:00 am entry and headed for the Richelieu wing, which…
Two different galleries – both for shopping rather than art. Starting with Gallerie Vivienne a covered set of shops dating back to 1826. Next up, Galleries Lafayette, probably the largest department store known outside France. I took a guided tour that allowed access an hour before the store opened to learn all about the history…
