by Valerie | May 21, 2014 | art, General interest, history, Italy, museums, people
My computer has been out of service for days. It started with the screen turning upside down for no reason at all, like the screen on my camera going milky for no reason too – I didn’t drop it but had it strapped to my wrist! On our way to explore three cardinal... by Valerie | May 11, 2014 | art, General interest, history, Italy, museums, people, theatre
There was talk about Viterbo being the capital of ‘Tuscia’. I wasn’t quite sure which area it referred to. Today was the day we would venture out into this area, moving east to explore the hilltop towns of Lugnano and Amelia, better known to some as a girl’s name, now... by Valerie | May 7, 2014 | art, General interest, history, Italy, museums, people, travel
Four hills, not seven like Rome. Four settlements, some from more than 700 BC years ago, divided by gorges, rivers and streams. Water, the essential element for survival, sunshine, good volcanic soil – all were here. Fertility, and the settlements expanded into a... by Valerie | May 1, 2014 | art, General interest, history, Italy, museums, people, travel
I’m involved teaching a group that has arrived in Rome Fiumicino airport to explore Tuscia and the Papal States – unknown, unspoilt Italy. No tourists – except us. Italian visitors, and a quiet, welcoming atmosphere that I remember from my first visits to Italy before... by Valerie | Apr 20, 2014 | art, General interest, history, museums, people, theatre, travel
We couldn’t complain that on our last day in Jordan we experienced a sand and rain storm. In these strange and ancient lands, stony plains spread out east of Amman, yet by the Dead Sea, at Wadi Rum and Petra there were rocky mountains and hills, all of... by Valerie | Apr 17, 2014 | art, General interest, history, museums, people, travel
What more could we seek after our two days at Petra? Our return to the tomb-temple called the Treasury was a quiet way to rethink our whole time there. Our path was marked by candles in paper bags on each side, about 4 metres apart. The event was organised by the...
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