Category: History

The village of Monteriggioni, story of a betrayal

Nestled among the lush hills of the Tuscan countryside, along the wooded paths of the Via Francigena, lies the picturesque village of Monteriggioni. Only a short distance from Siena, the village was once an impregnable fortress, so firmly entrenched that no force ever conquered it. The last bastion of ancient and valiant resistance, Monteriggioni witnessed…
The mysteries of the fortified citadel of Milazzo

Between two wide inlets, the Gulf of Milazzo and the Gulf of Patti, stands imperious an ancient castle. The fortified citadel of Milazzo was one of Sicily’s most important strongholds. It is a spectator and actor of the various dominations that have marked the island over the centuries. Also, it represents the scene of ghostly…
The Avignon Papacy or Babylonian captivity

It was not so unusual for the pope to reside outside Rome – the city was often insecure and unruly – but that this would happen for some seventy years no one imagined. When Clement V transferred the papal see to Avignon at the beginning of the 14th century, it was thought to be only…
Old Cirella, the abandoned town

Cirella was once perched on a rugged promontory, surrounded by the boundless beauty of its setting. Perched atop the cliffs of the Riviera dei Cedri, the medieval town stood as a sentinel overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, guarding the mystical spot where sea and sky converge. Today, however, it lies in ruins and is abandoned. Only…
Narni Underground, secrets from the past

The solitary remains of ancient walls appeared to be enveloped by a grassy frame of brambles and wild shrubs, along the sheer cliff overlooking the River Nera. What lay hidden beyond those ruined stones? What secrets did the monastery of San Domenico in Narni hold, now partly abandoned after the bombings? One ordinary day in…
The city of Spoleto and the sense of beauty over the centuries

It is not easy to find a place that takes on the value of a monumental complex as in the city of Spoleto1. It is a site of historical, artistic, ethno-anthropological importance that preserves buildings from different eras, admirably integrated with each other. Often, however, the opposite happens: archaeology shows how easy it is to…
The Lombard Monasteries way

In the Middle Ages, pilgrimage had a fundamental importance for social life. It was not just a journey, a slow walk along the road. It represented a true missio, a special frame of meaning for the existence. The pilgrimage, through a concrete sacrifice, made it possible to experience the vicissitudes of Christ and to sympathise…
The basilica of Saint Euphemia in Grado and the Schism

I like to think that in Grado, once upon a time, the bells tolled slowly. They could be like mystical emanations to the rhythm of the lagoon sea. From the thuribles of the basilica of Saint Euphemia the incense wafted to the square. And the delicate smell of saltiness faded for a moment. The motifs…
The town of San Quirico and the spiritual struggle of a pilgrim

The town of San Quirico stands out in the hills that mark the boundary between the Orcia and Asso valleys in Tuscany. These lands, shaped by verdant landscapes, still inspire suggestions of a distant and evocative past. There were echoes there of chivalric deeds, stonemasons at work, pilgrims dragging their weary steps over dusty paths,…
Hadrian, the sensibility of an emperor

The Historia Augusta, a 4th century source by an unknown author, transcribes the words of the Emperor Hadrian facing death: “Animula vagula blandula, hospes comesque corporis Quae nunc abibis in loca Pallidula rigida nudula Nec ut soles dabis iocos” “Little soul, gentle and drifting, guest and companion of my body, now you will dwell below…