65 Items Tagged

Renaissance

Coriander <em>or cilantro</em> has a long history in Italy.

Why Italy Fell Out of Love With Cilantro

Coriander went from ancient staple to persona non grata.

Andrew Coletti July 1, 2024

Sonnets still have a reputation for being about the unrequited love of a man for a woman.

The Most Romantic Poems of the Renaissance Weren't Always for Lovers

Declaring your love in a sonnet was not a couples-only endeavor.

Shannon McHugh February 12, 2024

Dalquharran Castle

Dailly, Scotland

Dalquharran Castle

The ruins of this magnificent Scottish castle blend both Gothic and Renaissance architectural styles.

Civitavecchia, Italy

Fort Michelangelo

The famous sculptor had a hand in this imposing fortress.

A tall stone bell tower rises

Cavriana, Italy

Cavriana Castle

An annual goat race takes place within the walls of this medieval castle.

Queen Henrietta Maria of England was shot at, won battles, and raised an army on behalf of her husband, King Charles I. But history has remembered her only as a villain. Portrait circa 1639 by Anthony van Dyck.

The Untold Story of Henrietta Maria, England’s Warrior Queen

The “she generalissimo” nearly won the English Civil War for her husband, King Charles I.

Sarah Durn November 17, 2022

Paolo Olbi in his workshop in the 17th- and 18th-century Palazzo Ca’ Zenobio in Venice.

Keeping the Centuries-Old Tradition of Venetian Bookbinding Alive

Inspired by a 15th-century editor, Paolo Olbi pushes to keep this from being the last chapter.

Vittoria Traverso July 29, 2022

Alchemists were a puzzling bunch. Take, for instance, this 1618 engraving by Matthaeus Merian the Elder, which is full of alchemical secrets encoded in complex symbols.

7 Puzzles That Perplexed People for Centuries

From the secrets of Venice’s codebreakers to China’s intricately carved puzzle balls, these historical ciphers will inspire your curiosity.

Sarah Durn May 3, 2022

Maria Cristina Borgazzi, the daughter of Noemi, who opened the eponymous trattoria in 1958, holding one of the restaurant's main dishes: pasticcio.

The Italian Town Where You Can Eat Like a Renaissance Royal

Residents of Ferrara dine like 16th-century dukes.

Rebecca Ann Hughes February 22, 2022

Nuremberg, Germany

Albrecht Dürer's Grave

The final resting place of one of Germany's most accomplished Renaissance men.

Is This $88 Portrait the Work of a 17th-Century Flemish Master?

Science and historical research say….maybe.

Sarah Durn January 28, 2022

Wyrd Leatherworks and Mead Bar

Portland, Oregon

Wyrd Leatherworks and Meadery

Get your cosplay on at Portland’s only Medieval fantasy-themed mead hall.

Two walls and part of the ceiling

Sala dei Giganti (Chamber of the Giants)

A room filled with frescos that make it seem like the walls are crumbling down while giants die in despair.

Giulio Iannarone, of the Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale, slides out one of the racks of valuable paintings in the vault.

Inside Rome’s Secure Vault for Stolen Art

Some of the art is real, some fake, but it's all had a brush with the criminal underworld.

Alessio Perrone November 10, 2020

See the Mysterious Horned Helmet of Henry VIII

Vicolo Inferno

Vicolo Inferno

Also known as "Hell Alley," this tiny street in Imola gained its name in a bloody episode in the 16th-century.

Imola - palazzo comunale

Piazza Matteotti

This Renaissance square was at the center of Leonardo da Vinci's map, the first ichnographic ever.

A root system simulating a sea serpent, sprouting leaves and buds, on 15th-century parchment.

Explore the Whimsical Flora of a 15th-Century Italian Folio

An herbal a day will take the green from your gills away—and perhaps apply it to your thumb.

Isaac Schultz May 28, 2020