The mountain range rises 1,236 metres above the Catalan lowlands, 50 km northwest of Barcelona. Montserrat means “serrated mountain” and the shape is unmistakable: a jagged ridge of grey conglomerate rock that looks like a saw blade against the sky. The Benedictine monastery, Santa Maria de Montserrat, has been here since 1025. The mountain holds […]
Categories: Nature, Sights, Spain, Wellness, Relax & Sports
Cathedral bells ring across the ancient cobblestones of Tournai before the sun fully clears the rooftops. This small Belgian city, second only to Tongeren in age, carries a history etched into every stone of its UNESCO-listed Notre-Dame Cathedral. Five towers rise against the sky, a Romanesque masterpiece that has dominated the skyline for over eight […]
The ferry rounds the rocky outcrop and suddenly the water turns that impossible Aegean blue, so clear that the white sand below is visible twenty metres down. Koufonisia sprawls low against the horizon, a cluster of white cubes and blue domes surrounded by sea so luminous it seems to glow from within. On Pori beach, […]
Five centuries of construction produced one of the most extraordinary buildings on earth. Milan’s Duomo is a mountain of white marble covered in 135 spires and more than 3,400 statues. From the rooftop terraces you can walk among the pinnacles, coming face to face with saints and gargoyles carved in exquisite detail. The interior is […]
Categories: Cities, Italy, Religious Monuments, Sights, Sights
Mist settles into the valleys of the Orlické Mountains, softening the edges of spruce forests that stretch across the border between Bohemia and Poland. These gentle peaks, rarely exceeding 1,100 metres, offer reliable snow for winter sports and well-marked trails for summer hiking. The region feels quieter than the better-known Czech resorts, with smaller crowds […]
Categories: Czech Republic, Nature
The ferry arrives at a harbor painted in pastel yellows and soft terracottas. Giglio is small enough that you can feel the scale of the surrounding sea pressing in from every side. Steep vineyards climb the hillsides above the port, and wild rosemary grows along the stone walls that divide the terraces. There are no […]
The Piazza del Popolo opens before you, a vast oval of cobblestones framed by twin Baroque churches and dominated by the 3,600-year-old Egyptian obelisk at its centre. On the northern edge of this square, tucked against the ancient Aurelian Wall, stands the church of Santa Maria del Popolo. From the outside it appears modest, a […]
Categories: Cities, Italy, Religious Monuments, Rome, Sights, Sights, Virtual Travel
St. Mary’s Church in Gdańsk (Bazylika Mariacka) is the largest brick Gothic church in the world, a colossal 14th-15th-century basilica in the heart of Poland’s most beautiful Baltic city whose soaring nave, 78-metre tower, and capacity of 25,000 worshippers make it one of the most awe-inspiring religious buildings in northern Europe. Built over 159 years […]
The builders of Seville Cathedral had a single ambition when they began construction in 1401. They declared that they would build a church so magnificent that future generations would call them mad. The result is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world and the third largest church of any kind, covering 11,520 square metres of […]
Categories: Cities, Religious Monuments, Sights, Sights, Spain, Virtual Travel, Wellness, Relax & Sports
Updated: August 15, 2020 | By Claire | More Architecture and Interior Splendour The basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore impresses every visitor from the moment they step through its ancient wooden doors into the soaring interior. The design follows the classic early Christian basilica plan with a central nave flanked by two side aisles, separated […]
Categories: Cities, Italy, Religious Monuments, Rome, Sights, Sights