Boboli Gardens in Florence, Italy: A Hillside Echoing the Legacy of the Medici
At Boboli, the Renaissance seems to have escaped the palace and taken root in the earth. The Boboli Gardens, or Giardino di Boboli, reveal themselves gradually, through cypress and ilex, fountains and terraces, sculpture and…
Villa Bardini Gardens, Florence: Where the Terraces Ascend into the Light
Above the southern bank of the Arno, where the streets of Oltrarno begin their ascent towards Florence’s old walls, the Villa Bardini Gardens rise through a hillside of terraces, woodland, fountains and weathered stone. Known…
Amphiareion of Oropos, Greece: Dreams, Healing and the Voice Beneath the Earth
In a secluded valley north of Athens, where pine-covered hills close gently around the seasonal course of the Charadros stream, the ruins of the Sanctuary of Amphiaraos lie scattered among trees, springs and weathered stone.…
Tombs of the Kings, Paphos: Between Sunlight and the Realm of Hades
Along the south-western coast of Cyprus, beneath the brilliant light and open skies of Paphos, an ancient city of the dead lies hidden within the earth. From above, the landscape appears deceptively quiet. Low limestone,…
Kastoria, Greece: Lake, Legend and the Ancient Land of Orestis
In Western Macedonia, where the mountains of Grammos and Vitsi rise around the ancient land of Orestis, Kastoria emerges through a landscape steeped in mist, memory, and enduring legend. The old town rises across a…
Karnak, Egypt: Stone, Sun and the Breath of the Gods
On the east bank of the Nile at Luxor, where ancient Thebes once stood at the heart of a powerful Egyptian empire, rises one of the most extraordinary sacred landscapes created by the ancient world.…
Himera, Sicily: The Echo of Victory, the Silence of Ruin
Beneath the long slopes of Monte San Calogero, where the mountains descend towards the northern coast of Sicily, the ruins of ancient Himera lie scattered across an open landscape of earth, grass and stone. There…
El Jem, Tunisia: The Colossus of a Vanished City
Across the open plains of central-eastern Tunisia, an immense structure of honey-coloured stone rises above the rooftops of the modern town of El Jem. It appears almost unexpectedly, its tiers of arches climbing high into…
Delos, Greece: From Divine Birthplace to Fallen Glory
In the heart of the Cyclades, surrounded by the brilliant waters of the Aegean and lying only a short distance from Mykonos, the small and windswept island of Delos was once regarded as one of…
Sagalassos, Turkey: A Lost City Among the Clouds
High in the Western Taurus Mountains of southwestern Turkey, ancient Sagalassos clings dramatically to a series of terraces overlooking the valleys and distant peaks of Pisidia. At around 1,450 to 1,700 metres above sea level,…
Segesta, Sicily: Where an Elymian City Rose in Greek Stone
Across the rolling hills and mountains of western Sicily, the ruins of Segesta occupy one of the most beautiful archaeological landscapes in the Mediterranean. Set on and around Monte Barbaro, near the modern town of…
Apamea, Syria: Hellenistic Splendour in the Orontes Valley
Across the broad Orontes Valley of western Syria lie the magnificent ruins of Apamea, once one of the great cities of the Hellenistic world. Its immense colonnaded avenue still stretches towards the horizon, passing through…
Ephesus, Turkey: Once by the Sea, Now Inland, Its Splendour Remains
Few ancient cities possess the scale, beauty, and extraordinary depth of history found at Ephesus. Once standing beside a magnificent natural harbour on the Aegean coast of western Anatolia, the city grew from ancient Anatolian…
Paestum, Italy: The Enduring Splendour of Ancient Greece
Across the fertile plain of southern Campania, not far from the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea, three immense Greek temples rise with an almost startling completeness from the landscape. This is Paestum, one of the…
Orto Botanico di Roma: A Green Haven Amidst the Frenzy of Rome
Hidden away from the crowds that flow through the historic centre of Rome, the Orto Botanico di Roma, the Botanical Garden of Rome, occupies a wonderfully secluded corner of Trastevere beneath the slopes of the…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Subscribe now for regular updates delivered to your inbox.
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.