Modern architecture is difficult to love. It is not so much the concept that is the problem here: all of us can easily agree that its principles are fine and noble – simplicity (less is more), an appearance of elegant restraint (ornament is crime), transparency of structure (form follows function). But while this theory has…
One thing that makes Tel Aviv particularly interesting is that it is not like any other city on the Mediterranean coast: it bears no visible traces of Roman or Greek heritage – nor, indeed, of any other kind of heritage from before 1909, the year when the city was born. Still, a great many things…
Visiting Tel Aviv, the economic and financial capital of Israel, is like stepping into a Twilight Zone: whether or not you feel that you have embarked on a “journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of the imagination”, as the intro of the legendary TV series so famously had it, may depend on…
There was one thing we failed to mention in last week’s post about the Riviera palaces of Nice, probably because it is the most obvious bit: the gardens of these mansions provide wonderful oases of calm within the hustle and bustle of the modern city and are perfect places for short walks and long rests….
In 2021, Nice became a UNESCO World Heritage site. Following the UNESCO’s recognition of Nice as the original “winter resort town on the Riviera”, some parts of the city – essentially the old town with the port and the Promenade des Anglais – will now enjoy a special level of protection. But it was somewhere…
Today’s post deals with a question that I have been wrestling with for quite some time. Why is it so hard to find proper parks in Southern Europe? Why are the green spaces there either overcooked or raw, either overloaded with ornamental features or scruffy and neglected – and why are these spaces often so…
If you are looking for a reliable way to date cities, here is one clue: look at the churches: If the town centre is studded with churches that look somehow Gothic but not quite (“Neo-Gothic”: overcooked in parts, half-raw in others), then the city in question is mainly a child of the 19th century. If…
It is a safe bet that most people, to the extent that they have heard about the Northern Italian town of Monza at all, have done so in one particular context. What are the Tragic Deaths That Have Made Monza Famous This is what has made Monza famous: the Autodromo, the fastest and deadliest track…
Rivers are the beasts of our natural landscapes: they can be fierce and raging, but even when they flow gently, when they are settled and calm, they always command our respect. Canals, by contrast, are their mild-mannered domesticated cousins: hard-working, dependable, and content with a life of quiet drudgery. Among these farm animals of our…
Milan, in many ways, is the odd one out among major Italian cities. It has no Centro Storico, that characteristic warren of buildings from different periods. But there is one particular element that is missing from the cityscape: Milan has no major natural body of water, neither a mighty river (such as Rome, Florence, Turin)…