Country Archive
Gilded Leather, Florentine-style
Date: 10/14/2004"Beyond the sacristy of the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy, is an aged dormitory that once housed Franciscan friars. Today this dormitory serves as the Scuola del Cuoio, or School of Leather..."
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Via Francigena-trekking the highway to heaven
Date: 09/30/2004
Early Christians believed there were three roads to Paradise. The first, the Camino de Santiago, meanders 500 miles across northern Spain. This has been trekked by millions for centuries, on their way to pay homage to the remains of the apostle St. James in Santiago de Compostela.
Read OnThe Other Half
Date: 09/08/2004Lake Lugano, on the Swiss-Italian border, enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate in a stunning Alpine location.
Read OnYour Dream Home in Florence
Date: 09/06/2004Three years on, my house on the outskirts of Florence is worth 50% more than I paid for it, and the market keeps climbing.
Read OnThe Best-preserved Roman Ruins in the World
Date: 08/29/2004The Colosseum in Rome. Impressive. But for the best-preserved Roman ruins in the world, you need to go to Ostia Antica.
Read OnThe Best Antiques Fair in Italy
Date: 08/01/2004The best antiques fair in Italy isn't in Florence, Rome, Milan…or even Venice…
Read OnLand of Wolves and Outlaws
Date: 07/27/2004A stronghold of the Medici's Florence, today Barga's citizens continue to think of themselves as a cut above the rest of Italy.
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