A river god looks out from theFontana dei Quattro Fiumi. A Bernini masterpiece from 1651, the 'Fountain of the Four Rivers' stands in the heart of Piazza Navonna and includes a large obelisk at its centre. It was commissioned for Pope Innocent X whose palace faced onto the piazza and the four river gods represent … Continue reading God Gaze

Dan Brown lovers might remember the Vatican obelisk from Angels and Demons where the intrepid symbologist Robert Langdon makes a 'point' about how odd it is for such a pagan monument to be at the heart of the Catholic church. There isn't actually anything particularly strange about this though. Caligula brought this obelisk over from … Continue reading Peter Prevails

It is said that here at Butrint, the Trojan hero, Aeneas, met Hector's enslaved widow Andromache weeping at her fate. As a major city in ancient Epirus over several centuries, Butrint has some great remains to see from different time periods including a basilica, baptistery and Venetian towers. The great finds on display in the … Continue reading Drama Submerged