As a Christian, I failed to sense the spiritual power of this place, but the impression of force and artistic achievement is overwhelming. Probably because Saint Peter’s Basilica is rather a museum, than a place of worship. It is the largest interior space any church has on the face of the Earth. And is the […]

„Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18) With these famous words, Jesus Christ instituted the Christian Church, changing the name of Simon to Peter (meaning rock in Latin) to mark the new life of the first disciple that […]

Part of the beauty of Rome is that every street corner can turn into a museum. The public squares are places that unite locals and tourists, remembering the rich history of the city. For example, Plaza Navona, is not the most famous, nor the most romantic, but is very representative for what Rome is. Predictably, […]

The Festetics were a Hungarian noble family attested since the 17 century, that included even a prince. Their wealth came from farming large plantations, in connection to which they made some philanthropic actions, like building a hospital or agricultural colleges. They were also supporters of culture, as the large library inside the palace shows, with […]

This is the firs church in Vienna, or to be more exact, Peterskirche is built on the spot of the oldest church, that existed in 400 AD. Back then, Vienna was still part of the Roman empire, and it was less than a century since emperor Constantine allowed the Christian faith. The modest parish church […]

The most famous building in Budapest, the Parliament, has the Danube on one side and the Kossuth square on the other. Just across this square there is another majestic building remembering by its style the Austro-Hungarian imperial age. This used to be the Ministry of Justice before communism and is now the Ethnographic Museum. It […]

Dolmabahce Palace is the largest and most luxurious residence in Turkey: 15,000 square meters, 285 rooms, without counting baths, halls and annexes. In the palace the oriental opulence of the six sultans who have lived here (past rulers of the Ottoman Empire) meets Western sophistication. The palace looks more like an imperial residence of French […]

A fortress was built in this spot starting 1279, at the orders of Charles I of Anjou by French architect Pierre de Chaule. Even closer to the see, in the Gulf of Naples, there already existed Castel dell Ovo, a smaller fortification with a panoramic view over the shore, and a more retreat Castel Capuano. […]

Salzburg is to classical music what Memphis Tennessee is to rock and roll. You don’t see fans with side whiskers, but it’s clear that everybody has a white wig somewhere in the closet at home for special occasions. And the entire city is preserved in the Baroque shape that the brilliant child admired so much. […]

Though the Salzburger Dome is the most famous and the biggest cathedral in Salzburg, there are also other Baroque churches in the city of Mozart. The most important two, the Holly Third Church and the Collegiate Church, are the work of perhaps the most important Austrian architect, Johann von Erlach, the same man who designed […]

In Timișoara, the most Western city of Romania, contemporary art lives along with the atmosphere of a XVIII building. The most valuable exhibits are part of the painting collection by Corneliu Baba, which you can admire, but not take pictures of. The source of inspiration for this building’s architecture is the Kinsky Palace in Vienna. […]

The king of Naples, Carlos Sebastian (Charles VII), wanted to underline his status as a descendant of Louis XIV (The Sun King) and ordered a palace that would compete with the famous French castle of Versailles. For this Charles VII picked a rural area 20 km away from Naples. The existing Royal Palace in Naples […]

Along with Piazza di Spagna, the Colosseum, the Vatican or Victor Emmanuel Palace, Fontana di Trevi is a major tourist attraction that is not to be missed when in the eternal city of Rome. The name of Fontana di Trevi does not come from a specific character as one might think, but from two Italian […]

The plaza of the catholic cathedral is the central point of Salzburg, Mozart’s hometown. It is the oldest cathedral in the city and one of the largest in Austria. Its monumental proportions are the endeavor of the ambitious archbishop Wolf Dietrich and of the Italian architect Santino Solari. This baroque masterpiece is the place where […]