Posts by Pamela
Road Trip Through History: In Search of Roman Florence
When you’re in the heart of Florence, it’s hard to remember that anything happened there other than the Renaissance. You can find the Etruscans in the nearby village of Fiesole. Sienna is essentially a medieval town. But Florence seems to be all Renaissance, all the time. In fact, the city of Florentia was founded by…
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Moscow Nights
In 1958 the Cold War was at its height–or perhaps its depths. Think Sputnik, Krushchev’s overthrow of Stalin, backyard bomb shelters, and bomb drills in schools.* Not to mention Elvis Presley’s induction into the army–a Cold War weapon of a different kind. Culture was as much of a battlefield as space. In April, Soviet Russia…
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Road Trip Through History: Climbing Brunelleschi’s Dome
One of the first things My Own True Love and I did in Florence was visit Brunelleschi’s dome.* I suspect we are not alone in making that choice. The first thing you need to know about visiting the Duomo is that it is part of a complex of impressive buildings, made up of the cathedral,…
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