by Penny | 5 Jun, 2017 | Architecture, Florentine History, Lead story, Medieval History, Medieval Money, News, Religious History, Renaissance Art, Social History, The Art of Writing, Tuscan gardens
Arnolfini family – an unlucky love affair in Lucca Following on from my Blog about Lucchese merchant Niccolo Arnolfini and his wife, Costanza Trenta who died in childbirth – I was saddened to learn this week that future generations of the...
by Penny | 20 Mar, 2017 | Advancing Women Artists AWA, Exhibitions, Florentine History, Medieval History, News, Painting, Religious History, Renaissance Art, Restoration, Social History, The Last Supper, Women artists
Suor Plautilla Nelli (1524–1588) is the first-known female Renaissance painter of Florence, Italy. It is not possible to confirm that the portrait, shown below, is the painter who chose to become a Nun and entered the Convent of St. Catherine of Siena in Florence,...
by Penny | 5 Sep, 2016 | Architecture, French Odyssey by Bicycle, Hotels, Medieval History, Religious History
Monday, September 4th – Castelnaudary to Carcassone My early morning run was along the banks of the Canal du Midi that the hotel was named after. The canal bank offered a delightful flat surface to pad along as the sunrise shone rose-pink dapples...
by Penny | 4 Sep, 2016 | French Odyssey by Bicycle, Hotels, Medieval History, Religious History, Renaissance Art, Saints, Sculpture, Social History
Sunday, September 4th , -Day Nineteen – Toulouse to Castelnaudary First challenge, which made Husband do a six mile reconnaissance on foot yesterday afternoon, was to actually get OUT of Toulouse. We had faced, and overcome, so many challenges following what...
by Penny | 1 Sep, 2016 | Chateau, French Odyssey by Bicycle, Medieval History, Religious History, Social History
Thursday, Sept 1st Day Sixteen – Agen to St Nicholas de la Grave I didn’t run this morning after a sleepless night worrying about getting out of town without facing the trials of the Agen roundabout again. I will drive across France if he likes but I am...
by Penny | 19 Aug, 2016 | Architecture, French Odyssey by Bicycle, Medieval History, Religious History, Saints, Social History
Friday 19th August – Day three – Dinan to Rennes Disappointed to hear the sound of raindrops thundering on our roof for most of the night – this is hardly the baking sunshine predicted by my friend Stephen Lusher, although perhaps just as well...
