Map of Rome from a Ptolemy codex of the late 15th century with the Colosseum and Pantheon

In my view, the best kind of map. Fidelity of scale and distance is of no real consequence for finding one's way anyway, nor are superfluous features, which distract the eye from what truly deserves to be marked on a map. A view of Rome from a codex of Ptolemy of Alexandria, late 15th century. The Colosseum, the Pantheon, Santa Maria Maggiore, the Columns of Trajan and Antoninus, the Baths of Diocletian: a splendid itinerary.

Report a translation error

September digest: archaeological finds, exhibitions, museums, theatre and the Church

In the finale of the Strugatskys' Roadside Picnic, the Golden Ball is told: "Happiness for everybody, free, and let nobody go away unsatisfied!" I do not promise to offend nobody, but the digest really does come free of charge. So, here is the main business of the

Frederic Leighton

Frederic Leighton. “Daedalus and Icarus”, 1869 Daedalus warns his son not to climb too high: the heat of the sun may melt the wax, but Icarus is already gazing into the distance, and the lamentations of a foolish old man interest him not in the least

Map of Rome from a Ptolemy codex of the late 15th century with the Colosseum and Pantheon

Read more

September digest: archaeological finds, exhibitions, museums, theatre and the Church

Frederic Leighton

Attempts to resolve the problems of many years of uncontrolled mass migration

Characters from Gogol's "Petersburg Tales" on the pedestal of the monument to Nikolai Gogol on Nikitsky Boulevard, photograph of the 1960s