December hedonism at Saturnia
Every country has its own way of enjoying itself. At least, this my explanation as I sit a mite awkwardly amongst hundreds of scantily...
A model for Italy’s castles & palaces: Newark Park, Gloucestershire
Italy always laments that it has too much heritage. How is it to maintain it all? The UK’s National Trust has an answer: strategize for...
John Blair’s 'Building Anglo-Saxon England'
In the summer of 1969, excavating on the Bell Hotel site in Gloucester, we discovered – deep down – the remains of the Flavian Roman...
Democracy, liberty and a cook called Hercules
Today I was invited to WHYY in Philadelphia to participate in a radio programme. The theme was the silent rise of demagogues and...
Musings on the European Archaeology Association Congress and Brexit
The European Archaeology Association 24th congress was in Barcelona. It is the first time I have attended and I spoke to a canonical...
Rocchetta al Volturno's Museum: World War 2
Rocchetta al Volturno was in the front line in 1943-44, like all the uppermost villages of the Alto Volturno. The natural wall that is...
Worms and deep Viking levels
Why drive 3 hours from Copenhagen to see a hole in a side-street of medieval Ribe in western Denmark? Passion or sheer folly, my...
Ribe redux
The last time I was in Ribe in western Denmark there was a magnificent hoar frost. The little North Sea port seemed to be lost to the...
Eat, Pray and Love Rome: visit S. Crisogono
‘There's a power struggle going on across Europe these days. A few cities are competing against each other to see who shall emerge as the...
Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary
It is a power lesson in museology: the monumental past forcing the visitor to reflect on the present. Close to Fairmont Park and...
