Elegant Etruria

www.elegantetruria.com blog 50yearsinItaly
Home port Civitavecchia, Rome, Italy

European Lifestyle     

On request Dr. Mary Jane gives sail in (or sail away) commentary for the ports of Venice, Kotor, Civitavecchia. Livorno

• Markets and shopping in European ports
• Italy’s Best Celebrations and Festivals
• Europe’s Best House Museums
• Top discoveries in art and archeology  in the past year
• Foreign Artists and Archeologists in Central Italy
• Painted Palazzi – a panorama of Italian palazzi, frescoes, artists, interior design
• A Fascination with old maps – curiosities, values, cartographic crime
• Europe’s beautiful canal cities – St. Petersburg, Bruges, Venice

Italy, Sicily, Spain, Malta     

• Italy before the Romans-Who were the pleasure seeking Etruscans who taught the Romans about architecture, religion and good living? A tour of Etruscan sites near Rome
• Civitavecchia-a leisurely day ashore, exploring the historic city and environs
• Living in a Castle- an inside look at families and castle life in Italy
• Rome’s Hidden Corners and Courtyards- an eyewitness view of Rome, its fountains, sculptures, legends and myths. Discover the Eternal City’s secret places with guide book author
• Foreign Connections in Central Italy-English, Irish, Polish and French in central Italy through the centuries
• Venice- the Pearl of the Adriatic, daily life in Venice, history, festivals, Carnival, difficulties and delights of everyday life
• Sail in/Sail away- commentary from the bridge-Venice, La Valletta, Civitavecchia
• Sicily- A Triangle of Treasures-An introduction to Sicily, its symbols, history, geography. Italy in the superlative, fusion of civilizations. Taormina’s fame; from the Greeks to the Film Festival
• Palermo- A Layer Cake of Cultures – Tracing Palermo’s history through its architectural highlights; hidden tunnels (qanats), Arabic and
Norman palaces, Capuchin catacombs, the Palatine Chapel and Monreale
• Coastal Paradise /Sorrento Peninsula- Coastal paradise of islands and archaeology, the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Ischia, famous foreigners from Goethe to Gore Vidal
• Pompeii and Herculaneum Rediscovered –the archeological history of two famous sites
• Portofino and the Riviera-The Italian Riviera, beautiful villages from Cinqueterre to Portofino and Portovenere, famous families and foreigners from the Doria family to the English owner of Castello Brown in Portofino, Shelley and the Gulf of Poets
• Riviera Portals to Paradise: St. Tropez, Nice, Portofino, Portovenere
• Italian Lifestyle Cultural curiosities, family life from birth to death, inside information about daily life, superstitions, unique museums
• Festivals Year Round follow the annual cycle of festivals in Italy and how Italians enjoy holidays. Emphasis on festivals in ports visited: Santa Rosalia in Palermo, Santa Rosa and Santa Cristina near Civitavecchia
• Saints and Sinners –a panorama of famous women who made history happen in Italy from Cleopatra to Paulina Borghese and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, noble women, painters, writers
• The Extraordinary Bonapartes: Corsica and Elba , the family and its impact on Europe’s history
• The Heart of Tuscany –Pisa, Livorno and Florence highlights
• Malta -Capers and Caravaggio
• Barcelona-an architectural guide – Gothic to Gaudi and beyond
• The Spirit of Spain-Huelva and Seville, Easter week celebrations
• The Pleasures of Palma- the history, famous visitors and hidden corners of this island hideaway

Africa, Transatlantic

• Tempting Tangier -Highlights and History, museums, kasbah
• Alexandria-Connecting Egypt with Rome
• The Awesome Azores
• Gibraltar : The Key to the Mediterranean

Croatia, Turkey & Greece    

• Ephesus, the other Eternal City
• Istanbul -Mosques, minarets and majolica- an introduction to Istanbul Landmarks , palaces and people of the city on two continents
• Santorini & Mykonos- Life and landmarks of the islands, geology, history & daily life
• Crete- the Great Island and former Venetian colony of Candia
• Corfu-A green, cosmopolitan island refuge
• Rhodes- History and highlights
• Santorini, Crete, Mykonos –Island crossroads
• Along the Adriatic-Zadar, Kotor, Korcula and Koper
• Dubrovnik, Ephesus, Santorini- and their connections to Italy over the centuries
• The Greek, Etruscan and Roman worlds- connecting ancient civilizations
• The Many Faces of Dubrovnik –ancient Ragusa
• Olympia (Katakalon)- Stories and Symbols
• Dubrovnik, Rhodes, Ephesus –historic connections, curiosities, landmarks

Russia, Baltics and Black Sea    

• Three Ports-three different countries Introduction to Trabzon (Turkey), Batumi (Georgia) and Sochi (Russia) with literary and historical references
• The Crimean Riviera-highlights of Yalta, Sevastopol and Odessa with architectural, historical and military references
• Nessebur, Bulgaria -Unesco Treasure and its Mediterranean connections
• Copenhagen, Denmark –ancient royalty and modern design
• Daily Life in Soviet Russia during the Perestroika- a personal view with vintage photos (1980s)
• Working for the Tsars –The Italian artists and architects who built St. Petersburg
• Highlights of the Hermitage –behind the scenes
• Artisans and Architecture- Contrasts, historical context and design in Tallin and St. Petersburg

Presentations in Italian – Presentazioni in lingua italiana 

orange juice seller

•  In Carrozza  col Cardinale  -Italia centrale nel 1700, dai diari del Cardinale Enrico Stuart
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• I Palazzi Dipinti-nuove e antiche scoperte -le bellezze, gli artisti, palazzi che nascondono  sorprese
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• Il viaggio nell’Etruria tra passato e presente: un esempio per lo sviluppo del turismo culturale
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• I nostri castelli-veri gioielli -le dimore nobili dell’Italia centrale

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• Le Grandi Bellezze di Caprarola -le capricciose americane che vivevano in Palazzo Farnese
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• La Tuscia nelle Antiche Carte –curiosità, valori, ladri
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• Turismo nel Lazio: libri e audio guide per un turismo bilingue
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• La Tuscia in viaggio..curiosità, connessioni, artisti, scrittori e monumenti
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• Gli Inglesi in Sicilia 1860-storie poco conosciute del Risorgimento
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• Le più grande scoperte del 2016 nell’arte e archeologia
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• Storia segreta di Vetralla
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• Vetralla si illumina di storia -re, papi, artisti e…assassine

• Contatti internazionali nella Tuscia attraverso  la storia

• Fuga dal campo 68 di Vetralla-storia di un prigioniero inglese nella seconda guerra mondiale, 1943-44

• La Tuscia questa Sconosciuta

• Artisti stranieri fra Civita Castellana e Viterbo-dal 1700 al presente

• Etruria: la Tuscia degli americani

• La Tuscia visto dagli Inglesi

• Etruria-Irlanda – The Irish Connection

• Blera- prima degli Svedesi-storie di archeologia locale e internazionale

• Vetralla e Montefiascone: due città inglesi nell’Italia centrale

• Gl’Inglesi e Irlandesi nel Risorgimento Italiano

• Alla scoperta delle piccole città “V” -Vetralla, Vignanello, Vitorchiano, Vallerano e altri

• Non perdiamo la Trebisonda: viaggio intorno al Mar Nero

• Sicilia –Crocevia di Culture diverse

• La Crimea dal mare: Yalta, Sevastopoli, Odessa

• Vita quotidiana a Mosca durante la Perestrioka

• Contatti italiani a Dubrovnik, Efeso, Mykonos e Santorini