Destination Insights
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Regions of Italy: Val d’Aosta
From Hannibal to JMW Turner, the Val d'Aosta has long been the first taste of Italy for people arriving from the north over the Great Saint Bernard Pass. In the first of our series of articles taking a look at Italy region by region, we introduce you to Val d'Aosta, whose capital boasts the highest concentration of Roman ruins in Italy after Rome itself, a unique Alpine culture and an exceptional medieval history tied to the Savoy, the dynasty that would give a unified Italy its first kings.
Archie Moore - Australia at the Venice Biennale 2024
The Australia Council for the Arts has recently announced that Archie Moore will represent Australia at the Venice Biennale in 2024. Here we take a brief look at Archie and his art.
Winter in Tuscany 2023 - in photos
Limelight Arts Travel’s recent Winter in Tuscany tour was an opportunity to survey the wonderful medieval and Renaissance art and architecture of this rewarding region - and a reminder of why we love off-season travel.
An Aix diary: A week at a celebrated opera festival
The Festival d’Aix-en-Provence is recognised as one of the world’s leading celebrations of opera and orchestral music. Limelight publisher Robert Veel has attended several Aix festivals and in 2022 he took a deep dive, researching venues, accommodation and excursions to create the program for Limelight Arts Travel’s Festival d’Aix-en-Provence tour. Here’s Robert’s Aix diary.
Shukubō: Experiencing traditional culture in a hypermodern society
Travelling in Japan still offers many opportunities to experience traditional culture in a hypermodern society. Dr Kathleen Olive explains, in this exploration of “shukubō”, or temple lodging, on Mount Kōya.
Summer Reading: Ferrara & Maggie O’Farrell’s Marriage Portrait
Discover Ferrara in Maggie O’Farrell’s novel The Marriage Portrait, and the titans of painting and literature it’s produced from the Renaissance to the modern day.
Sicily on screen
Walking around Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean, often feels like stumbling onto a giant film set - just watch season 2 of The White Lotus and you’ll see what we mean! In this article, we explore the island through our favourite films.
A day in the vineyards of Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion is both a pretty village near Bordeaux, in Aquitaine, and a celebrated wine district that stretches across the rolling hills outside it. It has a millennial history of producing wines with France’s most prestigious appellations, and a fascinating medieval townscape of underground churches, ruined cloisters and prominent towers.
The Theft of Caravaggio’s Nativity
The theft of a Caravaggio in Sicily in 1969 remains one of the most shocking art crimes. The whereabouts of the Nativity - or indeed if it still survives - remains unknown. In this article Dr Nick Gordon discusses the theft, the masterpiece and the theories about its whereabouts.
Almost Greek: The temple at Segesta
Segesta’s temple in a Greek style is a perfect metaphor for the melting pot of Mediterranean cultures that is the island of Sicily. We explain more in this article.
The Appeal of Hidden Italy
Italy’s beautiful small towns are a must-see, from medieval hamlets like Bevagna in Umbria to the baroque extravagance of Sicily’s Palazzolo Acreide. But did you know that there is an official list of Italy’s borghi più belli, or most beautiful villages? And that inscription on that list is a hotly-competed honour?
Contemporary Women Artists from Japan
Dr Kathleen Olive introduces you to four great contemporary artists from Japan, and how their work captures the tension between a love of tradition and the relentless pace of modernity in Japanese culture.
The Fresco Art of San Gimignano
There’s more to San Gimignano than its fantastic towers and medieval streets. In this article, Dr Kathleen Olive introduces you to the exceptional range of frescoes to be found in its churches and public buildings.
Tuscany in the Low Season
We hear so much about high season crowds, but what is Tuscany like to visit in the off season?