The etymology of the Latin word catacumba is uncertain. It is thought to derive from the Greek locution katá kymbḗs: "near the caves." These underground cemetery areas were usually excavated in the tuff and could be even thirty meters deep. The most famous catacombs were the Christian ones: the...

Also known as the river kingfisher, this bird has a round body, short tail and a rather big head with an elongated beak. The most characteristic aspect of the kingfisher is its colouring: its back and head have a beautiful blue colour with sea green iridescence, while its breast and eyes are brown...

Michelangelo Merisi, known as "Caravaggio", is considered one of the most important painters in the history of Italian art. His nickname "Caravaggio" comes from the name of the village near Bergamo where his family lived. The artist was born in Milan in 1571 and became famous for his particular us...

Ovid's Metamorphoses tells the story of a beautiful nymph named Cyane who fell in love with young Anapos. One day, the nymph was walking with her friend Persephone on the shore of a lake. While the young girl was picking flowers, Hades, god of the underworld and in love with Persephone, decided to...

The Corinthian order is one of the architectural orders of the Greek-Roman period; its capital is characterised by decorations of acanthus leaves. [dettaglio_immagine id="18776"]...

Bossage is a particular construction and decorative technique consisting of stone blocks overlapping and marked in the joints, worked in relief, rough-hewn or diamond rusticated....

The term "oracle" derives from the Latin verb orare, "to speak", however in ancient times, the oracle characterised the Greeks' relationship with religion. The oracle was in fact the voice of the divine through a medium, someone who spoke on behalf of the deity, a priest or priestess. Each oracl...

Outpost is a military term used in architecture to indicate a building constructed in front of a defensive line. In ancient times, it referred to watchtowers and signal towers....

Aristotle was a philosopher and scientist from ancient Greece. He was born in Stagira, an ancient Greek colony in Thrace, in 384 BC, and alongside Plato and Socrates, is considered the father of Western philosophy. His philosophy was based on the research of Plato, his teacher, for an eternal and ...

Houël was a French painter, architect and engraver who undertook his Grand Tour to Sicily in 1776. The artist had intended to travel for only one year, but it took him over three years to document the infinite riches of this place. In Sicily, Houël wrote a diary where he transcribed his impressi...