‘Astonishing, luminous beauty’: readers’ cultural highlights in Europe

Winning tip: Caravaggio in his factor, Malta

Commissioned in the early 1600s by the Order of St John in Malta, Caravaggio’s masterpiece, The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, has been hung in St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta, Malta, ever since. It is uncommon to see a portray in the house supposed by the artist, in this case the Oratory, a spot of prayer, quite than the trendy exhibition corridor. And so it felt an infinite privilege to expertise this masterpiece, which is immense – 520 x 370cm – together with Caravaggio’s Saint Jerome Writing in the silence of the Oratory, and all for €15.
Sara Godfrey

Picasso in Cologne

Of all of the artists related to Germany, Picasso was sudden. Despite this, simply steps from the long-lasting, gothic Cologne Cathedral sits the Museum Ludwig (€12), house to one of many largest collections of the artist’s works in the world. An exhibition hosted in 2021-2022 shone intense mild on the surreal Spaniard’s deep reference to a previously divided Germany and now the ethereal halls of this gallery are lined with a few of his most noteworthy works. Also that includes are Warhols, Lichtensteins and Dalís; even the Cologne Philharmonic performs right here. A wholesome slice of the trendy in a medieval metropolis.
Matthew Walsh

Medieval cell work, Florence

Florence is stuffed with world-famous sights, however in the Convent of San Marco is a sequence of tiny cells adorned in the mid-Fifteenth century by Fra Angelico. Thick stone partitions comprise slim window openings into these confined little rooms; however peering in, you discover work of probably the most astonishing, luminous magnificence. Nothing I’ve seen so completely captures the medieval mixture of chilly asceticism with transcendent glory. And it solely prices 4 euros to go in.
www.florenceartmuseums.com
Laura

Museum with a view, Vienna

For the sum of €8 (or about one London pint) you may get probably the most magnificent view of Vienna from the roof of the Natural History Museum. Available Friday via Sunday at 4pm, the tour is run in German, however the view alone is well worth the payment. If you are petrified of heights at the start, I can promise you will not be by the tip.
Alice

Chaotic creative glory, Dublin

James Joyce may need put Dublin on the map, however for another cultural ramble, overlook Bloomsday and take in the masterpieces of Ireland’s biggest Twentieth-century artists totally free on the Hugh Lane Gallery, the oldest public fashionable artwork gallery in steady existence worldwide. Stunning because the masterpieces by Renoir and Manet are, the actual highlights are the Irish artists on show. Admire Francis Bacon’s painstakingly reconstructed London studio in all its chaotic glory; a whole room of Sean Scully’s earthy tones; Harry Clarke’s stained-glass home windows and works by Mainie Jellett, Mary Swanzy and Evie Hone, pioneering feminine painters who introduced cubism to Ireland in the Twenties.
selena daly

Pre-Romanesque church, Oviedo, Spain

The area of Asturias in north-west Spain is legendary for its pre-Romanesque buildings, and none is extra accessible than the church of San Julian in Oviedo, very near the town centre. Built round 830, its three naves have the standard arches and pillars of the interval, however what bowls the customer over are the wall work – geometric patterns, views as if from a window, delicately coloured and intricately designed, all fantastically preserved and clear to see in mild flooding via the unusually giant home windows. There is a surprising picket crucifix that appears to drift in mid-air, with Jesus wanting down benevolently at those that come to gaze in awe and to provide due to those that ensured the survival of this glorious gem.
barbara forbes

Fun and Pastry in Poznan, Poland

I do not know for those who’re searching for one thing extra intellectual however I not too long ago visited the Rogalowe croissant museum in Poznan. An hour-long efficiency that’s half interactive cooking class, half historical past lesson and half standup comedy, it jogged my memory a little bit of The Generation Game, if that had ever been humorous. The viewers, from most corners of Europe, have been equally bemused and delighted as we have been talked via the historical past and manufacturing of this scrumptious native variation of the well-known French pastry. Varying levels of enthusiasm from “willing” contributors, excellent comedian timing from the hosts and a cake to take hand-crafted this the spotlight of our journey.
John

Budapest in miniature

The miniature statues of Budapest are superb. All achieved by Mihály Kolodko, they’re fascinating and thought-provoking items, together with observations of feminine empowerment, the state of affairs in Ukraine and a few extra enjoyable ones (representing cartoons or a Rubik’s dice). Hunting them down additionally offers you with an amazing perception into the town, together with some lovely structure (libraries, practice stations, a synagogue).
Vicky Black

Icons saved from communism, Albania

The National Museum of Medieval Art in Korçë is gorgeous and comprises icons saved from Orthodox church buildings when communists banned faith in 1967. A Golden Wall, overlaying two flooring, shimmers with icons by native artists, together with Onufri, famous for his use of the colour pink . A room with pink flooring, partitions and ceiling comprises a portrait of St Christopher with a canine’s face, attributable to a mistranslation of the phrase Canaanite, whereas in stark distinction, a brilliant White Room had a singular icon. Finally, a Black Labyrinth Pavilion comprises extra Onufri icons, the place the intense pink colours radiated on black partitions.
Roy Messenger

Ancient Greek know-how, Crete

We might have missed the most important shock of our journey to Crete, the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Heraklion. The knowledgable workers answered our questions with easy demonstrations and fashions. This museum rearranges all our suppositions; this was not what we have been taught in college. The Greeks impressed audiences with advanced theater methods. They have been utilizing robots and pulley techniques, conjuring up the facility of the gods. Fountains spouted water via displacement of air. There are fashions of machines that constructed the acropolis, Greek triremes and automated reloading crossbows. His data of astronomy, improvement of clocks and computing techniques was superb.
Kate Holbrook

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