Stories, News, Articles and Galleries reflecting our collection
By Francesca Lungarotti Imagine living inside of a rock, within an ancient city built inside or beneath rocks. Present-day and ancient inhabitants of Vardzia (Georgia), Petra (Jordan), Matmata (Tunisia), Mesa Verde (USA) Kandovan (Iran), Ajanta (India) and Cappadocia (Turkey) share this experience, living in cities built on rock, or even dug into it. These are some of […]
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Sorrento and the towns of the Amalfi Coast are like precious gems set amidst lush Mediterranean vegetation. One of the elements that makes these places unique and a coveted destination for visitors from around the world is undoubtedly their architectural mix. The architecture of Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast is a fascinating fusion of ancient […]
Read MoreLocated off the northwest coast of Greece, the Emerald Island of Corfu is considered one of the most beautiful of the Greek Islands. With 112,000 inhabitants, Corfu is the most populated of the major islands in the Ionian Sea. The old town of the largest town on the island, Corfu, was inscribed as a UNESCO World […]
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In 1984 UNESCO added to its list of World Heritage sites the properties of the Alhambra, Generalife, and Albayzin in Granada, Spain. The historical city of Granada, with a population of more than 230,000 people, is located approximately sixty kilometers north of the Alboran Sea, which is the westernmost part of the Mediterranean. The Alhambra […]
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Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987, the Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square) in Pisa, Italy is home to iconic monuments recognized worldwide. These masterpieces of medieval architecture – the cathedral, the baptistery, the bell tower (the ‘Leaning Tower’) and the cemetery – were erected between the 11th and 14th centuries within close proximity […]
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Founded during the first half of the fifteenth century, the Temple of Heaven in Beijing was built as a sacrificial altar for both heaven and earth. Originally named the Altar of Heaven and Earth upon its completion in 1420, the complex was renamed the Temple of Heaven in 1534 during the reign of Emperor Jianjing following […]
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Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado is home to remarkably well-preserved archaeological sites constructed more than 1200 years ago. The ancestral Pueblo people built thriving communities on the mesa tops and in the cliffs beneath them. The Pueblo lived in the four corners region of the southwestern United States for more than 700 years. Towards the […]
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The beautiful and colorful Iranian city of Isfahan (also known as Esfahan) sits on the north bank of the Zayandeh River, roughly 210 miles south of Tehran, the capital of Iran. The city of Isfahan is one of the most important centers of architecture in the Islamic world. Its famous Maydan-e Emam (Imam’s Square) was designated a […]
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