TED TAKASHIMA Berlin, July 2008. After giving a lecture, Max Knight, a Nobel Prize candidate and professor of genetic research, is kidnapped. His captors show him part of a corpse, a left hand, discovered when a bomb exploded at a neo-Nazi rally. Although the hand appears to be that of a male in his forties, it actually belongs to a ... Read More »
If you have ever visited Michelagelo’s breathtaking Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, you will know that much of the awe is marred by the shoulder to shoulder tourists filling the surprisingly small space. Tourists who are talking loudly and being shouted at by guards to not take pictures. So when last week the Vatican museum’s director, Antonio Paoluccio, announced ... Read More »
You may have noticed that Italy this year is especially in love with Renaissance painter Caravaggio since this year marks the 400th anniversary of his birth. To add to the Caravaggiomania that is sweeping the country, last week the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano announced in a front page article that it had found a previously undiscovered Caravaggio in the sacristy ... Read More »
Being travel guides, we always advocate putting your heels to the pavement and seeking out art, music and film locations yourself. Flipping through a coffee-table book of Caravaggios naturally pales in comparison to seeing his Contarelli Chapel murals up close and in person. But even we have to admit that one can’t see every worthwhile piece of art or ... Read More »
Despite the success of ‘The Da Vinci Code,’ and maybe in part because of it, this summer’s smash hit ‘Angels and Demons‘ didn’t have an easy ride to the cineplex. The 2008 Screen Actors Guild strike meant on-location filming was limited to a 3-week Roman blitz. Not only that, but the Pope’s people, unhappy with ‘Da Vinci,’ put the kibosh ... Read More »
MUSEYON BOOKS Smart City Guides for Travel, History, Art and Film Lovers