among the few masterpieces left to us by Leonardo da Vinci. Yet not much is known about the painting. Furthermore, for over 500 years, it was believed that the brownish monochrome look of the Adoration was the work of Leonardo. That is, until Maurizio Seracini’s in-depth scientific analysis of 20...

With Susan Jaques

In September 1778, Russia’s art-loving tsarina Catherine the Great whisked a letter off to her Rome art dealer.: “I will make a vow to St. Raphael that I will have loggias built whatever the cost and will place the copies in them…I will have neither peace nor repose until this ...

Dr. Paolo Alei

This webinar lecture will lead you into the mysterious meander of subterranean Naples. We will explore the so-called terre sante (holy lands), namely underground cemeteries, where for centuries Neapolitans have amassed dead bodies especially in times of pandemics. The Cemetery of ...

Dante has been honored for centuries as il Sommo Poeta (the Supreme Poet). But was he also il Sommo Dottore (the Supreme Doctor)? Although there is no firm evidence that Dante ever formally attended university, this gap in his education did not prevent him from having a deep understanding of comp...

Ross King

Why does virtually every city, town and village in Italy have a monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi? Ross King, author of The Shortest History of Italy, will look at the role of Garibaldi and others in the Risorgimento, the dramatic and pivotal period when the Italian peninsula - divided in...

Dr. Jeremy Wasser

This story begins with two of the great masters of the Renaissance: Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti.

On a page in his sketchbook now known as the Codex Atlanticus, Leonardo da Vinci noted down a highly unusual experience. He claimed to remember from when he wa...

Dr. Joe Luzzi

For centuries, especially during the Enlightenment and the Romantic Age, European travelers from England, France, and many other nations would travel to Italy for extensive periods to explore the riches of Italian art and culture. In this seminar, Joseph Luzzi, the Asher B. Edelman...

Dr. Laurinda Dixon

"Feeling blue?", "Down in the dumps?", or "In a bad humour?" Most people have expressed these sentiments at one time or another in their lives. But these words once described a real medical disorder, "melancholia," ruled by the planet Saturn and the element of earth. Aristot...

Dr. Sally J. Cornelison

Description: Some of the most important Italian late medieval and Renaissance churches, chapels and shrines were built to house the remains of saints such as Francis of Assisi or images of the Virgin Mary that became the focus of popular devotions because of the miracles ...