Santa Maria Maddalena, ora pro nobis On Wednesday evening, a few close friends and I celebrated the Feast of Santa Maria Maddalena. We began...

Pessoa drinking wine in a tavern, 1929 “What we see is not what we see, but what we are.” ~ Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet Fernando P...

Ulysses deriding Polyphemus, 1829, J.M.W. Turner Several friends were genuinely surprised when I told them I had absolutely no interest in s...

A friend recently sent me a photograph of Auguste Rodin’s The Gates of Hell at the Musée Rodin in Paris. While celebrating her birthday abr...

The Penitent Magdalen , ca. 1640, by Georges de la Tour (1593-1652) Beáta Maríæ Magdaléna, quǽsumus, Dómine, suffrágiis adjuvémur: cujus pré...

The Ascension of Mary Magdalene , by Tilman Riemenschneider (1460–1531) Among the many traditions surrounding St. Mary Magdalene, few are as...

July 22, Birthday of S.A.R. Don Sixto Enrique de Borbon and Bourbon Busset (Pau, 1940), Duke of Aranjuez, Standard Bearer of Tradition. Born...

 A chess set, brought back from Naples by my dear friend Burro. More than a souvenir, it remains a cherished reminder of a friendship that h...

New music that may be of interest to our readers. • Alessandro Scarlatti: Cantate Da Camera Vol. 2, performed by Emmanuelle De Negri and Ph...

Congratulations to Spain on a well-deserved 1-0 victory over Argentina in the World Cup Final. As a Napoli club-over-country supporter, and ...

The Ladder of Divine Ascent, a  12th-century icon preserved at St. Catherine's Orthodox Monastery, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt “Tell me how y...

Photo by New York Scugnizzo

Luciano Somma overlooking his beloved Bay of Naples Neapolitan poet Luciano Somma, a familiar presence at literary salons and cultural event...

July 18th marks the anniversary of the National Uprising in Spain, which began the Liberation Crusade 1936-1939. ¡ Por Dios y por España! Se...

Carlos VII, Don Carlos María de Borbón y Austria-Este, Duque de Madrid (b. 30 March 1868 — d. 18 July 1909) In memory of S.M.C. Don Carlos V...

The Michael Friedsam Memorial Carousel in Central Park  A friend recently asked why I seem so fascinated by carousels. He noticed that whene...

Pygmalion and Galatea , ca. 1890, Jean-Léon Gérôme Pygmalion, a sculptor of rare genius, Devoted himself to the pursuit of perfect beauty. ...

A Dutch Flagship Coming to Anchor , ca. 1672, oil on canvas, Willem van de Velde the Younger (1633-1707) I have often written about my affec...

A forthcoming title that may be of interest to our readers. Available at Amazon.com • Naples: In the Shadow of the Volcanoes by HRH Beatric...