https://www.visitflorence.com/ Archives - Jim Murty’s TravelTravelTravel

Let il treno take the strain

7th January 20267th January 2026 funtime65

And when you’ve only got pidgin Italian and you’re unsure if you’ve got a connection then… Let il treno take the strain.

And those helpful international travellers you find just when you need them most.

To tell you that the last train of the day will only get you halfway to your destination.

For the start of your Via Francigena last 100kms into Rome.

But that there is a bus for immigrants that does leave in the early hours of the morning.

This being Italy then a little local knowledge is everything.

And this would not be the first time that I would lean on helpful locals on the road back into La Citta Eterna,

Italian Sky is the limit

Now if a little local knowledge is a good thing just think how much more more local knowledge could be.

And that’s where our old pals at Tropical Sky come into play.

With their Italy by Train journeys for 2026.

And their designed twin and multi-centre itineraries that link the nation’s most iconic cities.

Every detail is taken care of, including first class train tickets and all mod cons as standard.

So travellers can unwind and enjoy the scenic journey.

Your seven-nighter through Il Bel Paese takes travellers from the ancient wonders of Rome to the artistic heart of Florence, with all travel and transfers pre-arranged.

Rome to Firenze

The experience begins with four nights at the elegant 4* Hotel The Guardian in Rome, with a rooftop terrace with sweeping city views.

Guests then continue to Firenze for a three-night stay at the restored central 16th-century Palazzo Lorenzo Hotel Boutique & Spa.

A beautifully restored 16th-century residence close to the city’s most celebrated sights.

The itinerary can be fully tailored with hotel upgrades, alternative transport options, or additional Italian destinations to suit individual interests and travel styles.

The seven-night Rome and Florence trip is priced from £979pps B&B basis.

Including a flight to Rome airport, a private transfer to Rome city, four nights at 4* The Guardian on B&B.

Private transfer from Rome hotel to Rome Termini Station, first class train from Rome Termini Station to Firenze Santa Maria Novella Station in Florence.

A private transfer from Firenze Santa Maria Novella Station to Florence hotel.

Three nights at 4* Palazzo Lorenzo Hotel on B&B, private transfer from Florence to Florence Airport or Pisa Airport, and flight home from Florence Airport.

So let il treno take the strain.

And all because you can’t always depend on a kind-hearted and knowledgeable English speaker.

To point you in the direction of a special bus to get you to your destination.

Countries, Culture, Deals, Europe

A room with a view in Firenze

6th June 2025 funtime65

It might be getting il cappello vecchio by now but every visitor owes it to themselves to demand a room with a view in Firenze.

The beauty of a classic novel, of course, is that characters are locked into that moment in say, asking for an upgrade.

Lucky them, you say, to get to stay in the Renaissance City eternally.

But then you’ll be looked after just fine too and get a view too at La Gemma.

Your Grand Tour

Now while Firenze is timeless it’s 40 years since the iconic A Room With A View dazzled us with its celebration of Tuscany.

A good reason then to channel our inner Forster and live the Grand Tour for ourselves.

Explore the iconic landmarks such as the Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore.

The enchanting Ponte Vecchio, a bridge lined with jewellery shops.

And Palazzo Strozzi, a Renaissance palace and modern art gallery.

One of the finest examples of Florentine culture is Via de’ Tornabuoni.

Which features high-end boutiques and designer ateliers.

Along with the Palazzo Spini-Ferroni, which houses the Ferragamo Museum.

La Gemma gem

Seeing A Room With A View is our entry point here a bit more about our featured hotel, La Gemma.

It’s an exquisite boutique property located within the 19th-century Palazzo Paoletti overlooking La Via Calimala.

The interior reflects the beauty of the cathedral, using a palette of vibrant greens, powder pinks, and gentle ivories.

Complemented by bold geometric patterns, opulent marbles, sumptuous textiles, and bespoke furnishings.

Suite getaway

The rooms and suites exude an air of relaxed luxury with a touch of old-school glamour with Art Deco references.

Seen in the handcrafted king-size beds, finished in muted shades of green and pink velvets.

A silk feature wall adds warmth and interest to the space.

The impeccably presented rooms are adorned with vibrant textiles, Italian bed linens, and bathrobes by Rivolta Carmignani.

The marble bathrooms, furnished by Devon & Devon, feature ceramics by Gio Ponti.

A Tuscan romance

For a truly romantic experience, choose a Room with a View overlooking the historic streets of Florence below.

La Gemma boasts many unique and elegant options, with some featuring private balconies.

Truly a room with a view in Firenze.

And we found a room for £505 per night with flights from our airport here in Edinburgh with British Airways for £533.04.

Countries, Culture, Deals, Europe

On the rooftops of the Medicis’ Firenze

26th September 202426th September 2024 funtime65

Back when all the world believed in Him the tallest buildings were always places of worship so we could get closer to God… all of which you’ll see for yourself on the rooftops of the Medicis’ Firenze.

Il Duomo still dominates Firenze‘s skyscape with every visitor heading for the jewel of the Renaissance City.

Santa Maria del Fiore (Lady of the Flower), to give it its Sunday name, is a nod to the very name of the florid city.

One of the largest churches in the world, we all focus on the large octagon of the immense dome, around which are three radial apses (or “tribunes”), each consisting of five chapels.

All of which you can get the best vista of if you are perched on a roof garden in a swish hotel, preferably with an Aperol Spritz in hand.

Arts and Kraft

Our travel buddies Cassidy Travel are happy to oblige, providing accommodation with a three-night package at the 4* Kraft Hotel from October 22.

All part of their Jewels of Italy programme.

You will get flights, 10kg luggage and return train Pisa/Florence included. All from €745pps.

The Kraft is central, meaning not too much walking before you hit that crazy paving, so disliked and avoided by the Medici, the family of Renaissance Firenze..

The centrepiece in your hotel is, of course, their panoramic top floor terrace with roof garden, restaurant and a heated swimming pool.

Firenze FOMO

Medici maestros: And everything is Va Bene

Not that we had any Firenze FOMO at all when we had to cancel our trip to the Flower City this time last year because of a family bereavement.

And we know the aforementioned and much-missed Maj who waxed lyrical about his visit there will want us to put that right and follow in his footsteps.

To learn more about this fascinating family, you should immerse yourself in Medieval Medici mirth by following this easy-to-follow free Visit Tuscany guide.

You can discover more about the 505m corridor they used to keep them away from the plebs.

With it spanning from their luxurious Palazzo Pitti to the Uffizi office (not shabby either). The additional 155m would include walking through the Uffizi Gallery to the Palazzo Vecchio.

All this art, well that was down to the Medici too with Michelangelo working for La Famiglia.

And his David (Boy, not Beckham) the symbol of Firenze and the most Instagrammable pic from your visit.

While Galileo Galilei was also in their employ and presented to his former student, the Grand Duke Cosimo II of Tuscany, the Medician stars.

That’s a discovery of four celestial orbs that became the perfect way to honour the Medicis.

Ice one Medicis

Perhaps, of course, the Medicis greatest gift to the world was gelato.

Or Florentine chef Bernardo Buontalenti, although the Medicis naturally took the credit.

Bernardo invented modern gelato in 1565 when the Grand Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici asked him to organise a banquet to receive the Spanish deputation.

And he invented a tasty dessert based on eggnog, milk, and fruit, producing the famous ‘Florentine cream’ and ‘Buontalenti.’

So there’s a scoop for you, OK 650 years old. Salute and enjoy your Aperol and gelato on the rooftops of the Medicis’ Firenze

Countries, Europe, Sport

Le Tour di Firenze Grand Depart

29th June 202429th June 2024 funtime65

It’s the most poplar (bear with us here) cycling event in the world and this year all eyes are on Le Grand Tour di Firenze Grand Depart.

Firenze is as synonymous for its poplar trees as it is its Duomo and Boy David.

And they are at their full height as the Tour de France cyclists ride through the streets and up the peaks of Tuscany.

It seems something of an oversight that this Renaissance City, and Il Bel Paese, have been overlooked over the 110 years of Le Tour for Le Depart.

Before squillions of Euro won them the prestigious opening stage of Le Tour.

Gino, Il Giro and Le Tour

Italy, of course, has its own famous Tour, Il Giro, and pedallers too.

It is ten years though since an Italian, Vincenzo Nibali, reached L’Arc de Triomphe in jeune or giallo.

Following in the tread marks of the likes of Ottavio Bottechia, Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali and Marco Pantani.

You can learn for yourself all about these Renaissance riders for yourself at the Gino Bartali Cycling Museum in Firenze.

But as a taster our amici at Britain’s Channel 4, who have been bringing us extensive coverage for 40 years, have filled us in.

War hero

Gino, or ‘Ginetaccio’ as he is known in these parts won three Giri and two Tours in the 30s and 40s.

But as well as his exploits on two wheels he had crossbar crossover too for what he did in the War.

Gino, as most elite cyclists are, was very much his own uomo.

And that meant him taking a brave stance in 1938 when not dedicating his Tour de France victory to Il Duce.

He was to show even greater courage in 1943 when he defied the German occupiers in northern Italy.

Bartali took the Cardinal of Firenze, Archbishop Elia Dalla Costa, up on his invitation to join a secret network offering protection and safe passage to Jews and other vulnerable people.

As a courier with the famous cyclist, carrying photographs and counterfeit identity documents to and from a secret printing press.

All hidden in the frame and handlebars of his bike.

Bartali also hid his Jewish friend Giacomo Goldenberg, and Goldenberg’s family.

On the road again

Like all true heroes, Bartali played down his feats of derring-do and in later life, saying “I’m just a cyclist.”

Thankfully Bartali’s successors on Le Tour di Firenze Grand Depart only have to worry now about getting to Rimini in Emilia-Romagna.

And beyond to Cesenatico, Bologna, Piacenza and Torino en route to Paris in three weeks.

We will be following them from the safe distance of home… and seeing if an eighth Italian can win Le Tour.

But if you are lucky enough to be in the vicinity of a Tour leg and can get there early to see the cycling fans set up picnic tables at designated spots, it’s quite a sight.

Countries, Culture, Europe, Food & Wine

Drink in vintage Firenze

18th February 202418th February 2024 funtime65

Si, we like this type of culture which puts the emphasis on wine and like which is why we agree, we should drink in vintage Firenze.

The experts at Titan Travel have analysed which major cities host the most “things to do,” from tourist landmarks to art galleries to music tours.

And here is where Fizzy Frosty gets interested… in which destinations have the most five-star restaurants and wine-tasting tours.

Of course, we should credit palace city Granada in Andalucia, Spain, with its Alhambra for taking No.1 spot.

But it’s Firenze which has been concentrating Her mind since we had to cancel our trip there last September when her much-storied Dad, oul’ Casey Jones sadly passed on.

Firenze frenzy

A great Italianophile he would, no doubt, have furnished us with books and maps on the city before we left… and somewhere in his legendary library we’ll find the very thing.

Florence, to give it its English name, as we found out when we were doing our homework, offers some of the world’s best wine tours (60.06 per 100,000 people).

And there’s even a Florence dinner and “Three Tenors” concert, where you can soak up Florentine food and culture and drink in vintage Firenze during a traditional dinner and concert experience.

Czech out the culture

Touch of class: On the King Charles Bridge in Prague

Now it might come as a surprise to those who only associate it with stag and hen parties that Prague comes in third on the list.

But not to Prahaphiles like us who have sampled the tastes above and underground.

Up the Castle and the climbing baby TV tower and in the beer cellars, Anthropoid crypt and nuclear bunker.

Prague, we’re told has 63.4 sights per 100,000 people to see in the Czechia capital by the Vlatva.

True Peru

For the cultural capital with the most things to do you do need to head to the Inca Empire.

It has the most excursions with 579.72 things to do per 100,000 people.

So for those of you know little more about Peru than Paddington and Machu Picchu then read on.

Architecturally-spectacular Lima does boast a statue of Paddy on Lima’s Miraflores Boardwalk, clad in his famous floppy hat and duffle coat, emblazoned with the British Union Jack.

We all know, of course, that Pad is a bespectacled bear and you can see his rellies, and maybe even Aunt Lucy, in the Chaparri Conservation Area.A community-owned and managed reserve, it covers a pristine area of grassy hills and vertical rock walls and studded with trees and cacti.

A 90-minute drive from Chiclayo, it boasts a wild population of threatened species including the spectacled bear.

And you can stay there at the Chaparri Lodge.

Whether Paddington, bespectacled bears and marmalade sandwiches are your cup of tea is your call.

Countries, Europe

Florence or Firenze?

21st February 2022 funtime65

Double-booked or double-named… Florence or Firenze?

The artistic treasure that is Tuscany’s largest city has loomed back on the radar.

Because of the generosity of Dimora Palanca who sent out an invitation to a three-night culinary trip to the city of the Medici.

Dimora Palanca is billed as the coolest new boutique hotel in town.

I’ll go, for sure, although unfortunately not just yet as as is the way of it I’m double booked.

And I have already got my ski gear together for a few days in France. Merd!

Double-booked

We’ve all been there when there are two big dates on our calendar, both on the same day.

For me you can add this to the list that already reads Seattle for Denver and Nashville for South Africa.

But back to the jewel of the Renaissance and a word to the wise to make sure you’re going to the right destination.

Not that you would but some unprepared English-speaking tourists have been known to drive past because the sign says Florence.

Gli Inglesi

Florence has in fact a shared history with England, going back to the Romantic poets, from Shelley to the Brownings.

All of which is addressed in the portrayal of the Scorpioni in the Franco Zeffirelli semi-autobiographical film Tea With Mussolini.

It’s an oldie but a goodie and not to put a spoiler on it..

But the tea-drinking English-speaking expats are put under house arrest.

When the Second World War breaks out.

Boutique living

Their original billet is down at heel but they are upgraded to a hotel which the late British ambassador’s widow believes is because of her connections.

And a meeting she had with Il Duce, her Tea With Mussolini.

The upgraded hotel is befitting the ladies but a bit stuffy, although probably not for the times.

The Dimora Palanca has the all mod cons of a modern boutique hotel, and in a Fiorentine setting which is the best, the historic Via della Scala.

Art of food and wine

We know, of course, about the fine art of the city but this being Il Bel Paese, the Beautiful Country, fine food and wine is always at hand.

You will be spoiled at the Mimesi restaurant and ask too about classes at the city’s famous Cordon Bleu cooking school and mixology classes back at the hotel.

While get on board the vineyard tour and wine tasting at organic winery Monterosola.

The Beautiful North

Tea with Mussolini addresses too the conflicts between the North and the South of Italy, but we don’t have to take a side.

If you’ve dipped your toe in the Venetian lagoon and its environs in Padova and also gone high and low in Bergamo alta and bassa…

Then you’ll have got a taste of the Beautiful North.

Spread your wings then to the jewel of the Renaissance.

You may ask if it’s Florence or Firenze? And if you’re not sure, do, because you won’t want to miss this.

Countries, Culture, Europe, Music, UK

Nobody sleeps until Italia sings

7th July 20217th July 2021 funtime65

There’s another song at the Euros, the song of opera, and nobody sleeps until Italia sings.

In the final at Wembley on Sunday against the winners of tonight’s England v Denmark semi-final.

It seems apt then that Italy, who opened the football extravaganza a few weeks ago with Bocelli’s belter, should be there at the end.

La Duckiata

Of course Nessun Dorma sounds a lot more lyrical than Nobody Sleeps.

And Giueseppe Verdi better than Joseph Green or Federico Chiesa than Frederick Church.

Federico e is il figlio di Enrico, o Henry, and come suo padre nella squadra d’Azzurri.

Forza Azzurri

You see everything is usually better in un altra lingua and even better in their country.

And so opera should be enjoyed in Italy, where it is not the stuffed-shirt evening out for the posh that it can be elsewhere.

Being the Bohemians that we are we look out for news on opera and are kept up to date with aria world.

My Bohemian rhapsody

And so we’d like to share the imminent renewal of the Macerata Opera Festival ‘100×100 Sferisterio’ from July 23-August 13.

Mace-where? Well, it’s in Le Marche, south-east of Florence on the Adriatic Sea.

And this year we’re celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first opera in Macerata.

Opera, while Italian is multinational, and Verdi’s Aida is entrusted to Valentina Carrasco, from Argentina.

And Carrasco worked with the Spaniards, rivals last night on the footy field, and the theatrical group Fura dels Baus.

Message to you Rudy

The month-long festival will also celebrate Italy’s national poet Dante Alighieri with the rest of Il Bel Paese on his 700th anniversary.

There will be a homage too to Rudolf Nureyev, who loved the Macerata Festival.

Now we’re not going to commit who we’re following in Sunday’s final or calling a winner.

Because we all know it’s not over till la bella canta.

Oh go on then, nobody sleeps until Italia sings.

Africa, America, Countries, Europe, Music

Rainy Days and Songdays my Oscars favourite songs

26th April 202126th April 2021 funtime65

In no particular order, and for the day that’s in it, it’s Rainy Days and Songdays – my Oscars favourite songs.

It was something daring, I guess, to award a Best Original Song at the Academy Awards in 1934.

But it was probably a dancing shoe-in for Hollywood superstars Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers’ The Continental.

Dance away

If Fred and Ginger were around today then they’d glide easily down the fabled stairs of the Dolby Theater.

But they are there out front in the Walk of Fame.

All of which we can channel, and which every waiter dreams of aspiring too, in Los Angeles and his environs.

The Continental is one of my Oscar favourite songs and set the standard for every Best Original Song to come.

And in truth for every Over the Rainbow and White Christmas there is a Chim-Chim-Cheree and an I Just Called To Say I Love You too.

Gong with a song

The standard is off the chart which is why the usual Fab Five becomes a Top Ten this week for My Oscars favourites.

10 When You Wish Upon A Star, Pinnochio (1940):

Pure Disney, and what’s wrong with that.

But this is the craftmanship of Florentine Carlo Collodi so let’s give the Tuscans a shout-out as ‘anything your heart desires will come to you.’

Take it away Cliff Richards as Jimmy Cricket.

9 Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Song of the South (1947):

One of Disney’s more forgettable films and ‘containing outdated language’ though I just dwell on the Deep South music.

James Baskett’s deep anthem is about as happy a song as you’ll ever hear.

And in a cutesie overload Mr Bluebird’s on James’s shoulder too. Everything truly is satisfactual!

8 Three Coins In The Fountain (1954):

No me neither, nor the singers Clifton Webb, Dorothy McGuire and Jean Peters who each sang the titular song.

But anyone who has ever been to the Trevi Fountain in Rome will either hear someone singing it there while throwning coins over their head into the water.

Or they will be encouraged to do so.

Singing Cowboys

7 Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969):

And if you love the Wild West then you’ll love the scene where Paul Newman (Butch) and Katharine Ross (Etta) mess about on the bicycle in Utah.

And Burt Bacharach’s velvety lyrics and BJ Thomas’s smooth delivery set it all off.

6 The Time Of My Life, Dirty Dancing (1987):

The beauty of a good song is trying to recreate it in your bedroom which is what hairbrushes were made for, although Patrick Swayze’s quiff just came naturally.

But if you truly want to channel your inner Johnny and Baby then you’ll want to get out to Lake Lure Inn & Spa in North Carolina.

And have Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes on the boom box.

5 The Streets of Philadelphia (1993):

You’re probably exhausted after that (I know I am) so let’s slow it down with the Boss’s evocative and powerful Streets of Phladelphia.

Of course, the actual streets of Philadelphia aren’t as gut-wrenchingly emotional as this song and are actually fun-packed as this vid shows.

Better still if you go to Philly the City of Brotherly Love, and find out for yourself.

Drum roll please

4 Born Free (1966):

And another to pull on your heartstring with the story of Joy and George Adamson, played by real-life couple Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers.

They released Elsa the Lioness into adulthood and released her into the wilds of Kenya.

All of which brings back warm memories of meeting our lioness out in the Eastern Cape in South Africa.

And yes, I sang Matt Monro’s classic in my head then… I didn’t want to stir my lioness.

3 White Christmas, Holiday Inn (1942):

Many of us are probably unaware of Irving Berlin’s inspiration for the best-selling song of all time (I was).

Berlin, a Jew, who didn’t celebrate Christmas had all the more reason to get maudlin on December 25.

His three-week-old son died on that day in 1928. Bing Crosby gives it a timeless uplifting feel.

2 Over The Rainbow, The Wizard of Oz (1939):

And the ultimate in what Daddy’s Little Girl so beautifully puts it, a Happy Sad Song.

And layering on the sentamentality it was the first movie my Dear Old Mum saw in her nearest big city, Derry.

She recalls the switch from black and white to colour seemed like magic to an 11-year-old country girl.

A country girl like Kansas lass Dorothy.

And the winner is…

1 Moon River, Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961):

Tiffany’s in New York is no more magical than any other jewellery store methinks.

But perhaps that’s because I’m an alpha male bloke, while Breakfast to me is a bagel.

Put them together though and Breakfast At Tiffany’s carries you off to a wonderful escapist world.

It’s the adventurer in me andyou had me Audrey Hepburn at ‘there’s such a lot of world to see.’

So these are my Oscar favourite songs. Now what about you?

Countries

Here comes Frankie, Siena and the Italian cavalry

19th February 202119th February 2021 funtime65

Ciao tutti… and they’re off.

We bring you good news from Italia courtesy of Frankie Dettori, Italy’s brand ambassador for their new promotional campaign.

Frankie is Italy’s most famous horseman since well, ever.

Only the most devoted racing fans, or Italians, though would be able to name you another Italian jockey.

But, in truth, Italy has a rich tradition with the cavalli.

It goes back to the days of the Romans and the superstar chariot drivers.

Champion jockey Frankie is a proud Sardinian and waxes lyrical about his island, particularly the beaches.

While he also extols the virtues of Rome all of which I share.

Rock god

Being the rock god that he is, of course, Frankie namechecks other iconic Italian cities, fashionable Milan, Venice and cultural Florence

While he also bigs up the Amalfi Coast and Capri, and for the winter Cervinia

If it’s horses you want then the Palio di Siena on July 2 andd August 16 is a horse of another colour.

The Palio like all traditions in Italy has its origins in religion with the first running of the bareback race in the mid-1600s in honour of the apparition of the Virgin Mary.

The jockeys are kitted out in the colours of their districts, the Contradas of Siena as they race around the square.

Our friend Frankie has his English subtitled in the promotional video which is something Scots and Irish have become used to over the years so our sympathy.

Wait for it

For the women (and the men) it’s not what Frankie says but how he says it anyway, and how he looks and the background of Italia.

But wait for it, Frankie’s pay off is Italia Wait For It. And we will.

And when we get back it’ll be with our old favourites Topflight, the Italian specialists.

Now all I need are some suitable colours.

America, Countries, Culture, Europe, Ireland

Every story tells a picture – from Caravaggio to Van Gogh

31st January 202130th January 2021 funtime65

Surrounded by our four walls in lockdown one of the few ways to transport ourselves to exotic shores is through our pictures.

It is after all what our Vincent did when he struggled for his sanity.

Van Gogh had developed a taste for all things Polynesian from housemate Paul Gaugin.

Van Gogh also had his demons to exorcise too, particularly when incarcerated.

And he would explore such existential themes in his art as the Reaper himself.

Now I’m not saying that I obsess on the same even during lockdown.

But a print of his Wheatfield with a Reaper hangs proudly in our guest room, hopefully not spooking out our visitors (when they come).

Can I be trusted on a bike? In Amsterdam

But reminding us of the captivating Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam on our tour of Amsterdam.

All of which meanderings has prompted me to share some of the finer art I’ve enjoyed on my travels.

Beheading for Malta

Lose your head: Caravaggio in Valletta. www.caravaggio.org

Beheading of St John the Baptist, Caravaggio, Valletta: There’s always something a bit unhinged about artists.

And the meeting of brushmeister and subject comes together in this classic painting, described as ‘the painting of the 17th century.’

Caravaggio was on the run and took refuge with the Knights of Malta in Malta.

But he fell out with them, was imprisoned and then escaped from their dungeons.

A theory floated in 2010 has it that Michelangelo Merisi, for it is he, was killed by poisonous paints.

And suspicious has since fallen on the Knights.

Caravaggio’s masterpiece hangs in St John’s Co-Cathedral and shows real insight into the shady side of life.

Valletta with its stunning harbour is a real jewel.

And and you can picture the intrigue and the underworld of Medieval Mediterranean life.

When we’re all able to get out again then Malta should be on your radar.

Monster Munch in Bergen

The Rasmus Meyer Collection, Bergen: And you’ll gasp at what those naughty trolls are doing in the drawings in this gallery.

Up a fjord in mystic, fabled Norway you’ll find this artistic curio.

It wouldn’t be a Norwegian gallery without a host of Edvard Munches and Bergen doesn’t disappoint.

And the story notes give you a real insight into the travails of the Great Man.

Bergen is also the place for the travels of JS Dahl whose paintings first popularised cruising in the fjords

A must visit on your MSC Cruises stop-off while, of course, you simply have to pull a Munch Scream pose.

Paint the ceiling in Padua

Scrovegni Chapel, Padua: And it’s doubtful you would have a fresco ceiling of the Sistine Chapel without a Scrovegni Chapel.

Well, you probably would, but it might have been the Medieval version of Dulux!

Giotto was something of an inspiration for Michelangelo and you can see his halo work here.

And yes we know the finesse of Firenze, the merits of Milan, the riches of Rome and my own recent favourite, beautiful Bergamo.

But Padua, often in the shadow of Venice, should be praised to the heavens which in fairness to Giotto he does.

Masters and Mississippi

The settlers: The Mississippi Art Museum

Museum of Mississippi Art, Jackson, Mississippi: Yes, when we think art and America we immediately focus on MOMA, the Museum of Modern Art in New York Art, the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia and the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.

The First Nation: In the Mississippi Art Museum

But in truth America is a sweep of wonderful art, so take it in wherever you find it.

Which in Jackson, Mississippi is the Museum of Mississippi Art where you’ll see early Frontier art and much more.

Dirty old Lane

Art for arts sake: The Francis Bacon Studio

Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin: And it’s the Francis Bacon studio you want to see here.

Bacon bequeathed his studio to his home city on the understanding that it would be recreated in every detail.

All of which means it is messier than any student bedsit…

To think I was probably sitting on a goldmine back in Aberdeen in the Eighties.