Esplora Travel

04/09/2026

This, the third blog article on our series on the history of Palermo traces the fortunes of the city throughout the late Middle Ages:

03/09/2026

The second blog article in our series on Palermo, today looks at what happened to the Arabs in Sicily:

What happened to the Arabs of Sicily? The story of Roger II's trilingual court, Frederick II Stupor Mundi, and Palermo's multicultural golden age.

02/09/2026

Continuing our recent run of blog posts, we have created a series of posts on the history of Palermo, adapted from the lecture series I gave a couple of years ago. The first post examines the origins of Palermo up till the time of the Normans:

Discover the history of Palermo: how a Phoenician port became a city that once rivalled Constantinople, ruled in turn by Byzantines, Arabs and Normans.

01/09/2026

Our third and final blog post in our short series on the sites we visit during our Western Turkey tour starting next week. In this post we focus on the archaeological site of Troy, which many visitors are disappointed by. But in this article, we try to show how it is the very confusion and complexity of the site which creates its continuing fascination.

Why Troy disappoints so many first-time visitors, and the real story behind it: Homer, Schliemann's unreliable memoirs, Priam's Treasure, and what archaeologists have found since.

31/08/2026

In anticipation of our Western Turkey tour starting next week, here is the second of our blog posts accompanying this trip. This time on the Gallipoli battlefields:

How the 1915 Gallipoli campaign unfolded, from the failed naval assault to Mustafa Kemal's stand at Anzac Cove, and why it still resonates today.

30/08/2026

"Investigative sources told La Sicilia that the alarm sounded as expected. According to police sources speaking to the TG La7 news programme, one guard allegedly told investigators he heard it and switched it off, believing it was a false alarm."

You could hardly make this sort of thing up. This whole story is one of the most bizarre of recent events in Sicily and if it wasn't such a tragic loss for the city of Messina it would be almost comic in its incompetence.

How did thieves pull off robbery of Antonello da Messina’s 15th-century masterpiece – and why did they leave part of it behind?

30/08/2026

In anticipation of our Treasures of Western Turkey tour which departs next week, we have assembled our notes into a blog post giving some background to some of the sites we visit:

Why do ancient Greek theatres and temples stand across western Turkey? Trace the story from the Bronze Age collapse to Rome, along the route of our Treasures of Western Turkey tour.

23/08/2026

Our latest contribution to the blogosphere: an aritcle on the humble artichoke...

22/08/2026

Here's an interesting article on the proposed birdge over the Straits of Messina in today's Guardian:

Roman dream of structure spanning the strait of Messina has been revived by officials – despite claims it is unbuildable and protests from locals

21/08/2026

Are you packing for your holiday in Sicily and confused about what to take? Our blog article will give you some tips.

Practical advice on packing for Sicily: choosing the right suitcase and shoes, dressing for Etna's cold, and travelling with hand luggage.