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The Garden of La Mortella on Ischia, Italy

La Mortella - testament to the passion and flair of Lady Susana Walton

La Mortella – testament to the passion and flair of Susana Walton

I love this garden and the more I read about the lady who breathed life and fun into its rocky ridges the more passionately I fall for it.  It took half a century of care to raise and now, five years after its creator’s death, it remains a growing testament to her spirit.

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Caravaggio in Naples, Italy

Portrait of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio by Ottavio Leoni (1578 -1630)

Portrait of Michelangelo Merisi di Caravaggio by Ottavio Leoni (1578 -1630)

There are some artists who change everything, who create their work way outside the known boundaries. One of these, one of the brave, who found a new way to tell stories with paint, is Caravaggio.

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The mandolin – her deepest curves belong to Naples, Italy

The deep curves of the bowlback Neapolitan mandolin

The deep curves of the bowlback Neapolitan mandolin

It took us a while to find the little workshop and we had to squeeze in when we did – it was Saturday and the only door was open to visitors.

In fact La Bottega del Mandolino was so full of visitors (around a dozen or so), and every shape of mandolin and tool, that there hardly seemed space for Maestro Salvatore Masiello.

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