The Stendhal Syndrome: How to Avoid Sensory Overload in Florence
I’m not sure what to make of the Stendhal Syndrome. Dr. Graziella Magherini coined the term in 1979 after documenting over 100 cases of visitors to…
Month: March 2022
Brunelleschi's Hospital of the Innocents and San Lorenzo: the First Buildings of the Renaissance
Most people associate Brunelleschi with his dome for Florence’s cathedral, perhaps the most iconic structure of the Renaissance. Not many realize that, with just a…
The History of Sainte-Chapelle: Paris's Stained Glass Temple
Stepping into Paris’s Sainte-Chapelle is like entering a jewel. The upper level has almost no walls, just swathes of light in myriad colors washing through…
Paris's Saint-Denis and the Birth of Gothic Architecture
Too many visitors miss out on Saint-Denis simply because it’s not centrally located in Paris – or because it’s not as famous as Notre Dame. And…