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Academic travel articles, written by our expert tour leaders.
The Academy Journal
Written by our specialist tour leaders, these articles explore hidden gems, historical events and artistic masterpieces, enriching your upcoming travels with their unique perspectives.
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- Academy Travel 13
- Ben Churcher 1
- Bernadette Drabsch 2
- Chris Carter 3
- Christopher Bradley 1
- Deanne Bird 1
- Deborah Trentham 1
- Eireann Marshall 5
- Garth Gilmour 1
- Jeni Ryde 6
- John Tidmarsh 2
- Kate Bolton-Porciatti 1
- Lauren Mackay 6
- Matthew Dal Santo 2
- Michael Adcock 1
- Mike Turner 3
- Mindy MacLeod 1
- Neil Moore 2
- Patrick Bade 1
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- Richard Bell 1
- Robert Veel 1
- Sophie Oosterwijk 1
- Stephen Wilkinson 1
- Stuart Barrie 2
Cannaregio
As much as Italy is home to a plethora of breathtaking cities stacked with art and historic architecture, there is nothing quite like Venice. There is a reason it has been given a number of nicknames, from La Serenissima to the Queen of the Adriatic and The Floating City. The sheer improbability of constructing exquisite palazzi and churches on a collection of 118 islands
From Trogir to Dubrovnik
Follow the coast from Trogir to Dubrovnik, and each town hands you a different chapter of the Adriatic's history In 229 BCE, Rome sent envoys across the Adriatic to complain about piracy. Queen Teuta of the Illyrians, who ran her kingdom on it openly, had one of them killed. Rome declared war, crossed the sea, and never really left.
From Renoir to Monet
Separated by just over 450 kilometres (roughly a third of the distance from Sydney to Melbourne) and connected by Eurostar rail in a journey taking two hours and fifteen minutes, London and Paris between them offer the richest array of museums and art exhibitions to be found anywhere on the globe. Every Spring and Autumn Paris presents huge blockbuster exhibitions that attract vast crowds.
Carthage must be Destroyed
Of the many peoples who emerge from our accounts of ancient history, including the Babylonians, Hittites, and Etruscans, few have captured our imagination as much as the Carthaginians. Central to the narratives we recount about these enigmatic Phoenicians who arrived in modern Tunisia in the 9th century BCE is the story of the elephants crossing the Alps
Everywhere the Lion
Along the coasts of Slovenia and Istria, the Lion of St Mark is carved into harbour walls and church façades, set above city gates and chiselled into the keystones of loggias that have stood for five hundred years. Sometimes it holds an open book – the Gospel of Mark, symbol of peace. Sometimes the book is closed – a warning of war. It is always winged. It always watches.
Later Byzantine Art
High on the interior western wall of a church building deep in the fir-clad heartland of old Serbia, Christ looks down upon the faithful at the centre of a throng of angels and apostles mourning the death or “falling asleep” (the koimēsis or dormition) of his mother. Robed in a knee-length porphyry cloak, Mary herself is stretched out on a couch draped in red and green silks,
Portugal’s Hidden Foundations
Portugal is a small nation, but geologically, historically and artistically complex. It is often introduced through its medieval kingdoms and Atlantic expansion, yet these chapters represent only a late moment in a far longer human and geological story. Long before Lisbon became a capital or Porto a mercantile hub, the landscapes of western Iberia were shaped by deep time
‘Mood Work’: Genevieve Carroll, Hill End Artist
You arrive in the township of Hill End, New South Wales, from either Bathurst, Sofala or Mudgee. Each road is different, but all are dramatic, winding, and mountainous. Cliffs of yellowish, primeval rock appear as you wind up the hills, the type of moonscape that must have surprised the artist-visitors who came here from Sydney in the 1940s in search of peace and inspiration.
Hilltop Towns of Northern & Central Italy
Across northern and central Italy, a chain of fortified hilltop towns rises above plains, valleys and river crossings – small urban worlds shaped by rivalries, pilgrim routes and the need for protection. Their walls, towers and compact residential quarters offer some of the clearest surviving evidence of Italy’s medieval past. For travellers following the historic routes from Aosta and Ivrea through Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany
Forged by Fire & Ice
Few places on Earth demonstrate the power of natural forces as vividly as Iceland. Here, on a windswept island at the edge of the Arctic Circle, fire and ice coexist in a delicate yet dramatic balance. Volcanoes rise from beneath glaciers, rivers carve through ancient lava fields, and steam from the planet’s interior curls into the cold northern air. For scientists, Iceland offers a rare glimpse into the Earth’s inner workings.