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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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La Raya: Where Spain and Portugal meet
Iberian history could be viewed as a chronicle of two nations separated by a shared geography. These regions with their charming small towns that lie along the Hispano/Portugal border, the so called La Raya in Spanish (or A Raia in Portuguese), are some of the most spectacular and interesting to visit in both countries.
Slovenia
Romans, Illyrian tribes, Attila the Hun, Habsburgs, Golden Fleeces, Argonauts, and Dragons – Slovenia is a country which straddles history, myth, and legend. Slovenia also straddles four geographic and cultural (and gastronomic) regions, despite its small size; deep green alpine forests near the border with Austria, glittering karst and limestone caves that reach underground to northeast Italy
Palermo’s Splendid Cappella Palatina
Few cities in Europe are as cosmopolitan as the wonderful, vibrant city of Palermo, largely because, throughout its long history, it has been ruled by a number of different people. It was founded by the early lords of the Mediterranean, the Phoenicians, in the 8th century BCE, and was conquered by first Rome and later by Muslim Aghlabids, coming from Tunisia, only to be ruled by Spain
Cosmopolis Crete
Due to Crete’s fortunate position at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Sea, the large mountainous island with its fertile valleys and safe harbours, became a strategic trading hub between Europe, Asia and Africa from the earliest days. In its heyday, the island was a melting pot, home to approximately 250,000 people and, despite its multiculturalism, or perhaps due to it, the thriving country developed
Passion in an Irish Garden
Most gardeners would happily admit that their garden was born of passion, of an intense desire to create something beautiful that excited interest, brought peace, and calmed the soul. And yet the very word passion is a multi-faceted concept. From the Greek word for suffering, it implies a strong or even a barely controlled emotion – a disorientation of the mind, of the soul.
Scotland: From Edinburgh to the Isles
“Scotland is a land of mountains, glens, and islands, a land of myth and legend”. So wrote Sir Walter Scott and indeed, with its untamed natural beauty, from the deep lochs of the highlands to the vast green meadows of the lowlands, and the rugged Hebridean Isles, Scotland has an almost ethereal quality. Just as the unique terrain captures the imagination, so too do the cairns and ancient stone henges
The Utopian Dream of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian Homes
You’d be forgiven for thinking that the renowned 20th century American architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed only for the wealthy elite. After all, household-name architects (or “star-chitects”) like Wright don’t typically get famous by creating homes for the average family. Like his architectural peers, Wright did, of course, design a number of
Brescia & its Astonishing Museum of Santa Giulia
Few people would put Brescia, the 2nd largest city in Lombardy, near the top of their list of places to visit in Italy – perhaps because it is such an industrial city and associated with steel and arms manufacturing. Walking along the historical streets of the city, sipping the famous bubbly Franciacorta made in the province and, above all, visiting its historical heart
What is the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair?
Darwin hosts two very important cultural events in the same week: the largest and most important annual event for Indigenous Australian art, the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF); and Couture to Country, the leading space to highlight the rise of Indigenous fashion and textile design. It is a unique opportunity for over 1,500 artists from more than 70 Indigenous owned Art Centres to showcase
Insider’s Venice
The crowds in Venice are almost as famous as the gondolas. At the cruise port, in the height on the summer season, as many as five large ships can arrive in a day, bringing with them up to 20,000 fun-seeking day-trippers. An equal number can arrive by coach, arriving at the island car-park of Tronchetto and winding their way up the Grand Canal to St Mark’s. The itinerary of these day-trippers is