Benedetta is a grand lady and a dear friend of mine who lives in Florence. Her grandmother, the Marchioness of Serristori, was one of the most important figures in Florentine society. The Marchioness owned a splendid palace which was filled with works of art. She loved her home and devoted all her time and energy…
One evening in May 1945, a launch from the Italian fleet set off from the shore through the waves and sped towards a cruiser named the Duke of the Abruzzi which was anchored out to sea. On board, a tall lady was sitting next to her tiny husband on a bench at the rear. She…
Blickling Hall, that sumptuous estate in Norfolk, is supposedly haunted by Anne Boleyn, the queen beheaded by her ghastly husband, Henry VIII. In reality, she never lived at Blickling Hall, but the home did belong to her family. Queen Anne is said to appear each year on the anniversary of her tragic death. The conservators…
King Murat had a brother who was made count, Count Murat. His descendants still live in Lot, the ancestral home of the lineage. In the 19th century, one of the most impressive, rich, and vast caves in all of Europe was discovered on their land, the cave of Pech Merle. A distance niece of King…
Lady Huntington was becoming annoyed. It was the 19th century, and this commanding woman owned one of the most famous homes in Ireland. As was the custom of the time, she received the local parish priest for lunch each and every Sunday. Now, on each occasion, the priest insisted upon talking about the ghost who…
The Fredensborg Palace has been the preferred residence of Danish Royalty for generations. It is neither the grandest nor the most sumptuous royal home, but it is the most beautiful and the most comfortable. It is also the most inhabited. The home is surrounded by a vast romantic park that extends all the way to…
Wilhelmina couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned for hours in the large bed. She was preoccupied, she didn’t feel comfortable. All in all, the White House, which is spoken so highly of, is much smaller and much less comfortable than her European Palaces. However, since the independence of the United States, much of History…
My friend Eric told me the following story, which he heard directly from one of the two heroines. The Countess of Somewhere lived with her husband in an enormous apartment near the Champs de Mars. She was charming, intelligent, and open-minded. Her husband was an old, unpleasant scrooge, and an anti-Semite. A new couple moved…
In 1992, the Universal Exposition was held in Seville, Spain. The chef-d’oeuvre of the fair was an exhibition entitled “1492,” a celebration of the year the Americas were discovered. Masterpieces from every country and culture dating from the era were assembled and presented for the exhibit. The exposition was housed in a wood and plaster structure, built…
It was my friend Manet who told me of the famous ghost of Kuhlau. I was intrigued, I needed to see it for myself. Manet arranged a visit and soon we were driving through the Czech countryside on our way to the chateau. From afar we spotted the enormous medieval fortress, keeping watch from its…