October 2026

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One of the great side-effects of having a dog is that for the last six years we've been discovering a different way of travelling. Every summer now, we go to Greece by car, and this means we've been able to discover or rediscover both Greece and Italy, which we cross to get to and from the ferry in Ancona.

This post is basically just a photo dump to help me recall where we went this year. In Greece, as well as stays in Kalamata and Naftpatkos (where they were commemorating the battle of Lepanto with a show and fireworks in the harbour), the highlight was seeing Delphi again - the famous bronze charioteer in particular.


At my age, there's something valedictory about these return visits. Last year, it was marvellous to go back to Mantua and find it relatively unspoilt by tourists; the year before, Urbino. But each time, I suspect it will be my last. This was also true in Ravenna in October, where it was great to see the mosaics looking so splendid. I wondered if they'd been restored or cleaned, or just better lit than the last time I was there.

I took a lot of photos, but somewhere on the journey between my phone and my computer, they've ended up looking looking like AI. 








Back in Paris, the annual art fairs were already in full swing, but they closed early because of rioting. I only visited Paris Internationale, where Isaac Lythgoe had a super solo installation of paintings and sculptures, with Piktogram, and Asia Now, where Mamali Shafahi and Domenico Gutknecht had an installation in the courtyard as well as works on a booth. I could only take photos of the booth, as gales forced them to dismantle the installation before I got there. So below I've posted a photo from Baró Gallery, on Instagram.

Also on show, finally, were some of Jacopo Pagin's St-Louis vases, with one of his recent paintings.











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