Europe
Britain’s history has never unfolded in isolation. Across Europe, ideas, people, dynasties, trade, religion, war and artistic movements repeatedly crossed borders and the Channel, leaving their mark on both sides.
Palaces and castles reveal the ambitions of rulers; churches and cities record changing beliefs and institutions; gardens, houses and landscapes show how tastes and ways of living travelled and evolved. From France and Italy to Germany and beyond, these places provide the wider setting for many of the stories explored throughout Entertablement Abroad.
Explore the places that connect Britain to the broader story of European civilization.
Egypt in Turin—An Accidental Highlight
Turin was not supposed to be the point. This was a Northern Italy trip with friends — Bill and Maura — the kind of people who have already seen most things, lived in most places, and are...
Greece—When Life Moved Into the Open
My working impression of Greece was embodied in the Vatican’s fresco The School of Athens by Raphael. In it, Socrates (left) argues in the crowd, Plato points upward toward higher truths...
Rome — Scale, Infrastructure, and the Relief of Decision
My first trip to Rome included our son Adam and his then-fiancée Annie. They had both been before—Annie in particular is travel-obsessed in the most admirable way—and they undertook to...
Paris—Where Gaul Keeps Going
When the roof of Notre-Dame de Paris caught fire in April 2019, the images traveled around the world almost instantly. People watched the flames climb through the timber framework, watched...
The Pantheon — A Circle of Stone and Sky
From the outside, the Pantheon is frankly unprepossessing. A heavy cylinder with a classical porch awkwardly grafted on. It bears a striking resemblance to a hedgehog house with columns....
Why “Living Ideas”? A Personal Starting Point
When I first began touring great houses, I was drawn, as so many are, to their sheer beauty, scale, extravagance, carved ceilings, formal gardens, and stories of noble families and royal...
Château de Villandry: Cultivated Beauty Inside and Out
Updated in May of 2025 with new pictures and insights. While the Château at Villandry is best known for its gardens, let's start with the château's interior, because it tells its own...
Château de Cheverny: A Jewel Box of French Domestic Elegance
Updated May 2025 with new photos and insights. Of all the châteaux we visited in the Loire Valley, Cheverny was my favourite. It wasn't the most grand or architecturally imposing, nor did...
Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire: Power, Pride, and Reinvention
Updated May 2025 with new photos and insights. Perched high above the River Loire, the Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire looks every bit the romantic stronghold with its conical towers,...
Château de Chambord: Grandeur Without Domesticity
Updated in May of 2025 with new pictures and insights. It's easy to see why the Château de Chambord is one of the most photographed châteaux in France. Its roofline—bursting with cupolas,...
Château de Chenonceau: The Ladies’ Castle
Updated May 2025 with new photos and insights. Tucked into the Loire Valley like a fairytale come to life, Château de Chenonceau is one of France's most romantic and intriguing châteaux....
St. Malo, Brittany
St. Malo, a town in Brittany on the northwestern coast of France, has some of the biggest tides in Europe. They can vary more than 40 feet from low tide to open sea, as you can see from...