After vanishing for 62 years and ending up as a coffee table, a mosaic that adorned the bridge of one of Emperor Caligula’s lavish pleasure barges has returned to Italy. The 2,000-year-old, 5 sq. foot red, green and white pattern was recovered from the bottom of Lake Nemi — 19 miles south of Rome — … Read more
A mausoleum built two millennia ago for the first Roman emperor, Augustus, has finally reopened to the public after 14 years and a $12.25 million restoration project. The funerary monument took five years to restore and make safe before it could be reopened to the public, including removing rubbish and clearing surrounding trees. Towering above … Read more
A massive mausoleum built in 28 BC for Rome’s first emperor Augustus has been restored and is set to open to the public next year. Towering above Rome’s historic center, the ancient tomb was once used as a military look-out point and hosted the lavish parties of the Roman dynasty. The structure was also transformed … Read more
The emperor penguin has managed to create a home in one of the most hostile habitats on Earth – Antarctica. And award-winning photographer Stefan Christmann has captured their unique existence there in a quite breathtaking collection of photographs, showcased in a stunning coffee table book called Penguin – A Story of Survival, published by teNeues … Read more
Members of the Japanese royal family have marked the 20th anniversary of the death of Empress Kojun with a ceremony at the family mausoleum and imperial palace. The Empress, who was the wife of Emperor Hirohito and grandmother of current emperor Naruhito, died on June 16, 2000. Sisters Princess Mako, 29, and Princess Kako, 26, … Read more
It is one of the most beautiful – and most elusive – butterflies ever to be found in Britain. And after decades of decline, the magnificent Purple Emperor is set to make a comeback in record numbers this summer, thanks to May’s unusually warm weather. ‘This year will be amazing and possibly the best this … Read more
MEMOIR RESCUING MY FATHER by Susanna Johnston (Zuleika £10, 128pp) Doting elder sister of the late Spectator editor Alexander Chancellor, slightly less adoring daughter of the late-lamented (and late-demented, poor man) former Reuters chairman Sir Christopher Chancellor, the writer Susanna Johnston has collated this charming, witty selection of vignettes and diaries from her well-connected life. … Read more