LIBRO: Divine Light: The Art of the Mosaic in Rome; Wendy A. Stein
When one thinks of mosaics, one thinks of the amazing mosaics in Ravenna, or those of il Duomo di San Marco, in Venice, or those of il Duomo di Monreale, in Palermo, and we sometimes forget that Rome has wonderful Christian mosaics dating all the way back to the fourth century. Hirmer, a German art book publishing house, has released a lavishly illustrated book by Wendy Stein which talks about Rome's Christian mosaics dating from 300AD to 1300 AD. So, before our next trip to Rome, let's learn more about these beautiful works and, perhaps, once there, visit the churches that house them and, given that in some cases the churches are off the beaten track, get to explore areas of Rome we would not have explored had we not read Divine Light: The Art of the Mosaic in Rome and set off on a Christian mosaic hunt!

In 2007 the BBC broadcast a truly wonderful three part documentary called The Art of Eternity, presented by the truly legendary, acclaimed, illustrious, famed, celebrated, inimitable Andrew Graham-Dixon. The series is a celebration of Byzantine art and the beauty of its mosaics and, in the second episode, il Signor Graham-Dixon ventures to Ravenna - at the 24th minute our heroic presenter, whilst speaking in Italian, happens to stumble on the "ci" of "mosaici" which stands to show that it can happen even to the best! In the third episode, il nostro eroe visits il Duomo di Monreale in Palermo, then Siena, Assisi, Padova, and Firenze examining the works of, amongst others, Cimabue, Giotto, and Duccio di Boninsegna. Although, he doesn't visit Rome, the series is a homage to the beauty of Byzantine art and its influence. You'll find the three parts here: The Art of Eternity: Painting Paradise (1/3); The Art of Eternity: The Glory of Byzantium (2/3); The Art of Eternity: When East Meets West (3/3).  In the 2018 series Rome Unpacked  however, our intrepid hero, in the company of the equally inimitable Giorgio Locatelli, does, at 1:01:53, visit one of the churches featured in Divine Light, la Basilica di San Clemente, but do watch the whole documentary as it is wonderful, and do watch everything else you can by Andrew Graham-Dixon because he is truly fantastico! (Marzo, 2025)