Secluded Vacation

Thangkas are one of Tibet’s most famous art forms, and they have fascinated generations of art fans around the world. Developed during the Songtsan Gampo era of Tibet, they incorporate elements from both Nepalese art and traditional Chinese paintings. Valued for their exquisite craftsmanship, they are also admired for their unique beauty and practical function. When traveling to other places, Tibetan monks will often carry a thangka to communicate with their gods. On a good tour in Beijing, you can find exquisite thangkas made by great Tibetan artists.

Like a scroll painting, thangkas can be easily stored and moved around. For this reason, traveling monks in Tibet prefer to carry them instead of heavy, bulky statues. Because they can be put on a wall, Tibetans also like to use them at home for worship and meditation.

Serving as an object for worship and meditation, thangkas often have images that depict prominent figures of Buddism, like the Buddha, bodhisattvas, and other gods. These figures, along with the depictions of their life stories that usually appear in the background, are intended to educate, enlighten, or enhance the contemplative experience of the people who study them.  Read more...

Museo Nazionale Romano – Crypta Balbi (Roman National Museum – Crypta Balbi). This is perhaps the most recent museum in Rome (it was opened in the year 2000), but undoubtedly one of the most interesting. It provides a birds eye-view panorama of living conditions in ancient Rome, up to the Middle Ages. Exhibits include many household items found during excavations as well as a number of coins, marble inscriptions and various documents of particular historical significance.

Musei Capitolini (Capitoline Museums). Suppose you are in Rome and you wish to visit a museum exhibiting some of the art treasures that you have always wanted to see, where would it be best for you to go? The answer is extremely simple. Take your pick. Rome has been called an open-air museum, with so many ancient buildings, monuments and archaeological remains to be admired everywhere around the city that you have an embarrassingly wide choice. However, if you are near the Capitoline Hill, we suggest you pay a visit to the Capitoline Museums. They are a complex of buildings hosting a fantastic collection of Egyptian, Greek and, above all, Roman sculptures, Roman artefacts, such as jewels and medals, as well as other works of art, including a bronze equestrian statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, which was restored in recent years.  Read more...