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Edinburgh Castle is one of the oldest fortified places in Europe. With a long rich history as a royal residence, military garrison, prison and fortress, it is alive with many exciting tales. When you climb Castle Hill, you will walk in the footsteps of soldiers, kings and queens – and even the odd pirate or two. Though parts of it remain in military use, the castle is now a world-famous visitor attraction. It’s also an iconic part of the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site. Edinburgh Castle has played a pivotal role in Scottish history, both as a royal residence – King Malcolm Canmore and Queen Margaret first made their home here in the 11th century – and as a military stronghold. The castle last saw military action in 1745; from then until the 1920s it served as the British army’s main base in Scotland. Today it is one of Scotland’s most atmospheric and popular tourist attractions.

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo is situated on the northeast of the centrally located Tahrir Square. It is one of the largest museums in the world, and the first national museum in the Middle East. It is actually the fifth building to house Egyptian antiquities, and has had a long and illustrious history until today. The idea of a museum for Egyptian antiquities in Egypt goes back to Muhammad Ali Pasha, who was viceroy of Egypt from 1805 to 1848. Attempting to put an end to the export of antiquities, he issued a decree on the 15th of August 1835, which resulted in the first Egyptian museum for antiquities in Cairo. Housed in a building near El-Ezbekia Garden, the display was designed by Hakikan Effendi, and the collection was managed by Youssef Diaa Effendi. At the same time, Sheikh Rifa'a al-Tahtawi, who was responsible for the excavation and conservation of Egyptian monuments, also ordered that no further excavations be undertaken without his permission. He announced that the export of artefacts from Egypt was strictly forbidden, and that all finds were to be transported to the El-Ezbekia Museum. In 1851, under the reign of Abbas I, the entire collection was transferred from El-Ezbekia to one of the halls within the Citadel of Salah El-Din (Saladin), where it was accessible only to private visitors. However, in 1854, most of the objects were offered to Austria’s heir to the throne, Archduke Maximilian, who had shown great interest in them during his visit to Egypt. They now represent a major part of the Egyptian collection in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities contains many important pieces of ancient Egyptian history. It houses the world's largest collection of Pharaonic antiquities. The Egyptian government established the museum built in 1835 near the Ezbekieh Garden and later moved to the Cairo Citadel. In 1855, Archduke Maximilian of Austria was given all of the artifacts by the Egyptian government; these are now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. A new museum was established at Boulaq in 1858 in a former warehouse, following the foundation of the new Antiquities Department under the direction of Auguste Mariette. The building lay on the bank of the Nile River, and in 1878 it suffered significant damage due to the flooding of the Nile River. In 1891, the collections were moved to a former royal palace, in the Giza district of Cairo. They remained there until 1902 when they were moved, for the last time, to the current museum in Tahrir Square, built by the Italian company of Giuseppe Garozzo and Francesco Zaffrani to a design by the French architect, Marcel Dourgnon. In 2004, the museum appointed Wafaa El Saddik as the first female director general. During the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, the museum was broken into, and two mummies were destroyed. Several artifacts were also shown to have been damaged and around 50 objects were lost. Since then, 25 objects have been found. Those that were restored were put on display in September 2013 in an exhibition entitled Damaged and Restored. Among the displayed artifacts are two statues of King Tutankhamun made of cedar wood and covered with gold, a statue of King Akhenaten, ushabti statues that belonged to the Nubian kings, a mummy of a child and a small polychrome glass vase.

The Galápagos Islands, or Islas Galápagos in Spanish, are an archipelago of volcanic islands located in the Republic of Ecuador. They are distributed on either side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean, surrounding the centre of the Western Hemisphere. Located 906 km (563 mi) west of continental Ecuador, the islands are known for their large number of endemic species that were studied by Charles Darwin during the second voyage of HMS Beagle. His observations and collections contributed to the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by means of natural selection. The Galápagos Islands and their surrounding waters form the Galápagos Province of Ecuador, the Galápagos National Park, and the Galápagos Marine Reserve. The principal language on the islands is Spanish. The islands have a population of slightly over 25,000. The first recorded visit to the islands happened by chance in 1535, when Fray Tomás de Berlanga, the Bishop of Panamá, was surprised with this undiscovered land during a voyage to Peru to arbitrate in a dispute between Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro. De Berlanga eventually returned to the Spanish Empire and described the conditions of the islands and the animals that inhabited them. The group of islands was shown and named "Insulae de los Galopegos" (Islands of the Tortoises) in Abraham Ortelius's atlas, published in 1570. The first crude map of the islands was made in 1684 by the buccaneer Ambrose Cowley, who named the individual islands after some of his fellow pirates or after British royalty and noblemen. These names were used in the authoritative navigation charts of the islands prepared during the Beagle survey under captain Robert FitzRoy, and in Darwin's popular book The Voyage of the Beagle. The newly independent Republic of Ecuador took the islands from Spanish ownership in 1832, and subsequently gave them official Spanish names. The older names remained in use in English-language publications, including Herman Melville's The Encantadas of 1854. Administratively, Galápagos constitutes one of the provinces of Ecuador, made up of three cantons that bear the names of its most populated islands, namely: San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz and Isabela.

Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella sets its roots back to 1221. Founded as a Dominican friars conventum, it is considered today the oldest pharmacy in the world, which carries its activities in the very places where they all began. Its apothecary art legacy crosses eight centuries and is deeply intertwined with Florence history, personalities and social tissue, in a continuously-renewed alchemy of tales and wonders. Today’s Officina is famous all over the world for its perfumes, candles, and “traditional preparations”. It all began 800 years ago, when the Dominican friars were granted the use of Santa Maria Inter Vineas ("Holy Mary Among the Vines”): it was a small church just outside the city walls, where they cultivated a botanical garden of herbs and plants to craft medicines, ointments and balms. In 1334, the Dominican friars of Santa Maria Novella rose to greatness for healing the rich merchant Dardano Acciaioli: coming from one of the most powerful families of Florence, as a sign of gratitude, he donated them the magnificent San Niccolò-devoted chapel that still today sits at the very heart of our boutique-museum in Via della Scala 16 in Florence. Some time later, in 1533, once again the Officina played a leading role in Europe’s history of perfume-making. 1533 was the year in which the young Caterina de’ Medici chooses Renato Bianco, raised by Santa Maria Novella’s Dominican friars, to accompany her as personal perfumer at the Court of France, where she was about to marry Henry II of Valois. Legend has it that in that very occasion "Acqua della Regina" was born: a fragrance to recall Florence’s elegance and grace. Today’s “Acqua della Regina” (The Water of the Queen) is our homage to that gift: a citrusy discovery, a bewitching essence, that intrigues us since the dawn of times. In 1542 the Pharmacy doors officially opened to the greater public, and in 1612 it was formally recognised with the name of “Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica” by the Granduca di Toscana (the Grand Duke of Tuscany), who also granted it the title of Fonderia di Sua Altezza Reale (Foundry of His Royal Highness). The Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica was later to be run by notable Dominican personalities such as Angiolo Marchissi, a great medicine and alchemy scholar, and Cosimo Bucelli, the aromatist who began to pair medicinal properties with pleasurable ones. In the 19th century, the Officina’s pharmacy spaces became a municipal property, managed by layman Cesare Augusto Stefani. Officina’s fame by then seems to reach the five corners of the world: its products gain international acclaim, and are prized by royal houses, notable artists and personalities. It was a period of audacious growth and innovation: alongside the traditional preparations, cosmetic and personal care items such as balms, ointments, soaps and perfumes become extremely popular. In the 20th Century, the Officina relaunched and turned its Florentine traditional shop in Via della Scala 16 into a major museum, a prominent touristic and cultural destination. Lastly, in September 2020, Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella is acquired by Italmobiliare, the investment holding that enhances important Made in Italy brands.

Siamo un laboratorio di falegnameria che nasce nel 1966, anno in cui Giorgio Girelli rileva l’antica falegnameria “Artigianelli” e da allora operiamo nel centro storico di Venezia. Progettiamo e realizziamo arredamento su misura, oggetti di design, prototipi, serramenti – finestre, porte da interno ed esterno, portoncini blindati, scuri. Ci dedichiamo inoltre al restauro unendo anche in questo caso la conoscenza delle metodologie di lavoro antiche con le possibilità offerte dai moderni materiali e le tecnologie a essi connesse. Siamo in grado di offrire al cliente un efficiente servizio di manutenzione e di assistenza post vendita. A una consolidata esperienza artigianale uniamo moderne tecnologie e apparecchiature all’avanguardia per coniugare al meglio le conoscenze acquisite grazie a una lunga esperienza con le possibilità offerte dalle macchine a controllo numerico. Lavoriamo il legno e una vasta gamma di materiali (vetro, plexiglass, metalli di differente natura, etc.), per realizzare al meglio lavorazioni complesse ed elaborate. La nostra collocazione nel centro storico veneziano ci consente di operare al meglio nella particolare realtà veneziana grazie ad ampi spazi di lavorazione, deposito ed esposizione. Vantiamo numerose realizzazioni in Italia e all’estero per clienti privati e pubblici. Proponiamo sempre un prodotto di alta qualità, grazie anche alla collaborazione con altre figure professionali per offrire un servizio completo. We are a woodworking workshop founded in Venice when Giorgio Girelli took over the old "Artigianelli" carpentry, and since then we have been working in the historic centre of Venice. We design and manufacture bespoke furniture, design objects, prototypes, window frames, windows, interior and exterior doors, armoured doors, dark windows. Likewise, we also dedicate ourselves to the restoration by combining also, in this case, the knowledge of ancient work methods with the possibilities offered by modern materials.

La ricerca stilistica e l’ispirazione concettuale di Guido Toschi Marazzani Visconti, spazia dalle tende da guerra delle Campagne Romane, agli accampamenti medioevali per giostre e tornei, dai lussuosi padiglioni sette/ottocenteschi fino a spingersi alle suggestioni esotiche delle tende berbere del nord Africa. Creare tende e padiglioni dal fascino antico, esotico, a volte fiabesco, nasce dall’esigenza di conciliare la nostra passione per tempi e luoghi lontani con la concreta necessità di realizzare coperture belle da vedere ma anche solide e resistenti per creare nuovi luoghi di vita all’aperto. Nel corso degli anni abbiamo ideato numerosi modelli dalle forme e dalle dimensioni più varie, ma solo quelli che hanno dimostrato le migliori performance di affidabilità e durata sono entrati a far parte della nostra collezione permanente e brevettata. Ogni dimora possiede un fascino e un’identità propri. Il fine delle nostre creazioni è quello di integrarsi armoniosamente allo stile di ogni casa e giardino, esaltandone la bellezza e svelandone nuove possibilità abitative. Questo ci porta a creare coperture sempre nuove e personalizzate nelle forme, dimensioni e decori, seguendo i desideri e le esigenze di ogni nostro cliente. Tutte però ideate e realizzate nel segno della bellezza e della funzionalità. Non solo tende e padiglioni. Il nostro amore per l’esterno ci porta a progettare e realizzare terrazzi e giardini, treillage in legno e ferro, comodi cuscini, roulon e materassini in tessuto idrorepellente, resistenti all’umidità e alla pioggia in tutti i colori presenti in collezione e passamanerie multicolori. Guido Toschi’s Design reveals a passion for the Historic and the Exotic. His work being inspired by the Lists of medieval Jousting Events, other by the Luxury Pavilions of the 17th and 18th centuries, still more by the traditional tents of North Africa’s Berber People. Designing Tents and Pavilions in an ancient, exotic, sometimes fairy-tale style, stems from our need to combine our passion for distant times and places with the need to create beutiful but useful products. Over the years we have designed numerous models with the most varied shapes and sizes, but only those that have shown the best performance in terms of reliability and durability have become part of our permanent and patented collection. Every house has its own charm and identity. The purpose of our work is to harmoniously integrate with the style of each house and garden, enhancing their beauty and revealing new housing possibilities. This leads us to create new models all the time, customized in shape, size and decoration. Following the needs and desires of any customers. All however designed and built under the sign of beauty and functionality. Not only Tents and Pavilions. Our love for the outdoors leads us to design and create furnishing and accessories for terraces and gardens, treillage in wood and iron, comfortable cushions, roulons and mattresses covered in waterproof fabric, resistant to moisture and rain, customizable with stencil decorations and trimmings.

Europa Nostra is the leading citizens’ movement to protect and celebrate Europe’s cultural and natural heritage. They are the voice of all who believe that cultural heritage is vital for their economy, their society, their culture, their environment, their well-being and for the future of Europe. As Europeans – people who have lived here for generations as well as people who have newly arrived – They have to take full responsibility for transmitting this heritage in good shape to future generations. Europa Nostra acts as advocates of heritage towards policy-makers at all levels of governance, campaign to save threatened heritage sites through the 7 Most Endangered programme, and promotes excellence through the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards.

The GP Interior Design collection born from the passion and experience of Gabriele Pici, an artist-craftsman from Lecce, in Salento. Since 2000 he started working with Lecce stone in a historic local workshop. The home decor catalogue of this master of handcraft, is a showcase of unique sculptures that combine art and manual work. The artistic craftsmanship of Gabriele Pici brings to life an original interpretation of lamps, wall lights and other creations that enhances the light effects, creating a warm cocooning ambience, ideal for both classic and modern interiors’ design. "Lecce stone is versatile and easily malleable allowing me to create unique and sinuous shapes… starting from a block of stone and an idea… every sculpture is a challenge between tightness and fragility, between the stone’s static nature and its dynamic potential… in order to give new life and humanity to a material already carved by nature, the source of my inspiration. My hands become one with the block of stone I model using exclusively rasps, chisels, hammer and other traditional tools". Every creation is entirely hand-made thereby unique and by refusing the use of curving stone machines we aim at preserving authenticity and history of traditional crafts. Interiors are enriched with ivory-coloured stone masterpieces, inspired by olive trees or rocks carved by the sea and the wind; another exceptional decoration you can find in some of their creations is offered by nature itself thanks to the presence in the stone of fossils from marine fauna such as seashells, that they preserve and present as part of the GP Interior Design collection.

Giovanni Consolo è un restauratore di mobili antichi, esperto di antiquariato, con la missione di rendere l’arte del restauro semplice per tutti e d’ispirare centinaia di persone a imparare a riconoscere e restaurare con successo i propri mobili antichi. Negli ultimi anni Giovanni grazie alla condivisione d'informazioni didattiche, ha aiutato centinaia di hobbisti a ridare vita ai propri mobili di famiglia e ha fondato “Restauro che Passione“, la più grande piattaforma di formazione digitale sul restauro del mobile antico in lingua Italiana. Se sei alla ricerca di un maestro artigiano che ti aiuti ad eseguire le giuste azioni, con una corretta cronologia, per effettuare il restauro di un mobile antico di “alta qualità” e che ti dica esattamente come fare, allora Giovanni è la persona da seguire. Giovanni è partito svolgendo mansioni umili (“faceva il garzone di bottega e puliva le aree di lavoro”) fino a costruire il suo successo mattone dopo mattone, unicamente con le proprie mani. Zero aiuti, zero colpi di fortuna (anzi, molti fallimenti e notti insonni di mezzo) e nemmeno un atomo di vita lasciato al caso. Pura azione, strategia e tantissime ore di lavoro. Giovanni non accetta scuse, ed è convinto che chiunque ce la può fare, perché non importa da dove parte, ma solo ed unicamente dove vuole arrivare. Giovanni insegna solo cose pratiche. Da lui ti puoi aspettare unicamente metodi, tecniche e ricette che puoi applicare immediatamente per avere risultati fin da subito nel restauro del tuo mobile antico. Spesso ci sono teorici del settore che millantano conoscenze ed esperienze mirabolanti: li vedi di frequente sul web ad esporre concetti teorici di difficile comprensione: non trasmettono né contenuti di valore, né tecniche applicabili in laboratorio per chi sta iniziando. Giovanni invece si batte per la pratica ed insegna ogni singola cosa passo passo, in modo che le azioni derivate dalla tua formazione possano essere replicate anche nei tuoi progetti di restauro futuri. Da molti anni Giovanni si dedica a condividere ogni cosa che ha imparato nel suo lungo viaggio di conoscenza nel campo del restauro. È attivo su tutti i social con video, dirette live e contenuti esclusivi ogni giorno, ed è felice d'insegnare le tecniche che ha applicato per anni nella sua bottega ed è convinto, grazie alla sua esperienza, di poter essere il formatore giusto per tutte le persone alla ricerca di un maestro che li guidi per realizzare grandi o piccoli progetti di restauro.

As a designer of experience, Federica Piccoli focuses on the inter-connection between land, culture, food and wellbeing. Starting from the personality of the producer/locations, the sensory and emotional experiences are focused on recovering personal rhythm and perception of time and space, and on finding the starting point to fully live blissful moments. "The seven senses of wine", "Tasting ∞ Meditation", and "Esperienze immersive di degustazioni erranti" are examples of designed paths. Wine, chocolate, food and well-being is her passion. She is very active in the land of wine in Italy, from Piedmont Monferrato and Barolo down to Puglia Primitivo passing through Chianti and Montalcino in Tuscany. Federica Piccoli lived abroad for many years, these experiences made her appreciate more and more the importance of appreciating little moments of joy through high quality food and wine that she found in her homeland: Italy. She created a format for wine tasting through the cellars where the wine is produced that one must do at lest once in a lifetime.