Context brings the brightest minds to your living room with perspective-shifting online lectures.
Edinburgh: a Historic Scottish Capital with Irene Mariani
Irene specialised in Italian Renaissance Art and her doctoral thesis looked at the artistic patronage of the Vespucci family in fifteenth-century Florence. She was an intern at the Queen's Gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse and collaborated with the Education Department of the National Galleries of Scotland. Irene currently teaches History of Art at the University of Edinburgh. Edinburgh stole her heart and it is now her second home.
This conversation is suitable for all ages.
90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.
While it was somewhat strange hearing about Edinburgh from someone with an Italian accent, Irene Mariani did a lovely job of presenting the old and new sections of Edinburgh. She was very knowledgeable, and her presentation included helpful maps and videos. Irene definitely helped round out my itinerary for a upcoming trip.
We’ve come to assume that Dr. Mariano’s Scottish lecture would be entertaining and informative—full of her charming insights. But this tour of Edinburgh was a holiday present 🎁 that exceeded our expectation. Surely Dr. M lived in Edinburgh in another lifetime in which she encountered secret passageways, cryptic coding in brass cobblestones and her fair share of witches and kings. She really dug into (no pun intended) the history of cemetery lore and medical shenanigans in a way that was serious and scholarly. Her suggestion for off the beaten track exploration were excellent. She is an artist with a camera—enhancing her observations with stunning color images. All her visual images and maps are so helpful. At the same time, she added her trademark bibliography of books and films that will carry us through the winter nights. Always a treat to welcome her ZOOM into our livingroom!
Irene Mariani packs a wonderful history of Edinburgh into 60 minutes that go by in a flash. Very entertaining you will understand the city and its charm much better after listening to her talk!
I loved this historical, religious and artistic perspective on the city. We are planning to visit this summer and feel confident we’ll be able to navigate the city and understand what sights to highlight and visit. Thanks also for the titles of books, movies and other resources that will enrich our experience even before we arrive. Slides were beautiful!
I lived in Scotland for 4 wonderful years, and watched this presentation with a big grin on my face! She picked great highlights of this wonderful city to focus on. Great visuals and good information. So glad she spoke of the Fringe Festival--it is a must do!