This dates back to the summer of 2009, when I was in the first year of my PhD.
I had attended a summer school held at Bertinoro, Italy (a week devoted to series of interesting lectures and workshops). What you see in the picture above is the lecture room decorated with frescos - that are at least a few centuries old. I was thoroughly impressed with the level of maintenance; the colors looked fresh as ever.
The venue was located atop a hill, which provided a delightful view of the landscape.
Bertinoro was known for its hospitality, and the stone column shown below stands testimony to this. It is located close to the chain of cafes in the town, and the history says that it was erected by nobles back in the 14th century. The rings on the column belong to different households. A traveller would simply fasten his horse on one of those, and be offered hospitality by the family that owned it. Impressive, I felt.
