Posts about Context Foundation
At Context, our philosophy has always been about promoting and protecting the cultural heritage in each of the cities in which we operate. This heritage most familiarly comes in the form of monumental sites such as the Colosseum or iconic topics such Gothic architecture in Paris. But it also exists in smaller, sometimes more interesting, off the beaten path sites such as the Croton Aqueduct in New York or topics such as Thomas Jefferson’s time in Paris. Very often, however, these less well known aspects of a city’s heritage can be overlooked by enthusiastic visitors and busy locals.
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Posted by Carolyn | This post has no comments
January 31st, 2012 under Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Boston, Context Foundation, Culture, Edinburgh, Florence, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Naples, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, Rome, Venice, Washington.
Context began as a protest. I love travel. But, to be honest, I hate the travel industry, which is one of the most old fashioned, backwards, and inefficient industries in the world. But, more to the point, I hate the travel industry because of its continual drive to the bottom: Mass tourism, with huge groups that spend 5 minutes in front of a monument, erects a barrier between the visitor and the destination and runs like a bulldozer over the true character of place. I love history, culture, art, and the heady experience of immersing myself in a place. Our walking seminars inspire me; bus tours and cruises make me sick.
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Posted by Paul Bennett | This post has one comment
January 22nd, 2012 under Context Foundation, Context Travel, Travel News.
Today is my final day in Rome. The experience is bitter sweet because I have grown to really love this place, but it is time to go back home. My last day was started with a walk in the Pigneto neighborhood with my final docent Jessica. This walk was focused on, in my opinion, the most diverse part of the city. Read more »
Posted by Trevon | This post has 13 comments
March 21st, 2011 under Archaeology, Context Foundation, History, Rome.
As Rome fell to the invasions of barbarians, Romans in northeastern Italy fled to a group of marshy islands in a lagoon on the coast. This island acted as a natural defense against invasion for the people who would eventually develop what is now Venice. It was also the perfect location to develop a trading state. Read more »
Posted by Trevon | This post has 5 comments
March 20th, 2011 under Context Foundation, History, Venice.
Today we woke up super early to catch our train to the city of Venezia. I fell asleep on the three hour train ride and as I got off the train I was basically sleep walking. As I walked in to the Fascist built train station, I stumbled upon a beautiful view of the Grand Canal – that woke me right up. I always thought that everyone was over exaggerating about the lack of streets, but the streets really are waterways. I literally haven’t seen a car since I’ve been here. Since I have been in Rome the past five days, it feels like home, and being in this strange city with canals for streets is quite foreign.
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Posted by Trevon | This post has 9 comments
March 19th, 2011 under Context Foundation, Culture, History, Venice.
As my docent Tom said, “There is no Fascist architecture, it’s just architecture during the Fascist period.” The Fascist period in Italy was between 1922 and 1942 when Benito Mussolini was the dictator. It was a time of war and conquest and most importantly totalitarianism. Mussolini’s dream was to create a modern day Roman Empire or “Third Empire” as he called it. This meant taking over other countries and extending Rome to the coast of southern Italy. Read more »
Posted by Trevon | This post has 4 comments
March 19th, 2011 under Architecture, Context Foundation, Rome.
Imagine being in the oldest building in your city that you walk past everyday because it’s not modern. Now imagine not only going in that building but going under it. While you’re under there it feels very cryptic and it’s so cold you can see your own breath when you breathe out. This is what I felt earlier today as I experienced the highlight of my trip the underground Rome. Read more »
Posted by Trevon | This post has 6 comments
March 18th, 2011 under Archaeology, Context Foundation, Rome.
Three words – Vatican All Day! My day was filled with golden arches, beautiful frescoes, and 10 foot tall sculptures. This describes the largest church in the world – Saint Peter’s Basilica. The road that leads up to the Basilica is like curtains unveiling the masterpiece. Built by Mussolini in the 1930’s this road is full of Fascist buildings and pillars that make for a good perspective picture, but most importantly, it makes St. Peter’s Square the main attraction. As we entered the Basilica I was automatically awe stricken by the size of this building. Huge doesn’t do it quite enough justice because even the words on the front of the church are over seven feet tall. Read more »
Posted by Trevon | This post has 8 comments
March 17th, 2011 under Art, Context Foundation, Culture, Rome.
Today was just as exhausting as yesterday, but also just as fun. We started our journey at Via de Quirinale which is a part of town where most of the government buildings are and where most of the famous Baroque churches by none other than Bernini and Borromini are located. Read more »
Posted by Trevon | This post has 8 comments
March 17th, 2011 under Architecture, Art, Context Foundation, Rome.
The only way I can describe today is overwhelming. We woke up with the sun and headed to the paragon of all arenas, the Colosseum. Read more »
Posted by Trevon | This post has 12 comments
March 15th, 2011 under Context Foundation, Culture, Rome.
At Context, our philosophy has always been about promoting and protecting the cultural heritage in each of the cities in which we operate. This heritage most familiarly comes in the form of monumental sites such as the Colosseum or iconic topics such Gothic architecture in Paris. But it also exists in smaller, sometimes more interesting, off the beaten path sites such as the Croton Aqueduct in New York or topics such as Thomas Jefferson’s time in Paris. Very often, however, these less well known aspects of a city’s heritage can be overlooked by enthusiastic visitors and busy locals.
