Estate of the Artist

Where to go and what to know

Wagner made very sure people would pay attention to the meaning of the opera he called his 'farewell to the world', by decreeing that it should only be performed, like a sacred ritual, in his theatre in Bayreuth. And though it was conceived as – and undoubtedly is – a paean to peace and reconciliation, it has sowed remarkable discord among the cognoscenti.

A dagger, an eye relic and a fork are among the subjects of a new BBC series which will examine the turbulent lives of the Bard's original audience.

Irish police puzzled by latest in series of bizarre thefts of religious artefacts from churches

The master of whimsy wears his art-school credentials on his sleeve, but his ideas feel derivative and the jokes wear thin

Starring: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo

Rowers dressed as Father Christmas escort a gondola ferrying a live nativity scene from St Mark's Basilica to the island of San Giorgio in Venice yesterday.

A Turkish bishop adopted by an Italian port is an inspiration for shoppers.

Italian government scientists have claimed to have discovered evidence that a supernatural event formed the image on the Turin Shroud, believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ.

US auction house expects bids in excess of $300,00 as memorabilia attracts new wave of buyers

City Slicker: Durham - The city is celebrating 25 years on the Unesco World Heritage list. Sarah Barrell offers ideas for new and returning visitors

Mobile technology has transformed journalism – and besides enabling phone hacking, it has also erased the status of that once-prized possession, the contacts book