New Campaigns

Few Emperors are given the luxury to settle peacefully in their capital and live the uninterrupted home life ... [it's just not that kind of gig]. 

Many are the princes of old who have taken to the road to attend to some far-flung corner of their dominion, either willingly or reluctantly. Like the great Marcus Aurelius or Constantine, it is the lot of some, to ever rule from the saddle ... 

[Packing up for the new campaign]

An Emperor's life cannot be one of slumber. To maintain the glory of one's rule,  a degree of imperial will and vigour must be applied. 

And so it is that this ruler finds himself heading on campaign again ... albeit unforeseen, but with a degree of excitement and with memories of past glories, to enthuse the imperial progress. 

The journey promises to be long and the campaigning hard - for one slightly set in his ways. 

But the rewards are there to be had and fresh chapters of the imperial annals, beckon to be written.  

Loch Earn Scotland

Just another Scottish heatwave ... (If it doesn't cool down soon, I might move to Australia)

On a recent tour of the Highlands the Emperor was fortunate to stop by the sun-drenched shores of Loch Earn - looking very good indeed.

How Much for an Ice cream?

Shocked by the tourist prices around the centre of Florence, the Emperor was nevertheless greatly impressed to see Caravaggio's iconic Medusa. 

A fearsome and terrible image of visceral rage.  

(The good lady herself had obviously just paid for an ice cream) 

Lucca

The massive and exquisitely complete renaissance walls of Lucca (Italy) provide a beautifully impressive backdrop to any walk around this Tuscan jewel. (Only Ferrara in the east can rival an ancient defensive circuit of this period - larger but not as complete in its surviving heritage)

 
A long-term favourite with the emperor (my 5th visit and counting), Lucca will always be the dream place for an idyllic and imagined retirement.

Guarded by emblematic lions, this ancient, sleepy old Republic, offers a true haven of great charm. Both in and out of season it has so much history and beauty to offer.

The Luchesse skyline: ancient, rustic, grand and chaotic. 

An Imperial Journey.

As was well appreciated by my imperial Roman forefathers, there are times when an emperor is compelled to travel from the centre of his administration to survey the extent of his domains and meet with his most loyal subjects in the provinces.

That fact was well understood by previous rulers such as Caligula, Claudius and Nero who all took formal jaunts to the provinces and even fringes of empire; travelling with their imperial retinues to meet the troops and letting the people see their divine ruler. Well, its only fair on the people.

With this in mind, I have made the decision to make such a journey back to where it all began to the spiritual and political home of my Latin ancestors. All roads lead to Roma as they say and I have phoned the imperial travel agent and booked my ticket - I'm traveling patrician class!

My retinue is small and my means are modest, but I look forward to re-visiting the historical foundations of my Roman heritage. The seven hills of Roma beckon ...