Eurofile

The Holy City was extracting money from tourists even when Mark Twain visited in 1867

Forget Die Hard. Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is the perfect Christmas movie

In 1975, Britain was mired in economic misery – but the nation’s most terrifying cook was determined that everyone should still eat well

They’re sexless, weightless and aerodynamically impossible – and have become mirrors for our hopes and fears

A new nativity display in the centre of Brussels is so widely detested that it might have to be taken down early

Our writers on their cultural highlights of the year

The Golden Flake Tavern, Greggs’ new pub, brings colas (and beers) to Newcastle

The president’s social media messages about the murdered director reveal him as a humourless, bitter bigot

The Room in the Tower is his eighth festive special for the BBC: long may he continue

IMDb’s breakout star of 2025 is charming, gifted and takes no nonsense

Back in Berlin 24 years after their 9/11 gig, the band’s blistering paranoia is still in very much in evidence

Lacking roots doesn’t mean lacking ties, and people will always matter more than places do

What triggers haplology – why do speakers omit whole syllables?

The clarity of emotion she expressed over strings and a rhythm and blues beat came as naturally to her as breathing

Genetic screening of prospective pets to deduce behavioural traits can’t tell you much about your dog’s personality

In Barcelona, key sites from the fight against Franco remain, but their memory has been wiped clean

The Swiss want their unique singing tradition to be given prized status as part of the world’s cultural heritage – but some nations are struggling to join in

A speedy stop at Bouillon Chartier is exemplary value at just over 15 euros

He was a master of misery who sometimes argued it was better never to have been born. But his love of the flute suggests the philosopher wasn’t all gloom

An extraordinary Florence show brings together the friar-artist’s sacred visions and the Medici politics that shaped them

A hit job on Keir Starmer does no one any favours – but shows how the party’s old grievances have led to its failure in power

One restaurant in Bari has done the unthinkable. And it’s not about the money

In Margate, the woman who is arguably Britain’s greatest artist takes on the elements – and wins

The movement may have exploded 50 years ago with the Sex Pistols, but the fuse was lit by rebels way back in history

The suave star once tested himself by working with prestige directors. Now he’s phoning it in in fluff like Jay Kelly

In Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly, it is Sandler who steals the show with his best performance since Uncut Gems (2019)

The last time the world got over-excited about a new technology, people lost a lot of money - and ended up looking pretty stupid. The AI bubble risks being just the same

In fact, it’s a total abomination, dreamed up by the company’s marketing department as a way of appealing to your inner narcissist

Human baptisms may be down, but pet blessings in Britain’s churches are up

The journalist who had an affair with RFK Jr while profiling him writes beautifully. But letting a vaccine-sceptic loon off the hook is inexcusable

I’ll go out of my way to watch stuff I’m sure won’t be my thing, just because finding common ground is pleasant – even if it’s friendly disagreement