Château Novital

Born in the heart of the Ottoman Empire (Turkey), Petros Elia was not the typical villager. Although his childhood in Taftia was modest, his thirst for knowledge led him to a European school in Urmia, Persia. When he returned home, he became a teacher. He wanted to do more for his people, the Assyrians. So […]

Taxidermist’s Castle

The castle, with its mounted creatures gazing out from countless windows, has always held a strange allure for me. They call it the “Taxidermist’s Castle,” built sometime in the 1600s. Details about its original owners are scarce, though. Their name pops up in dusty titles from the mid-1500s, a Florentine chatelaine who married a French […]