Tartan Tales: Stories from Historic Scottish Houses

From the Roman Emperor Diocletian’s palace in Croatia to Culzean Castle on the Ayrshire coast, a masterpiece by Robert Adam, Scotland’s greatest architect, historian and raconteur Curt DiCamillo leads a romping, fascinating tour through Scottish history using architecture and great houses as his guide.

Some tales are about eccentric owners, like the 3rd Marquess of Bute, who built Mount Stuart, a massive 19th century Gothic revival masterpiece on a remote Scottish island, while other stories highlight fabulous houses still in private hands, including Glamis Castle, the ancestral home of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and Drumlanrig Castle, owned by the Duke of Buccleuch and home to the only Leonardo Da Vinci oil painting in the world in private hands.

With appearances by Dwight Eisenhower, Rudolf Hess, Macbeth, the Roman Pantheon, and Rugby School, among others, this wide-ranging lecture paints a rich story of Scotland that leaves you breathless. Kidnappings, bloody battles, and cannibalism – these, together with glittering silver, timeless portraits, and some of the world’s finest Chippendale furniture, all play parts in this fast-paced and unique compilation of Scottish history. Only Scotland could offer such a tale!

If you’d like to see a virtual presentation on YouTube that Curt gave of this lecture in April of 2021 for the New England Historic Genealogical Society, click here.