The Candlelit Historian

Calm history for sleep

The Candlelit Historian makes long, slow history documentaries for falling asleep to: two to three hours of real history, told in order, with named places, dates and a full list of sources for every episode.

Subscribe on YouTubeHow it's made

Episodes

The History of Venice: Doges, Gondolas and Golden Domes

The story of Venice as a calm narrated history for sleep: the lagoon, Torcello, the doges, Saint Mark's, Marco Polo, Murano glass and Burano lace.

2 h 25 min

A Day in Ancient Rome: What Romans Did from Dawn to Night

Follow Gaius, a composite Roman copyist, through one day in Rome around AD 115 under Trajan, from dawn to night. A calm narrated history for sleep.

2 h 02 min

The History of Lake Garda: Poets, Castles and Galleys

A calm narrated history for sleep of Lake Garda: glaciers, Roman poets, Della Scala castles, Venice's galleys over the mountains and Goethe in 1786.

2 h 06 min

Lake Como and Lake Maggiore: Villas, Saints and Steamboats

A calm narrated history for sleep of Lake Como, Lake Maggiore and Lake Varese: pile-dwellers, Pliny, the Borromean Islands, silk and steamboats.

2 h 19 min

The History of Friuli: Aquileia, Venzone, Polcenigo and Barcis

A slow, calm narrated history for sleep: Roman Aquileia and its mosaic floor, walled Venzone, the Gorgazzo spring at Polcenigo and the lake of Barcis.

2 h 26 min

Life on Lake Garda, 1800–1918: Lemon Houses and Steamboats

A calm narrated history for sleep of life on Lake Garda, 1800–1918: lemon houses, fishermen, steamboats, an Austrian border and winter resorts.

2 h 25 min

A new calm history every Tuesday and Friday

Put it on, dim the lights and let the story carry you. Subscribe on YouTube and the next evening is ready when you are.

Subscribe on YouTube
A new calm history every Tuesday and FridaySubscribe