“Scrittore?” said the brown-haired girl at the desk of the pensione in Naples, with a trill of joy in her voice.

Art? What is it and what’s it for? These eternal questions kept coming up on our very artsy visit to London last week, where we took in:   Hajj: journey to the heart of Islam at the British Museum; Dickens & London at the Museum of London; the play “The Pitmen Painters” at the Duchess Theatre on Drury Lane, and even a visit to ancient Stonehenge. (2012/02/27)