Monuments

Lifestyle

A New Video Game Will Explore the Treasures of Palazzo Pitti in Florence

by Silvia Donati | Tue, 09/03/2019 - 03:00

For the first time, Palazzo Pitti in Florence, the former residence of the Medici family, becomes the setting of a video game. A murder happens within its…

Culture

A detail of the mosaics floor inside Siena's Cathedral

A Spectacle Not to Miss Inside Siena's Cathedral

by Silvia Donati | Tue, 08/20/2019 - 09:09

It’s not normally available for viewing, but for a short period between the end of summer and early fall, the magnificent inlaid marble mosaic floor of Siena’s…

Travel

Archeological site of Pompeii with view of Mount Vesuvius

Guide to Pompeii’s New Site Openings

by Silvia Donati | Tue, 08/13/2019 - 00:20

Pompeii never ceases to amaze. After the disgraceful collapses and neglect of recent years, the archeological site is breathing new life thanks to the ‘Great…

Travel

Tourist crowds sit on Spanish Steps in Rome

Sitting on Rome's Spanish Steps Is Now Forbidden

by Silvia Donati | Wed, 08/07/2019 - 10:40

[You may not see this ever again.] Tourists and residents in Rome are no longer allowed to sit on the Spanish Steps, the effect of a new set of rules…

Lifestyle

McDonald's Inside the Baths of Caracalla in Rome? Nay

by Silvia Donati | Fri, 08/02/2019 - 00:00

Italy’s Culture Ministry has halted plans for the construction of a McDonald’s restaurant inside the archeological area of Rome’s Bath of Caracalla. In the…

Culture

The cloister at the Benedictine Monastery in Catania

Earthly Pleasures and Baroque Splendor: Catania’s Benedictine Monastery

by Silvia Donati | Wed, 07/31/2019 - 09:27

If the nuns of Catania’s Benedictine Convent devoted all their time to praying, the monks of the adjacent Benedictine Monastery were said to be a bit more lax…

Culture

Day Trip from Florence: Exploring the Certosa del Galluzzo

by Jamie Mackay | Tue, 04/16/2019 - 03:46

Located just a few kilometres south of Florence, the Certosa del Galluzzo is a forgotten temple of art and architecture. More than just a monastery this vast…

Travel

First House of Emperor Nero Opens in Rome

by Silvia Donati | Tue, 04/16/2019 - 00:00

Most people may be familiar with the Domus Aurea, the sumptuous palace Emperor Nero built in the heart of ancient Rome after the Great Fire of 64 AD had…

Travel

British Tourist Caught Stealing Pieces of Mosaic at Pompeii

by Silvia Donati | Wed, 04/10/2019 - 00:00

Italian Carabinieri police detained a 20-year-old British tourist after she was caught removing the tiles of a mosaic at a house in Pompeii. The Carabinieri…

Culture

Archeological site of Largo Argentina in Rome

Largo Argentina, Site of Julius Caesar’s Assassination in Rome, Will Reopen to Public

by Silvia Donati | Tue, 02/26/2019 - 03:00

One of the oldest and most important archeological areas of Rome, Largo Argentina, will be restored and open to the public, Rome mayor Virginia Raggi announced…