San Paolo Fuori Le Mura, known in English as Saint Paul Outside the Walls, is one of the most important churches in Rome. It houses the shrine of Saint Paul. Along with St. Peter’s, San Giovanni in Laterano, and Santa Maria Maggiore, San Paolo is one of Catholicism’s four patriarchal basilicas. Each of the four…
Just in time for late spring and summer romps around Italy comes the reissue of Edith Wharton’s 1904 landscaping classic Italian Villas and Their Gardens.
You can eat well just about anywhere in Italy. But Italians know that Italy’s culinary heart lies in Emilia-Romagna. Lasagna, tortellini, premium balsamic vinegar from Modena, Parma ham, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, mortadella — all of these scrumptious items (and more) come from Emilia-Romagna. That’s why epicures who want to get the most out of a visit to…
Update: Admission to the Roman Forum is included in the combined ticket for the Parco Colosseo Archeological Area Well, it was fun while it lasted. According to the folks at Dream of Italy and Tony Polzer from 3 Milennia Tours, the Roman Forum will begin to charge admission as of March 9th. Tony lays out…
This one comes from the U.K.’s Italy Magazine, which tells us that the Corleone villa of former Mafia boss Salvatore Riina has been turned into farmstay housing, a.k.a., an agriturismo. The Pio La Torre Cooperative, named for a martyred anti-Mafia activist, belonged to Riina before it was seized by the State after his 1993 capture….
So, you’ve made it all the way to Rome but wish your vacation time allowed you to visit the other UNESCO Heritage Sites in Italy? Have no fear! According to the U.K.’s Italy Magazine, an exhibit of 120 photographs of Italy’s heritage sites will be on display at the Central National Library. The exhibition will…
In case you missed it yesterday, WAMU-NPR’s Diane Rehm hosted a one-hour book talk on The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. If you need a refresher on this classic, want to hear new perspectives, or simply are interested in learning more about this “classic treatise on leadership and power,” you can listen to the show above…
Part 2 of 20 Things We Love About Italy includes travel ideas for the regions of Molise, Piemonte, Puglia, Sardinia, Sicily, Trentino Alto Adige, Tuscany, Umbria, Valle d’Aosta, and Veneto.
Part 1 of 20 Things We Love About Italy includes travel ideas for the regions of Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Le Marche, Liguria, and Lombardy.
Now that we’ve entered the Holy Season, tourism to Rome is going to start heating up again quite quickly. Of course, you can follow the pilgrimage throngs around the Lenten Station circuit. Or, you can travel outside the city walls to check out the Via Appia Antica. David Farley’s one-day itinerary along the ancient road…
If you believe the legend that Rome was founded more than 2,000 years ago by the twins Romulus and Remus, then the news that scientists have found the Lupercale, the cave where a she-wolf suckled the pair, will surely astonish you. According to Reuters, archeologists restoring the ancient Palace of Augustus on the Palatine hill…
You can blame my postman for me being a little slow on reporting about the excellent Rome-related book reviews in the October 11th issue of the New York Review of Books. When I happened upon Ingrid Rowland’s review of four books – Rome from the Ground Up; The Seven Hills of Rome: A Geographical Tour…
Rome has several city pass options, but the best known—and most popular—is the Roma Pass. The 48-hour Roma Pass entitles the holder to “free” entry to one museum, while the 72-hour Roma Pass entitles the holder entry to two museums. Additionally, the Roma Pass offers reduced rates to other museums, access to all public transport,…
Today the world mourns the passing of a titan of music. Luciano Pavarotti, the man who introduced opera to a wider audience than any other before him, lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on 6 September 2007. He was 71. There are many tributes on the web, including a Life in Pictures on bbc.com, reaction…
Olive oil “fraud” in Italy is rampant. In fact, tons of so-called “extra virgin olive oil” is made from “illegal importations of seed oil and cheap olive oil from outside the E.U.” In the most recent New Yorker, Tom Mueller discusses the increasingly corrupt business that has become the olive oil trade. In 1997 and…
The event of the year for 2007. Valentino exhibit features 45 years of designer fashion in Rome’s newly open Ara Pacis Museum.
Today’s tip from Fodor’s looks at the best driving tours in Italy. They include the Via Aurelia, the Grande Strade delle Dolomiti, and – my favorite – the S222 through Tuscany, also known as the Via Chiantigiana. I’m certain there are more than just three drives in Italy that will make your jaws drop….
Rome Reborn, a digital model of Rome within the Aurelian Walls, is one of the most comprehensive representations of the ancient city ever assembled.