Exploring the villages of Sabina north of Rome
The villages in the Sabine hills north of Rome are rich in history and culture.
Where is Sabina and what is it best known for? For many people who live in Rome it is an area they have heard of but ne...
The Myth of San Michele on the Isle of Capri
The dream house of a legendary Swedish doctor and a secret love affair on the island of Capri.A little over a century ago, The Story of San Michele by Swedish doctor Axel Munthe was a runaway best sel...
Where have ancient Rome's buildings gone?
Over the millennia, imperial Rome's splendid buildings have been damaged, plundered, redesigned and then recycled into the fabric of the modern city.
Ruins and artefacts re-emerging is, Rome being Ro...
Dealing with red tape in Italy
Guide to help expats navigate their way through Italian bureaucracy.
Many expats protest about bureaucracy in Italy, but let’s be fair: this scourge exists in every society. And as more and more form...
Villa of Livia: Rome’s very first First Lady
Everything in the Garden's Lovely: Discovering Empress Livia’s country retreat in Rome.
Twenty-year-old Livia Druscilla must have considered herself lucky. Born in 58 BC into a wealthy noble Roman fa...
United Nations holds exhibition by refugee artists at Venice Biennale
Rothko in Lampedusa. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees offered five young refugee artists a residency in Venice during May to coincide with the Biennale.
Barca Nostra lies at the far...
Top international athletes converge in Rome for the 2019 edition of Italy’s annual track and field event.
The world’s fastest and strongest athletes will return to light up the Eternal City as the 39...
The unique heritage of Herculaneum
Herculaneum is less well-known than Pompeii but in many ways it offers a more complete visitor experience.One hot summer day in 79 AD, 300 terrified citizens of the seaside town of Herculaneum fled to...
The Colosseum hosts the Severans
An exhibition at the Colosseum traces the Roman empire's “last period of greatness” under the 40-year reign of the Severans.
A new exhibition at the Colosseum pays tribute to the Severans, Rome’s fou...
75th anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino
75th anniversary of one of the bloodiest battles of world war two.Driving past Monte Cassino many years ago with the late Mark Pluciennik, professor at Leicester University, and one of the most cerebr...
The social commentary in the rhymes of Trilussa still rings true in Rome today.“But he’s famous!” goes a voice outside a bar in Trastevere. A footballer? Politician? Big Brother contestant? Film star?...
Mainly a defence against barbarians and invaders, Rome's Aurelian Walls were also a pragmatic part of daily life.
For most visitors, Rome’s museums mean paintings and statues, more statues, more pain...
2019 Italian Open Tennis in Rome
The Rome Masters tennis tournament returns to the Foro Italico in May 2019.
Fashion, food and high-octane sport once again blend together under the late spring sunshine as the Italian Open tennis ret...
When the highest notes arise from the deepest sighs: the tragic story of Italy's castrate singers.
“Alessandro Moreschi Angelo di Roma, Cantore nella Capella Sistina 1858-1922” reads a tomb on the up...
Luke Wadding and his Rome legacy
The Irish founder of St Isidore's College arrived in Rome 400 years ago.
Luke Wadding, an Irish Franciscan priest, arrived in Rome on 17 December 1618. He came as theological adviser to a royal deleg...
