Postcards: Village bin man helped unearth ancient bronze statues in Tuscany
ALVISE ARMELLINI, of Reuters, reports on a new exhibition opening in Rome’s Quirinale Palace later this month…
Beyond the Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums says “we are much more”
Vatican CityReuters Barbara Jatta, the first woman to head the Vatican Museums, wants visitors to avoid being suffocated by the crowds and take in the lesser-known – but spectacular – attractions she helps to oversee. The Vatican Museums, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that closed or limited openings during the COVID-19 pandemic, have almost returned […]
Ancient Knights of Malta get their first non-aristocratic head
Rome, Italy AP A Canadian lawyer who found his vocation caring for AIDS patients in Harlem was elected the grand master of the Knights of Malta on Wednesday, the first non-European and first non-aristocratic head of the ancient lay Catholic order that provides humanitarian aid around the world. John Dunlap, 66, was elected by an […]
Vatican: Pope OK to leave hospital, has pizza, baptises baby
Rome, Italy AP Pope Francis has been cleared by doctors for discharge on Saturday from the Rome hospital where he was treated for bronchitis, the Vatican said, adding that the pontiff had pizza one evening with medical staff and baptized a baby in the pediatrics ward. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, in one of several updates […]
Posters near Vatican urge Pope to stop Latin Mass crackdown
Rome, Italy AP Posters calling on Pope Francis to stop his crackdown on the old Latin Mass were plastered near the Vatican on Tuesday, in the latest display of conservative opposition to the pontiff. The posters featured images of Pope Benedict XVI and St John Paul II and quoted from their texts speaking positively about the old […]
Roman sewer works reveal statue of emperor posing as Hercules
Rome, Italy Reuters A life-sized statue of a Roman emperor posing as the classical hero Hercules has been discovered during sewer repair works near the Appia Antica (Appian Way), ancient Rome’s first highway. It emerged, face first, as a bulldozer was tearing through old pipelines that needed replacing. An archaeologist overseeing the work immediately intervened. […]
Italy hails “exceptional” discovery of ancient bronze statues in Tuscany
Rome, ItalyReuters Archaeologists in Italy have uncovered more than two dozen beautifully preserved bronze statues dating back to ancient Roman times in thermal baths in Tuscany, in what experts are hailing as a sensational find. The statues were discovered in San Casciano dei Bagni, a hilltop town in the Siena province, about 160 kilometres north […]
Mussolini’s ghost clings to Rome, 100 years after power grab
Rome, ItalyReuters One hundred years after Benito Mussolini grabbed power in Rome, his photograph still hangs in the prime minister’s official residence, striking evidence that Italy has yet to shake off its fascist legacy. While Germany systematically scrubbed clean any symbols of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime after World War II, Italians took a much less […]
Bono and the Pope harmonise on climate change, girls’ education
Rome, ItalyReuters They didn’t sing together but U2 frontman Bono and Pope Francis were in harmony about their concern for the planet and the power of women to change the world when they met in Rome on Thursday. Bono, 62, and the 85-year-Pope shared star billing at an event organised by Scholas Occurrentes, a worldwide […]
Wall drawings in Rome church recall secret refuge of Jews, anti-Fascists
Rome, ItalyReuters The church of San Gioacchino in Rome is full of frescoes, mosaics, and intricate stained glass windows, but perhaps its real masterpieces are charcoal wall drawings hidden away in its attic. The drawings were done by one of 35 men – including Jews, anti-Fascist Christians, and military defectors – who were hidden in […]