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Travel tips, Food, Lifestyle, Street Art, Events and Exhibitions in Rome and all around Italy.

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St. Peter’s Dome made from a drawing by Michelangelo

Did you know? The Dome of St. Peter’s Square was made from a drawing by Michelangelo. The most famous “Er cupolone” in the world has dominated the skyline of the Roman panorama for centuries, surprising every time with its majesty. Without a doubt, the dome of St. Peter’s Square is one of the symbols of Rome. It forms the cover of the cruise of St. Peter’s basilica in the Vatican. It is one of the largest masonry roofs ever built; it has an internal diameter of about 42 meters and brings the overall height of the basilica, from the base to the top of the lantern, to over 130 meters. The dome of St. Peter’s is the symbol of the Vatican basilica. It stands at the intersection of the main nave with the transept, vertically above Bernini’s colossal Baldacchino and the access to Peter’s Tomb. The structure is supported by four colossal pillars. Its shapes, an expression of the transition from Renaissance to Baroque architecture, largely reflect the design of Michelangelo Buonarroti, who worked on it until the year of

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December 29, 2022 4:40 pm
testaccio-ground-area

The history of Testaccio district in Rome

The neighborhood develops around Monte dei Cocci, an artificial hill born from the accumulation of discarded Roman amphorae. The shards were neatly arranged in various layers; if you find yourself on the hill, know that under your feet are the remains of more than fifty million amphorae that contained oil and other commodities. The hill has a perimeter of about one kilometer and is about 50 meters high. Why were these amphorae thrown away? Did you know? It took 50 million amphorae to form the Testaccio hill: why were they thrown away? Monte Testaccio (Mons Testaceus, in Latin) is therefore an artificial hill formed by shards (testae, in Latin) and various debris, accumulated over the centuries as the residue of the transports that headed to the nearby port of Ripa grande (Emporium). The hill on which the district rests is formed by the fragments of the amphorae discarded by the nearby port which was located on the River Tiber in the imperial age. Monte Testaccio has a perimeter of about 700 meters, a maximum height of 45 meters and an

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December 16, 2022 10:22 am
circus maximus in rome

In 1939 the Circus Maximus was transformed into a gigantic seaside village

On July 26th 1939, the newspaper Luce announced the “festive opening of the seaside village at the Circus Maximus”. The area, built in the space of the gigantic and ancient stadium, was a place to relax, sunbathe and swim. The structure, born close to the ruins of the Palatine, was equipped with three large swimming pools plus various other fields, intended for sports of all kinds, as well as a whole series of useful services, with attractions and entertainment. In the area of what was the ancient Circus Maximus (the Circus Maximus of Rome or rather what remains is the largest stadium in history, the largest structure for shows built by man; it was located between the Aventine and the Palatine Hill, and had a capacity of 300,000 spectators) there were tennis, volleyball, basketball, badminton, tambourine, hit ball courts, a skating rink, plus a skating rink. Pavilions were also set up for theatrical performances and film screenings (a 2500-seat cinema theater was set up), as well as refreshment points, restaurants, bars and even salons where you could cut your beard

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December 10, 2022 1:38 pm
quirinale-rome

Roman monuments: the Quirinale, one of the largest presidential palaces in the world

Imposing, magical, in the heart of Rome, with 1,200 rooms and nearly a thousand employees, the Quirinale is one of the symbols of Italy and of the capital. It sits on the highest of the city’s seven hills, and is the official residence of our President of the Republic. Covering an area of 110,500 square meters, it is the seventh largest building in the world and is 20 times the size of the White House. Since 1583, when it was built, it has hosted 30 popes and 4 kings. And 12 presidents, including Sergio Mattarella). Imposing, magical, in the heart of Rome, it has 1,200 rooms and almost a thousand employees who not only follow the activity of the Head of State but also manage the priceless heritage made up of highly valuable tapestries, as many as 261 pieces, furniture and paintings, sculptures and historic carriages, astronomical clocks, extremely valuable books, gardens, greenhouses, chandeliers and the second largest carpet in the world. Until 2014, the residence of the President of the Italian Republic in Rome was the largest presidential palace

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December 6, 2022 3:44 pm
christmas-world-2022-roma

Christmas World opens in Rome: all the magic of Christmas around the world at Villa Borghese

After the great success of 2021 at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, Lux Eventi has announced that Christmas World, starting this year, will be organized in the most prestigious historical park in Rome, Villa Borghese. The Rockefeller Center ice rink, the illuminated Eiffel Tower, the snow-capped Bavarian houses, the lights on the Thames and Santa Claus’ village at the North Pole: the splendid park of Villa Borghese, the green jewel of monumental Rome, turns into a journey Christmas around the globe between New York, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Rome, London and the North Pole. BOOK YOUR ROME IN ONE DAY TOUR From December 3rd to January 8th in the Galoppatoio area, Christmas World will transport adults and children on a journey to discover the Christmas traditions spread all over the planet: an immersive experience in the most important and eagerly awaited celebration of the year through activities, concerts, entertainment and a Christmas parade that will take place every day in the tree-lined avenues of the most beautiful park in the capital. New York will be represented by the reproduction of the

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December 4, 2022 11:59 am

Rome had eight ports on the Tiber. Where were they?

Until the early decades of the twentieth century Rome could count on real ports, with port structures, barriers, walls and traffic that also made it possible to better regulate the regimes of flooding or not of the Biondo river. Where were these marinas, now left in old photos or ancient paintings? As reported in a nice article by Gian Carlo Pavia, there were eight Roman ports, plus three outside citizens. Let’s list them in order of size and historical-commercial importance: Ripa grande a Testaccio, di Ripetta, Tiberino, Fluviale (Emporium), Leonino, Arsenale Pontificio (Porta Portese), Moderno dell’Arsenale, Scalo De Pinedo. The main port of Rome: Ripa Grande in TestaccioStarting from the 2nd century BC. the Testaccio area at the foot of the Aventine was chosen for the construction of a new river port on the Tiber. The port of Ripa Grande was the river port of Rome where the goods that went up and were handleddescended the Tiber towards the Fiumicino landing. The construction of the walls canceled its existence and functions, keeping traces only in the toponymy. The port of

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November 29, 2022 10:32 am

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Typical Roman Dishes, The Pajata

A tasty Roman tradition between budella, milk and tomato pasta mentioned also in the film with the great Roman actor Alberto Sordi Typical dishes of Roman cuisine and cinema. The “Pajata” in “The Marquis del Grillo” by Monicelli with Alberto Sordi. Pajata is a particular and typical dish of Roman cuisine. It is part of the “frattaglie” family, in fact it concerns the soft intestine of the milk calfskin which is normally called duodenum and which contains chimney, the curled maternal milk that resembles ricotta that the calf has nourished. A classic recipe with Pajata served accompanied by Rigatoni with sautéed sauce by scaming the onion, carrot and celery, a clove of garlic. Italy Rome Tour Is Affiliated with Vatican Rome Tours The intestine is either left open to further season the sauce or sewn to the nodine. In a scene of the film “The Marquis del Grillo” by Mario Monicelli, Alberto Sordi label as “excrements” the dish, as a gut with in fact content content food in digestion. However, the definition is not exactly correct, as the duodenum is

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March 1, 2023 8:44 am

The Testaccio Carnival has medieval origin

The memory of the Testaccio carnival is linked to the Ludus Testaccie: it was a celebration of the carnival genre, the first traces of which date back to 1256, when he was Pope Alexander IV. The games lasted until 1466 and were particularly cruel: the party participants enjoyed throwing the animals from the mountain; pigs, wild boars and bulls were sacrificed which the lusores then pierced, to kill and eat them. It was a closely contested race to be the first to get hold of the beasts’ flesh. The Testaccio district develops around Monte dei Cocci, an artificial hill born from the accumulation of discarded Roman amphorae. The hill has a perimeter of about one kilometer and is about 50 meters high. The area was then used as a real landfill for the disposal of the amphorae. As Historia Regni reports, the carnival opened on Monday with a race of young people, on Tuesday the Jews ran, on Wednesday the old ones. The runners were always all naked, when there was rain, cold or mud, and this resulted in a

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February 17, 2023 9:47 am
trevi-fountain-ocean

The position of the famous “ace of Cups” of the Trevi Fountain may not be accidental

Despite the notoriety of the work, there may be village stories linked to some elements of the fountain. One would concern “the Ace of Cups”, a large travertine vase positioned on the right end of the fountain. The Trevi Fountain is certainly one of the most popular and well-known works in Rome. Today it is the destination of millions of tourists who come from all over the world and who delight in the famous rite of tossing a coin, a wish for a speedy return to the capital. For the realization of this extraordinary work it took almost thirty years and perhaps we can also understand why considering the fame enjoyed by the fountain. It was 1731 when Pope Clement XII instituted a competition for the construction of a fountain on the facade of Palazzo Poli. It seems it should have been built by a French sculptor, Lambert Sigisbert Adam, but then, due to a series of still unclear circumstances, the task was entrusted to Nicola Salvi. Some hypothesize that the papal preference was for an Italian client, others argue

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February 6, 2023 2:48 pm
Pulcino_della_Minerva

Roman monuments: the obelisk of Minerva

The ancient and particular Egyptian obelisk was brought in the imperial era: it is supported by a small elephant, very dear to the Romans. Let’s discover his curious story together. The Obelisk of Minerva (Piazza della Minerva) arrived in Rome with the obelisk of the Pantheon and that of Dogali, it was found in 1665 in the convent annexed to Santa Maria sopra Minerva and raised in front of the church in 1667 at the behest of Pope Alexander VII , according to a project conceived by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, with a baby elephant in the base. It is one of the nine Egyptian obelisks in Rome, located in the Piazza della Minerva (the square of the basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva). The obelisk is positioned on the back of a marble elephant, sculpted by Ercole Ferrata based on a design by Bernini in 1667. The whole monumental complex is also popularly known as the Pulcin della Minerva: “pulcino” in the dialect of the time stood for “porcino” , “little pig”, referring to the elephant “because of its small

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February 4, 2023 2:01 pm
rome-district-jewish

The Jewish quarter of Rome is one of the oldest in the world

The ghetto of Rome, also known as the Jewish quarter, is one of the oldest in the world and was born about 40 years after that of Venice, which historically was the first. It is located in the picturesque Sant’Angelo district, where the Tiber Island also stands. The word derives from the name of the Venetian district, gheto, where there was a foundry (precisely gheto in Venetian), where the Jews of that city were forced to reside. Another possible etymology traces the origin of this word back to the Hebrew ghet, which means separation. The area that the Romans today refer to as the “ghetto” is bordered by Via Arenula, Via dei Falegnami, Via de’ Funari, Via della Tribuna di Campitelli, Via del Portico d’Ottavia and Lungotevere de’ Cenci. The historic ghetto was, on the other hand, much smaller and more or less located between the current via del Portico d’Ottavia, piazza delle Cinque Scole and the Tiber. On July 12, 1555, Pope Paul IV revoked all the rights granted to Roman Jews and ordered the establishment of the ghetto,

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February 2, 2023 12:29 pm
roman-sweets

Typical Roman sweets. The “Drunkards” of the Castelli

Most of the recipes of Roman cuisine originate from peasant culture. Ciambellette al vino are a dessert typical of the castles of the province of Rome in Lazio and date back to the customs of the ancient Lazio countryside. It was prepared with makeshift ingredients by very poor families, and then became very popular thanks to the lucky flavor, enriched by the pungent taste of the wine. In the Lazio region there are several variations, including the one that involves the use of the must, which returns a sweeter flavor or the use of citrus fruits, cinnamon or fennel seeds. They tend to be consumed throughout the year, generally at the end of lunch or dinner, but there are those who do not mind having them for breakfast, especially during the Christmas holidays. To prepare them you need flour, baking powder, granulated sugar for the dough and covering, seed oil (someone uses olive oil) and wine which can be either red or white. The flour and sugar are mixed with the wine and the oil and then the yeast is

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January 24, 2023 10:51 am