Category: Rome

Also known as the Eternal City, Rome is the capital of Italy, its largest city, and home to landmarks like the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Trevi Fountain.

This is also where you will find Vatican City, also known as the Holy See. Completely surrounded by the Italian capital, Vatican City is where you can visit St. Peter’s Basilica and see Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel.

  • A Peaceful Oasis: Rome’s Protestant Cemetery

    Rome’s leafy Protestant Cemetery is the final resting place for Keats, Shelley, and Gramsci.

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    Protestant Cemetery, Rome
  • A Snowy ‘Staycation’ in Rome

    Skiing and sledding within a tank of gas from Rome.

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    snow covered mountain under blue sky during daytime
  • The Pontines, Perhaps

    Unlike Greece, Italy isn’t a land of islands. Sure, there’s Sicily, Capri, and the Tuscan Archipelago, which includes Elba. But there is also a small set of islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea between Rome and Naples that, according to Guy Dinmore of The Financial Times, “offer a safer and saner way to travel” for those…

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  • Walking Via Giulia

    Rome’s famous Renaissance street, Via Giulia, is celebrating its 500th anniversary this year. And, the New York Times‘ Elisabeth Rosenthal provides the history and descriptions of the streets’ sites in her article A Stroll in Rome With a Papal Pedigree. Usually an unharried street, Via Giulia is set to be quite busy this year with…

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  • Beaches of Lazio: The Best Beaches Near Rome

    Many travelers who visit Rome in the summer often forget that the beaches of the Tyrrhenian Sea are as close as half an hour away. The region of Lazio has many beautiful beaches up and down its 360 km/224 mi coastline, some of which are ideal for a day trip from Rome while others merit…

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    Cliffs near Sperlonga
  • Bringing Home the Best from Italy

      It’s one thing to go to Italy and bring back photos, cheap souvenirs, and designer clothing that you could have bought at just about any department store or outlet. It’s quite another to bring back items that Italy is known for – quality leather, handmade paper, artisan chocolate, etc. That’s why I really like…

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  • Papal Basilicas of Rome: St. John Lateran

    San Giovanni in Laterano (St. John Lateran) is the basilica dedicated to the Bishop of Rome, better known as the Pope. It is where the Pope delivers his Holy Week address on Holy Thursday. This massive church not far from the Colosseum is one of four ancient papal basilicas along with St. Peter’s, Saint Paul Outside…

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    Saint John Lateran in Rome
  • Papal Basilicas of Rome: Santa Maria Maggiore (Photos)

    Santa Maria Maggiore, known in English as St. Mary Major, is one of the four papal basilicas in Rome along with San Giovanni in Laterano, San Paolo Fuori Le Mura, and St. Peter’s Basilica. It is located on the Esquilino, one of seven hills of Rome. The largest church in Rome dedicated to the Virgin…

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    Santa Maria Maggiore