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The clash of swords, cheers and jeers of seventh-graders, and the clapped percussion of the 1977 Queen song “We Will Rock You” filled the social studies classroom during the recent Lowell Middle School-style Gladiator Games. Minutes earlier, teacher Drew Struckmeyer had entered the arena, or, to be literal, the space inside a circle of tables at wh...

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Italy remains one of the most sought-after cultural destinations in the world, with its cities of art continuing to attract increasing attention from global tourists. This is highlighted in the 2025 Cultural Tourism Report, which offers a comprehensive analysis of the cultural tourism trends in Italy, utilizing Artificial Intelligence, Machine Lear...

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Workers were hardly surprised when they stumbled upon ancient ruins in the Italian town of Rimini in 1989. Now a popular tourist destination along the Adriatic coast, Rimini—or Ariminum in ancient times—had been a major Roman town for centuries, and the modern city is strewn with monuments from that period. What the workers found that spring day, h...

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The Jubilee in Rome is one of the most significant religious events in the world. The opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican marks the beginning of a deeply meaningful year for the Catholic Church. Rome eagerly embraces this occasion, celebrating the arrival of visitors from all corners of the world and sharing its rich his...

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From Isabella Rossellini to Léa Seydoux, from Alfonso Cuaron to Olivier Assayas, a long list of renowned directors and actors have signed an appeal launched by Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Jane Campion, Wes Anderson and Ari Aster urging President Sergio Mattarella and Premier Giorgia Meloni to prevent movie theatres that have been shut do...

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In Rome there is a deeply cultured, extremely deep-rooted, too hidden, almost secret Design. It is the Design of the theatrical and film tailors of the Urbe, who for decades have been producing garments of extraordinary beauty for the productions of the national and international audiovisual industry. One reality that represents a flagship of this...

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In May 2023, on a regional train from Naples to Pompeii, I was reading a memoir by an American woman. She'd moved to Naples for an internship, met the love of her life, and, despite regularly indulging in ragù and sfogliatella (a sweet pastry), had somehow lost 20 pounds. Lucky her, I thought with admiration and slight envy. I, on the other hand, f...

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At its zenith during the 2nd century AD, the Roman Empire was a vast and diverse entity, encompassing territories across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East; estimates suggest that its population ranged from approximately 59 to 76 million people, with some studies proposing numbers as high as 100 million. The city of Rome itself was a bustlin...

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On December 24, Pope Francis opened the first Holy Door in St. Peter's Basilica, inaugurating the Jubilee. This door, bearing 15 bas-relief panels recounting the story of man's redemption, is the most symbolic, marking the launch of the Jubilees since the year 1500. Rome also offers four other holy doors: those of the three other major basilicas...

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Rome is on a lot of people’s minds this year. That’s because 2025 is a Jubilee year, a Holy Year for Catholics that takes place every quarter of a century. Millions of Catholics from every corner of the planet will be making a pilgrimage to the Eternal City (and, of course, Vatican City) to show their devotion and piety. One of the Jubilee traditio...

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