“Watch out for that bat behind you,” warned Luca Messina, a civil engineer who moonlights as a speleo-archaeologist with Sotterranei di Roma, Undergrounds of Rome, a local group whose members explore the darkest recesses of the Eternal City. I ducked as the winged mammal swooped past my ear, then flitted beyond the beam of my headlamp and disappear...

With his sly smile, the rolled “R” typical of the old Roman dialect, his contagious laughter, and that glimmer of mockery in his blue eyes, Alberto Sordi was an extroverted and social actor, yet extremely protective of his private life. He was often painted as a stingy man, but that was just idle gossip. Sordi, a lover of simple cuisine— especially...

Papa Leone XIV, il primo papa italoamericano Nuovi Consolati onorari italiani a Boise Idaho e a Cleveland Ohio Due nuovi collegamenti aerei inaugurati tra Italia e Stati Uniti: Roma-Denver e Napoli-Chicago  Il successo straordinario di Nonnas, il nuovo film di Netflix  La statua di Colombo rimossa da New Haven, Connecticut, trova finalmente una ca...

Early projections following the Conclave suggest that the first American Pope could become a major economic driver for Rome. Tourism—a critical pillar of the Eternal City’s economy—could see its GDP contribution rise by as much as 6%, according to the hospitality sector. Pope Leo XIV is expected to be a major draw for U.S. travelers planning a Euro...

NIAF (National Italian American Foundation) is the most important organization representing the Italian American community, and this year it celebrates its 50th anniversary. 2025 is also a year of change for its Chairman of the Board, and since last April, this crucial role has been held by one of the best people I know: John Calvelli. John is an e...

For the first time in its history, the Colosseum has been fully digitized thanks to an integrated three-dimensional survey and Heritage Building Information Modelling (HBIM) project. The intervention, promoted by the Colosseum Archaeological Park directed by Alfonsina Russo, has generated the first complete geometric-morphological database of the a...

The roar of 50,000 spectators. The clang of swords. The rush of adrenaline as sunlight pours through the Colosseum’s upper tiers. Nearly 2,000 years ago, Rome’s fiercest warriors entered through a special passage—the Gladiators Gate—to face glory or doom on the arena floor. Today, that gate is closed to most. But what if you could step through it y...

It might seem strange, but it is true: in the heart of Rome there is a Pyramid and it is a real pyramid, just like those of Ancient Egypt. Built in a flash in the 1st century BC by order of a wealthy Roman politician overwhelmed by the fascination for Ancient Egypt, who wanted it as his funeral monument. It seems like an unusual case, yet in that p...

We the Italians, the Italian media company dedicated to promoting relations between Italy and the United States with a special focus on the Italian American community, is pleased to welcome the U.S. Ambassador to Italy, Tilman J. Fertitta, to Rome, a proud Italian American himself with deep roots. We look forward to continuing our work as a bridge...

Michelangelo Merisi, known as Caravaggio, had an intense and passionate relationship with Rome, like his life and his works. The revolutionary power of Caravaggio's works has profoundly influenced all subsequent art and still today provokes a magnetic power in the spectator. The extraordinary use of light, the precision and refinement of details, t...