Close

From the beach town of New Smyrna, Florida, just a stone’s throw away from Daytona Beach, Rich Varano never imagined his unique talent of sculpting sand would take him to the heart of Christianity. Varano is the artistic director of the “Sand Nativity,” a massive 52-foot-wide sculpture made of sand imported from Jesolo, an Italian seaside resort to...

870

“In 1581, the Gallery of Maps was inaugurated under pope Gregory XIII Boncompagni, born in Bologna. He was a cultured and strict Pope during the Counter-Reformation, and he loved the Church, science, arts and Italy equally. He was the Pope who implemented the calendar reform we still associate with his name today.” Following this introduction, in a...

837

When Juno, Queen of Olympus, needed to vent her spleen, she visited Aeolus, god of the winds, on his draughty island off Sicily. Juno was outraged that the fugitive Trojan prince Aeneas was destined to found Rome and destroy Carthage, her favorite city, so Aeolus ordered a cyclone to capsize the Trojan fleet. Ever since, Rome has feared southern wi...

887

In recent decades, Italy has been repeatedly considered the perfect set for a lot of unforgettable international cinematographic productions, due to its fascinating cities and gorgeous natural beauties spread across the country. Despite there are many Italian directors who decided to portrait our countrysuch as Vittorio De Sica or Federico Fellini,...

1446

Gianni Crea is intimately familiar with the contours of history. Almost every morning for the past six years, he’s opened the doors to the Vatican Museums. He’s experienced the stillness of the Sistine Chapel at dawn, studied the shadows of Caravaggio, and admired the textures of ancient Egypt. “Yes, I’m a key keeper, head key keeper, but I’m st...

894

Giorgio La Pira, the deeply religious Christian Democrat mayor of Florence in the early 50s and 60s, was set on a possible path to sainthood Thursday when Pope Francis recognised his "heroic virtues". The pope authorised the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate a decree regarding the "heroic virtues of Servant of God Giorgio la Pira"...

1016

A 525-year-old copy of a letter by Christopher Columbus that was stolen from the Vatican was returned on Thursday after joint sleuthing by U.S. Homeland Security agents and Holy See antiquity experts. "We are returning it to its rightful owner," said U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Callista Gingrich at a handover ceremony in a frescoed room of the V...

816

Vatican City has been governed by men since it was established as an independent state in 1929. A year ago, however, a woman joined the upper ranks: Barbara Jatta, the first female director of the Vatican Museums. In the 12 months since her appointment, Ms. Jatta has put her stamp on the role, resisting some of her predecessor’s initiatives and for...

1879

A 500-year-old mystery at the Vatican has just been solved. Two paintings by Renaissance master Raphael were discovered during the cleaning and restoration of a room inside the Vatican Museums. Experts believe they are his last works before an early death, around the age of 37, in 1520: "It's an amazing feeling," said the Vatican's chief restorer f...

2453

Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini is an Italian-born saint who dedicated her life to helping thousands of Italian immigrants living in the United States during the late 19th century. She died in Chicago exactly one hundred years ago. On Saturday morning in the Vatican, Pope Francis met members of the religious congregation she founded, the Missionary S...

1308