THE BASILICA OF SAN GIORGIO in Velabro is a religious building located in Rome, edificated on the former swampy area of Velabro and dedicated to Saint George. The origins of the church are not clear. It’s mentioned in various Early Middle documents, but these could also be a nod to a separate building. The current church was likely constructed in...
READ MOREMaurizio Palmulli, known to Romans as Mister OK, kept alive a New Year's Day tradition in Rome, despite the challenges of Italy's red zone restrictions, by diving into the icy waters of the river Tiber. The daredevil lifeguard took the 17-metre plunge off Ponte Sisto at 10.00 this morning, two hours earlier than normal, continuing one of the city's...
READ MOREAlmost 10 months after the first Italian patient tested positive for the new coronavirus, Italy on Sunday vaccinated the first residents against COVID-19. Three health workers at the Rome Spallanzani hospital were inoculated shortly before 0700 GMT with the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, a statement by the commissioner for the epidemic D...
READ MORERome city hall celebrates Christmas by projecting images of Nativity-themed frescoes and paintings onto the façade of Palazzo Senatorio on the Capitoline hill. The Visioni di Natale video-mapping project features scenes depicting the Nativity and the Adoration of the Magi, painted by Italian masters such as Botticelli, Caravaggio and Giotto. The ou...
READ MOREThe Roman Colosseum could be getting a makeover into the 21st century. Almost 2,000 years after the amphitheater was built, Italian officials are looking for an architect to remake its stage floor, according to recent reports. The project, which is being financed by the Italian culture ministry for 10 million euros (about $12.1 million), is expecte...
READ MORE"Dear Santa Claus, all I want for Christmas is to hug Papà" - Rome hospital lets children hug their parents thanks to anti-covid curtain. Rome's S. Raffaele hospital has made the wishes of its little patients come true after the children had asked Santa Claus to help them to hug their parents, following months of separation due to the coronavirus p...
READ MOREA nurse at Rome's Spallanzani hospital, a specialist centre for infectious diseases, will become the first person in Italy to receive the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine. The female nurse will be among the five members of staff at the Spallanzani, including two doctors, a healthcare social worker and a researcher, to get the vaccine when the nationwide vac...
READ MOREJesus, Mary and Joseph don't normally appear alongside astronauts or Darth Vader-like figures, but the Vatican has upset some Catholics by bringing them together in its latest nativity scene. Pope Francis inaugurated the scene, which features a number of life-sized ceramic figures, on Friday, but many people have expressed their disapproval of its...
READ MOREThe pieces created by Michelangelo Merisi known as Caravaggio will always leave an impression: realistic, dramatic and provocative, they reflect the myth of a proud and exuberant character. The scenes depicted are able to engage us in a direct manner, as if we were witnesses to events which seem to be taking place here and now. During the course o...
READ MOREGigi Proietti had always joked about the date of his birth: he was born the Day of the Dead, November the 2nd 1940. It seems so strange to say, in some way tragicomic, that November the 2nd was also the date of his death (2020). Gigi was indeed one of the most acclaimed Italian actors and comedians, plus he was an incredible voice actor, director,...
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