Faith · Art · Museums · Observations · Rome

Sleeping guards in Prospero Fontana’s “Resurrection of Christ” at the Accademia di San Luca

Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole Him away while we slept Gospel of Matthew 28:13. Perhaps this is a mistaken reading, but I find the sleeping guards in Prospero Fontana's "Resurrection of Christ" (1563–1565), from the collection of the Accademia di

Heritage · Society · Reportage · Rome

Protesters break into the Colosseum in Rome after an antiwar march on 24 October

On 24 October, at about 17:40, a crowd of demonstrators forced its way into the Colosseum in Rome. According to the Italian Ministry of Culture, the monument was not damaged and nobody was injured. That day Rome saw an authorised march, "Fuori l'Italia dalla guerra"

Black-and-white photograph of a man turning round from the back seat of a white convertible on a Roman street at night, lit by shop signs.

NB! · Archive · Cinema · Pop Culture · Rome

Jean-Paul in an open car on Piazza Colonna in Rome, 1960s

Such a lively and eloquent photograph, with soul. Jean-Paul on Piazza Colonna in Rome in the 1960s

The East · Archaeology · Geography · Maps · Science · Rome

Marco Galli on Ancient Rome's Trade with India and China from the 1st to 3rd Century AD

I have read an interesting article by the Italian archaeologist Marco Galli of Sapienza University of Rome, "Beyond the Borders: Ancient Rome and Eurasian Trade Networks". Galli examines the Roman Empire's part in trade with India and China in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd centuries AD,

Black-and-white photo of a smiling woman in a dark coat and headscarf, arms crossed, on a cobbled street with a white car with a Roman plate behind her.

NB! · Cinema · People · Pop Culture · Rome

Alla Demidova in Rome at 33, a photograph marking her 90th birthday

Alla Demidova at 33, in Rome. Today this beauty turned 90!

Faith · People · Rome

Pope Leo XIV Receives a Briefing in the Cockpit

Archaeology · Geography · Science · Rome

Tom Brughmans and his team test the saying that all roads lead to Rome

Not All Roads Lead to Rome. In 20 BC the Emperor Augustus set up the Golden Milestone in the Roman Forum, from which distances along all the roads of the empire were symbolically measured. A team of researchers led by Tom Brughmans has analysed this network, which covers some 300,

Faith · Observations · Science · Society · Rome

A world assembly on artificial intelligence and nuclear war has been held in the Vatican

Presumably the padres are watching lifelike scenes of nuclear apocalypse and worldwide drought, caused by the data centres of the AI tech giants, through their VR goggles. The Papal Gardens of Castel Gandolfo welcomed 30 Nobel laureates, representatives of 30 countries, former heads of state, 20 leading AI specialists and

Archaeology · Architecture · Heritage · Rome

Pyramid of Cestius in Rome, the Aurelian Wall and the demolished Pyramid of Romulus

The Pyramid of Cestius is an ancient Roman mausoleum in Rome, built in 18-12 BC. The tomb received the ashes of Gaius Cestius, an influential Roman magistrate and priest. The pyramid is a concrete structure 36 metres high, faced with marble. The Pyramid of Cestius has survived to our

Coming Up · Art · Books · Museums · Rome

At the end of September the Vatican Apostolic Library will open AQVA, an exhibition from its new cycle "Catastrophe and Miracle"

At the end of September the Vatican Apostolic Library will open AQVA, an exhibition from its new cycle "Catastrophe and Miracle". The cycle is based on Gaetano Volpi's treatise "On the Passion for Books" of 1756, which lists five threats to the book: water,

Faith · Art · Museums · Heritage · Rome

Vatican Museums announce five-year restoration of Raphael's Loggia

This is the first serious cleaning in more than 500 years of the frescoes of the glazed corridor on the second floor of the Apostolic Palace, overlooking the Cortile di San Damaso. The budget for the works is 5.5 million dollars. In addition to restoration, the paintings will be

Archaeology · Architecture · Books · Rome

Vela, fabric awnings in Rome, from Caesar to the Colosseum and Pompeian game notices

Pliny the Elder writes that Caesar the Dictator stretched awnings over the whole Roman Forum and over the Sacred Way, from his own house up to the Capitol, and that the spectacle was judged more wondrous than the gladiatorial combats themselves. Fabric awnings against the sun, vela in Latin, were