NB! · Archaeology · Architecture · Heritage · Rome
Well-preserved section of the original marble floor in the Colosseum
A genuine piece of marble flooring in the Colosseum. Excellent state of preservation
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Faith · People · Pop Culture · Rome · Humour
Pope Francis visits a music shop without a cortege, arriving in a Fiat 500 with Vatican plates
Yesterday evening the Pope slipped out of the Vatican and was caught leaving the StereoSound music shop near the Pantheon. Francis likes not only mischievous escapades but also classical music, Beethoven, Mozart and Bach above all, so why not combine the two passions, he thought? All the more so as
NB! · Faith · Rome
Christmas at the Vatican: That's All
NB! · Architecture · Faith · Observations · Rome · Humour
Car park in the lower part of the Belvedere Courtyard in a satellite image of the Vatican
The world's most exclusive car park can be seen in a satellite image of the Vatican. The lower part of the Belvedere Courtyard, one of the most celebrated and significant palaces of the Renaissance, is used as a parking lot. Every age has its own hallmarks
Faith · Observations · People · Rome
Pope Francis's first homily of 2022 was delivered at the obligatory festal Mass of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, which closes the Christmas octave
Not so long ago, 1 January was not a feast of the Mother of God. The Orthodox will grasp this perfectly: the Dormition of the Theotokos falls in August, her Nativity in September, the Protection of the Theotokos in October, and her Entry into the Temple in November. So what
Faith · Observations · Society · Rome
The first papal homily of 2022 took as its theme the humility of the newborn Jesus and his trust in his Blessed Mother, given the poverty and uncertainty in which he was born, and urged us to fill our hearts with love rather than fear
Thus does God come: without so much as a cradle! With what feeling must Mary, knowing that she would bear a son who would be called the Son of the Most High and who was destined for the throne of his forefather David, lay her child, the infant Saviour, in
NB! · Faith · Society · Rome · Humour
Pope Francis brings ten migrants from Cyprus to Italy for his 85th birthday
For his 85th birthday Pope Francis gave Italy 10 migrants, whom he brought over from Cyprus yesterday. That is to say, he has given a great many more migrants than that, thousands of them, but a round ten is reserved for this particular day
Architecture · Faith · Art · Nature · Rome
A Rabbit on the Wall of the Franciscan College of St Isidore in Rome
A rabbit on the wall of the Franciscan College of St Isidore in Rome. What is the little fellow doing here, apart from nibbling his cabbage? In the Middle Ages the rabbit was associated with the Immaculate Conception. Notions of the physiology of these animals pointed to purity. It is
NB! · Archive · Rome
Rome, 1986
Art · Cinema · Museums · Rome
The painting is part of the display at the Borghese Gallery
Pier Paolo Pasolini was undoubtedly impressed by Caravaggio's Boy with a Basket of Fruit when he shot these frames of Mamma Roma with the young Ettore Garofolo. The painting is on display at the Galleria Borghese
NB! · Faith · Art · Museums · Rome
A fresco in one of the Raphael Rooms on the third floor of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican
A fresco in one of the Raphael Rooms on the third floor of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. The fresco of the 1580s in the Hall of Constantine, by Tommaso Laureti, is called the Triumph of Christianity and shows the Crucifix rising on a pedestal above a shattered statue
NB! · Faith · Observations · Rome
Christmas tree installed in Saint Peter's Square in Rome beside the obelisk of Caligula
A Christmas tree has been erected in St Peter's Square. In Rome, with its obelisks, one does not usually chase after the size of Christmas trees, though this one, I would say, is an impressive 25.5 metres, considering the forty-metre Vatican obelisk of Caligula