Published on Friday, July 14, 2017 by Kathy McCabe A summer heat wave is prompting the city of Rome to turn off up to 30 of the city’s 2,800 public drinking fountains every day, much to the Roman public’s dismay. The fountains supply clean – and free – drinking water on street corners and in piazzas around the city, and some are concerned the shutoff will leave Romans, especially those who are homeless, dehydr...

Published on Sunday, June 18, 2017 by Kathy McCabe Restoration teams have given new life to Rome’s largest catacombs using laser technology, and plan to reopen sections of them to the public later this year. The restored part of the Domitilla Catacombs contains 26,250 tombs across four stories and 7.4 miles; the catacombs in their entirety span 11 miles and contain 150,000 bodies, and date from the second to fifth c...

Published on Sunday, June 11, 2017 by Kathy McCabe Rome will no longer allow horse-drawn carriage rides on its cobblestone streets, the city announced last week. When the change goes into effect, carriages will only be permitted in parks and on the grounds of historic villas. Carriage rides are popular with tourists and take them through guided tours of popular monuments such as the Colosseum, the Vatican, the Trev...

Published on Wednesday, May 17, 2017 by Kathy McCabe A waterfall garden in Rome that has been closed for 56 years reopened to the public earlier this month. Giardino delle Cascate (Garden of the Waterfalls) in EUR, a southwestern suburb of Rome, first opened in 1961. It was designed by architect Raffaele de Vico and closed shortly after it opened, and was only used occasionally as a film set. Situated on the EUR lake...

Published on Tuesday, May 2, 2017 by Kathy McCabe I’m Steve Perillo of Perillo Tours. I'm thrilled to host a video series called Steve's Travel Tips to share all the insider Italy travel tips I have learned over a lifetime of travel to Italy. How many YEARS would it take you to visit every church in Rome if you visited one a day? Any guesses? Almost THREE YEARS! There are more than 900 churches in Rome! In...

Published on Sunday, March 26, 2017 by Kathy McCabe Coffee, a cultural staple in Rome, has long been among Italy’s, and the world’s, cheapest cups of espresso. That may change, though, as coffee prices are set to increase at bars all over the city. Romans, entrenched in the national coffee culture like most Italians, will have to pay 10 to 20 cents more for their morning jolt. Currently, espressos commonly cost onl...

Published on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 by Kathy McCabe With a grant from an Italian telecommunications company, restoration work on the Mausoleum of Augustus is finally set to begin. The mausoleum, built for Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, is more than 2,000 years old and has been showing its age due to neglect that has allowed it to become overgrown by grass and trees in recent decades. Among Augustus and other prom...

Published on Friday, January 27, 2017 by Kathy McCabe The Pantheon, one of the few ancient Roman sites that does not charge admission, is mulling an entry fee beginning in 2018. Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini told ANSA the fee would be low, but did not say exactly how much the monument would charge. Around 7 million visitors came through the Pantheon in 2016, and according to Franceschini, the proposed entry...

Published on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 by Kathy McCabe Circus Maximus, an ancient Roman gathering space and chariot racing venue located between Palatine Hill and Aventine Hill, has reopened a newly excavated and renovated section to the public after being closed for seven years. Circus Maximus dates about 2,800 years back to the founding of Rome, when King Romulus ruled the city and hosted horse races to honor the Roman ...

Published on Tuesday, November 8, 2016 by Kathy McCabe If you're a fan of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, don't miss a new exhibit at the Vittoriano Complex in Rome is dedicated to the history of the Star Wars movies, which have created millions of dedicated fans over the past three decades. The exhibit, titled Star Wars: Play, showcases more than 1,000 rare and classic objects including toys, action figures, vintage pri...