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Jesus, 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...

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The 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...

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Gigi 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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Saint Peter’s is Rome and  Rome is Saint Peter’s: the connection between the city and the most famous church in Italy is so deeply rooted we tend to forget that, technically, the basilica and its cupolone are not in Rome and not even in Italy, for that matter, because the Vatican is an independent entity.  The small city-state was created, in the f...

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A HYDROCHRONOMETER IS A TYPE OF water clock. There are actually two of these extremely rare clocks located in Rome, the other is at Palazzo Berardi. Father Giovan Battista Embriaco was an inventor and professor at the College of St Thomas. Embriaco created this hydrochronometer in 1867, and after its completion, it was sent to the Paris Universal E...

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Ogni anno McDonald’s stabilisce quale sia la migliore delle sue filiali nel mondo. Il premio si chiama Golden Arch Award e quello del 2020 è stato assegnato ad Amedeo Avenale, figlio di un’antica famiglia di ristoratori e gestore di 8 ristoranti McDonald’s tra Roma e Latina. Il Golden Arch Award è il più alto riconoscimento per un licenziatario McD...

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PALAZZO SPADA IS A MAGNIFICENT, yet lesser-known, palace located in the Regola district of Rome in the city’s historic center. It features an extraordinary art collection (Galleria Spada) which showcases works by the likes of Guido Reni, Titian, Guercino, Rubens, Caravaggio, and Artemisia Gentileschi to name a few. The collection was assembled by t...

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Every year, in the village of Marino in the Roman countryside, there is a riotous festival to celebrate a centuries-old battle. In the 1571 Battle of Lepanto, the naval army of the Holy League, comprised of the major Catholic maritime states, triumphed over the Ottoman Empire. The last in a series of great wars fought between the Spanish (Catholic)...

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The first "Covid-tested" flight arrived in Rome from New York on Wednesday, an initiative designed to open up air routes between Europe and the United States blocked by the pandemic. Passengers had to show they had returned a negative virus test within 48 hours of getting on the Alitalia flight from John F. Kennedy airport, and were required to tak...

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A handful of lucky high school students in Rome have been attending their lessons against the magnificent backdrop of the Roman Baroque, thanks to the efforts of teachers at one school in Rome. Italy's high schools are currently closed for senior students, due to the covid-19 crisis, with lessons being held remotely. However the pupils of Rome's Li...

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