Published on Monday, September 24, 2012 by Kathy McCabe The Vatican recently completed a month-long pilot project placing priests in the Vatican Museums to offer interaction with visitors and hails it a success. “There are so many themes that are spoken of. We might speak of art and faith or of economics and faith. Some people come to share their experiences or difficulties in their personal, professional or family li...

Published on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 by Kathy McCabe As the legend says, throw a coin or coins in Rome's Trevi Fountain, you will be assured a return visit to Rome. Nearly every visitor to Rome makes the trek to the Eternal City's most famous fountain in order to not tempt fate and take part in the age old ritual that was chronicled in the movie Three Coins in the Fountain.  (See more below on how many coins and h...

Published on Wednesday, August 15, 2012 by Kathy McCabe While Pisa was thought to have cornered the market on Italy’s most famous “leaning” building, Rome appears to be taking a page from the Pisa playbook as scientists say Rome’s Colosseum is leaning to one side by as much as  15 inches. Officials announced this month that the Colosseum will undergo 2.5 years of repairs starting in December 2012.   The good n...

Published on Thursday, July 26, 2012 by Kathy McCabe Admit it, you have to give the kid some credit. If you're going to run away from home and want to go really make a splash, you can't beat a trip to Rome. Especially when he didn't even have to shell out for plane tickets to Italy or show his passport! 11-year-old Liam Corcoran ran away from home and  flew to Rome on his own from Manchester (U.K.) Airport witho...

Published on Saturday, March 3, 2012 by Daniel Not just for adults, Italy is place that is filled with entertainment and activities for kids too. You will have loads of fun when you travel to Italy with kids. You will not only be taking them on an adventure to a new country, but will also be providing them with opportunities to learn about Italy's art, architecture and culture. Taking your kid on a vacation is ...

Published on Friday, February 3, 2012 by Kathy McCabe If you're traveling to Italy in 2012, you don't want to miss the following special museum exhibitions in Rome, Florence and Venice: Rome:  Lux in Arcana: The Vatican Secret Archives Revealed  is the must-see exhibition in Rome this year. Over 100 original documents -- spanning 400 years of Papal history -- will leave the confines of Vatican City for the first tim...

Published on Sunday, January 29, 2012 by Kathy McCabe When in Rome, eat as the Romans do and Renato e Luisa is just the kind of authentic Roman dining experience that you're looking for.... It is the kind of restaurant (taverna officially) you might not notice when walking by, but looks can be deceiving. Step inside Renato e Luisa, just behind Largo di Torre Argentina, for a relaxing, authentic and affordable Roman me...

Published on Sunday, December 11, 2011 by Kathy McCabe Foodies in the know say that Testaccio Market (Mercato di Testaccio) is one of the best places in Rome to buy meats, cheeses, fruit, vegetables, seafood and all the key ingredients for cooking an authentic Italian meal. Testaccio  is the city's traditional working class neighborhood (and home to former slaughterhouses) located on on the left bank of the Tiber Rive...

Published on Sunday, November 20, 2011 by Kathy McCabe I'm just back from a few weeks in Italy where I saw the first signs of the holidays with Christmas trees in shop windows and a few presepi on display. A presepio is a creche or Nativity scene and  handmade versions by Italian artisans are an integral part of Italian Christmas celebrations.  If you will be in Italy during the holiday season, here are a few places to ...

Published on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 by Kathy McCabe Italy is home to thousands of museums (this list of museums features the most famous ones) and those numbers are in the increase with the opening of the new Gucci Museum in Florence and a new museum opening in Rome’s Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (also known as Fiumicino). The  new Gucci Museum in the 14th-century Palazzo della Mercanzia, in Florence's Piazza Signor...