Sunday, April 27th is an incredibly historic day at the Vatican in Rome. Two former popes will be canonized as saints and two popes are likely to be in attendance. Read this brief guide to the canonization over at ItalyTravel.com.
New at the Vatican: Ancient Necropolis Opens
If you’re visiting the Vatican in the near future, you might want to plan on spending some time visiting the latest treasure now open to the public. The Roman Necropolis of the Via Triumphalis (pictured) opened to the public yesterday. Read more over at Italy Travel. Also new in Rome, archaeologists believe they have uncovered the city’s oldest temple near the Church of …
Electing a New Pope: What’s Next?
Pope Benedict officially retired yesterday, after giving a farewell audience to 150,000 or more at St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday and then, yesterday, departed by helicopter to Castel Gandolfo, the papal retreat in the Alban Hills outside Rome. In a detail that speaks to the way we live now, the Pope sent out a final papal tweet (“Thank you for your …
Pope Resigns: Where Will Pope Benedict Live?
The Papal Palace Details about Pope Benedict’s transition to retirement are emerging. On February 28, the Pope will be helicoptered to Castel Gandolfo, the papal vacation and summer residence in the Alban Hills outside Rome. The site, a short train ride from Rome, is popular with pilgrims from around the world who on summer Sundays catch the 8:37 train …
An Insider Shares More on the Pope’s Resignation and What to Expect at the Vatican
As the world continues to absorb the enormity of Pope Benedict’s sudden resignation and the changes it might represent, one thing is certain: St. Peter’s Square will be teeming between now and Easter Sunday, as Pope Benedict winds down his papacy over the next two weeks and the Catholic Church selects and installs a new pope. Within hours of today’s …
Pope Resigns: Implications for Travel to Rome
Pope Benedict XVI stunned the world and resigned the papacy today, two days before Lent and seven weeks before Easter, the highest and holiest holiday in the Catholic Church. His resignation, effective February 28, is without modern precedent. The last pope to resign, Gregory XII, stepped down in nearly 600 years ago, in 1450. The official reason given was Pope …
Should Visits to the Sistine Chapel Be Limited?
Of the many attractions in Italy threatened by tourism, the Sistine Chapel doesn’t top most people’s list. Of course, as is the case with Pompeii and the Colosseum and many of Italy’s antiquities, it’s fair to say that too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, no matter the venue. A column in the September 20th edition …
What’s New in Rome 2012
Though it may be thousands of years old, the Eternal City is always changing and evolving. If you’re planning a trip to Rome in 2012, check out what’s new in Rome: The historic Testaccio Market will be closing and a new, modern market will be opening a few blocks away. The move is controversial. Depending on when you are visiting …
“Lux in Arcana: The Vatican Secret Archives Revealed” To Open in Rome
If you’re visiting Rome between March and September 2012, plan to visit the Capitoline Museums for the once-in-a-lifetime exhibition Lux in Arcana: The Vatican Secret Archives Revealed. One hundred original documents — spanning 400 years of Papal history — will leave the confines of Vatican City for the first time. The records are usually kept in Vatican Secret Archives, a highly secure building …
See the Vatican Christmas Tree in St. Peter’s Square
The Ukraine has donated a 100-foot Christmas tree to be displayed in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City this holiday season. The gigantic spruce tree will be lifted into position on December 5th and lit during a ceremony on December 16th. It is expected to be decorated with more than 2,500 ornaments and numerous white and yellow lights. Along with the Christmas tree, …