Rome

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Emperor Constantine Towers Over Rome Once More

Replica of an ancient statue, recreated from original fragments, is unveiled

(Newser) - An imposing statue of the 4th-century Roman Emperor Constantine, which had broken apart in the 1,700 years since its creation, has been resurrected. A replica of the original statue, standing some 43 feet tall, was publicly unveiled Tuesday in the gardens of Rome's Capitoline Museums, "just around...

2 US Cities Make Cut in World 'Destinations' List
2 US Cities Make Cut
in World 'Destinations' List
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

2 US Cities Make Cut in World 'Destinations' List

Paris is No. 1, but New York and L.A., make the cut in Euromonitor International's annual ranking

(Newser) - With international travel making a comeback after the peak of the pandemic, the sky's the limit on possible destinations. To help you narrow down where to visit, CNN Travel reveals the most attractive cities worldwide, at least according to Euromonitor International's "Top 100 City Destinations Index 2023....

After 50 Years, a Roman 'Power Palace' Reopens

2K-year-old Domus Tiberiana, overlooking the Forum, has been undergoing restoration in Italy

(Newser) - An ancient Roman imperial palazzo atop the city's Palatine Hill was reopened to tourists on Thursday, almost 50 years after its closure for restoration. The nearly 2,000-year-old Domus Tiberiana, a sprawling palace that was home to rulers in the ancient city's imperial period, allows for sweeping views...

New Evidence Shows Convents in Rome Hid Jews During War

Research finds names of 3,200 people sheltered during Nazi occupation

(Newser) - Researchers have discovered new documentation that substantiates reports that Catholic convents and monasteries in Rome sheltered Jews during World War II, providing names of at least 3,200 Jews whose identities have been corroborated by the city's Jewish community, officials said Thursday. Researchers from the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Israel'...

1.9K-Year-Old Roman Swords Have a Story to Tell

Remarkably well-preserved weapons are discovered in an Israeli cave

(Newser) - Four Roman-era swords, their wooden and leather hilts and scabbards and steel blades exquisitely preserved after 1,900 years in a desert cave, surfaced in a recent excavation by Israeli archaeologists near the Dead Sea, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Wednesday. The cache of exceptionally intact artifacts was found about...

Tourist Says Sorry for Marring Colosseum
Colosseum Vandal
Has an Odd Excuse

Colosseum Vandal Has an Odd Excuse

Ivan Dimitrov, 31, of Bristol, England, claims he didn't realize how old the Rome landmark was

(Newser) - A tourist from the UK who was tracked down after etching the names of himself and his girlfriend into Rome's famous Colosseum has been fully identified and is now offering his apologies. "I admit with deepest embarrassment that it was only after what regrettably happened that I learned...

Italy Finds Tourist Filmed Carving Names in Colosseum

Culture minister suggests UK man will be prosecuted for defacing monument

(Newser) - The tourist filmed carving the names of himself and his fiancee into Rome's Colosseum has been identified. Italy's culture minister did not identify him other than to say his name is, indeed, believed to be Ivan (which, along with "Haley," is what was carved into the...

Rome Opens Up Spot Where Caesar Was Killed

Visitors can get much closer thanks to work done at Largo Argentina

(Newser) - Tourists can now get up close to the square where Julius Caesar was fatally stabbed on the Ides of March in 44BC. Rome is opening up the ancient Largo Argentina site beginning Tuesday, and that's where the Roman dictator is said to have been killed in an incident later...

Only One US City Makes Top 10 Travel Destinations

New York squeaks in at No. 10 on Euromonitor International's list; Paris comes in at No. 1

(Newser) - Recovery from the pandemic for the travel industry is a work in progress, but inbound arrivals around the world increased by more than 80% this year in terms of numbers of trips, CNN notes. That means people are breaking out their passports again, and some cities are drawing travelers in...

Gunman Kills 3 Women at Rome Coffee Shop

Including a friend of the country's prime minister

(Newser) - Three women, including a friend of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, were killed and four other people injured at a Rome coffee shop Sunday. The women were attending a meeting of the residents' association for their apartment block in the cafe at the time, the Guardian reports, and a witness...

Angry He Couldn't Meet Pope, US Tourist Smashes Ancient Statues

They're being assessed, repaired after Vatican incident

(Newser) - An American tourist angry he couldn't meet the pope smashed two statues at the Vatican Wednesday, authorities say. The man was at the Museo Chiaramonti, one of the Vatican Museums, when he demanded an audience with the pope and his request was declined, CNN reports, citing local media. He...

US Tourist Caught Eating on Fountain Steps Is Fined

He was found with beer, ice cream at 1am in Rome

(Newser) - An American tourist was slapped with a $450 fine after police caught him sitting on the steps of a fountain early Saturday drinking a beer and eating an ice cream. The man had fallen afoul of one of the "urban decorum" rules the Italian capital introduced in 2017, the...

After Tunnel Collapses, Alleged Thieves Call Cops

Firefighters worked for 8 hours to free a man, later arrested, from tunnel below Rome

(Newser) - A man rescued from a tunnel 20 feet beneath the streets of Rome may have suffered the consequences of his own attempted bank robbery. One of three alleged gang members who escaped the tunnel when it collapsed below the surface of a road near the Vatican on Thursday called for...

'Completely Drunk' US Tourists Damage Rome Landmark

Woman was seen shoving electric scooter down Spanish Steps

(Newser) - This has been a rough year for Rome's iconic Spanish Steps. Authorities say two American tourists caused $27,000 in damage by pushing and dragging electric scooters down them, Business Insider reports. The pair, a 29-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman, were seen on the marble steps in the...

Driver Took Rented Maserati Down Spanish Steps: Police

Saudi national faces charge over damage to Rome landmark

(Newser) - A Saudi national has been charged after police said he drove his rental car down Rome's Spanish Steps, causing damage to the city landmark. Police said the 37-year-old man, whom they did not identify, took a Maserati down the steps this week; surveillance video shows the driver stopping after...

Wild Boars Are Holding Rome Residents 'Hostage'

Some neighborhoods have introduced curfews

(Newser) - Rome is being overrun not by Visigoths, but by wild boar. The animals have been considered a nuisance in the Italian capital for years, but unpleasant encounters between boar and Romans appear to be on the rise, the Guardian reports. After a spate of attacks, including one in which a...

You Can Now Get Paid to Get Married in Italy

New initiative will refund couples $2,250 for Lazio-based wedding services in 2022

(Newser) - The coronavirus pandemic has put a real damper on the wedding and tourism industries. But Italy is fighting back with a new $11 million initiative that aims to boost both industries while possibly funding your wedding. Any couple—Italian or foreign—who opt to marry or begin a civil union...

Terrorists' Note on Doomed PM's Kidnapping Sells for Big Bucks

1978 letter from Italy's Red Brigades blew past auction estimate, goes for $29K

(Newser) - A 1978 note announcing the abduction of a former Italian prime minister by the group that would later kill him has sold for 15 times the estimate at a controversial auction in Rome. The two-sided letter from communist guerrilla group Red Brigades, written on the group's letterhead, was the...

Texas-Born Princess Tries, Fails to Sell an Opulent Villa

There were no takers for Villa Aurora at $400M

(Newser) - Texas-born Princess Rita Boncompagni Ludovisi is having a hard time unloading a 16th-century Italian villa loaded with countless priceless pieces of art and appraised at $533 million—despite a price tag far lower. A court-ordered auction of the "Villa Aurora" estate in Rome failed to draw any bids on...

US Tourists Pick Wrong Place to Have 5:30am Beer in Rome

The Colosseum is neither a bar, nor open at that hour

(Newser) - Two American tourists, chatting over a beer in Rome. Unremarkable. That it happened at 5:30am is a little odder. That they allegedly broke into the Colosseum and threw one back there is downright strange—and, as you might imagine, illegal. The Guardian reports the 24- and 25-year-old men were...

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