8 Interesting Facts about the Trevi Fountain in Rome

Located in the Trevi district in Rome, the Trevi Fountain is one of the most beautiful and famous fountains in the city and in the world. The fountain, made for the most part of Travertino stone, was designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini, after the death of the first designer. It was inaugurated in 1762 by Pope Clement XIII.

No trip to Rome would be complete without a visit to the iconic Trevi Fountain. Learn some interesting facts about the fountain before going to admire it!

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June 29th: Feast of Saint Peter and Paul, patron saints of Rome

Great celebrations in Rome for the feast of the patron saints, with performances, shows, exibitions, fanfare, and fireworks in musical sync, called Girandola (pinwheel), originally created by Michelangelo and reworked by Bernini. This is a liturgical feast in Rome, and offices and shops are closed. Civic museums and Vatican Museums are closed for the solemnity. Statal Museums and Archeological sites (as the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Castel Sant’Angelo, Galleria Borghese) are regularly open. Continue reading

5 of the most important works of Michelangelo in Rome (and 4 of them can be seen for free!).

Michelangelo Buonarroti is considered one of the greatest artists of all time. He was a sculptor, a painter, an architect and a poet of the High Renaissance, and undoubtedly a great genius. His contemporaries admired him so much for his style and his temper, that they often called him “il Divino” (the divine one). Continue reading

Feasts days in Spring, Rome’s special feasts and the National ones: What’s open and when.

From April to June there are many feast days in Italy, and particularly in Rome. During these days schools, offices, banks, shops, and some restaurants are closed. Some museums and archeological sites are closed too. If you are in Rome in this period, check in advance if the particular touristic site you want to visit is open!

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Masses and Catholic Events with Pope Francis on Easter 2018

During Easter period some of the greatest and most suggestive events take place in Saint Peter’s Square and Basilica, officiated by the Pope.

This year Easter is Sunday, April 1st, but Easter period begins with Lent, at the end of Carnival time, on Ash Wednesday (February 14th in 2018), and the first Catholic Mass with Pope Francis is on Palm Sunday, at the beginning of the Holy Week. Continue reading

Carnevale: 5 things to do in Italy

Carnevale is one of Italy’s biggest winter festival, celebrated in every town from the end of January. All over Italy you can found masquerade balls, costume parties and parades along the streets and in the squares. Masks, sweets and having fun are the most important things during Carnival: it’s a chance to be happy and cheerful, to dress up in costumes, even if you are not a child anymore! Continue reading