Rome

Read recent news stories and current events about Rome, Italy on Newser.com

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'Gladiators' Will Fight in the Colosseum Again

It's a tourist contest from Airbnb, and not everyone is thrilled about it

(Newser) - The ancient Roman Colosseum will be the venue of gladiator fights—albeit staged—for the first time in two millennia under a $1.5 million sponsorship deal with Airbnb that aims to promote "a more conscious tourism," per the AP . Critics beg to differ.
  • The contest: Eight of
...

After Theft, Roaring Lion Is Back Home

Portrait of Winston Churchill by Yousuf Karsh that was stolen a few years ago is now back in Ottawa

(Newser) - A stolen portrait of Winston Churchill that was swapped with a forgery during the pandemic has returned to its rightful place, after two Ottawa police detectives traveled to Rome to retrieve it. Police said The Roaring Lion was stolen from the Fairmont Chateau Laurier hotel in Ottawa, sometime between Christmas...

Violent Storm Damages Ancient Roman Arch

Lightning strikes the Constantine Arch, which has stood near the Colosseum since AD315

(Newser) - Lightning struck Rome's Constantine Arch near the Colosseum during a violent thunderstorm, loosening fragments from the ancient structure. The fragments from Tuesday's lightning strike were immediately gathered by workers at the Colosseum Archaeological Park, officials said. The extent of the damage was being evaluated, reports the AP . "...

After Pope Uses Gay Slur, Pride Parade Celebrates It

Francis' image appears throughout Rome event

(Newser) - Participants in Rome's Pride celebration decided not to fight Pope Francis over his use of a gay slur. Instead, they made him a star in absentia in their parade Saturday, the New York Times reports: The pope's image appeared on T-shirts, hats, and cardboard cutouts. So did the...

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
Dec 16, 2023 12:45 PM CST

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
Jul 6, 2023 9:13 AM CDT

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...

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