Rome

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

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North Korea's Ambassador to Italy May Have Defected

Jo Song Gil has applied for asylum in a Western country: reports

(Newser) - North Korea may have a high-profile defection on its hands. The country’s acting ambassador to Italy, Jo Song Gil, apparently fled the North Korean embassy in Rome with his wife weeks ago, before he was to leave his post at the end of November. That's according to South...

35-Year Mystery Stirs as Vatican Finds Bones

Emanuela Orlandi's family hopes to 'bring her home'

(Newser) - The discovery of human bones at a property next to the Vatican's embassy to Italy has renewed hope of solving a 35-year-old disappearance, which some claim involves the Vatican itself. Rome's chief prosecutor is working to identify the bones found during renovation work at the Vatican property in...

Scary Escalator Accident Caught on Video

20 injured in Rome incident

(Newser) - At least 20 people were injured when an escalator in the Rome metropolitan system collapsed Tuesday night, the AP reports. A video shown on Sky TG24 shows the escalator accelerating suddenly, and the people riding down on it collapsing one onto another. The dramatic footage shows people on the parallel...

Italy Searching for 2 'Idiots' Who Jumped Into Fountain

It happened to also be a war memorial

(Newser) - Tourists love to break Italy's law against jumping into its many fountains, but two men who stripped down to their underwear for a photo-worthy dip have particularly irked locals with their fountain of choice. After all, the fountain sits at Rome's Altar of the Fatherland, which holds the...

Judge Rules Tiny 'Warrior' Can't Go to Rome for More Treatment

UK High Court judge says nothing else can help Alfie Evans; his parents are appealing

(Newser) - A UK High Court judge may have deemed his decision Tuesday "the final chapter" in the case of little Alfie Evans, but Alfie's parents aren't ready to accept that ending. The BBC and Guardian report on the court's ruling that the seriously ill 23-month-old—who suffers...

Romans Wake Up to Rare Snowfall
Romans Wake Up
to Rare Snowfall

Romans Wake Up to Rare Snowfall

Winter storm blankets the city

(Newser) - Romans have awoken to a rare snowfall, after an Arctic storm passing over much of Europe dumped enough snow to force schools to close and public transport to reduce services. Rome's Mediterranean climate and proximity to the sea usually result in mild winters, such that restaurants often keep outdoor...

Rome's 'Traumatized' Christmas Tree Cost $57K

Locals aren't pleased

(Newser) - Rome wasn't built in a day, but it looks like its Christmas tree may have been. The "toilet brush" of a tree now standing in one of the city's busiest public squares and being roundly mocked in Italy and around the world makes Charlie Brown's Christmas...

Key Site Described by Julius Caesar May Finally Be Found

British invasion point believed to be Pegwell Bay in Kent

(Newser) - The Roman invasion of Britain signified an empire at its peak. Now, archaeologists believe they've identified the very spot where the Romans began their assault more than 2,000 years ago and more than a century before Britain was won. For millennia, historians have had little more than Julius...

They Were Once 'Cheap Seats' of Colosseum. Now, Priceless

Newly restored top levels are now open to tourists

(Newser) - Visitors to the Colosseum can now enjoy even more of the ancient amphitheater and the spectacular views it offers of Rome. Officials on Tuesday showed off the newly restored fourth and fifth levels of the Colosseum, which are opening to the public for guided tours starting Nov. 1. Included in...

'Pompeii-Like Scene' Found During Digging for New Subway

Charred ruins of an early 3rd-century building are unearthed

(Newser) - Digging for Rome's new subway has unearthed the charred ruins of an early 3rd-century building and the 1,800-year-old skeleton of a crouching dog that apparently perished in the same blaze that collapsed the structure. Archaeologists on Monday said they made the discovery on May 23 while examining a...

The Vatican Opens Free Laundromat for the Poor

Showers, a barbershop, medical services to be added soon

(Newser) - Those living in poverty in Rome will still be able to have clean clothes. Pope Francis has opened a free laundromat for the poor in the city, the Vatican announced Monday. It currently has six washing machines, six dryers, and some irons donated by Whirlpool; Proctor and Gamble is donating...

5 Best Cities in the World for Culture

Kyoto tops the list

(Newser) - Looking for some culture in the new year? Travel + Leisure lists the 10 best world cities offering just that. The top five:
  1. Kyoto, Japan
  2. Rome, Italy
  3. Jerusalem
  4. Florence, Italy
  5. Paris, France
Click for the complete list , which does include two US cities.

One of Rome's Busiest Exorcists Tells of Woman Vomiting Pins

Fr. Vincenzo Taraborelli performs as many as 30 exorcisms on a given day

(Newser) - Italy is no stranger to exorcisms, with half a million Italians reportedly requesting them each year. The Independent in 2015 reported on an exorcism of an entire town, performed via helicopter. Three years prior, the Catholic diocese of Milan instituted an exorcism hotline, reported the BBC . But in the wake...

Billionaire: I Paid to Restore Spanish Steps, Now Stay Off

Benefactor Paolo Bulgari says people ruin the landmark with their slovenly habits

(Newser) - Audrey Hepburn ate gelato on the Spanish Steps in Roman Holiday, which makes her one of the "barbarians"—the residents and tourists who've ruined the famous landmark over the years, per the billionaire benefactor who's paying for its makeover, NBC News reports. The steps, built nearly...

Beneath a Roman Obelisk, Mussolini Left a Letter to the Future

1,200-word eulogy describes Mussolini as rescuing Italy with his 'superhuman insight'

(Newser) - Like most leaders with any sort of an ego, Benito Mussolini wanted to be remembered. But the Italian fascist wasn't leaving his legacy up to chance, according to researchers who say they've found a Latin text hidden under the Mussolini Obelisk in Rome that eulogizes his feats during...

US Student Killed in Rome May Have Been a Victim Twice

Beau Solomon may have been robbed before an alleged riverside scuffle

(Newser) - As police piece together what befell Beau Solomon during the few hours he spent alive in Rome, they reportedly now believe the 19-year-old American student may have been robbed before encountering Massimo Galioto along Rome's Tiber River. The 40-year-old homeless man, who was on Tuesday arrested in connection with...

After US Student Found Dead in Rome, an Arrest

Beau Solomon went missing day after he arrived

(Newser) - A day after the body of a 19-year-old Wisconsin student was found in Italy's Tiber River, an arrest in the case has been made. Massimo Galioto, described as a 40-year-old homeless man, was to be charged with "aggravated murder" and has been "seriously implicated" in Beau Solomon'...

Body Found of US Student Who Went Missing Hours After Arriving in Rome

Family says 'thousands of dollars' charged to credit card of Wisconsin sophomore

(Newser) - The body of a teenage Wisconsin student who went missing shortly after he arrived for an exchange program was found in the River Tiber Monday, the AP reports. John Cabot University confirmed that the body was that of 19-year-old Beau Solomon, who was last seen by his friends in the...

James Gandolfini's Rolex Taken as He Lay Dying: Prosecutors

Paramedic Claudio Bevilacqua, 43, is accused

(Newser) - A paramedic in Italy is accused of pilfering James Gandolfini's Rolex Submariner watch as the actor lay dying, NBC News reports. Prosecutors say Claudio Bevilacqua, 43, stole the $3,000 watch after the actor suffered a massive heart attack in June 2013—but it's not clear whether the...

'Exceptional' Find May Change How We Think About Ancient Rome

6th-century BC home may prove city was bigger than thought: archaeologists

(Newser) - Archaeologists have discovered a sixth-century BC residence under a palazzo in central Rome, saying that it proves the ancient city was much bigger than previously thought. Officials said yesterday that the area on the Quirinal Hill had long been thought to have only been used as a necropolis, with ancient...

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