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  • New Light and Life for the Sistine Chapel

    Judith Harris(October 30, 2014)
    After years of criticism, this week the curtain was raised on a drastically improved and better protected Sistine Chapel, through innovative lighting and a bold new air exchange system that will reduce the pollution caused by 6 million visitors a year. Never have its 2,730 square yards of precious wall and ceiling frescoes by Michelangelo, Pinturicchio, Botticelli, Ghirlandaio and other great artists been seen in all their stunning glory.
  • Tourism

    As Tourists Arrive, Roman Museums Struggle

    Judith Harris(May 18, 2014)
    The tourists are back, to the delight of Roman restaurateurs and hotel and shop keepers. But investments in the cultural heritage are neglected, even in Rome, and a chronic shortage of funds and personnel means that the museums are not part of the celebration. “You can’t hope for tourism and then shut down the very places that are the real worldwide attractions,” protests Adriano La Regina, president of Italy’s National Institute for Archaeology and Art History. But is tourism really the cure? Not everyone agrees.
  • Art & Culture

    Visiting the Vatican Beyond the Beaten Path

    Gennaro Matino(May 09, 2013)
    Most tourists visiting the Vatican do not go any farther than crowded St. Peter's Square or to take a photo in the Sistine Chapel. But if you can go beyond the obvious, a multitude of treasures awaits...
  • Facts & Stories

    Jorge Mario Bergoglio Elected Pope Francis I

    Azzurra Giorgi(March 13, 2013)
    Succeeding Joseph Ratzinger, Bergoglio becomes the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church. Archbishop of Buenos Aires since 1998, he belongs to the order of the 'Society of Jesus' and he is the first Church leader ever chosen from South America.
  • Op-Eds

    White Smoke!

    Judith Harris(March 13, 2013)
    Francis I has been named Pope, in remarkable speed. Archbishop of Buenos Aires, age 76, he is the first Jesuit pontiff in history and is the son of Italian immigrants to Argentina. His inaugural mass will be held next Tuesday in St. Peter's Basilica.

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