Santa Croce in Gerusalemme is a church that I have yet to visit. The foundations of the church date, actually, to the Severan Emperors...

The statue of St. Caecilia in the church which bears her name, over the altar where her remains are, has a fascinating story. This statue...

The basilica of San Stefano Rotondo is unique in Rome! The interior is not a basilica style, but a circular church. And note the...

In the lively Campo de' Fiori of Rome there stands a grim statue with a hood pulled over his head and his stern eyes staring out across...

Roman streets are paved with sampietrini - little blocks that provide the streets of Rome with their charms, but also, frankly, an...

The theater of Marcellus is an ancient theater (as the name suggests) that is currently in use as a modern apartment building. The...

Bernini was the greatest sculptor of the Baroque period and his St. Theresa in Ecstasy presents the moment that St. Theresa of Avila...

I thought it would be interesting to treat the Seven Pilgrimage Churches of Rome on Sundays. The tradition of visiting pilgrimage...

The Church of St. Agnes in Agone contains the relic of a young martyr — Saint Agnes — whose story is one of the most moving and...

One of the most fascinating types of churches in Rome are the titular churches — churches that were once house-churches, and still today...

This little Fountain of Books is located in a wonderfully rich part of the city, and is easy to overlook. It borders the Piazza Navona,...

At the intersection of four Roman streets, each corner features a fountain with a river god or symbolic figure. The site sits directly between Santa Maria Maggiore and the Spanish Steps, with obelisks visible at both ends — a product of papal urban planning. Don’t miss San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Borromini’s unforgettable little church tucked into one corner.

The Arch of Janus is a four-sided structure located near the Tiber River, close to where Romulus and Remus reportedly washed ashore. Adjacent to it is the church of San Giorgio al Velabro. While named for the two-faced god Janus, there is no historical connection to the deity.

Michelangelo's Risen Christ is located in the church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, behind the Pantheon in Rome. This masterpiece by Michelangelo is accessible to visitors away from typical crowds. The church has recently undergone renovations, making it an opportune time to visit this significant work.

I am starting a new series called Brevia Italica , which is Latin for Snippets of Italy , or Italian Briefs . While I have written about some magnificent churches and my favorite things to see in Florence, is so much more to see in Italy beyond my go-to favorites, such as Michelangelo's David and St. Peter's. This series will allow me to provide you with a snapshot of a specific site or image in Italy. I will present these every day of the week, with the following themes:

San Sisto Vecchio honors Pope Sixtus II, who was martyred in 258 in the same persecution and orders which brought about the death of St....

On Tuesday, the Thid Week of Lent we turn to one of the oldest churches in Rome, constructed between 140 and 155 AD. Santa Pudenziana is...

San Marco is among he oldest churches in Rome, and you may be surprised to hear that you have passed by it. If you have stood at the...

On this day we return to San Lorenzo (Saint Lawrence), one of seven pilgrimage churches of Rome, which were churches established for...

The original church devoted to the saints Marcellinus and Pietrus was likely consecrated in the late 4th century. The pope often...