The morning routine is one of the simplest joys about being in Italy.  Nearly every block contains a cafe, known as a bar, in Italian,...

The Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence is the best representation of the hallmarks of Renaissance architecture, and, as such, makes it the most beautiful church in all of Italy. When you enter the church you immediately understand what Renaissance architecture is. The church was designed by the architect Brunelleschi, who traveled to Rome to study the ancient structures. He then brought that style back to Florence.

The pilgrimage church of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura is dedicated to the third of Rome's great martyrs, after Peter and Paul, and, as the name suggests, fuoir le mura, it sits outside of the former city walls. St. Lawrence (Lorenzo, in Italian), was a deacon of the church who was killed on August 10, 258 in the Roman persecutions under the Emperor Valerian.

The church of San Agostino, Rome

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

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.

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

The most striking thing to a modern visitor to San Vitale is not the architecture, or the art, or the history. What stands out the most...

One of the oldest and most beautiful churches in Rome, Santa Maria in Trastevere is also located in one of the most delightful areas of...

The story of Saint Cecilia, from her conversion to where she is today, is one of the most touching in terms of her as an individual and...

The church of Santa Balbina is a quiet, but relatively central section of Rome. Located within view of the Baths of Caracalla this...

Within an easy walk of the Colosseum you will find the Basilica of San Clemente, a basilica which embodies all the layers of history in...

Today's church is a lovely church just south of the Colosseum. There are two items of note that are directly related to the evolution of...

St. Peter's Basilica is the main church of all Catholicism. In this first post about this magnificent church, I want to focus on how and...

The Basilica Santi Apostoli, located centrally in Rome near Piazza Venezia, holds the relics of St. Philip and St. James the Lesser, rediscovered in the late 1800s. Originally built in the mid-300s, the current structure is a result of multiple rebuilds, including an 1800s renovation. It was also Michelangelo's initial burial site before his body was moved to Florence.

If you are going through the Monti area in Rome, headed to Santa Maria Maggiore, you will likely walk down Via Panisperna. In doing so...

Today we are introduced to what is known in technical terms, as a whopper of a church. There is so much to see and to unpack when it...

Sant'Anastasia is a church in the heart of ancient Rome. It sits at the western end of the Circus Maximus within an easy walk of the...

St. Peters in Chains is a fascinating place. From the piazza outside it is difficult to recognize as a church; it appears to be piazza...

With the Church of Saint John Lateran we come to the seat of the Bishop of Rome. One might think of Saint Peter's as the main church of...