Viator Rome

Rome is one of the most popular places to visit in Italy year-round, and with good reason. On New Year’s Eve, the city gets even more popular, with Italians from other parts of Italy heading to the capital for the festivities. If you’ll be in Rome over New Year’s Eve, there are a few events going on that you can attend (most of them completely free of charge), but keep in mind that hotels in the historic center get booked quickly over the holidays – so don’t delay in making your own arrangements.

Outdoor Christmas markets are a common element to many parts of Europe during the holiday season. They’re especially typical of Germanic countries, but their popularity has made other countries adopt the tradition, too – including Italy. In Rome, there are a few places where Christmas markets spring up in the weeks before Christmas.

2012 marks the 500th anniversary of the completion of Michelangelo’s famous frescoed ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. The cherry that serves as the end of any visit to the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel is a top attraction in Italy—let alone in Rome—and is worth a stop no matter what year it is. Contemplating the master at work, lying flat on his back for years on wooden scaffolding, precisely 500 years after the frescoes were completed? That’s a bonus.

Rome is fascinating every time of the year, and always for a different reason but Christmas and New Year have a special impact on visitors and will certainly leave you with fond memories.

Italy is known for many culinary delicacies, including cheeses, meats and wines; but few can match the truffle in terms of market value. Gathering truffles is a time-consuming task, and as yet they have proved difficult to cultivate. Both of these factors contribute to the high prices some truffles can fetch, as well as how closely truffle hunters guard their preferred hunting grounds.

We have long been fascinated by gladiators, as evidenced by things like the blockbuster Russell Crowe movie, but how much do we really know about the gladiators of Ancient Rome?

Never mind that the Vatican is across town or that Italy is an overwhelmingly Catholic country – there’s an enormous festival called Gay Village that sets up in Rome for 2.5 months every year.

Located within the city of Rome is a separate city state, the Vatican. The head of this state is the Pope. Many people make the pilgrimage to the Vatican every year – as they have done for centuries – to see the Pope. Here are the best ways to do this…

Summer in Rome is one long series of things to do.

From 16 June until 28 September 2012, the 35th Estate Romana brings the Eternal City alive.

It might seem a bit macabre, but when you consider all those tortured saints in Italian art then going to see forms of crime and punishment at The Criminal Museum in Rome suddenly seems less weird. Housed in an old 19th century prison building, the place has an authentically oppressive feel, especially as you have to pass through a security check just to go inside. This is because the police still use some offices within the building.