The Santa Maria in Via church was founded in Rome during the dark ages, but it wasn't formally…read moreestablished as a parish church until 1205. Note that it is not the nearby church of Santa Maria in Via Lata. Santa Maria in Via is regularly translated into "Our Lady in the Street" in English; however, some historical documents gave the parish other names. The church gained fame on September 26, 1256 when the well in the yard of 13th-century Cardinal Pietro Capocci flooded and overflowed with a painted terracotta tablet of the "Blessed Virgin" miraculously floating in the water. From that event, the dedication of the church is to the Blessed Virgin Mary with a special title of Our Lady of the Well (Madonna del Pozzo). The first chapel on the right is the Cappella della Madonna del Pozzo (aka the Well Chapel) which was built in 1491-1513 on the orders of Pope Innocent VIII around the actual holy well from 1256. Upon completion in 1513, Pope Leo X granted the church to the Servite Order which still serves the church and parish. The chapel was constructed with funds from Monsignor Giovanni Battista Canobi whose memorial is on the left side of the chapel. The altarpiece in the Cappella della Madonna del Pozzo contains the original iconic 13th century tile after being framed in polychrome marble and alabaster in 1646 following a Papal decree. The building (including other chapels) we see today was completed between 1592-1609 under the supervision of Italian architects Francesco da Volterra and Carlo Lombardi. The travertine limestone façade was designed by the famous Italian Renaissance architect (and Michelangelo collaborator) Giacomo della Porta who worked on many beautiful fountains and churches throughout Roma including St. Peter's Basilica. The front wasn't actually completed under the direction of Baroque Italian architect Carlo Rainaldi in 1681. The Latin inscription on the front reads "Deo in hon Mariae virginis matris Dei, dd a MCCLVI" meaning "Dedicated to God in honor of the virgin mother, 1256 AD." The interior has single nave with four chapels on each side. Besides the chapel of the well, the right side has ornate chapels dedicated to St. Philip Benizi, the Annunciation, and the Holy Trinity. On the left are chapels to St. Andrew, the Sacred Heart or Jesus, the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order, and St. Pellegrino Laziosi (patron of cancer sufferers). Obviously, the Santa Maria in Via church is more impressive than most churches in your hometown even though it is just one of 900 Catholic churches in Rome. The history and inspiration it offers shouldn't be discounted just because isn't ranked among the most influential in the city. In addition, it now serves as a national church in Rome for the devout Ecuadorian community. Except during mass, the church is open to visitors on weekdays from 7:15 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. and on Sundays from 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. September is a busy time in the church including the feast of the Madonna of the Holy Well on September 8 and a night vigil on September 26, the anniversary of the miracle of the well.

A little gem of a church, there are so many in Rome! Peered in for a peek when walking past…read more There's always something about the formal, austere exteriors that makes me wonder what's inside, and I'm usually awed by the ornate details within!* One could say a the majority of these churches have some resemblance to each other, similar cross shapes with a longer nave, then shorter arms at left and right towards the front altar, a number of smaller chapels along the sides. This one is no different. Colored marble in tones of grey and shallow crimson, Baroque architectural details, and a beautifully restored fresco on the nave ceiling. The story of this church pertains to a well located in the stables that once stood here, belonging to Cardinal Pietro Capocci, which one day in the 13th century overflowed carrying a stone slab with an image of the Virgin Mary. Following which Pope Alexander IV decreed a chapel be built in this location, dedicated to the Madonna. To this day there is a small tap in one of the chapels on the right after entry that allows parishioners to take a sip of this water from the ancient well below. Interesting storyline--it's like learning about the esoteric parts of history not in textbooks. Spent about 5 minutes looking around, a quick stop for sure! Free to enter and they are open pretty early and late too: 7:15am-7:45pm Tues-Sat 8:30am-9:30pm Sunday 7:15am-1pm and 4-7:45pm Monday For more info: https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/church-santa-maria-madonna-del-pozzo *Maybe it's because we have so much less of these type of medieval/gothic/classical/baroque/romanesque styles of architecture represented in the States, when I have the opportunity to walk past a church every so often in Europe, it behooves me to scratch that itch and see what's behind each doorway.

This is one of the Major Papal Basilicas in Rome, located a bit farther from the city center…read more English name is The Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. Accessible via train and Taxi or bus. The train is located about a few minutes walk behind the church. We were able to visit this Basilica 3x. For the Jubilee Year 2025, 2x. This Basilica is very huge and has paintings of all the Popes and the apostles. A must see Basilica! It also houses St. Paul the apostle's tomb where his remains lie. It also has the Holy Chains - in a reliquary, which bound St. Paul. On our 2nd visit to Rome, it was still covid time and this I consider by far probably the less crowded of the Basilicas. They have a museum which you give a donation of 1euro to explore. I also find their gift shop the biggest and have the most choices of religious souvenirs. Their cafe is also loaded with gelato and variety of snack items. Definitely a must see when in Rome. January 2026

The Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls (Italian: Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura) is…read moredefinitely a must-see if ever in Rome because this basilica is special for so many reasons! My hubby and I visited during our 1st trip to Rome (on September 30, 2023) while celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary (yep, love was in the air! ;) I came across this basilica when researching attractions located near/around the Airbnb that we were staying at in the Ostiense neighborhood and after reading about it, I just had to add it to our Rome itinerary. See the many pics and videos included w/ this review from our visit on 09/30/2023 -- just know that despite my best efforts, they don't fully capture just how beautiful and impressive this basilica is in person. And these pics & videos definitely couldn't capture what I felt when I 1st walked inside and saw the beautiful, gold ceiling that looked like it was glowing! (Brief History) This basilica was built above the tomb of St. Paul in Rome and is one of the 4 major basilicas of Rome. It was consecrated AD 4th century. It's also the 2nd largest church in the Italian capital after St. Peter's. Located inside is the sarcophagus of St. Paul. (Special-ness Specs) -- Gallery of The Popes -- (see the pics & videos included w/ this review) Inside the basilica there are 5 rooms w/ the central one having 80 granite and marble columns and there you will see the portraits of every past pope since St. Peter -- 266 total (awesome display) -- Doors at St. Peter's -- (see pics & videos) 1. The Holy Door - one of the four holy doors is located here, holy doors are only opened every 25 yrs during Jubilee (2025 is the next Jubilee in Rome) 2. The Byzantine Door--the door dates back to the 11th century has 54 panels 3. Outdoor courtyard w/ the beautiful St. Paul monument (Additional helpful info) -- Free to visit but bring some cash so you can leave an offering -- There is a dress code - no knees, stomach, or shoulders can be shown. During our visit there were plastic, disposable shawls at the front door once you entered into the basilica that visitors were asked to use if they were wearing shorts that had their knees showing or if they had on a sleeveless top on. -- not as crowded/busy as St. Peter's basilica so you're able to take your time during your visit Rome has so many beautiful and historic basilica's and during our time in Rome, we did get to experience so many of them and yes, while each of them were special in their own way, the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside The Walls was my favorite and I'm so very grateful that I was able to experience such historic beauty. Till next time, Rebecca visiting from Austin, Texas (United States) on 09/30/2023

All of my pictures for this on the page for the church, Santa Maria De Cosmedin. Sorry I had no…read moreidea this page existed Coming here was on my to do list and I am glad I made it here. I got here early and I was the only tourist here. By the time I left there was a long line The Mouth of Truth (Italian: Bocca della Verità is an ancient Roman marble mask in Rome, Italy, which stands against the left wall of the portico of the Santa Maria in Cosmedin church, at the Piazza della Bocca della Verità According to an enduring medieval legend, it will bite off the hand of any liar who places their hand in its mouth Some of you would walk away with one hand LOL Just saying PRO TIP this is very near the Adventine Key Hole and you can walk to that from this location

Continuing on with the sites I needed to see, thanks to Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck and Eddie…read moreAlbert: the Mouth of Truth. We actually saw it the day before we stopped by, but didn't realize what it was. All I saw was a line of people queuing up in the sun, which didn't look pleasant to me. It wasn't until we actually set our minds to finding this piece of Roman history that I realized: they were waiting for their moment with the Mouth. There was a short line when we got there, which I didn't mind, as it gave me a chance to soak in the area in front of the Mouth and to see some of the signage around the church attached to the Mouth. It's free to step up to the Mouth, but they do suggest a donation. I think we were the only ones to drop €5 in the bin, which is just incredible to me. You're putting your hands on a Roman treasure for your own amusement, you can't be bothered to drop a euro in the box to support them? At any rate, I did get my pictures with the Mouth, and did get to internalize my inner fan-girl at knowing I was standing where Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck stood more than 50 years ago. It was a quick thrill, something fun that ticked a box on a list I've been curating since I was a lass.

Palazzo del Quirinale is Quirinal Palace where Italian president resides. There is large Piazza del…read moreQuirinale in front of the building. Ceremonial change of the guards is taking place upfront - fun to watch. This is basically an Italian White House, only several centuries older, and 20 times bigger. I'm not kidding! 30 popes, 4 kings, and 12 presidents lived here. When Italy became a kingdom in the late 18 hundreds, some of the kings chose to keep their private residences. After the monarchy had been abolished in 1946, some presidents also chosen to stay at their own residences. In this case, the Quirinale was being used for state functions, as well as the state office. President Obama with First Lady Michelle visited the Quirinale for G8 summit back in 2009. The Quirinal hill is the highest of the seven hills of Rome. As such, this area has been very desirable for prominent Romans, and many luxurious villas were built on the Quirinal hill. The Palazzo was built in 1583 for Pope Gregory XIII. In the palace, there are numerous collections of all kinds of art everywhere, lots of statues, paintings, tapestries, furniture, Murano glass chandeliers, porcelain, clocks, carriages... Ancient, antique, beautiful. Photos: Ceremonial change of the guards at Palazzo del Quirinale, October 2016

This place used to be the summer residence of Popes and now it's the official residence of the…read moreItalian President. You can get tickets online or at the small office down the street for only 1.5 euros. The tour was in Italian so I didn't understand all that much. It was nice to see the great paintings, furniture and artifacts. Bring your ID because security is tight.

The Fontana dell'Aqua Paola was a highly recommended attraction from many travelers. I climbed many…read morestaircases for this just to see that its' under construction. Nevertheless I can still see through its beauty from underneath. I'm sure it would be even more beautiful once renovated. This fountain was built with classical Roman elements and recycled materials. It inspired later fountains, including the Trevi Fountain. Once restored this would be a great landmark to stop by to enjoy without the crazy amount of crowds of other landmarks.

This was a nice fountain in the city that is not crowded like the others in centro Rome. Our vespa…read moretour took us here to get a nice view of the city across the street and to see this beautiful fountain .

The huge Corte Suprema di Cassazione is the highest court of appeal or court of last resort in…read moreItaly. It has its seat in the Palace of Justice, Rome. It was created in 1483, contained six members named directly by the crown & decided many landmark cases & international crimes.

There isn't much to the site and if you want you could do it in 10 minutes or so. However, it is a…read morenice thing to see if you're nearby as it's not a long walk from the Spanish Steps. It's also cool inside the building on a hot day. Ara Pacis isn't a must see, however it is something I would recommend looking up and reading about because it's got a fairly interesting story (both ancient and modern).

I just adore this museum!…read more Rarely do you come across the fine balance of modern and ancient that works so splendidly as it does here at Ara Paris, it's just so tranquil and tasteful. Step away for an hour from the traffic, the noise, the rush of Rome and visit this very special place in one of the most spectacular cities the world has known.