Culture

More ancient Egyptian obelisks are in Rome than any other city in the world. But Egypt is still home to the most impressive one. Daniella tracks it down in the granite quarry of Aswan, where it never left the ground.

A closer grammatical dive into S.P.Q.R., inspired by a conversation with two curious visitors in the Forum — why “Roman” means more than “of Rome.”

The strange, but true story of the time Rome nearly traded its 2,500-year-old motto for “Rome&You” — and why SPQR won in the end.

Part two of the SPQR saga: how Rome’s ancient motto stacks up against the shifting slogans of a modern empire.

An introduction to Daniella’s guidebook on the Roman Forum — richly illustrated and written for armchair travelers, general interest readers, and history buffs.

Daniella recounts how, 1,900 years ago, Rome’s military built a defense wall in six years, laying circa 24 million stones. And how, luckily, the insanity of experiencing it first-hand was tempered with excellent beer and phenomenal hospitality.

The inside scoop on how the Vatican Museums went from an Art History Paradise to a Tourist Trap Hell in the course of 25 years.

Follow Daniella on her journey to the ancient amphitheater at Santa Maria Capua Vetere. Although less known than the Colosseum, it is the arena where champions, Spartacus included, once trained and fought.

What does S.P.Q.R. really mean, and why has ancient Rome’s slogan endured for 2,500 years? This is the first in a series of blogs that unpack what some consider the most famous acronym in Western history.

The story of an ill-fated 29km walk from Rome to Ostia along a path that, as it turns out, never existed — plus an update on the real bike route today.