Ancient Erotic Mosaic Stolen From Pompeii During World War II Finally Returns Home
A Nazi captain gave artwork, which depicts an intimate Roman romance, to a civilian. When he died, his heirs decided to return the piece to Italy
The Vatican’s Newly Restored Raphael Rooms Spotlight the Great Artist Who Died Before Finishing His Final Project
As specialists cleaned and studied the rooms in the Apostolic Palace, they learned new information about the Renaissance painter’s experimental techniques
The Colorful History of Tarot Is as Mesmerizing as the Decks Themselves
The original meaning behind the cards, first created 500 years ago, still remains elusive. But that didn’t stop our reporter from traveling to Milan in an effort to find out
Museumgoer Posing for Photo Stumbles Into Portrait of Medici Prince, Damaging the Historic Painting
The incident at the Uffizi Galleries is the latest in a series of tourist-related accidents at museums around the world. Now, the Florentine cultural institution plans to start limiting selfies
The 2,000-Year-Old ‘Perfume Garden’ in the Ancient City of Pompeii Has Been Restored to Its Former Glory
The small garden now features thousands of roses, violets, cherry trees and vines. Experts think a perfumer may have once used the plants to experiment with new scents
Museumgoers Accidentally Break Fragile Crystal-Covered Chair Inspired by Vincent van Gogh Painting
Security footage shows the two museumgoers pretending to sit on the artwork as they pose for photos at the Palazzo Maffei in Italy. After the piece’s front legs bucked, the pair left the museum
Tens of Thousands Were Treated for a Deadly Disease While Confined to Psychiatric Hospitals on These Two Venetian Islands
In the 19th and 20th centuries, San Servolo and San Clemente housed patients suffering from pellagrous insanity, a condition caused by a vitamin deficiency
Mount Etna’s Spectacular Monday Eruption Marks the Volcano’s Most Intense Activity in Years
The explosion was the strongest since 2021, expelling ash, dust, lava and a pyroclastic flow, but no injuries or deaths were reported
These 11 Marble Sculptures of Iconic Artists Once Decorated One of America’s First Art Museums. What Happened to Them?
The Corcoran Gallery of Art was adorned with the statues, commissioned in the late 1800s. But since then, they’ve changed hands many times and finally found their way back to each other in a botanical garden
The Joys of Discovering the Roman Underground, From the Colosseum to What’s Beneath the Trevi Foundation
To escape the crowds of the Eternal City, head below ground and enter a portal into Rome’s past
By Shoving a Bed Frame Against the Door, This Pompeii Family Tried to Survive Mount Vesuvius’ Eruption
Archaeologists are learning new details about the four individuals’ futile attempt to hide inside an ancient residence called the House of Helle and Phrixus
The New Pope Is Calling Himself Leo—Just Like 13 Other Pontiffs Who Came Before Him. Who Are They?
When Robert Prevost was elected pope this week, he chose one of the most popular papal names. The lives of the Pope Leos who preceded him may offer insight into his approach to the papacy
Meet the Mysterious Renaissance Muse Immortalized in the Only Leonardo da Vinci Painting in the Americas
Ginevra de’ Benci was a poet famed for her beauty and intellect. But art historians know little about her beyond the writings and artworks left behind by the men who admired her
Researchers Have the Perfect Cacio e Pepe Recipe Down to a Science—Literally
Cooking the famous, creamy pasta sauce is as delicious as it is frustrating, because the cheese tends to clump when exposed to heat. That’s why Italian scientists created a new technique that’s “simple yet precise”
Hundreds of Looted Ancient Artifacts Confiscated From the Black Market Are Now on Display in Naples
The National Archaeological Museum of Naples is showcasing 600 recovered objects, which date to between the Archaic period and the Middle Ages
How the Misrepresentation of Tomatoes as Stinking ‘Poison Apples’ That Provoked Vomiting Made People Afraid of Them for More Than 200 Years
The long and fraught history of the plant shows that it got an unfair reputation from the beginning
Discover the Renaissance Origins and Mystical Evolution of Tarot Cards
An exhibition at London’s Warburg Institute traces tarot decks’ evolution from the 1450s through the present
Archaeologists Uncover Two Nearly Life-Size Statues Carved Into the Wall of a Tomb in Ancient Pompeii
The figures appear to represent a married couple. Experts think the woman, who is holding laurel leaves, may have been a priestess
Two Great Empires Traded for Financial Gain and Achieved a Brilliant Cultural Exchange as Well
A new show illuminates the rich artistic wonders that arose out of the 400 years of commerce between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire
A Gladiator’s Marble-Etched Epitaph Is Found in an Ancient Roman Necropolis
The graveyard of Liternum, near Naples, was in use between the first century B.C.E. and the third century C.E.
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