The Mithraic Mysteries was once the predominant religious practice in Rome, and some archeological remains of this pre-Christian religion still survive… Photo by Getty Images Before Constantine converted to Christianity and changed Europe for ever, the most worshipped figure in Rome was Mithra, a divinity of Persian origin about whom little history remains. By the […]
Tag: Past Italia; History
Past Italia: Snowfall in Rome
It snowed in Rome last February, and in 2012, though historically it’s actually quite a rare event… Photo by Getty Images This photograph was taken on Monday 26th February 2018, after the ‘Beast from the East’ had dumped several centimetres of snow on Rome, giving the city’s schoolchildren, and many of its shop and office […]
Past Italia: Santa Maria del Monte
La Scalinata di Santa Maria del Monte climbs to the church of St Mary of the Mount in Caltagirone, Sicily The Church of Saint Mary of the Mount in Caltagirone dates back to the 12th-century; its staircase is early 17th-century; but the majolica tiles that have made the staircase famous today were only placed […]