Rome’s mayor inaugurates refurbished San Giovanni square, March 27th, 2025

Rome’s mayor Roberto Gualtieri inaugurated the new and refurbished square located right in front of the San Giovanni Basilica (it's only 1,700 years old).

The splendid square got a much-need “facelift” during preparations for the Vatican’s 2025 Holy Jubilee (Pope Francis is actually the Bishop of San Giovanni). The square is 15,000 sq/meters, it's covered by 2,000 square/meters of grass, 320,000 cobblestones and 12  fountains.

 
Mayor Gualtieri was joined by the Vatican’s Cardinal Baldo Reina during the press conference.   The square is a traditional venue, more or less for the last 35 years, of the yearly May 1^st national holiday (workers’ day) and its free concert.  After more than a year of reconstruction work the square will be ready this year to welcome thousands upon thousands of music aficionados. 

 
 

Rome’s Gagosian art gallery hosts the “Richard Avedon Italian Days” photography exhibit, March 14th, 2025

Rome’s central Gagosian art gallery is currently hosting the “Richard Avedon Italian Days” photography exhibit.

Avedon was born in New York in 1923 and died in San Antonio in 2004. He was an American fashion and portrait photogrpaher who had worked for Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue and Elle.  Avedon specialized in capturing movement in still pictures of fashion, theater and dance. 

In 1944 he began working as an advertising photographer for a department store.  Two years later he arrived in Rome just after the end of World War II and when Italy was still largely inaccessible to visitors.  He travelled around the country to Rome, Sicily and Venice until 1948.

The twenty-odd photographs that are on display include unique images of Bette Midler, Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren and Samuel Beckett. 

The exhibit which runs until May 17^th, 2025.