“Er lupo perde er pelo ma nun er vizio.”
The wolf loses its fur but not its vice — old habits die hard, even when circumstances change.
Buongiorno, Roma! Martedì si apre con un cielo già caldo sopra i tetti della capitale, la settimana che porta allo sciopero dei treni di giovedì e al primo grande fine settimana dell'estate romana. Oggi la Chiesa celebra Sant'Efrem il Siro, diacono e Dottore della Chiesa, chiamato l'Arpa dello Spirito Santo per i suoi inni che ancora risuonano nelle liturgie orientali. Nato a Nisibi nel 306 d.C., Efrem trascorse gli ultimi dieci anni della sua vita a Edessa, insegnando, scrivendo e cantando i misteri della fede in versi di una bellezza senza tempo. Mentre la città si prepara per l'arrivo del basket di Serie A con il trasloco della Vanoli Cremona a Roma, e mentre il sindaco di Chicago visita i Fori Imperiali dopo l'incontro con Papa Leone XIV, l'estate romana si accende. Il Cinema in Piazza torna con film gratis sotto le stelle, e il Ministero della Cultura annuncia l'acquisto del tesoro etrusco della Tomba François per 15 milioni di euro. Martedì a Roma: il sole sale, i motorini sfrecciano, e l'eterna macchina della Città Eterna continua il suo glorioso e rumoroso cammino.
Professional basketball is returning to the Italian capital after the investor group led by former Dallas Mavericks executive Donnie Nelson, including NBA superstar Luka Dončić, completed the purchase of Vanoli Cremona and announced its relocation to Rome for the 2026-27 season. The club, which will retain its Lega Basket Serie A license, is expected to play home games at the PalaLottomatica in the EUR district. Dončić, the Slovenian guard who now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, described the move as a dream realised, posting on social media that “basketball is coming back to Rome.” The acquisition positions the franchise as a potential candidate for a permanent spot in the proposed NBA Europe league, which could debut as early as fall 2027 with 12 licensed teams across major European capitals. Rome has been without a top-flight basketball presence since the dissolution of Virtus Roma in 2020. The team is expected to begin its first Roman training camp in August.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson continued his official visit to Italy on Tuesday, touring the Roman Forum and the Colosseum alongside Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, a day after his private audience with Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace. Johnson, who arrived in Rome on Sunday as part of a broader European trade mission, discussed urban sustainability, migration policy, and cultural exchange with both the pontiff and his Roman counterpart. The visit marks the latest chapter in Chicago-Rome relations, with both cities facing shared challenges around public transportation modernisation and affordable housing. Johnson presented Gualtieri with a commemorative Chicago flag that had flown over City Hall, while Gualtieri gifted the American mayor a volume of photographs documenting Rome’s archaeological heritage. The delegation is expected to depart for Paris on Wednesday.
The Italian Ministry of Culture has finalised the €15 million acquisition of the François Tomb, one of the most celebrated painted Etruscan burial chambers in the archaeological record, located at the Vulci archaeological site in Lazio. The tomb, discovered in 1857 and named after its excavator Alessandro François, dates to the fourth century BC and contains an extraordinary cycle of frescoes depicting scenes from Greek mythology and Etruscan history, including the famous sacrifice of the Trojan prisoners by Achilles. The purchase from the private Torlonia family ensures the tomb will remain under state protection and be opened more regularly to the public. Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli called the acquisition “a decisive step in the repatriation and safeguarding of Italy’s incomparable Etruscan heritage.” The François Tomb joins a growing list of Etruscan treasures under direct state management, reinforcing the Lazio region’s position as a global centre for pre-Roman archaeology.
Rome’s beloved Cinema in Piazza festival returns for its 2026 edition, transforming the city’s squares and courtyards into open-air cinemas with free screenings running from mid-June through August. Now in its 15th year, the programme will span 15 locations across all municipi, including Piazza della Madonna di Loreta, Piazza San Cosimato in Trastevere, and the courtyard of the Palazzo delle Esposizioni. This year’s lineup features a mix of Italian classics, recent award-winners, and international cinema, with special themed nights dedicated to the centenary of Maria Callas’s birth and the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s “The Last Man,” which is also the subject of a concurrent exhibition at the Museo di Roma in Trastevere. Screenings begin at dusk, with films introduced by local cultural associations. The festival is organised by the Fondazione Cinema per Roma in partnership with the Comune di Roma, drawing an estimated 80,000 attendees each summer.