“Non è tutto oro quel che luccica.”
All that glitters is not gold.
Buongiorno, fratelli e sorelle dell'Eterna Città! Oggi è sabato 25 luglio, festa di San Giacomo Maggiore Apostolo e di San Cristoforo Martire. San Giacomo, figlio di Zebedeo e fratello di San Giovanni Evangelista, fu uno dei primi chiamati da Cristo sulla riva del Galileo e divenne il primo degli apostoli a subire il martirio, decapitato a Gerusalemme intorno al 44 d.C. per ordine di Erode Agrippa. È patrono della Spagna e dei pellegrini — il Cammino di Santiago de Compostela, che da secoli conduce milioni di fedeli al suo sepolcro, porta il suo nome. San Cristoforo, il 'portatore di Cristo', è il martire del III secolo celebrato dalla tradizione popolare con la leggenda dell'uomo che trasportò il Bambino attraverso un fiume torbido. A Roma, questo sabato di fine luglio cade nel pieno della terza ondata di calore dell'estate 2026: temperature previste intorno ai 35°C, con bollino arancione ancora attivo dopo giorni di rosso. I rifugi climatici del Comune restano aperti, e la vita estiva della città continua ai ritmi del suo estate: concerti, mostre e passeggiate serali lungo il Tevere. Buongiorno e buon sabato, Roma!
Rome — Jazz lovers have reason to celebrate tonight as Grammy-winning American vocalist Gregory Porter takes the stage at the Auditorium Parco della Musica's iconic open-air Cavea amphitheatre for the Roma Summer Fest. The concert, part of the Fondazione Musica per Roma's packed July programme, promises an evening of soul, jazz and the warm baritone voice that has made Porter one of the most celebrated vocalists of his generation. This weekend marks one of the festival's busiest stretches: Saturday also sees the final performance of Romeo e Giulietta at the Teatro dell'Opera's summer stage at Circo Massimo, bringing Prokofiev's ballet to life under the Roman sky. The Roma Summer Fest has drawn international acts ranging from John Legend to Goran Bregović this month. For those seeking cooler temperatures, the Cavea's open-air design offers natural ventilation — though a parasol and a bottle of water from the nearest nasone remain essential kit for a July evening outdoors.
Rome — The Eternal City and the French capital are marking seventy years of formal twinning, a partnership sealed in 1956 that has made them one of the oldest 'sister city' relationships in Europe. The milestone was celebrated with a ceremony at the Campidoglio this week, with delegates from Paris's municipal government attending alongside Mayor Roberto Gualtieri. Paris had already demonstrated the depth of the bond on Bastille Day, July 13, when its fireworks display over the Eiffel Tower was themed around the Rome-Paris partnership — a rare honour for a sister city. The twinning encompasses cooperation in culture, urban planning, transport policy and climate adaptation, with both capitals facing similar challenges of managing mass tourism, extreme summer heat and heritage preservation. The relationship dates to the post-war era, when European cities sought to rebuild cross-border friendships devastated by two world wars, and has since become a model for municipal diplomacy across the continent.
Rome — The Colosseum's latest exhibition, 'Troy and Rome: Myths, Legends, Stories of the Ancient Mediterranean,' continues to draw visitors with its ambitious exploration of the deep cultural connections between the Trojan and Roman worlds. Running through the summer, the show examines how the legend of Troy — the fall of the great city, the wanderings of Aeneas, and the founding of Rome — shaped Roman identity across a millennium. From Virgil's Aeneid to the elaborate genealogies that linked Roman families to Trojan heroes, the exhibition traces a narrative thread that connects Homer's Iliad to the very stones of the Forum. Artifacts, interactive displays and multimedia installations bring the ancient Mediterranean to life, set against the backdrop of the Colosseum itself — a monument that would never have existed without the civilisation that the Trojan myth helped build. The exhibition is part of a broader programme of summer cultural events at Rome's archaeological sites, which have drawn record visitor numbers despite the challenging heat.
Rome — The Appia Antica Regional Park has entered its highest-risk period for wildfires as the capital endures its third major heatwave of the summer, with the park authority issuing new warnings and restrictions for visitors. The combination of months of minimal rainfall, temperatures consistently above 33°C and dry vegetation has created dangerous conditions along the ancient parkland that stretches from the city walls to the Alban Hills. The park authority has banned open flames, barbecues and the disposal of cigarette butts in outdoor areas, and has stepped up patrols along the Via Appia Antica and its surrounding countryside. Firefighters from the Vigili del Fuoco have been placed on heightened alert across the Lazio region, where several small blazes have already been extinguished in the past week. The warnings come as Rome itself continues to swelter under sustained high temperatures, with the Health Ministry keeping the city under elevated heat alerts. Authorities are urging residents to avoid the park during the hottest hours and to report any signs of smoke immediately.