The Pines of Rome

Posts in Sightseeing

Snow Day at Rome's Bioparco

Snow days in Rome are beyond rare. I've lived here for over thirteen years and (until yesterday) in all that time it had only snowed two measly times (February 12, 2010 and February 4, 2012). I guess if it’s going to snow in Rome, it’s going to happen in February, because once again, in the early hours of 26 February 2018, the heavens dumped a dozen or so centimeters of white fluff on our lovely city.If you were in Rome during a snowstorm, where would you go first? The Pantheon, to see the snow falling through the oculus (as I did in 2010)? Or the Circus Maximus to watch gleeful Roman kiddies sled down its ancient slopes (as I did in 2012)?

Sightseeing, NatureTiffany ParksFebruary 27, 2018Bioparco di Romabioparco, animals, snow Comments

Rome for Your Chinese Zodiac Sign

Chinese New Year is upon us!! February 16, 2018 heralds the Year of the Dog! According to this handy site (where you can easily find out which Chinese sign you are), the next twelve months promise to be a year of action! An exhausting, but very productive year, if you have the energy to keep up! My favorite line: “Planning, postponing, and negligence are words you will need to remove from your vocabulary during this year.” I love that! It’s especially apt for me, as my book, Midnight in the Piazza, will be published this year! That’s got to be an auspicious sign!

SightseeingTiffany ParksFebruary 16, 2018zodiac, animals, chinese new yearComment

10 Spookiest Places in Rome

For lovers of the macabre, there’s no more deliciously creepy place in Rome than the Museum and Crypt of the Capuchins, where the skeletons of more than 4000 monks have been used as eerie decoration. Hipbones become moldings, chandeliers dangle with leg and arm bones, and vertebrae make intricate cornices. In the last room, over a pile of bones and three reassembled skeletons sporting the famous Capuchin hood, an ominous sign reads, “What you are we once were; what we are you will become.”

SightseeingTiffany ParksOctober 31, 2014 Comment

My Rome Bucket List -- 21 Things to Do in Rome in a Lifetime

I've been noticing a trend. In case you're interested, I'm not a very trendy person. I usually pick up on things around 2-10 years after they become popular. Case in point, I just discovered Downton Abbey and Madonna's album Ray of Light. (Have you heard it? It's amazing.) However, every so often--and I'm talking very rarely--I actually get into something before it starts trending. I still claim to have started the Capri pants craze back in the late '90s. You're welcome.

Personal, SightseeingTiffany ParksApril 7, 2014 Comments

A blog exploring Rome's Art, history, culture, customs, quirks, and curiosities