From New York to Budapest, you can celebrate St Patrick’s Day almost anywhere in the world. Ciara McDonnell helps you get planning for next year

A complex of ancient temples in Rome that are linked to the scene of Julius Caesar's murder will be opened to the public.

Pope Francis has called for peace in a world marked by war and conflict, "beginning with the beloved and long-suffering land of Syria" and extending to the entire Middle East, the Korean peninsula and parts of Africa affected by "hunger, endemic conflicts and terrorism".

Tens of thousands of faithful have undergone heavy security checks to enter St Peter's Square to participate in Easter Sunday Mass celebrated by Pope Francis.

Pope Francis presided over solemn Good Friday services amid heightened security at Rome's Colosseum for the Via Crucis procession and a new communications controversy at home.

Minister for Children Katherine Zappone says she shares former president Mary McAleese’s view that the Catholic Church is misogynistic, and she intends to raise these concerns in person when she visits the Irish College in Rome later this week.

President Michael D Higgins said he was “concerned and upset” when the Vatican barred former president Mary McAleese from taking part in a conference.

Italy's civil protection agency has decided to send in the army to clear snow-clogged streets in Rome after an Arctic storm paralysed the capital with just a few inches of snow.

Authorities in Rome have launched an investigation after a 30ft-wide sinkhole swallowed half a dozen cars on a residential street.

Kurdish and Italian protesters have clashed with police as Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan met the Pope in the Vatican to discuss the status of Jerusalem, human rights and refugees.

The Catholic Church has been given 35 new saints, proclaimed during a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in St Peter's Square, Rome.

Rome's water utility is planning to reduce water pressure in factories and buildings across the capital in its latest effort to combat a nationwide drought that has parched reservoirs and wreaked havoc on Italian agriculture.

Latest: A man has confessed to killing his sister, whose hacked-off legs and other body parts were found in rubbish bins in Rome, Italian police said.

Unlike most previous Popes, Francis doesn’t buzz off to Castel Gandolfo for a cool holiday during these summer months, when Rome becomes a swelter of stickiness. 

The creed that freedom and the rule of law are inextricable has formed the backbone of democratic theory at least since the time of Cicero, writes Vittorio Bufacchi.

Maria Sharapova was forced out of her second-round match at the Italian Open through injury, having earlier been told she would not be handed a wild card for the French Open.

Latest: There were no injuries following an explosion on Marmorata Street in Rome.

Here's your lunchtime news bulletin.

Police in Rome said officers seized sharpened iron bars, clubs and knives ahead of anti-EU march - just a few miles from where the EU summit was being held.

European Union leaders have begun a weekend pilgrimage in Rome with the hope that a visit to the cradle of their project of unity can rekindle the vigour of youth.

The Taoiseach has met Pope Francis in the Vatican today.

Italy was rocked by another powerful earthquake on Sunday, destroying homes, businesses and ancient buildings.

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.4 has hit a broad swathe of central Italy, including Rome, on Wednesday.

Pope Francis is treating dozens of Rome's homeless this summer to a day at the beach and dinner in a pizzeria on the way back.

We stood on a hilltop in Rome: a group of journalists from around Europe gathered in the Eternal City to see how it can look through the eyes of Google applications.

Italy’s culture minister has criticised as “incomprehensible” the decision to cover up naked statues at a Rome museum where Iranian president Hassan Rouhani was visiting.

Rome and Milan have ordered no-car days next week to combat pollution, which has hit unhealthy levels for weeks mainly because no rain has fallen to wash away the smog.

Rome has banned centurion impersonators who charge to scowl in photos around the Colosseum amphitheatre and frequently come under fire for their pushy tactics with tourists.

Italy is set to put senior unsecured bank bonds in line for losses with a law that facilitates writedowns to prevent taxpayer bailouts.

The glory of Rome is long renowned, but as Crispian Balmer reports, that splendour is starting to diminish due to Mafia corruption, sclerotic development, and labour disputes