I had the luck of my hotel being nearby St. Mary's when I was in Rome, so this was my first stop when exploring the city and what a stop it was! This basillica rivals St. Peters and is full of beautiful artwork and sculptures! I highly recommend you see this Basillica while in Rome. One thing to remember that it's still a functioning ...

Upon entering the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore visitors will ultimately leave Italy behind and enter into the Vatican. Considered one of Rome’s four major basilicas, this fifth century church (dedicated to Mother Mary) is actually a Vatican possession. The church was built around 432 AD in response to a vision had by Pope Liberius. He dreamt ...