Rome, May 26, 2025 – On board Italo, the new podcast “Roma Felix” produced by Avvenire takes listeners on a five-episode journey through history, spirituality, and memory, uncovering the deep soul of Rome, the heart of Christianity.
Created for the Jubilee, the podcast explores lesser-known itineraries and hidden places tied to the early Christians in the Eternal City, dating back to the arrival of Peter and Paul. These are often overlooked sites, far from the usual tourist routes.
The podcast will be available starting tomorrow, May 27, on Avvenire.it, all major podcast platforms, and Italo’s channels such as italoblog.it and the onboard portal Italo Live.
Avvenire is a daily newspaper focused on news, knowledge, and culture, offering a comprehensive view of current events, economics, politics, and global affairs.
The Italo Group has always supported cultural initiatives, aiming to provide its 25 million passengers with an increasingly rich, tailored, and complete travel experience. Together, Italo and Avvenire bring stories of Christianity to a wide audience of travelers and followers through a dedicated podcast series.
Written and hosted by Avvenire journalists Stefania Falasca and Giuseppe Matarazzo, Roma Felix weaves together history and the sacred sites of the Apostle Peter—streets, homes, basilicas, sanctuaries, alleyways dotted with taverns and Marian shrines—leading all the way to the underground world of the catacombs. It’s an immersive journey through centuries of humanity and an invitation to rediscover the often hidden or forgotten traces of a fascinating and mysterious Rome.
In the first episode, “Peter is Here”, we follow the apostle’s journey to the Eternal City and reflect on the mystery of his tomb.The second episode, “In the Footsteps of Paul”, traces the path of Rome’s other apostle.The third, “Rediscovering the Catacombs”, takes us underground into ancient Christian burial sites.The fourth, “Rome as Jerusalem”, returns to the city’s streets and its grand basilicas that echo the presence of Jesus in the Holy Land.The fifth and final episode, “The Eyes of the Madonnelle”, leaves the basilicas behind to wander through the maze of alleys and squares in Rome’s popular districts, encountering the “Madonnelle”—hundreds of street shrines and icons symbolizing the Romans’ devotion to Mary.
Italo guides its travelers, episode by episode, through an unexpected Rome—lesser-known corners of ancient, Renaissance, and Baroque Rome, off the beaten path, and even hidden spaces within iconic landmarks—on a journey to rediscover the roots of Christianity.