A Folkloristic Exhibition just outside Rome

In June, a great folkloristic and religious exhibition, the "Infiorata". A whole street (Via Italo Belardi) is covered with allegorical carpets of flowers and a masked parade walk on these, with medieval and traditional clothes realized by town's women. For more than 2 centuries  on Sunday and Monday following Corpus Christus feast the Infiorata a most suggestive manifestation of art, pride of the artists of Genzano has taken place . Each year the artists suggestions must conform to a previously agreed upon theme, such as The Colours of Michelangelo, or The Designs of Bernini. In the spring it has recently become tradition to have a "mini Infiorata" made by the children from the local schools.

Poets and writers wrote about the Infiorata:

• Massimo d'Azeglio "...you see the fair, the people, the truly rare beauty of the town crowds of Roman, holiday makers from the nearby Castles....everything lively; and seen from the foot of the ascent it seems to be a magnificent carpet, that you regret to see spoilt by the feet of the procession".

• Richard Voss "One of the most beautiful Italian fairs is held in Genzano, the fair of flowers; the whole city seems to be a gigantic flower bed. A marvellous spectacle".

• Hans Christian Andersen "The whole street is a carpet of flowers.... Not even a breathe of air moves and the flowers lie on the ground as if they were heavy precious stones...".

Unforgettable Garden of Oranges in Rome

The Savello park, also known as the Garden of Oranges (Giardino degli Aranci), is located on the Aventine Hill and faces onto the Tiber River, affording a breathtaking view over the city of Rome as well as the Pincio and the Janiculum hill. This gorgeous park is often choosen to take pictures after having celebrated the wedding ceremony at the Basilica of Santa SABINA.

The park, a hanging garden with a surface of about 8000 sqm which can be seen from the Piazza di Monte Savello, is famous for its many bitter orange trees. The tranquil Garden of Oranges  affords fantastic views of the many monuments, roof tops and domes of Rome, encapsulating flavors of the modern and medieval on its shady walkways. The park itself fits neatly behind the ancient Basilica of Santa Sabina. Though they produce bitter fruit, they give a pleasant shady air to the garden, affording a lovely retreat from the bustle and noise of urban life. During the summer it is no surprise that the garden is the choice setting for theatrical productions, a favorite resting spot for visitors touring Rome and the haunt of lovers. Perhaps the inspiring view and romantic ambience offers the ideal prompt for falling at the feet of one's beloved!

Don't Miss this Cultural Centre

The Palazzo delle Esposizioni is a neoclassical exhibition hall, cultural centre and museum on Via Nazionale.

It has housed several exhibitions (e.g. Mostra della Rivoluzione Fascista, Mostra Augustea della Romanità, Gli acquerelli di Marc Chagall), and was temporarily modified during the fascist era due to its style being thought to be out of step with the times.

It has a 139 seat cinema, a 90-seat auditorium, a cafe, a 240-person restaurant, a library and a multi-functional room known as the Forum.

It's an amazing, outstanding PALAZZO right in the centre of rome: the most important and innovative exhibitions are held here.

http://english.palazzoesposizioni.it/mediacenter/FE/home.aspx

 

Remembering a Great English Poet !

The Keats-Shelley Memorial House in Rome is a museum commemorating the lives and works of the Romantic poets John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley. The museum houses one of the world's most extensive collections of memorabilia, letters, manuscripts, and paintings relating to Keats and Shelley, as well as Byron, Wordsworth, Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Oscar Wilde, and others. It is located on the second floor of the building situated just to the south of the base of the Spanish Steps and east of the Piazza di Spagna. Keats Shelley Museum (Piazza di Spagna 26; www.keats-shelley-house.org) is an homage to the two Romantic poets, who spent their final years in Italy. In fact, the museum is housed in the building in which John Keats died in 1821.

The English poet John Keats, who was dying of tuberculosis, came to Rome at the urging of friends and doctors who hoped that the warmer climate might improve his health. The building at Piazza di Spagna 26 was remodelled as part of the project to build the Spanish Steps in 1724-25. The project was designed by Francesco de Sanctis, who wanted to frame the steps with an identical building on either side.

This is the Keats-Shelley Memorial Association: for further information visit the website

http://www.keats-shelley.co.uk/index.html

Visiting Villa Medici

The Villa Medici is an architectural complex centred on the villa whose gardens are contiguous with the larger Borghese gardens, on the Pincian Hill next to Trinità dei Monti in Rome. The Villa Medici, founded by Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and now property of the French State, has housed the French Academy in Rome since 1803. A musical evocation of its garden fountains features in Ottorino Respighi's Fontane di Roma.

In 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte moved the French Academy in Rome to the Villa Medici with the intention of preserving an institution once threatened by the French Revolution. 

From that time on, the boarders no longer belonged solely to the traditional disciplines (painting, sculpture, architecture, metal-engraving, precious-stone engraving, musical composition, etc.) but also to new or previously-neglected artistic fields (art history, archaeology, literature, stagecraft, photography, movies, video, art restoration, writing and even cookery.) Artists are no longer recruited by a competition but by application, and their stays generally vary from six to eighteen months.

Palazzo Braschi

Palazzo Braschi is a large Neoclassical palace in Rome,  and is located between the Piazza Navona, the Campo de' Fiori, the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and the Piazza di Pasquino. It presently houses the Museo di Roma, the civic museum of Rome.It was built by the papal nephew Duke Luigi Braschi Onesti, to designs by Cosimo Morelli. 

The main entrance is on Via San Pantaleo (between Piazza Navona and Corso Vittorio Emanuele). The oval hall inside the main entrance overlooks Via San Pantaleo, and leads to the monumental staircase with its eighteen red granite columns which came from the gallery built by the Emperor Caligula on the banks of the River Tiber. Decorating the staircase there are ancient sculptures and fine stuccoes by Luigi Acquisti inspired by the myth of Achilles.

The architect Giuseppe Valadier designed the chapel on the piano nobile or first floor.

Palazzo Braschi is a lavish palazzo overlooking Piazza Navona, which is now home to the Museum of Rome.
The Museo di Roma has a vast collection dedicated to the history of the city from the Middle Ages to the early twentieth century. Only part of this assortment of drawings, paintings, sculptures, frescoes, costumes etc. is on display at any one time. There is an eclectic feel to the display, which is rather like a book whose text is missing, leaving only the illustrations.
From busts of popes to paintings of peasants, the different human experiences of Rome are illustrated through the stately rooms of Palazzo Braschi. One of the oddest exhibits is a sequence of portraits (1667-1669) of a young scion of the Rospigliosi family (Pietro Banchieri), obviously the apple of his aristocratic family's eye, dressed up in a range of costumes: a dancer, Cupid, a Swiss Guard and even a lady. There is more than a trace of a fed-up expression on the poor boy's face.
Some of the most interesting exhibits are the large scenic paintings of Rome, showing grand events. The artists have carefully included hundreds of small details of the crowd: the nobles in their carriages, the cardinals in all their finery, the youths who may be about to pick the pocket of a distracted gentleman.
Palazzo Braschi itself is a solid and elegant palace dating to the eighteenth century, with a grand staircase boasting red granite columns once belonging to Caligula. The building's original frescoes can still be seen in many of the rooms of the museum.
Palazzo Braschi is on Via San Pantaleo (between Piazza Navona and Corso Vittorio Emanuele). Entrance costs €6.20. An English audio guide is available for hire; note that the museum's labelling is only in Italian.

Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome

 

The Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome (MACRO) is a municipal art museum located in the north-east of Rome, on Via Reggio Emilia.The project began in the late 1990s over the site old factories Peroni. After an initial phase of restructuring of the site which allowed the opening of six rooms in September 1999, the museum was officially opened October 11, 2002.Since July 2004, an extension is being built in order to present all of the permanent collection. These arrangements have been entrusted to the French architect Odile Decq. The MACRO's permanent collection includes a selection of some of the most significant expressions of the Italian art scene since the 1960s, such as the group Forma 1 with the works by Carla Accardi, Antonio Sanfilippo, Achille Perilli, Piero Dorazio, Leoncillo and Ettore Colla; the Arte Povera with Mario Ceroli and Pino Pascali.

The gallery collect works by such artists as Giovanni Albanese, Andrea Aquilanti, Gianni Asdrubali, Domenico Bianchi, Bruno Ceccobelli, Sarah Ciracì, Enzo Cucchi, Fabrice de Nola, Gianni Dessì. 

Best museums of Rome

Rome is an ancient city, therefore is full of interesting museums to visit but I would like to suggest you the main ones of rome:

Borghese Museum Art Galery
Via Prenestina, 685

The Vatican Museums
(the Sistine Chapel, the Etruscan and Egyptian Museums, Raphael’s Rooms, the Gallery of Tapestries)
Viale Vaticano, Città del Vaticano

Galleria Doria Pamphili Via del Corso, 305

Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna
Via delle Belle Arti 131

Palazzo Massimo
Piazza dei Cinquecento, 68

Exploring Rome with 110 open

Explore Rome at your own pace on an extensive hop-on hop-off itinerary through the heart of Rome. The buses are open top which allows you to enjoy full 360 degree panoramic views as you travel along your route. You have the choice of a 24 or 48 hours ticket with which to make use of the 17 stops in the most beautiful, cultural and evocative areas of the Eternal city. The tour operates 365 days per year.

Highlights

• Hop-on hop-off double-decker bus tour of Rome
• Choice of 24- or 48-hour ticket
• Get on and off at 17 stops throughout central Rome
• Personalized audio commentary and onboard tour escort
• Option to add a 24-hour hop-on hop-off Rome cruise

 

National Gallery of Modern Art

The National Gallery of Modern Art  is an art gallery in Rome dedicated to modern art.

It is located at Via delle Belle Arti, near the Etruscan Museum. With its neoclassical and Romantic paintings and sculptures, it marks a dramatic change from the glories of the Renaissance and ancient Rome. Its 75 rooms house the largest collection of works by 19th- and 20th-century Italian artists including Giacomo Balla, Umberto Boccioni, Giorgio de Chirico, Giovanni Fattori, Amedeo Modigliani, Giorgio Morandi, Giacomo Manzù, Alberto Burri, Antonio Canova.

There are also a few notable works by foreign artists, including Calder, Cézanne, Duchamp, Giacometti, Braque, Degas, Wassily Kandinsky, Mondrian, Monet, Jackson Pollock, Rodin, Van Gogh and Klein.

This is the Official Gallery Site:
http://www.gnam.beniculturali.it/index.php?en/1/home

Throw a coin in ....and you'll come back to Rome

A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to the Eternal City. Among those who are unaware that the "three coins" of Three Coins in the Fountain were thrown by three different individuals, a reported current interpretation is that two coins will lead to a new romance and three will ensure either a marriage or divorce. Another reported version of this legend is that it is lucky to throw three coins with one's right hand over one's left shoulder into the Trevi Fountain.

An estimated 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain each day. The money has been used to subsidize a supermarket for Rome's needy. However, there are regular attempts to steal coins from the fountain.

Along the Spanish Steps

The Spanish Steps (Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti) are a set of steps climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the church of Trinità dei Monti. The Scalinata is the widest staircase in Europe.

In the Piazza at the base is the Early Baroque fountain called Fontana della Barcaccia ("Fountain of the Old Boat"), built in 1627-29 and often credited to Pietro Bernini.
During May, part of the steps are covered by pots of azaleas. In modern times the Spanish Steps have included a small cut-flower market. The steps are not a place for eating lunch, being forbidden by Roman urban regulations, but they are usually crowded with people.

In the piazza, at the corner on the right as one begins to climb the steps, is the house where English poet John Keats lived and died in 1821; it is now a museum dedicated to his memory, full of memorabilia of the English Romantic generation.

At the top the Viale ramps up the Pincio which is the Pincian Hill, omitted, like the Janiculum, from the classic Seven hills of Rome. From the top of the steps the Villa Medici can be reached.

The Capitoline Museums

The Capitoline Museums are composed of three main buildings surrounding the Piazza del Campidoglio and interlinked by an underground gallery beneath the piazza.

The three main buildings of the Capitoline Museums are:

• Palazzo Senatorio, built in the 12th century and modified according to Michelangelo's designs;
• Palazzo dei Conservatori, built in the mid-16th century and redesigned by Michelangelo with the first use of the giant order column design; and
• Palazzo Nuovo, built in the 17th century with an identical exterior design to the Palazzo dei Conservatori, which it faces across the palazzo.

In addition, the 16th century Palazzo Caffarelli-Clementino, located off the piazza adjacent to the Palazzo dei Conservatori, was added to the museum complex in the early 20th century.

The third floor of the Palazzo dei Conservatori houses the Capitoline Art Gallery, housing the museums' painting and applied art galleries. The Capitoline Coin Cabinet, containing collections of coins, medals, jewels, and jewelry, is located in the attached Palazzo Caffarelli-Clementino.

The hill of weddings

The Capitoline Hill between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the seven hills of Rome.
The Capitoline contains few ancient ground-level ruins, as they are almost entirely covered up by Medieval and Renaissance palaces (now housing the Capitoline Museums) that surround a piazza, a significant urban plan designed by Michelangelo.
The church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli is adjacent to the square, located near where the ancient arx, or citadel, atop the hill it once stood. At its base are the remains of a Roman insula, with more than four stores visible from the street.
The existing design of the Piazza del Campidoglio and the surrounding palazzi was created by Renaissance artist and architect Michelangelo Buonarroti .
 Michelangelo's first designs for the piazza and remodelling of the surrounding palazzi date from 1536. He reversed the classical orientation of the Capitoline, in a symbolic gesture turning Rome’s civic center to face away from the Roman Forum and instead in the direction of Papal Rome and the Christian church in the form of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Bookshops in Rome

If you need to buy any english or american text, book, dictionary  you can check  the LION BOOKSHOP which is situated in via del Babuino, the  narrow  street that leads to Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps) from  Piazza del Popolo. At the LIONBOOKSHOP you can find every sort of interesting books, CD roms, dictionaries dealing with any subjects. You can also find the useful magazine "WANTED IN ROME" which  contains news as well as cultural listings of exhibitions, music, dance,hotels, cinema and theatre in Rome and Italy. It also features classified advertisements for accommodation, apartments, property, jobs vacant, rentals and services in Rome. Other bookshops in Rome are THE ANGLO AMERICAN BOOK -via della vite and  HERDER INTERNATIONAL Bookcentre in via montecitorio.

Campo dè Fiori

 In the morning Campo dei Fiori is home to the city’s most colourful, and most expensive, street market. This was once the place for the best food at the best prices in the centre but now it is mainly a tourist attraction. At night, instead, the area becomes a very active and rowdy nightspot.
This beautiful place  which is situated near Piazza Navona is plenty of young people on saturday night thanks to the variety of pubs, cafès, restaurants in the area......

strolling in Villa Borghese....

If you want to take a break from all of the museums, you can take a stroll through VILL A  BORGHESE

or visit the Bioparco – Rome Zoo, which sits in the center of the park. Villa Borghese is the largest public park in Rome and it also houses several museums. The 148-acre park also has fountains, lakes, temples, and statues to explore.  VILLA BORHESE is a large park that contains gardens and museums. The vast area with its woods, lakes and grass are a tranquil spot in Rome. It also includes the Museo Borghese, the renovated former country residence of the Borghese family. It now houses an astonishing collection of sculptures collected by Cardinal Scipione Borghese. This collection includes works by Raffaello, Antonio Canova, Pietro e Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Giulio Romano, etc. as well as a fine collection of paintings by Titian, Raphael and other greats.

Irish Pubs in Rome

Italian wine can be delicious and inexpensive, and one of the great pleasures of a holiday in Rome is sitting at a table outside a traditional Italian bar and watching the world go by. However, there are still times when only a pub will do. The typical Irish atmosphere where the beer comes by the pint, there's football on the TV screen. For your stay in Rome check this list of pubs:
Abbey Theatre
Finnegan's
Shamrock
Trinity College

 

 

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visiting the Vatican Museums...

The Vatican Museums are situated in Prati Distric.In the nearby there are plenty of shops selling souvenirs of Rome, maps of the city, bus tickets.If you look for some good hotels I suggest you to find them in the Aurelia District just near Villa Pamphili where you may choose some good cheap hotels.

The Museums close at 6 pm. The Information Desk is located in the entrance hall and can provide directions to the different sections of the Museums, together with special events and general assistance.

Open Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 4 pm and the last Sunday of every month from 9 am to 12.30 am.

The Vatican Museums, in Viale Vaticano in Rome, inside the Vatican City, are among the greatest museums in the world, since they display works from the immense collection built up by the Roman Catholic Church throughout the centuries.

It's Christmas time at Piazza Navona...

 Piazza Navona Comes to Life During Christmas time

During your stay in a Rome, don’t forget to visit the beautiful Piazza Navona Christmas Market.  This Christmas Market takes place from 26 November to 6 January.

At this beautiful market, there are all kinds of trinkets and gifts to be found.  Many small tokens of Rome await you. If all of your gifts have already been purchased, the views of the architecture and lights will be enough to satisfy anyone.  The culture in the market shows years of history and seasoned perfection.  Local vendors gather each year to make this a truly authentic experience.

Children can find Santa Claus here, and even collect gifts from him.  If the light in the children’s eyes isn’t enough to fill your hunger, you may always take in a great holiday spirit or some great seasonal bites. Sweets, chestnuts, candies, the famous torrone, sugared apples, liquorice and many other delicious treats await you.

In the Piazza Navona, the Fountain of Moor and the Fountain of Neptune can be found.  Both of these fountains are popular tourist destinations, as they are magnificent sights.

Located in downtown Rome, many apartments and accommodations are located very near. 

DON'T FORGET TO VISIT PIAZZA NAVONA AT CHRISTMAS TIME...!