Posted by admin on June 12, 2007 under Rome hotels and events | 
Rome’s cats 12 June 2007
Posted by Danne75 in : Events in Rome , trackback
The history of cats in Italy goes back about 900 BC. An obvious reason for keeping cats would be to keep the rodent population down. It isn’t that different in Rome today. Another reason that the cats flourish in Italy and in Rome is that in 1991 Italy passed a law that no healthy homeless cats could be killed.
There are a few places where the cats can be seen but Largo di Torre Argentina, the place where Julius Ceaser was assasinated, has the largest colony numbering about 300 cats. They are taken care of by some locals and an orginsation tat looks after them too. Another place the cats can be found and where there is also quite a large colony is the Protestant Cememtary. The cats here have been given the title ” Guardians of the Dead”
There are a few places where the cats can be seen but Largo di Torre Argentina, the place where Julius Ceaser was assasinated, has the largest colony numbering about 300 cats. They are taken care of by some locals and an orginsation tat looks after them too. Another place the cats can be found and where there is also quite a large colony is the Protestant Cememtary. The cats here have been given the title ” Guardians of the Dead”
Romes association with cats has also been an ancient one. Cats in ancient Rome were cosidered to be the likeness of the God of Liberty and were also allowed to go wherever they pleased and were the only animal allowed into the temples. They were also used as mascots in the army.
Romes association with cats has also been an ancient one. Cats in ancient Rome were cosidered to be the likeness of the God of Liberty and were also allowed to go wherever they pleased and were the only animal allowed into the temples. They were also used as mascots in the army.
When you are in the city centre it is really easy to spot them especially if the weather is sunny and hot. I have also seen a few very near the hotel on my way home at night but they are usually very wary of strangers and will more than likely run if you approach them.
The other places where you can see the cats are: Colosseo and Foro Romano and the other places in the historical centre. Have fun!!!
Posted by admin on June 2, 2007 under Rome hotels and events |
Rome for nothing (well almost ) 2 June 2007
Posted by Danne75 in : Events in Rome , trackback
Lets be realistic just for a bit. Your holiday is not just about money but it is a big part of it. So here are a couple of tips to save money and make it go just a little further.
Lets start with what you can see for nothing. Foro Romano, Pantheon and the Museo di Risorgimento have free entrance. Another great place is Villa Borghese park. The Vatican Museums and Sisitine Chapel are also free the last Sunday of every month. It is advisable to get there at least an hour before the museums open. The queues are very long. The other churches always seem to get over looked by many holiday makers. There are fantastic works of art, entrance is free and there are never any queues.
Lets start with what you can see for nothing. Foro Romano, Pantheon and the Museo di Risorgimento have free entrance. Another great place is Villa Borghese park. The Vatican Museums and Sisitine Chapel are also free the last Sunday of every month. It is advisable to get there at least an hour before the museums open. The queues are very long. The other churches always seem to get over looked by many holiday makers. There are fantastic works of art, entrance is free and there are never any queues.
You also don’t have to buy water. This is absolutely great. The water is safe to drink from the tap and from all the fountains outside. So all you have to do is find an empty bottle and fill it from the fountains. The location of the hotel is located really near Termini station so you dont have to take a taxi to reach the train station. The metro staion Castro Pretorio is located very near the hotel too. However if you are here for a short time only then an 11 euro travel card would be sufficient to get you around the city. It is valid for 3 days and it can be used for the metro, bus and the tram.
You also don’t have to buy water. This is absolutely great. The water is safe to drink from the tap and from all the fountains outside. So all you have to do is find an empty bottle and fill it from the fountains. The location of the hotel is located really near Termini station so you dont have to take a taxi to reach the train station. The metro staion Castro Pretorio is located very near the hotel too. However if you are here for a short time only then an 11 euro travel card would be sufficient to get you around the city. It is valid for 3 days and it can be used for the metro, bus and the tram.
Now we get to one of the most important parts of the whole trip. The food! In Italy food is taken very seriously. There is no point in spending money on something that is overvalued and overpriced. The locals eat well for a fair price and so should you. Here are a couple of tips: Don’t eat at restaurants right in the centre, look for restaurants in the streets near the famous piazzas, don’t eat at restaurants with a menu turistico and go where you only hear Italian being spoken this tells you that it is a big hit with the locals. Which means its been around for a while and is worth eating at and you wont be served ready made reheated food.
When you go to a bar to have a coffee always stand at the bar. Its cheaper to have your coffee there than to take it to a table outside. All of these things may seem trivial but if you manage to remember a few of these things you could save yourself quite a few euros.
Enjoy your holiday spend your cash wisely and buy something worthwhile instead of wasting it. Looking forward to seeing you in Rome and having you as a guest in our hotel.
Posted by admin on May 30, 2007 under Rome hotels and events |
Ostia Antica 30 May 2007
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The Italian summer gets very hot, so hot that walking around the beautiful city of Rome for some gets too unbearable. In summer when you want to get away not far from the city, and you just want to chill, the only solution is to go the the beach
Ostia Antica is one of the area’s major attractions, particularly interesting to those who are unable to travel to Pompeii. Unfortunately, many who travel to Rome fail to acknowledge that there is a beautiful beach close to Rome.
Ostia is the beach for Romans who want to escape the big city heat. In summer, the population of the beach resort doubles, and there’s a carnival atmosphere, with dance halls, cinemas, and pizzerias. Whilst at the beach expect to see many posing for others attention, and many showing of their hard paid work at the gym and many in low cut bikinis.
Ostia Antica is one of the area’s major attractions, particularly interesting to those who are unable to travel to Pompeii. Unfortunately, many who travel to Rome fail to acknowledge that there is a beautiful beach close to Rome.
Ostia is the beach for Romans who want to escape the big city heat. In summer, the population of the beach resort doubles, and there’s a carnival atmosphere, with dance halls, cinemas, and pizzerias. Whilst at the beach expect to see many posing for others attention, and many showing of their hard paid work at the gym and many in low cut bikinis.
There are 3 different beaches directly next to each other, so whatever your personal taste, you are sure to find some where, where you can relax and have some fun.
Getting there is not hard, provided you are at a good location, A good location is a around the main station in rome, Termini. In this area there are many excellent 3/ 4 star hotels, such as Yes Hotel or Hotel Des Artistes. To get there you take the Metro Line B from Stazione Termini, to the Magliana stop. Change here for the Lido train to Ostia Antica, about 26km (16 miles) from Rome. Departures are about every half-hour, and the trip takes only 20 minutes. The Metro lets you off across the highway that connects Rome with the coast. It’s just a short walk to the excavations.
Posted by admin on May 16, 2007 under Rome hotels and events |
Party all the time!! 16 May 2007
Posted by Danne75 in : Events in Rome , trackback
If you want to party all night and day, here is the only place to go.
Testaccio is filled with all the secrets for eternal youth, Life, Music, Style and soul. Anyone who is anyone is seen on the strip of Tesctaccio clubs and bars, from young business professionals to youths from all around the world.
Testaccio is packed with many clubs to suit all your personal tastes, with different clientele, music and scenery.
Thursdays through Sundays are club nights when the whole city seems to be out on the town.Testaccio, was named after the mountain of discarded amphoras called Monte Testaccio, and is seen as a traditional working-class area filled with restaurants and markets as well as clubs.
Thursdays through Sundays are club nights when the whole city seems to be out on the town.Testaccio, was named after the mountain of discarded amphoras called Monte Testaccio, and is seen as a traditional working-class area filled with restaurants and markets as well as clubs.
Getting to Testaccio is easy, simply go to Termini Station, which is behind one of our Sister Hotels Yes Hotel and 10 minutes walk from our Mother Hotel, Hotel Des Artistes. From Termini you can take the number 40 bus which will take you to Piramide Station, and from there it is only a 5 minute walk. There are also buses which will pick you up from the early hours of the morning which will take you back to Termini, So ensure you have a great location when you book your accommodation.
The Address is: Via di Monte Testaccio
Posted by admin on May 2, 2007 under Rome hotels and events |
San Pietro in Vincoli 2 May 2007
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This church houses what are supposed to be the chains of Saint Peter, which were used in his imprisonment in Judea and Rome. The miracle of the chains is supposed to have happened in the following way. The wife of the emperor at the time had the chains brought from Judea to Rome. Then both sets of chains miraculously interlinked themselves to each other.
They can be seen in the church underneath the alter. Another remarkable piece of art is the sculpture of Moses which was sculpted by Michelangelo. The sculpture was originally for the funeral monument of one of the popes, which was supposed to have been placed in the middle of St Peters Basilica. However Michelangelo only ever got to finish one side of what was supposed to be an enormous tomb.
They can be seen in the church underneath the alter. Another remarkable piece of art is the sculpture of Moses which was sculpted by Michelangelo. The sculpture was originally for the funeral monument of one of the popes, which was supposed to have been placed in the middle of St Peters Basilica. However Michelangelo only ever got to finish one side of what was supposed to be an enormous tomb.
Other interesting features are the fresco on the wall of St Sabastiano and the tombstone situated in the wall on the left side of the entrance. When you are in the church please try to be quiet or you will be treated to the care taker coming out and shooooooooing everybody into silence
Posted by admin on April 25, 2007 under Rome hotels and events |
Taxi update!! 25 April 2007
Posted by Danne75 in : Events in Rome , trackback
I keep hearing the same story over and over about the problem with the taxis. This time a gentleman paid over 100 euros from Fiumicino airport to the hotel. Unfortunately he didn’t use a licensed taxi and therefore he paid the price. A very expensive one too.
A couple of days later he got a licensed taxi from St Peter’s to the hotel and paid 8 and a half euro. The next day he got another licensed taxi from the same area and was told the price was 15 euro. Please make sure that the taxi you get is a licensed one. Then make sure that the metre is set correctly. After that find out if there are any costs for bags. They only usually tell you once you get to your destination. Which is a bit annoying.
Unfortunately this problem is not a new one and people are constantly being taken advantage of and being ripped off. The rates for a taxi from Fiumicino airport to Rome are 50 euros. From Ciampino airport to Rome the cost is 40 euro.Both prices are capped and the maximum number of passengers is 4.
Of course there are also licensed taxi drivers that take a chance too. Sometimes its not always easy when you arrive at the airport and its late, you are tired and all you want to do is get to your room and go to bed. Just please be aware that this problem exists and try to avoid it if you can.
Posted by admin on April 24, 2007 under Rome hotels and events |
A normal day in Rome 24 April 2007
Posted by Xtine71 in : Events in Rome , trackback
Well maybe there are no normal days in Rome but out of the chaos that you will usually see on the streets and in every general direction you may spot a moment of normality.
Rome is always busy, crowded and noisy. Everything that you would expect from a city. Except this one has a certain flair about it. From the carabinieri strutting about in their Armani designed uniforms to the barmen and waiters in the coffee shops. Nothing is done without a lot of talking and wild gesturing with their hands or any other body part if their hands are full.
Then there is the constant and seemingly never ending flow of traffic and the non flow of traffic usually referred to as the traffic jam. Lots of hooters and more mad gesticulating can be found here. Also to be seen are literally hundreds of scooters everywhere. Racing in between cars and taking the numerous one way streets when the police are not around.
Yes and then there are the police. Well they don’t really seem to do much at all really. They just sit around and drink coffee and smoke cigarettes most of the time. You can usually see a great example of this in the centre near Via Del Corso or near metro Piramide, both close to our Yes Hotel Rome. Well in my opinion if the police don’t do much then that must mean they have either caught all the baddies or that there aren’t that many of them around.
Then when you walk into the numerous piazzas you will without a doubt see mimes. The usual ones being the statue of liberty and Egyptian statues. Both are very boring and don’t really do much except change position or bow when you put money in their bowl. If you want to quite a good mime look for the ones all painted in gold or black. There is a gold painted cameraman sometimes in Piazza Del Popolo and a black painted figure with a sword , who must be Cola Di Rienzo , down Via Del Corso. They are the best .If you spot them drop a couple of coins in their bowl.
There are also loads buskers and bands that play on the street too. The city is always humming with some kind of activity.
Come have a look for yourself and see the funny guys dressed up as centurions and gladiators outside the Coloseum and the funny drunk one that always gets on the metro afterwards or who can also be seen walking around Piazza Di Spagna and Trinita Dei Monti. Come to Rome because you wont see this anywhere else.
Posted by admin on April 16, 2007 under Rome hotels and events |
Caravaggio 16 April 2007
Posted by Danne75 in : Events in Rome , trackback
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio , or better known as Caravaggio led an extremely tumultuous and short life. His career was very short, spanning only ten years. However in those ten years he painted some of the most extraordinary and realistic paintings of his time.
He was a master of chiaroscuro, the use of light and shadow. Caravaggio’s paintings are fantastic to look at. They seem to be self illuminated and they stand out from a mile away. The subjects are always bathed in light and the detail and realism of his paintings is extraordinary.
He was never short of patronages and work but he prone to brawling and being frivolous with his money. In a brawl in Rome he killed a man and was then forced to flee as he had now been branded an outlaw. He then continued his work in Naples, Malta and Sicily. Always being forced to flee because he was involved in fights or because he was a target for a revenge killing.
His works of art are dotted all over Rome. His paintings are on display in Villa Borghese , Santa Maria Del Popolo , San Luigi dei Francesi, Pinacoteca Vaticana and Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica.
He was never short of patronages and work but he prone to brawling and being frivolous with his money. In a brawl in Rome he killed a man and was then forced to flee as he had now been branded an outlaw. He then continued his work in Naples, Malta and Sicily. Always being forced to flee because he was involved in fights or because he was a target for a revenge killing.
His works of art are dotted all over Rome. His paintings are on display in Villa Borghese , Santa Maria Del Popolo , San Luigi dei Francesi, Pinacoteca Vaticana and Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica.
Posted by admin on April 11, 2007 under Rome hotels and events |
River Cruises 11 April 2007
Posted by Danne75 in : Events in Rome , trackback
Now that the weather is warming up and the daylight hours are longer, a nice idea would be to take a nice luxurious cruise down the Tevere.
The Tevere was once a crucial water supply and a means for moving goods in and out of the city. However with the building of the aqueducts and the improvement of roads over time it eventually became unnecessary for this use. That doesn’t mean that you can’t relax for a few hours on a nice warm sunny afternoon. This is also another unusual and different way to se the city and you will also save your legs from all the walking.
Or would you like to get married and have your wedding reception on the river. The Tiber II motorboat makes this possible. It has a maximum passenger capacity of 350 people, air conditioning, heating and 5 toilets too. So it won’t be any problem for a party either. The boat can also be rented for private parties too. Having a length of 40 metres is more than enough space to dance the night away.
This would be a great way to make the most important day in your life also the most memorable. Nothing could be better than newlyweds cruising down the river in the Eternal City.
Posted by admin on under Rome hotels and events |
Pick Pocketing 11 April 2007
Posted by Danne75 in : Events in Rome , trackback
Please be careful with your stuff. Another guest from the hotel had their things stolen out of their bag at the Coloseum. As per usual the bag was on her back and she could obviously not see if any one was opening it and going through her stuff. In the end she had to cancel her cards and get temporary travel papers and go through all sorts of other trouble. Please leave your valuables in the safe provided in your room.
Please be careful when you are walking around in heavily trafficked tourist areas. Decide before you go out exactly what you need and where you are going to keep it. Take only cash with you and no cards if they are not necessary. The only time you may need your passport is if you intend using the internet. They usually photocopy it and give it straight back to you.
Make sure you have a money belt if you are going to carry lots of cash with you to go on your shopping spree. Cameras and mobile phones are also the other items that end up getting stolen too. Do not keep camera bags in plain view or cell phones either.
Pay special attention on the metro and on the busses. They are always crowded and it is very easy to have something stolen if you don’t take the necessary precautions. Do not leave anything in your trouser pockets. Keep your stuff in your breast pocket of your shirt or top and then wear another jacket on top of that. That way if someone does want to steal something from you they literally have to undress you. Not many people would ignore that.
Use common sense. You may not be able to disguise the fact that you are a tourist but at least you can be a smart one.
Please be careful when you are walking around in heavily trafficked tourist areas. Decide before you go out exactly what you need and where you are going to keep it. Take only cash with you and no cards if they are not necessary. The only time you may need your passport is if you intend using the internet. They usually photocopy it and give it straight back to you.
Make sure you have a money belt if you are going to carry lots of cash with you to go on your shopping spree. Cameras and mobile phones are also the other items that end up getting stolen too. Do not keep camera bags in plain view or cell phones either.
Pay special attention on the metro and on the busses. They are always crowded and it is very easy to have something stolen if you don’t take the necessary precautions. Do not leave anything in your trouser pockets. Keep your stuff in your breast pocket of your shirt or top and then wear another jacket on top of that. That way if someone does want to steal something from you they literally have to undress you. Not many people would ignore that.
Use common sense. You may not be able to disguise the fact that you are a tourist but at least you can be a smart one.
