Hotelrome.net Blog : A guide to news and events in Rome

Rome is packed with things to see and do. Believe me, you can live here for years and still keep discovering incredible things you never heard about before. That’s why we are starting today a series of articles to introduce you to some of the greatest things you can do in the Eternal City withot spending a dime.

First on my list (let’s see what Liam comes up with!) is the church of San Luigi dei Francesi, located near the Pantheon.
From the outside the church looks pretty much like any other church in Rome; you might not imagine that inside you can find an artistic treasure many museums would kill to have, and here it’s available for free: all you have to do it’s walk in!

Inside the church you will find many chapels with religious works of art that, of course, are great but in the end they all almost blur in your mind. That is, until you get to see the Caravaggios. Even if you don’t know anything about art, and just happen to stumble upon the curch by sheer luck you will immediatly be able to tell that here we are dealing not only with an artisan, but with a master and a visionary.

Caravaggio’s works (there are three of them at San Luigi) are vibrant, human and stunning, unlike other religious works of art you will find inside most churches in Rome. I can assure you the passion and strenght that comes off them will become one of your most treasured art memories- and you will get it for free!

You can learn more about Caravaggio and his troubled life on Wikipedia – where else? ; )  To get to San Luigi dei Francesi you can take the bus 40 from Termini. Get off at Largo Argentina and the follow this map we have dutifully put together for your walking pleasure.

If you need accomodation in the city don’t hesitate to write us or visit our website. And while you’re on the internets why don’t you drop me a line to tell me about your Caravaggio experience? It’ll be great to hear from you.

Have a great time!

Our blogger today: Raul

Caravaggio the great italian artist is the main character of this intriguing plot of murder and redemption now brought to Rome Capitoline Museums, in italian language and played only on 26th July 2010. Do not miss this unique show in Rome , brush up your italian and get your tickets !

The play is called : Caravaggio – l’esilio di un uomo alla ricerca di Dio (Caravaggio, the exilus of a man in search of God) and if you are not familiar to the Italian language it is worth taking up a few lessons just to enjoy this fantastic play in Rome !
The personage turns from genius to artist, or should we say is the personage? ‘’It is the spectator and not life that Art mirrors’’, as Oscar Wilde quoted once. The list could be never ending, and it is not difficult to guess Henry Miller’s smile on the matter for what he could be concerned…
The story : A brawl (regarding a cards game) ends up into murder. The victim is Mister (il Signore) Ranuccio Tomassoni and the killer is Michelangelo Merisi. So what? You could say, and the story would probably end here, were it not for the fact that Michelangelo Merisi was the name of the great Caravaggio.
So by the early 1600’s Caravaggio finds himself to become a murderer who ran away to escape the death penalty. Then begins his search for redemption, for God’s forgiveness and for the truth.
Looking for Beauty between light and darkness in art just as in real life. The struggle of passion and virtue are brought altogether in one play. Questions arise : Are passion and virtue struggling or can they be both the same thing ? Some may be disappointed to find out that bad tempered persons can also be brilliant, but that’s the way it goes !

Self Portrait by Caravaggio

The play of Caravaggio at the Capitoline Museums in Rome :

WHEN: 26TH JULY, 21:30
WHERE: Cortile del Palazzo dei Conservatori in the Capitoline Museums , Piazza del Campidoglio, Rome
TICKETS: 12.00 € Reserved tickets can be purchased at the ticket office beginning at 20:30. Reservations required and bookings at www.showbizaps.net
WHERE TO STAY IN ROME : Plan your trip in Rome and discover our great hotel deals in our Rome Hotels such as Hotel Des Artistes and Yes Hotel Rome which are in the heart of Rome and only 20 minutes away from the Capitoline Museums by bus (take number 40).

You can also Contact us on Skype for further information.

Today’s Blogger : Marcelo

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.

For any one in Rome, visitor or resident, Piazza Navona always will have an enchanting atmosphere, and if you wish to know all about it then a tour is in order. The Navona Piazza follows the plan of an ancient roman circus which used to be called the Stadium of Domitian, then was later used as a market place and nowadays is the pride of the Baroque Rome.

This walking tour starts indeed in Piazza Navona, where both Bernini and Borromini have left grand masterpieces of architecture : Mainly the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi by Bernini placed in the middle of the square, and across the church Sant’Agnese in Agone by Borromini. The square is near the Spanish Steps and Via Veneto, close by Rome B&B De Cappuccini and the Rome American Embassy.

You will start off with the visit of the Dome of Santa Ivo alla Sapienza, which was realised by Borromini then you will stroll towards the Saint Louis of the French where Caravaggio has famous canvases.

The tour ends in The Pantheon, one of Rome’s major architecture prowess of the ancient times, located in the historical centre of Rome, in easy reach from your Yes Hotel Rome. It was originally built as a temple in 27 BC and had adjoining baths and gardens. The Pantheon then became a christian church as from the 7th century still running nowadays. 2 kings of Italy are buried : Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I.

The tour is daily and lasts about 3 hours and you can book your Piazza Navona Rome tour here.

When ? Between 1 december 2006 and 6 january 2007, all day long until late at night.

What ? This year again in Piazza Navona in Rome is taking place the traditional Christmas market. The star of this event is no doubt the “Befana�, the witch children adore so much ! The Befana is represented in many ways and looks.
The square fills up with stalls that propose food specialities, other that have the Christmas socks with a wide choice of chocolates and sweets for all tastes. You will also find artisans that have on show and sale the traditional Christmas decorations and mangers to put under your tree.
An old Austrian roundabout with its horses play music and go round and round for the fun of the younger and older crowds.
And in the middle of Piazza Navona is a huge manger, different every year.

The atmosphere is light and festive, and people of all ages will just love it. And if you have a sweet tooth you cannot miss this event.
Apart from this event you will be able to admire the beautiful fountains designed by Bernini who also has numerous works exposed in the Galleria Borghese ; the most impressive fountain in Piazza Navona is certainly the Fontana dei Fiumi.

Where ? Piazza Navona is in the centre of Rome, not far from the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps and for those who prefer a guided tour you can book here. It is in easy reach of our accommodation and hotel My Hotel Rome.

How to get there ? From our hotel My Hotel, walk to Termini station, where an exceptional exhibition of Caravaggio is taking place and take bus 70. A 15 min trip, and you get off in Corso Rinascimento : Piazza Navona is just behind.

Upon request of an expert of the art of the 1600, Sir D. Mahon,who also is a lover of Italy, will take place for the first time in Rome an exhibition with some paintings of Caravaggio.

Caravaggio, whose birth name is Michelangelo Merisi was born in Caravaggio, Italy in 1571 and died in Porto Ercole, Italy in 1610 after years of enduring malaria, at only 39 years old. He moved to Rome when he was still very young and after some harsh years he was finally discovered by Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte who launched him and protected him. Some of his works are also exposed in Galleria Borghese in Rome, near Via Veneto and the Bed and Breakfasts Jonella and Dei Cappuccini, and in the Galleria Doria Pamphili in Rome.

One of these works is called “La chiamata dei Santi Pietro e Andrea”,also well known as “Queen Elizabeth’s Caravaggio”. This painting, finished in 1601 probably in Rome, has been kept for years in the private collection of the Queen in the Royal Gallery of Hampton Court and was freshened up in Windsor Castle. The painting had been varnished a few times over the years, and after years of uncertainty and research as to who was his author, Sir Mahon finally ascertained that the painting was by Caravaggio.

The exhibition which takes place in Gate Termini station in Rome, close to Via Veneto and the American Embassy in Rome also holds other beautiful paintings by Caravaggio but also a few radiographies of the very paintings, a method used to ensure the authenticity of the works. Other works such as Il cavadenti, come from the Palazzo Pitti in Florence.

Gate Termini Art Gallery is right in the city centre in the Rome central train station close to many accomodations such as My Hotel Rome and Yes Hotel Rome. The gallery is modern and aims at brief exhibitions.

Tickets are 8 euro for the adults, free for the children under 6.

Tickets are 5 euro for the students and over 60 and for families of 2 adults with at least 1 child.

Gate Termini Art Gallery – Via Giolitti – Platform 24

From 22 november 2006 to 31 january 2007

The Borghese Family owned the oldest part of the Villa since 1580, but at the beginning of the seventeenth century Cardinal Scipione Caffarelli Borghese, Pope Paul V’s nephew, began purchasing the neighbouring lands intent on creating a “villa di delizie”.The Villa’s first layout, assigned to architects Flaminio Ponzio and Giovanni Vasanzio, included, according to the classic tradition, a pars urbana and a pars rustica, divided in three “rings” . It remained this way until the 18th century.The first ring was the most ostentatious, where the Casino Nobile, numerous statues and fountains and a “sylvan” garden are found. The present Parco dei Daini corresponds to the second ring, a garden reserved for the prince. The Giardini Segreti are found between the first and second rings. The third ring was the countryside, the broadest and vastest part, that suffered the majority of alterations over time.At the end of the 18th century, Prince Marcantonio IV fostered a general renovation of the Villa, which involved the design of new furnishings and the transformation of the seventeenth century buildings, employing architects Antonio and Mario Asprucci and various artists. At the beginning of the 19th century the Villa was expanded with new purchases: Villa Giustiniani and other minor villas, near Porta del Popolo, and the former Villas Doria and Manfroni, near Porta Pinciana. Luigi Canina’s work combined the new properties and bestowed the Villa with a new layout with numerous small eclectically and neoclassical inspired buildings. The villa entered a new phase when it was purchased by the State (1901) and later transferred to the Municipality of Rome.

In the heart of Villa Borghese is the Borghese Gallery which is one of the most beautiful collections in the world: included among the masterpieces, the very famous statue of Paolina Borghese by Canova, “Amor sacro e Amor profano” and “Venere che benda Amore” by Tiziano, the “Deposizione” by Raffaello, the splendid statues by Bernini, six of the best works of Caravaggio, “La caccia di Diana” by Domenichino, and the works of Perugino, Pinturicchio, Veronese, Rubens. To enjoy your day fully around the city and in the park we suggest a hop on hop off tour