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

Written by: Rhodora

The 65th International Venice film festival, directed by Marco Muller, will take place at the Lido of Venice at the historic Palazzo del cinema on the Lungomare Marconi between 27th August and 6th September. The aim of the Festival is to encourage the awareness and the promotion of all of the various aspects of international cinema as art, entertainment and industry, in a spirit of freedom and tolerance. The Festival will present the films competing for the Golden Lion, some of the most important works of the year will screen Out of Competition like “The Burning Plain” with Charlize Theron, Kim Basinger the new film of Pupi Avati “Il papà di Giovanna” and many other films, coming all over the world.while the Orizzonti section is set to provide a picture of new trends in cinema. The international short film competition Corto Cortissimo is also in the line-up of the festival.

Venice Film Festival 2007

The history of the Venice Biennale dates back from 1895, when the first International Art Exhibition was organized. In the 1930s new festivals were born: Music, Cinema, and Theatre (the Venice Film Festival in 1932 was the first film festival ever organized). In 1980 the first Intl. Architecture Exhibition took place, and in 1999 Dance made its debut at the Venice Biennale.

The Venice International Film Festival (Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica) attracts many movers and shakers, stars and icons of the movie business. Hollywood output formed an important part of the programming in the early years, but the emphasis has now switched to European and international films although the odd Hollywood blockbuster still finds its way on to the schedule. Stars Like George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron, Jude law, will pass the red carpet of the festival this year. In 2005 the movie Brokeback Mountain with the late Heath Ledger , had won the prize of the Golden Lion.

Planning a trip to Venice ? Then do not waste time and book your Venice Hotel now !

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Venezia Blog

Venice Film Festival speaks italian !

Hi everybody,

Finally I’m back with some news and appetizing stories and an attractive place too  that I stronly recommend you visit and, no doubt  it is definitely off the track so the curious will be delighted. Ready? Ok !

Let’s go start a marvellous trip into Amatrice, the village that claims to be the inventor of “pasta all’amatriciana” , which is famous worldwide and so is roman food.

Amatrice is a small town located along Lazio’s boundaries, surrounded by a green basin and  magnificent woods. The basin climbs softly  towards the mountains up to  1800 metres leaving a beautiful grassland that looks just  like a sea of flowers during spring and summer. With its Solitary cascades, beaches, forests and trekking paths the landscape of this part of the Central “Appennino”, is of great fascination for all the fans of the nature.

Now let’s get down to the real business ! I am of course speaking  about the pasta all’amatriciana probably one of the most famous Roman pasta recipes. In fact it  is still going on the diatribe between Rome and Amatricia inherent the pasta all’amatriciana paternity.

Back to its origins this italian pasta was cooked by shepherds with cacio (is a kind of fresh and tasty cheese), typical bacon and pepper, and was  called “alla gricia”.

After the Americas discover  tomatoes and the  importation , the original recipe has changed in the classical one with everybody knows. After the crisis of sheep farming, most of the amatriciani emigrates to Rome where they opened their restaurants. The oldest one , Il Passetto, opened in 1860 , and is still one of the best known place in Rome to eat your Amatriciana.

Only for you the original recipe:

For 4 people

500 gr of pasta ( bucatini or spaghetti)

500 gr of tomatoes San Marzano

100gr of smoked bacon (should be very fat )

100gr of pecorino’s cheese

Extra  virgin olive oil

½ glass of dry white wine

Pepper

Salt

Let the tomatoes boil for a few minutes into the water

Take out the seeds from the tomatoes. Cut the bacon in thick slices e cook it in a pan. When fat is melted,  pour in  the wine.

Take the mixture out of the fire and in the same pan cook the tomatoes with the pepper and the oil.

After a minute put the bacon inside. Meanwhile cook the pasta and voilà les jeux sont faits!!!!

Good news is that on 30 and 31 of August in Amatrice there will be the fair of the   spaghetti all’amatriciana where you can eat the true amatriciana pasta with its full flavour and wash it down with a good  local italian wine.

For the occasion a stamp will be released ! So what are you waiting for?

Direction:

Da Roma : SS4 Salaria. Km 132,000 crossroads to Amatrice

For italian food lovers, see here other Italian food recipes !

And for those stopping in Rome here is our selected Rome restaurants where to eat a good Amatriciana !

August is the hottest month of the year in Rome, so after paying a visit to the Colosseum, walking around the Roman Forum and shopping on Via del Corso, I would say that the next best thing would be a refreshing and relaxing moment without going too far from the city centre.

Few weeks ago was inaugurated a panoramic swimming pool called “All’ombra del Colosseo” ( In the shadow of the Colosseum), 200mq of swimming pool for a full immersion of total relax. During the summer various events are planned and dedicated to your well-being like water-fitness and hydro-boxe. While in the evenings you will be able to chill out with music, dj set and aperitif.

For those of you who prefer to combine refreshing and relaxing moments with a lot of fun, and not too far from Rome then you can find different water theme parks: AQUAPIPER and HYDROMANIA, 2 of the biggest water parks in the region.

Acquapiper is 20 min by car far from Rome, it offers 130.000mq of open space, making it the biggest swimming pool in Europe, with huge slides, hydromassage, and furthermore, you will also find go-kart tracks, restaurants, fast foods, photographer and so on. Children and grown up along will be happy.

The main attractions of the park are: Kamikaze, Toboga and Multipista.

Hydromania is situated at Casal Lubroso, and beyond the water fun games, you will find restaurants, stores where to find original bathing suites and gadgets,

Another important park is the Rome ZOOMARINE, the most important marine park in Italy, the ideal place in order to spend a day with family and friends, where you will discover the fascinating world of the animals of the seaside. The forest of parrots, the bay of penguins, the island of the dolphins are only some of the attractions that you can see on the park.

There are a lot of interesting place in Rome that mingles together fun, relax and culture…

So, what more should I add ? HAVE FUN, and to plan your summer vacation in Rome, see our selected Rome Hotels, which mix good quality with unbeatable low prices.

Written by : Rhodora

 Who has  never heard about the Rome Colosseum ? After worldwide fame of the movie the Gladiator, with Russell Crowe as the main character, it is unforgivable to leave Rome without visiting this peculiar amphitheatre. This impressive monument was built under the emperors under  the Flavian dynasty between 70 and 80 AD, with further modification up to the end of the 1st century. Therefore the original Latin name was Amphitheatrum Flavium then best known as the Colosseum. The new name delivered from the near standing statue of Nero represented as the Sun god and high 37,00 metres, called also Colossus.
The amphitheatre was used for public entertainments. The most famous competitions   were gladiatorial competitions, although many other shows were also held there.  It is worth to memorize animal hunts, mock sea battles (Colosseum was built on the site of an  artificial lake), re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology.

 
Today still, whenever you are inside the Colosseum, the very symbol of Imperial Rome,  in your mind’s eye you cannot help but imagine what a gladiator show must have been like in ancient times….

The Colosseum is no doubt one of the most beautiful and certainly  the most famous monuments in  Rome. The  amphitheatre was built at the Roman Forum from Vespasiano.  It was used mainly shows of gladiators and also for public events such as performances of hunting, recitation based on classic mythology. Today  is a symbol of the Italian capital and one of the touristic attractions. You can enjoy a guided Colosseum tour to know all about it. In the opinion of many people,  visiting the Colosseum becomes much more spectacular and fascinating in the night hours,

after sunset when it is dark  and the Colosseum is illuminated (and if you are lucky you will get a full moon above, the best sight you can get !!) . In my opinion there is no need to be an expert or a fan of art to appreciate fully the qualities of this amphitheatre . Romans and foreigners alike who have lived in Rome can not help being fascinated every time they  see this monument . And to me, the Colosseum is definitely the most significant monument and most beautiful of the Eternal City, Rome.

Take the opportunity to book our Lucci Hotel Rome in the centre of the city and do not miss out our discounts for your stay ! See you soon !

As a tourist you have probably seen all the parts of Rome, all the sights and places. What I propose you today is a trip into details, which will continue through the next several weeks. I would like to start talking about the Capitoline hill and its peculiarities you may not have heard of.

The Capitoline hill is the smallest of the famous seven hills of Rome, but also the most important because the first nucleus of the city was born here. Initially it was enclosed by a system of defensive walls to protect the inhabitants from hostile tribes who lived in surrounding areas.
The Colle del Campidoglio, the way it is called in Italian, has been since ancient times an important place for the life of the city, first as a religious centre, following as a place of power when it arranged the Senate in Rome.
The hill overlooking the Roman Forum, and several temples were built here, for this was considered the most sacred places of Ancient Rome.
But it was during the Republican age that the importance of the Capitoline grew and became the place of power in the city.

The Capitoline Hill is the basic

Capitol Hill, Rome

nucleus of Roman life for thousand of years. The Capitoline once were sacred to the Romans and the destination of the triumphal processions of victorious generals.

In medieval times the Capitoline was neglected, after numerous fires. Major reconstruction work were made by the Emperor Domitian, in 81 A.C. But then the hill was gradually abandoned after the fall of and subsequent destruction of temples of ancient Rome.
Later it was called Monte Caprino, because reduced pasture for goats.

The Palazzo Senatorio was built for the first time in the twelfth century on the ruins of the Tabularium, the archive status of ancient Rome. This was located at one end of the Forum and was re-used as a deposit first, then as a prison.

Today the Capitoline is the headquarters of the Mayor and Municipality of Rome. And it hosts one of the most important museums of Rome-

the Capitoline Museums.

oday the main attraction is the Piazza del Campidoglio, designed by Michelangelo as from about 1537. The square is facing S. Peter, with pavement design and the centrifugal center equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius.

The Capitoline Hill is reached by the grand flight of steps known as the “Cordonata”, built to a design by Michelangelo Buonarroti, commissioned by Pope Paul III.

The cordonata was a place of transit of men and knights, for this is so large.
Its form is to gather downwards.

The "cordonata capitolina" connects today Piazza del Campidoglio with the underlying square of Aracoeli.
The cordonata is that road slope formed by large elements in stone or brick (here the name) that make it similar to a staircase.

The Square of Campidoglio hosts a lot of intersting events, so, if you happen to be in Rome, book a nice stay with a bunch of special offers in Lucci Hotel and just walk for half an hour and enjoy the greatest cordonata and special concerts!!!