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

Our Blogger: Stefano

Ferrari is an Italian car manufacturer with the most famous symbol. The distinctive symbol is the “rampant pony,” used by the Romagna aviator during the First World War, Francesco Baracca. Baracca flew in 63 combat aircrafts, gunning down 34 enemy aircrafts. He died during a mission, killed by machine guns at low altitude above Colle Val Dell’Acqua, on Montello. He was probably shot down by a coup rifle fired from the ground, while his plane flew over the Austrian trenches during the Battle of the solstice (June 1918).
Afterwards his symbol (the famous horse) was handed over personally by his mother (Countess Paolini Biancoli) in 1923 to Enzo Ferrari, a racing driver. Since 1932, with the founding of the carmaker known as Ferrari, the symbol that the legendary aviator wore on the nacelle of his plane has appeared on the bodywork of Ferrari cars.

Today the symbol of the horse is both the mark of Ferrari and the Scuderia Ferrari.
Ferrari was founded by Enzo Ferrari it now produces high-end sports cars for races. Then there is the Scuderia Ferrari which is the most famous sports team engaged in the cars. The headquarters at Maranello, in the province of Modena. Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, a former president of Confindustria and chairman of the Fiat group, is the chairman. 
The passion of Enzo Ferrari has always been the race car industry. He was a race car driver, racing from 1920 onwards with an Alfa Romeo.
The Scuderia Ferrari was born in 1929: it was a team that ran with the Alfa Romeo while Ferrari ran the development of the cars.

Only after the crisis of 1933 which led then to the withdraw of the Alfa Romeo, Ferrari created Auto Avio Costruzioni based in Modena initially, which eventually moved with the start of the war (1944) to Maranello. Bosses worried that the factory would be bombed.
The Scuderia Ferrari as we know today, however, was only created after the War. That section of the sports car manufacturer is now currently the most famous team of world motor sports.

Our Blogger: Rhodora

Irene grandi, is one of the most talented Italian singers. She was born in Florence on December 6^th 1969. Her debut took place at the Sanremo Giovani Festival, where she won with the song “Fuori” (Outside). After her debut at Sanremo, everyone considered her as “The next big thing” on the Italian music stage. 

The second album “In vacanza da una vita” (On holiday from life) published in 1995, confirmed the talent of the singer, who sings a range of genres from sophisticated pop of ” Dolcissimo amore” (Sweet Love) to the energetic rock of “Bum Bum”. In the same period, Irene worked with another famous Italian Artist: Pino Daniele in a duet “Se mi vuoi” (If you want me). Irene and Pino also did a concert tour together the same year.

The single “Che vita è” (what a life), was on the top of the charts for more than a month. In 2000 the singer participated again at the Sanremo festival, but this time between against the big stars. She came second place with a song written for her by Vasco Rossi – “La tua ragazza sempre”. This artistic collaboration with Vasco Rossi continued in 2003 with the album “Prima di partire per un lungo viaggio”. Irene also had the possibility to lead the concert of Vasco Rossi at the San Siro stadium.

2006 was a sabbatical year for the Florentine artist, but she participated in the compilation “Innocenti invasioni” (innocent evasion), dedicated to Lucio Battisti. Subsequently, a concert for the deceased artist was also held in Rome.

This Year, for Christmas, Irene grandi had a big gift for all her fans. In fact on November 28^th she published her new album where she sings all Christmas songs , from “Bianco Natale” (White Christmas), to Silent Night. Among the guests on the disc, in addition to the pianist Stefano Bollani, is actor Alessandro Gasman, who performs a duet in “Something stupid”, and also Jovanotti and Luca Carboni, who wrote two beautiful Christmas songs for her.

Here’s the track list of her new album:

1. Bianco Natale

2. O è Natale tutti i giorni

3. Qualche piccolo ti Amo (Somethin’ Stupid) feat. Alessandro Gassman

4. Canzone per Natale
5. Buon Natale a tutto il mondo
6. È Natale
7. Silent Night
8. Christmastime
9. Wonderful Christmas
10. Happy Christmas
11. Oh Happy Days
12. Wishing on a star

Our Blogger: Jonah

THE BOLOGNA Motor Show 2008 is part of the OICA calendar that brings together the key parts of the world automobile industry. Staged in Emilia Romagna, northern Italy , it comes at the end of a difficult year for the European car market: a state of decline in the preference of ordinary designs, obvious economic problems, the expensive cost of fuel, and the general decline in buying. But taking this into consideration, the Motor Show offers a brand new project – Innovation Cube, an exhibition that combines passion, emotion and innovation. Thanks to the help of GL events, Innovation Cube further enriches the program of the exhibition. In addition to the traditional distinctive character of the event there are: new interior car products, insights into the economic and scientific issues of the automotive sector, and the momentum built on areas with external test drive and sports competitions performances.  Innovation Cube is set to exclusively reveal new technology to the public, showing how it will change the present and the future of motor driving regarding mobility and style.

 The 2008 edition of the Motor Show has 140,000 square meters of exhibition area and discovery, with 320 exhibitors – of which 74 are from 19 different countries. Of the 51 car companies present, there are around 107 new cars, including eight world and eleven European. The seven motor racing circuits will welcome 300 top drivers, including seven world champions. They will compete for 22 titles overall.
To date there have been around 970,000 visitors and more than 22,000 business representatives. Members of the press total around 24,000.

The show takes place between December 5^th and December 14^th 2008 at the BolognaFiere Exhibition Centre.

Our Blogger: Marcelo

According to the fourth edition of PhoCusWright’s European Online Travel Overview, the total number of bookings on line in Europe came to 42 per cent in 2008. This is an increase of 19 per cent. And Italy is still  the most popular destination on the continent. The mix of history, culture, food and sport attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.

The United States had already reached 56 per cent during 2008 (it is expected that that will exceed 60 per cent in 2009). For the European market, in the near future, the percentage of travel booked online compared with total purchases will exceed its target by 50%.

This research also shows that while Europe is still chasing the United States in terms of online penetration on the market, some are more mature than others. The United Kingdom and Scandinavia are clearly heading the pack. In 2008 the Scandinavians booked more than 40 per cent of their trips on the Internet.

Nowadays online bookings for leisure or business individually represent 29 per cent of 246 billion euros of European tourism at the close of 2008.

The online booking channels continue to gain market share. Carroll Rheem, director of research for PhoCusWright.: “Consumers use the Internet to find the best value for money, operators to minimize the costs of distribution.’’

Our Blogger: Diana

Trenitalia (the main operator of trains in Italy) has inaugurated the new fast “metropolitan railway”, cutting out distances and time spent for journeys. This means several popular destinations in Italy can now be reached much more quickly from the capital, Rome, and to it.

The new trains are divided according to their velocity:

Frecciarossa – 300-350 kph;

Frecciargento – 250-285 kph;

Frecciabianca – 220 – 230 kph.

AV Fast trains take just 3 hours and 30 minutes from Milan to Rome, reducing the journey by almost two hours. The service is covering several other destinations throughout Italy, such as Venice, Verona and Bari and it’s a major result in the field of transport because Italy was lagging behind the rest of Europe for far too long (just consider the TGV in France and the ICE in Germany).

Services will now be more frequent and Trenitalia promised a fleet accurately designed, with comfort, air-conditioning, and high standards of security. Carriages are also designed to make less noise.

During the launch period a 10% discount off the highest price is offered for these new AV services and new fares have been introduced in the framework of flexibility and competitiveness.

Can’t you wait to have a ride? While travelling, why not stop in Rome at Yes Hotel, just a stone’s throw from Termini (train) Station. Being so well located, using national and local transport connections has never been easier.

Our Blogger: Wanda

The nativity is the traditional symbol of the Christmas story all around the world – the peaceful figure of baby Jesus being worshipped by his mum, would be-dad and various other worshippers as depicted in the famous bible story. But in Rome this December, it will be a little bit more than just that.

For the first time, the nativities from several famous churches will face off against one another in a Christmassy competition.

The idea comes from the mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, who has infact made the competition into a street delight for tourists and Romans alike.

For example, the nativity which traditionally lies in St Peter’s square, and is well known all around the world for its beauty, will instead be located in Campidoglio square in front of the Capitolini Museums. This coincides with a nativity located in front of the Colosseum. To go and admire them both however, you must cross a specific street which twines them together.

Meanwhile, if you wish to see one of the most ancient nativities in the world, you can visit the Sistine Chapel of Saint Maria Maggiore Church in Rome. It was made in 1289 from albaster and given to the church as a gift.

So while coming to see these beautiful Christmas wonders,

why not check into Hotel Des Artistes, the ideal place to relax and enjoy the festive season.

The nativity: Who’s who at the most famous birth of all time?

Baby Jesus: He sits in the manger from Christmas Day

Mary: His mother who is found close by, admiring him

St Joseph: The husband of Mary (but obviously not the biological father of Jesus )dressed in shepherd’s clothes, he is normally situated to the opposite side of mary near the cot.

The Shepherds: Some of them carrying lambs, are designated all around the nativity, playing music or singing.

The Three Kings: Gaspare, Melchiorre and Baldassarre, who followed a star to Jesus’s crib. They are not tradionally placed in the manger until the Epiphany – January 6^th. This is in acknowledgement, historically, that they arrived much later on.

Our Blogger: Diana

De Chirico at The National Gallery of Modern Art: Going Beyond the rational.

“To become truly immortal, a work of art must escape all human limits: logic and common sense will only interfere. But once these barriers are broken, it will enter the realms of childhood visions and dreams.”

Outstanding Italian Surrealist, Giorgio De Chirico (July 10, 1888 – November 20, 1978) founded the Metaphysical art movement together with Carlo Carrà. He expressed themes like nostalgia, enigma and myth through a visionary use of the image which deeply influenced the following generations.

The burden of classicism

Thirty years after his death, The National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome (GNAM), hosts an exhibition of more than 100 works (paintings, drawings and one sculpture) with the aim to discover the complex relation he had with the art of the past and how he went beyond the "barriers" of classicism.

The exhibition is divided into thematic sections: "Mitologia e Archeologia" (Mythology and Archeology) , "La copia"(the copy), "La grande pittura" (the great paint), "I d’apre’s da Rubens" (d’apre’s by Rubens), "La Neometafisica" (Neometaphysics), and "I disegni" (Drawings). And the public can admire for the first time an awesome oversized canva entitled "Capriccio veneziano", which De Chirico dedicated to the magnificent style of Veronese, a prominent Renaissance painter from Venice.

So why not come to Rome and stay in a comfortable, warm room at Lucci Hotel while visiting the exhibition? Being so well located, you can easily reach the art museum without being in a hurry.

The National Gallery of Modern Art

Viale delle Belle Arti, 131

How to get here

By Tram: 3 and 19, Viale delle Belle Arti

By bus: 88 – 95 – 490 – 495, M, Piazzale del Fiocco

By subway: Line A – metro stop Flaminio

Museum Opening Hours

From Tuesday to Sunday 08.30 to 19.30; closed Mondays.

Last entry to galleries is 40 minutes before closing time.

Our Blogger: Marcello

A couple of weeks ago, a client came to the reception desk asking for directions to Via Varese. This street is just two blocks from us.

Suddenly, I began to remember good memories from my childhood. My heroes and friends from that time came back to me in a flash of lively thought…
Like in the happiest party one could stage, all of them arrived at once. Just in time…          

So I welcomed Tweety, Sylvester, Duffy Duck, Speedy Gonzalez (who obviously arrived before the others) and the INEVITABLE Bugs bunny and his kind of friend, mean Mister Yosemite Sam.

The client I mentioned before was about to go to the Warner Brothers Office in Rome, located in Via Varese 16/B.

The Warner Bros company was founded in 1923 by brothers Harry (President), Albert, Sam and Jack.

In 1926, the studio produced the first film (Don Juan) by Alan Crosland. In 1927 came The Jazz Singer, by Crosland still with Al Jolson, which contains a sound sequence. This new technology enabled Warner to obtain a special Oscar award for their important contribution to the development of cinema. The following year, the first film ever was entirely spoken.
In the thirties they offered a successful series of gangster films like Public Enemy, Little Caesar, and High Sierra

with Humphrey Bogart. In addition they produced musical films in this period. In 1933, two of the most important musicals of the decade,42nd Street and Gold Diggers of 1933…
Starting from the thirties, Warner Bros. began, however, to produce the successful series of Looney Tunes cartoons, headed by some of the famous characters referred to earlier…

During World War II the film that became legend was made, Casablanca, 1942 by Michael Curtiz, with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.
In the fifties, A star is born, 1954 and the mythic James Dean’s Rebel without a cause, 1955.
The seventies must be remembered for: All the President’s men, 1976 by Alan J. Pakula and all the films of Stanley Kubrick, from Orange mechanics (A clockwork orange, 1971) onwards. International films today certainly have Warner Brothers to thank for the development of film.
Think of The Matrix, Harry Potter…The work of this legendary company has not only a remarkable importance money wise but also sentimentally, in the way it connects us with its characters. It is certainly not easy to sum up this mix of work, success and wonderful emotions.

Today, Warner, which now is part of the publishing group headed by the famous Time Magazine, has specialized in television production (WB Television).
And so… For my known or yet unknown friends who are reading this and are thinking about coming to this beautiful city I just wanted to tell you about this piece of life that is very near, not around the corner, but only two blocks away…from our hotel. So why not come to stay with us at Yes Hotel, near Termini Station, for the perfect getaway treat.

Please note: The Warner Bros office in Rome is not available for tourist visits.