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

An eccentric character to say the least, Salvador Dali was a Spanish Catalan surrealist painter. Born in Figueres, Spain, Dali was a particularly skilled draftsman and the use of this in his work is quite astounding.
A self confessed genius, Dali managed to grab attention not only for his masterful works but also gain much, if not more, for his extremely eccentric behaviour. He was known to have driven a car filled to the roof with cauliflowers, lectured with his head enclosed in a diving helmet and had a bewildering but amusing affinity for rhinoceros horns, to which he claimed that rhinoceros horns and cauliflowers were the base of his inspiration.
Dali had a rather large repertoire including film, sculpture and photography collaborating with a range of artists in a variety of media. His skills in painting are often attributed to the influence of renaissance masters.
Now in Rome you have the chance to acquire some insight of your own into the painter. The exhibition, held in the Complesso Del Vittoriano from the 10th of March to the 30th of June, investigates the artists complex personality and his multifaceted genius. An aspect of the painters life that has been so far ignored by exhibitions and research into Dali will be brought to light, this aspect is his relationship with Italy.

If you need more information about the exhibition and for the best accomodation in Rome, don’t hesitate to check our website or send us an e-mail!

Our blogger today: Liam

Needless to say,Rome is an exciting city, but if you are spending here many days or if you have been here previously, you’ll feel the need to see something different to know more about Italy or just for the sake of variety.

Rome is surrounded by little towns that allow you to get a feel of the life outside a big hectic city like Rome and where you can even learn more about other great civilizations besides the Romans. One of such places is Cerveteri, located a one hour bus ride away from the city, whose pride is an Etruscan cemetery (Necropoli della Banditaccia) that was recently nominated World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.

To get to Cerveteri take the red subway line and get off at Anagnina. Only a few meters away you will find a Cotral bus stop. The buses depart regularly during the day (you can check thes schedule here) and you can buy the tickets for them in the Tabacchi shops around the subway station (by the way, it’s advisable to buy your return ticket beforehand, since Cerveteri is not that big of a town and if the Tabacchi shop over there is closed you might find difficult to get tickets).

The ride is a very pleasant one. Once you leave the bus you will find yourself in the main square of the town, facing and impressive castle. From there just follow the signals to get to the Etruscan Cementery. You can buy a ticket that includes both the cementery and the Etuscan museum; this is the best option, since most of the tombs don’t have any objects inside them anymore.

It will take you more or less two hours to see everything. You will be waling in an open field and you will be visiting the tombs aided by a map provided at the entrance ofg the site.The experience is certainly exciting but as I mentioned above, all the objects originally placed inside the tombs have been removed, which substracts some interest to the visit. You can stop at the lunch area located inside the site to grab a bite. I did it myself, and even though the food wasn’t anything extraordinary the kindness of the staff and the view made up for it.

All in all, an interesting visit and a refresing option for those looking from something different while in Rome.

As always, send us an e-mail if you need help with accomodation, or drop me a line to tell me about your experiences in and around Rome.

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See you over there!

This one is no secret, but many people don’t know about it. the Vaticam Museums, the most important museum in Rome and home of at least one absolute masterpice of our entire civilization (the Sixtine Chapel) can be visited for free the last sunday of every month.

Here you can check the official calendar; the days marked  green are for free. Note that on those days the museum is open from 9.00 AM until 14.00 PM with the entrance closing at 12.30.Sure, the queue tends to get kilometric but, hey: it’s part of the adventure. And if you want to have the ultimate catholic art experience you can attend the public blessing the pope gives (for free! that’s the key word here) every Sunday at noon at Saint Peter’s Square. And then you can visit San Peter’s Basilica (do I have to mention you don’t have to pay to get in?).

For those not lucky enough to be in Rome the last sunday of the month, or just not willing to wait to get in, my advice is to book your entrance in advance through the official website of the Vatican.You will pay an extra fee, but it will save you lots of time.

There you go: an incredible day at zero cost.
And again, if you need info for accomodation in Rome or anywhere else in Italy, contact our booking office. Or, if you only want to tell me about your catholic-action packed day, drop me a line.

Enjoy yourselves!

Our blogger today: Raul

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