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

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.

Our Blogger: Giuseppe

From June 30 to October 25 2009, the Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia is hosting a unique exhibition of Etruscan themed comic books conceived by the archeological services of southern Etruria (northern Lazio).

Six comic book artists , (Francesco Cattani, Marino Blacks, Paul Parisi, Michele Petrucci, Alessandro Rak, Claudio Stassano), tell the history of Etruria through an illustrated story line devoted to the major figures and events that defined Etruscan civilisation.

The comics, with their stories, are the fruit of the imagination of young artists and interact harmoniously with the archaeological museum. 
The symbol of the exhibition is the original poster made  by the great Milo Manara, illustrator and author of comic stories known worldwide for the sensual appeal of its drawings.
The six artists have focused their attention on three places, the Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia in Rome, (situated on the north side of Villa Borghese park), the Necropolis of Cerveteri and the Museum of Tarquinia.
A comic book bringing together all six stories and published by Black Velvet is on sale for €13 at standard outlets, or just €10 at any of the three museum locations mentioned.

Our young, knoledgeable staff at Yes Hotel and Hotel Des Artistes will be more than happy to give you many other interesting suggestions to discover the many sides of Rome. Make your booking today!

INFO
Head of the exhibition
Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia (Rome, Piazzale di Villa Giulia, 9)
(M Flaminio ‘A’ line) Tel. 0632810

Tarquinia Museo Nazionale Etrusco
Tarquinia (VT), Monterozzi Via Cavour and Via Marina, 1

National Archeological Museum Cerveteri
Cerveteri (RM), Piazzale della Necropoli and Piazza S. Maria

Hours: daily 8.30-19-30. Closed on Monday.
Admission: €4, €2, free (over-65s, under 18s)

Our Blogger: Wanda

Rome celebrates the 29 June of every year the feast of its patrons Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Special ceremonies are organized in all the churches of the city, especially in those entitled to the Principles of the Apostles.

According to the tradition both saints were confined in the Mamertine Prison (pictured above), in the skirts of the capitol, a place that still exists and can be visited. There St. Peter succeeded in converting the guards and baptized them, and when he realized there was no water, he hit the ground where a fountain magically appeared.

St. Peter was brought to the ancient Neronian Circus located on the area where St.Peter’s square is now. He was crucified there with his head down to the ground.

St. Paul instead was conducted "to aquas salvias", in the actual area of the Three Fountains, on the Laurentina Street, to be beheaded; the story goes that his head bounced three times, creating every time a fountain: one of hot water, one of warm water and finally one with cold water.

On June 29th solemn rites are celebrated and, many of the dedicated to St. Peter. An interesting tradition is to kiss the feet of the great bronze statue of St. Pietro placed in the central aisle St.Peter’s basilica.

As commemoration of the party of the Roman patrons there’s as well a procession on which the chains of St. Paul are brought: they are preserved near the basilica ostiense and consists of 14 iron rings.

To enjoy many other Roman traditions, stay at Hotel Des Artistes or Yes Hotel in Rome. Both will offer you all the comfort you need in the heart of the Eternal City.

 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 !

My dear readers, as promised, here is our next appointment of full immersion into Ancient Roman life, and we will talk about famous roman feasts-Saturnals.

Let’s suppose you want to know when the fun is in Rome. Well you could have some good time nowadays but real fun was during Ancient Rome Period while celebrating what they used to call Saturnalia.

The Saturnalia was a festivity offered to the God…Saturn of course, and officially was celebrated on December 17 and, in Cicero’s time, lasted seven days, from December 17-23. Augustus limited the holiday to three days and Caligula extended it to five. Nevertheless , everyone continued to celebrate for a full week in practice because when fun begins is not easy to stop. Catullus describes it as "the best of days,"

Saturn was identified with Kronos. The Temple of Saturn, the oldest temple recorded by the pontiffs, had been dedicated on the Saturnalia were a sacrifice and banquet was performed. You can see today the columns remaining from that temple in the forums area.

During the holiday, all restrictions were relaxed and the social order almost inverted. So by that, gambling was allowed in public. Slaves were permitted to use dice and did not have to work! Instead of the toga, less formal dinner clothes were allowed. Slaves were treated as equals, permitted to wear their masters’ clothing, and be waited on at meal time.

Now hear what Lucian tell us about the party "During My week the serious is barred; no business allowed. Drinking, noise and games and dice, appointing of kings and feasting of slaves, singing naked, clapping of frenzied hands, an occasional ducking of corked faces in icy water—such are the functions over which I preside."

As you can imagine, the equality regarding to slaves treatment was only temporary ; and Petronius refers of an impudent slave being asked at some other time of the year whether it was December yet.

Saturnalia was an occasion for celebration, visits to friends, and the presentation of gifts, particularly wax candles (cerei), possibly to signify the returning light after the solstice.

If a time of relaxing and enjoy, the season also was at the same time an occasion for murder. Few examples: the Catiline conspirators intended to fire the city and kill the senate on the Saturnalia, when many would be preoccupied with the festivities. Commodus was strangled in his bath on New Year’s eve while Caracalla plotted to murder his brother. Just part of the Roman habits.

By the end of the first century AD, Statius proclaims: "For how many years shall this festival abide! Never shall age destroy so holy a day! While the hills of Latium remain and father Tiber, while thy Rome stands and the Capitol though has restored to the world, it shall continue" The Saturnalia continue to be celebrated as Brumalia (from the term bruma, winter solstice) reaching the Christian era, finally, by the middle of the fourth century AD, its rituals had become absorbed in the celebration of Christmas. Dear friends, pack your luggage and come to Rome to explore and learn and to PARTY!!! My suggestion for your stay in Rome is YES Hotel, located just near the station, and my suggestion to get a deeper knowledge about Saturnalia is a book of

Lindsey Davis- SATURNALIA!

So long, my dears, and to be continued…

Today, my devoted readers, I want to introduce you to a fascinating journey to the Ancient Rome, we had already a nice preface of Julius Ceasar’s death, and we will continue this odyssey to the mysteries and curiosities of ancient Roman life, and so you will be knowledgable enough to do tour guides for your loved ones when you visit Rome in future.

Today we will talk about the CALENDAR! And will learn how ancient romans organized their time and life!

In the past, calendars were cause of more than headache, my friends. In order to set up things occasionally some days were just scrapped by authorities.

For example, the pontiffs of Ancient Rome used to intercalated days to the calendar, but they made little mistakes, so that by the time of Julius Caesar, the calendar was… three months off.  Julius managed to solve , the trick was extend the year 46 BC to 445 days. So they made you 80 days younger for your next year birthday.

His reformed version of the calendar contained 12 months (instead of the original from the 7^th century B.C, ten months (March – December) and 304 days )with the present amount of days and a leap year.  Nevertheless, his calendar was 11 minutes longer than a true solar year. In honour of Julius Ceasar this calendar bears his name- Julian Calendar.

Let’s consider now the modern Gregorian calendar, which was developed by Pope Gregory XIII during 1582.  That year, ten days were simply scrapped from the calendar, and the Pope ordered three days should be omitted from the calendar every 400 years. So imagine, you are in 1582 and they just blow away your birthday. Should one celebrate or not?

The names we have for the months are another legacy from Ancient Rome’s culture, here it goes a description on the matter:

• January: Because of Janus, god of gates and doors.  On January first, Romans offered sacrifices to Janus so that he would bless the new year.
• February: Derived from Latin februa, signifying festivals of purification celebrated in Rome this month.  It was originally 29 days but one of those days was transferred to August.
• March:  The Roman war god Mars.
• April:  Latin, aperire, meaning to open, probably because it is the season during which buds start to open.
• June:  Uncertain.  It could be derived from the Latin goddess Juno, or the Junius clan of Ancient Rome.  The Latin juniores means "youth," and the month June may contrast the month May, which is   dedicated to maiores, or age.
• August: Named after emperor Augustus, due to many important events in his life happening in this month. 
• September – December:  The Latin septem, octem, novem, decem, meaning seven, eight, nine, and ten, in reference to the number of each month in the year.  June was originally Quintilus (five) and August sextus (six).

At the beginning, there was no seven day period, or except in the east, where some days were named as the planets.  The first reference to a seven day week is found during the reign of Augustus. Gradually would be extended throughout the empire.  The days were as follows:  Dies Lunae (Monday), Dies Martis (Tuesday), Dies Mercuri (Wednesday), Dies Jovis (Thursday), Dies Veneris (Friday), Dies Saturnae (Saturday), and Dies Solis (Sunday).

Feriae (dies ferialis) were called the holidays for visiting temples and perform rituals and sacrifices to the gods.  The term was used also for birthdays.

Originally "feast days," on holidays the local aristocracy would pay for meals for the poor. A quite funny celebration was The Saturnalia, held in December during the winter solstice.  Celebrating the festival, masters and slaves would trade places, gifts were exchanged, and business activities suspended. 

To be continued, my curious ones…

The town of Tivoli is around 31 km northeast of Rome. It has been a popular summer resort since the days of the Roman Republic.
In the past many famous men owed a villa in Tivoli.
Among them are Horace and Cattulus (poets), Brutus and Cassius (Caesar’s assassins), the Emperors Trajan and Hadrian.
The main attraction of the place are the crystal clean air and the great location on the slopes of Tiburtini hills that offers an amazing views.
Also there are many beautiful springs and waterfalls. Among them are terrace of 100 Fountains in the gardens of Villa d’Este and the waterfalls of Aniene.
Villa d’Este is considered to be a masterpiece of the Italian Garden and it is included in UNESCO world heritage list.
Walking through the gardens of the villa you can notice an impressive concentration of fountains, grottoes, nymphs, plays of water.
In 16-th century the estate of an old Benedictine convent was developed by cardinal Ippolito d’Este. A palace was designed by Pirro Litgorio.
The villa fame though rests more on the gorgeous terraced gardens and fountains laid out by Ligorio and Giacomo della Porta.
A visitor gets a vivid impression of the great luxury which the princes of the church enjoyed.
Bernini’s Fontana del Bicchierone, the Rometta (little Rome), a model of Tiber Island with many figures and the legendary she-wolf.
The Rometta is at one of the ends of the Viale delle Cento Fontane – 100 fountains of the shape of grotesques, obelisks, ships and the Eagles of the coat of arms.
Recently many fountains has been restored. A famous one is the Fontana dell’Organo which is a water organ in which the force of the water pumps air through the pipes.
The gardens lowest level has flower beds and fountains as well as some splendid views out over the plain below.

How to get to Tivoli from Yes Hotel:
By Car: you have to take road S5 out of Rome to Tivoli
By Train: you have to take line B (direction Rebibbia) of the metro from Termini Station (just 2 min walk from Yes Hotel) to Tiburtina Station.
From there you have to take the train Roma-Pescara and it will take like half hour to get to Tivoli. There is shuttle bus to Tivoli center and Villa d’Este.
By Bus: from Yes Hotel go to Termini Station and take Line B (direction Rebibbia) to the stop ‘Ponte Mammolo’. From there you take blue COTRAL buses which run every 15 minutes. It will take an hour to get to Tivoli.
Call Center: 199.766.166
Opening hours check Villa d’Este, Tivoli Official Site

This is one of the most impressive monuments of the late Roman Empire age, which can be visited in Rome. Its location is very peaceful and quiet, maybe because it is quite far from the historical centre of Rome. Is part of the bigger yet St Agnes Outside the Walls, which also has catacombs.

Where : In Rome, Via Nomentana, 349

How to get there : From Termini station take bus 36 or 90 and get off at the stop Mausoleo Santa Costanza.

When : The opening hours are: from 9 am to noon, then from 4 to 6 pm , the church is closed from noon until 4 pm, which would be otherwise the normal time for visits to the monuments and museums in Rome.

The church – initially, a mausuleum of the Constantine’s family – was built close to the site of a much bigger “basilica” (temple), which remains are unfortunately almost entirely lost, besides part of the exterior walls.

As a mausuleum, it is similar to other examples of the Roman architecture (the Pantheon, the Augustus’ mausuleum) , and in particular to the Martyrium, built by Constantine’s mother (Helen) in Jerusalem just a few years before Santa Costanza church. Constantine was the first Christian Roman Emperor, as a Christian was his mother, who spent most of the last years of her life in pilgrimage to the holy land.

The Santa Costanza church was built under Constantine age (it can be dated back to the mid-fourth century A.D.), probably by his daughter Constantina (or “Constantia”, in Latin), next to the cemetery of the church of “Santa Agnese fuori le mura”, where the young S. Agnes, who allegedly healed Constantina, was buried (there is still a coffer in the nearby catacombs whit the name of Saint Agnes, which is said to contain some of her bones). After the death of the daughters of Constantine, Constantina and Helena, they were buried there.

In 1254 the mausoleum was consecrated as a church by Pope Alexander IV, since Constantina was venerated as a saint (as evidenced in some documents dating back to the ninth century). The church was later (in 1620) restored under Cardinal Fabrizio Veralli, but the restoration works unfortunately destroyed most of the originary mosaics and paintings. At that time, the porphyry sarcophagus of Constantina was translocated to the Vatican (where it can be currently seen in its Museums), so today you can see in the church only a copy of it.

The church of Santa Costanza is close to the church of Sant’Agnese fuori le mura (St Agnes outside the walls) and its catacombs, which is certainly worth a trip), and it can be easily reached – even by public transportation – by travelling three kilometers north of Porta Pia, a major gate of the Aurelian Walls, on the Via Nomentana .

The circular building is an example of late Roman emperial architecture; it is twenty-nine meters in diameter; its central circular chamber is eleven and a half meters wide, and it is separated from a ring-shaped ambulatory by twelve pairs of radiating columns, made of fine red and green marble.

The church’s exterior still survives today quite well preserved, save for the loss of its outer ambulatory. Of its originary interiors, you can still see some beautiful tesserae mosaics with flowers, animals, and human figures of young people, which represent a mix of classical myth and early Christian beliefs. As already said, most other mosaics and painting have unfortunately got lost with the time.

And after a day of sightseeing you will be grateful to relax in My Hotel Rome, our comfortable 3 star hotel in the centre of Rome, near Rome major attractions and good Rome’s restaurants.

Piazza Navona is one of the most famous and beautiful of the many other Roman squares.
It is build like such in 16-th century.
Before that on its place has stayed the stadium of Domitian,built by emperor Domitian in 86 AD.
It used to hold up to 30 thousand spectators. Also it is known that it had larger arena than the Colosseum.
The stadium was used for festivals and sporting events. It is known also as Circus Agonalis.
In the 15-th century the stadium was paved over to form the Navona square.
Even today there are still visible some remnants of Domitian’s stadium.

There 3 magnificent fountains at the square and also the baroque style church of S. Agnese.
One of the fountain is made by the great architect and sculptor Bernini between 1648 and 1651.
It is called the Fountain of the Four Rivers (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi) and is in the center of the square. It is like huge rock coming out of the water.

Another fountain is Fontana del Nettuno. It is created by Giacomo Della Porta around 1576.
It is situated on the north side of the square, exactly opposite of the third fountain: Fontana del Moro which is on the south side.

Today Piazza Navona is a beautiful popular place where people go out for a walk or to visit some of the best restaurants and coffee places and enjoy the view created so many years ago by some of the best artists.

The Roman Forum in Rome by the Colosseum is one of the most fascinating sites in Rome. The Forum was the central area around which ancient Rome developed in which commerce, prostitution, cult, and the administration of justice took place. It is located in central Rome close to our hotel Yes Hotel Rome

The communal hearth was also located here. Within the forum you will find the remains of ancient Rome such as: “Temple of Vestaâ€? “House of the Vestalsâ€? “The Temple of Antoninus and Faustinaâ€? Basilica di Massenzio e Costantino and Arch of Titus. The temple to the Divine Julius, dedicated in 29BC to the deified Caesar the first case of political deification in Rome, it was built in a Hellenistic style, and is located in the background, towards the Vestal Virgins, “the guardians of the everlasting flame, who were the only priestesses in Romeâ€? The podiums of the temples of Caesar and the Dioscuri were often used as orators’ platforms and it is in this part of the Forum that the meetings of the comitia took place.

On the far right is the Basilica Julia built by Caesar in 54 B.C which occupies the entire south side of the Forum. When the Roman Empire fell, the Forum became forgotten, buried and was used as a cattle pasture during the middle Ages.

The Roman Forum is opened from 9am to 6pm Monday to Saturday, On Metro Line B (Colosseo) 3 Stops from Castro Pretorio Station where Hotel Des Artistes is located.

Alternatively if you wish to have a full informative tour you can book our Roman forum Tour which also covers the Colosseum, the Trevi fountain and the Pantheon.