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

Our Blogger: Marcelo

Lovers of Fantasy are familiar with Mister Michael Ende. His works have been translated into more than 40 languages. Now there is an exhibition in Rome to commemorate the years that he spent in Italy and the thirtieth anniversary of his Masterpiece: ‘’ The Neverending Story’’.

The book describes the world of Fantasia which is being threatened by “The Nothing” an evil force that destroys everything. The story aims to keep us in touch with the imagination against the trend to be only a practical, logical and cold…

The ‘’mostra’’ develops through manuscripts, photographs and different documents, describing the fifteen years that Ende lived in Genzano (about thirty miles from Rome).

We hope you enjoy it and that you also find inspiration in our beautiful City of Rome. Maybe the same inspiration that Michael Ende and other authors have found here, in this eternally- neverending-inspiring City.

Our Blogger: Stefano

The bouquinistes are the sellers of second-hand books in Paris who have installed their wooden stands along the Seine. For decades, they have been offering the best of arts, litterature and entertainment at an affordable price in the largest “open air library” in the world. Today they are considered “heritage of humanity".
The bouquinistes are a part of the history of Paris. The same term, "Bouquin" in argot is an old book.

We can find in Rome a similar tradition, a sort of book trade, sometimes wandering the city, not formalized, but with a long tradition. Indeed we can find markets, book stalls and kiosks set up in many parts of Rome: Campo de ‘Fiori, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Piazza Pasquino, and the Fontanella Borghese. This is the place to sell books, not to be confused with other stands dotted around the city that have nothing to do with the tradition of which we speak.

Today their business is gradually changing in line with market needs and demands of tourists. And so, instead of old books and prints of works of art, on the kiosks appear now posters of famous actors or, in Paris, small plastic Eiffel Towers.
For this reason it was decided to revisit the streets of Paris by an exhibition dedicated to bouquinistes.
The exhibition will be inaugurated during the eleventh week of culture. It proposes materials coming primarily from the collection of the National Library Ceccarius and that of the Parisian museum in Rome.

The exhibition will display images and documents from the XIX and XX centuries. We’ll find many books, newspapers, posters and postcards that tell the story of this ancient tradition.
An unusual exhibition that will bind two great capitals that have always been culturally close. The photographs will be on display on the National Library on Viale Castro Pretorio 105, only a couple of steps away from Hotel Des Artistes!

In fact, Des Artistes and Yes Hotel are two wonderful accomodation structures in Rome. Their location and comfort standards are great, and will offer you everything you need to have a fantastic time in the Eternal City.

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

As you probably know football is the most popular sport in Italy and also Rome goes crazy about it.
A magical way to start a conversation with a Roman or an Italian is talking about football. They’ll give you their insights, and will ask about your own national team, and don’t be surprised if they know the name and reputation of many of your players: almost every Italian is a soccer expert.

Rome has two football teams, and of course they’re each other’s worst enemy. Lazio is the oldest one. The team takes its name from the geographical region where Rome is located. It was founded in 1900 and its colors are pale blue and white, and from the beginning didn’t seem to like its “sister”. In fact, as we’ll see, Roma, the other team in the city was created from the union of all the soccer clubs in the capital –well, all but Lazio whose president rejected the idea, stating that Lazio was more a “moral institution” than a mere football club.

As we’ve seen before, Roma was founded in 1927 with the union of three football teams: Roman, Fortitudo and Alba Audace. The idea was to put together the best Roman talents in football to compete with the powerful northern teams (like Juventus or Inter) that, to this day, win almost every championship.

If you are an observer keep your eyes open when you walk in Rome: you’re very likely to see murals and the yellow-red crest of the team painted everywhere. That’s because Roma won its third championship in 2001 and Romans took the streets in ecstasy celebrating for days, painting the streets and participating in a huge concert in the Circus Maximus.

Nowadays the symbol of Roma is its capitan, Francesco Totti. Check him very well, because if you come to Rome you’ll see his photograph everywhere!
Lazio and Roma share the same stadium: the Stadio Olimpico. To get there is very easy if you’re staying in a well-located hotel like the Yes Hotel or Hotel Des Artistes. All you have to do is take the A subway line from termini, get off at Flaminio Station (Piazza del popolo) , and there take the tram 225.

Of course feeling in person the experience of a football game would be very interesting if you want to understand the Italians, but if you’re planning to attend a match it would be wise to ask a local first: there are certain games outright dangerous because of the rivalries between teams (and i mean real danger) and besides buying a ticket isn’t so easy because of the Italian laws, so is better to get some help.

Well maybe there are no normal days in Rome but out of the chaos that you will usually see on the streets and in every general direction you may spot a moment of normality.

Rome is always busy, crowded and noisy. Everything that you would expect from a city. Except this one has a certain flair about it. From the carabinieri strutting about in their Armani designed uniforms to the barmen and waiters in the coffee shops. Nothing is done without a lot of talking and wild gesturing with their hands or any other body part if their hands are full.

Then there is the constant and seemingly never ending flow of traffic and the non flow of traffic usually referred to as the traffic jam. Lots of hooters and more mad gesticulating can be found here. Also to be seen are literally hundreds of scooters everywhere. Racing in between cars and taking the numerous one way streets when the police are not around.

Yes and then there are the police. Well they don’t really seem to do much at all really. They just sit around and drink coffee and smoke cigarettes most of the time. You can usually see a great example of this in the centre near Via Del Corso or near metro Piramide, both close to our Yes Hotel Rome. Well in my opinion if the police don’t do much then that must mean they have either caught all the baddies or that there aren’t that many of them around.

Then when you walk into the numerous piazzas you will without a doubt see mimes. The usual ones being the statue of liberty and Egyptian statues. Both are very boring and don’t really do much except change position or bow when you put money in their bowl. If you want to quite a good mime look for the ones all painted in gold or black. There is a gold painted cameraman sometimes in Piazza Del Popolo and a black painted figure with a sword , who must be Cola Di Rienzo , down Via Del Corso. They are the best .If you spot them drop a couple of coins in their bowl.

There are also loads buskers and bands that play on the street too. The city is always humming with some kind of activity.

Come have a look for yourself and see the funny guys dressed up as centurions and gladiators outside the Coloseum and the funny drunk one that always gets on the metro afterwards or who can also be seen walking around Piazza Di Spagna and Trinita Dei Monti. Come to Rome because you wont see this anywhere else.

Are you a cat lover? If the answer is positive, when visiting Rome, you cannot miss the famous Roman Cat Sanctuary of Largo Torre Argentina. It is something you can only run into in Rome: a lively cat community in the very heart of Rome, located in the midst of archeological treasures!

The archaeological area of Largo Argentina was excavated in 1929, revealing the remains of ancient Roman temples, the very place where Julius Ceasar was stabbed to death in 44 B.C! The excavation area, covered and protected from the weather and the curious, offered the perfect shelter to the stray cats of the area, who were quite numerous at the time, and who soon founded a “home base� there. Soon some cat lovers made their appearance and started regularly feeding the cats on their own expense.

This went on until 1993, and the cat community prospered, building up a certain fame partly thanks to its magnificent surroundings – certainly many a per cat would envy the historical setting and splendid tradition of these “Ceasar’s heirs�! The cats have had some quite remarkable supporters and admirers, for example Anna Magnani, who loved to feed them and keep them company during her breaks when working in the neighbouring Teatro Argentina.

In 1993 things began to get more organised: the city of Rome gave a primitive shelter space to the “cat-people�, and finally, in 1995, they managed to get some financial and practical support from the UK. This was a turning point for the activity of the activists: first they started collecting little donations from the tourists visiting the cats, and eventually they even started organising fund raising dinners! Today the activity is flourishing even though, of course, funds are constantly needed. So when you visit the “Sanctuary�, don’t forget to leave your own little offering if you care for cats. If you wish to do something more, you can for example adopt a Roman cat!

The Cat Sanctuary is located in Largo Torre Argentina in the historical center of Rome, nearby Navona Square and Venice Square (see the location or Largo Argentina on a Rome city map). From the Termini station you can catch the bus number 40 to get there in a few minutes, or just stop by on your way to the Vatican.

You can find comfortable and stylish accommodation – even if maybe not quite as fabulous as the historical home of these cats! – at the Rome Hotel Des Artistes near the Termini station, the central location of which allows you to visit easily Largo Argentina as well as any other Rome attractions. Another great option is the Rome budget-hotel Nice Hotel.

Looking for something a little different from the norm during your stay in Rome. Maybe the supernatural is something you are fascinated with and would like to know this side of the city’s history a little more.

It is said that the ghost of Emperor Caligula can be seen in the Lamian Gardens, in the Esquilino area of Piazza Vittorio where he was buried after being assassinated. The gardens are minutes away from My hotel Rome.

Also during the night sounds of chariots and horses, sword fighting and the shouting and screams of people can be heard coming from the Coliseum . A woman was also once reported as having been pulled back into the Coliseum by her hair.

Shades of people have also been reported moving amongst the shadows of the Roman Forum at night. Other famous ghosts include Beatrice Cenci, Dame Olimpia and Costanza Conti De Cupis.

There is also a Ghost in Rome walking tour you can take at night, of course, through Rome to all the places that the ghosts are reported to haunt.

The tour gives a history and background to the legends of the ghosts and the circumstances surrounding their often grisly deaths.

You will also be taken to some of the most beautiful and historic locations in Rome.