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.

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)

Soriano nel Cimino is one of the most famous villages situated at the foot of the Cimino Mountains, in the province of Viterbo, near Rome. And in December it will become the toast of the region as it opens its doors to the annual festival of olive oil.

The festival, which takes place on December 8 and 9 in the village, will also open elsewhere in the region before Christmas in a bid to give more people the chance to taste possibly the best olive oil in Italy.

The village is situated in the province of Viterbo and after celebrating the festival of wine and chestnuts, its ready to show off its olive oil.

You can visit this amazing food festival during December- tasting the distinctive olive oil of the Tuscia region as well as enjoying yourself with evenings of dance, music and food.

Soriano nel Cimino is famous for its culinary delights too. “Spaghetti col ferro” (special pasta that is made with a small iron), and “Spaghetti alla ricotta” are two typical dishes.

With Hotel Des Artistes being so centrally located in nearby Rome, why not come and stay with us while enjoying a dance, a bite to eat and some authentic Italian fun?

A quick guide to Soriano nel Cimino

Orsini Castle, which also features several ancient towers, is the most iconic monument in the village. A precious altar made from Italian sandstone lies inside, which was previously situated in the church of Santissima Trinità of Cimino.

The historical centre manages to conserve its vintage character even today. The village takes a circular form, situated around the castle at the top of a hill. And in the Renaissance area of the city, there is Palace Albani-Chigi, which was built on the request of Cardinal Matzo. Nearby is an ancient natural spring, called “Papacqua”, which lies inside a famous sculpture.

The Tuscian festival of olive oil starts in Blera (24-25 November) and continues at Canino in December (December 1-2, 7-9, 15-16), Montefiascone (7-9 December), Soriano nel Cimino (8-9 December), and Vetralla (7-9, 15-16, 22-23 December).

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

A few places you might like to try are Tivoli, Castel Gandolfo, Lake Bracciano and Ostia.

 

In Tivoli you can take a walk through the gardens and have a look at the amazing fountains of the Villa d’Este. One fountain in particular would be the Organ Fountain.

There are around 500 fountains and the gardens are fantastic. Another villa to which is a must see, would be Hadrian’s Villa.

Renowned as an architect and not just as an emperor, Hadrian constructed a villa with which to remind himself of his most favourite places in the world while he was in Italy.

 

The Villa d’Este is open from 9 in the morning till an hour and a half before sunset and is closed on Mondays, January 1st, May 1st and December 25th. Tickets cost 6.50 euro for adults, 3.25 for EEC citizens between 18 and 25 and entrance is free for EEC citizens under 18 or over 65. The entrance fees and opening times are the same for Hadrian’s Villa.

 

The next place to visit would be the pope’s Summer residence Castel Gandolfo.

This building has been built over the remains of an older castle and partially incorporates the ruins of Emperor Domitian.

The pope usually gives his summer audience from here while the Swiss Guard is also in attendance.

The castle also overlooks the Albano Lake and it is 30 kilometres south east of Rome.

 

Lake Bracciano is another great place to go if you feel like a more relaxed getaway.

This is a great place to go if you have children and it is also a lot quieter than the beach and there is plenty of shade as well amongst the trees on the bank.

You can even rent deck chairs too.

 

 

Ostia is perfect if you love to mix relaxation with exploration.

With the ruins of the old sea port of Ostia being so close to the beach this would be one stop that you wouldn’t want to miss. This location is a perfect place for a daytrip as it is closer than Pompei and you can also use a regional train to get there.

Which means that a day travel card is all you need to get there and back. This is a lot cheaper than going to Pompei if you are on a budget and the buildings are in a far better state of preservation than their counterparts in Pompei.