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

What a day! We’re having snow, serious snow, for the first time in a long time in Rome. Get ready because tomorrow you’ll get the photographic evidence!

Today we bring you 4 tricks to improve your experience in the Eternal City!

1.- Roma Pass: You might have already know about this one, but offers good value, so it’s worth mentioning: for 30 euros you get to use the public transportation sysem for 3 days and free entrance to the first 2 museums you visit. Besides, you get discounts on all the museums you visit after the first 2. You can find the Roma Pass in many Tabacchi shops and newsstands in the Termini station, where you will likely arrive from your airport.

2.- Book Vatican Museums in advance: The lenght of the queue to get into the museums is almost legendary among tourists, but you can easily avoid it if you book the entrance in advance.To do it go to this website http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do ; from there you can check availability and book your tickets.

3.-Atac website: Rome is not particularly easy to figure out, when it comes to transportation, but the things are slowly changing thanks to the internet. ATAC, the public transportation agency of the city has o neat website that allows you to check yhe best routes toget from one point of the city to another using the public transportation system. It also shows in real time how long will it take for a bus to arrive to a given stop,so it’s a great resource to check on your mobile.

4.- 060608: This is the Municipality of Rome’s official tourist information service. You can call them at (+39) 060608 to get general information about the city and even book museums. Even if the service has been around for a while, is not very well known but it’s really useful!

Our blogger today: Raul

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

Talk about an exciting (and heatlhy) way to get ready for a new year…

Next December 31 Nike will organize a marathon in the historic center of Rome. The runners will pass by some of the most famous sights of the Eternal City (see map at the bottom of this post). The marathon is open both for competitive and non-competitive runners. All the information can be found on the official website of the race where you can sign in as well (alternatively you can sign in too in some stores scattered around the city, or by-mail to info@werunrome.it.) After doing the inscription you will be required to collect a pack with everything you will need to be allowed to take part of the race.

If you are looking for a fun and memorable way to finish the year, look no more, sign in, run and have fun. And dont’ forget to contact us to get the best rates for the best accomodation in the city!

Happy running and happy New Year to everyone!

Maroon 5 are a music group, pop rock / funk rock, formed in Los Angeles, U.S. in 1997. The group was born from the ashes of Kara’s Flowers, formed by high school classmates of Brentwood in Los Angeles. After the debut album, “The Fourth World”, in 1997, the group changed its name to Maroon 5 and consists of: Adam Levine – vocals, on keyboard Jesse Carmichael, bassist Mickey Madden, guitarist James Valentine and drummer Matt Flynn.

In June 2002, with the release of a new album, “Songs About Jane” certified four times platinum, which produced four hit singles: the famous “This Love,” “She Will Be Loved”, “Harder to Breathe” and  ” Sunday Morning “.

In March 2007 the album “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long”, preceded by the single “Makes Me Wonder”, which reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

Things will not change in 2010, when Maroon 5 will release the album “Hands All Over”, as it is very immediate and pleasant in their style, just like their smash hit Songs About Jane,Out in 2011, “Moves like Jagger” with Christina Aguilera, which immediately became a great success, and reaching the heights of charts worldwide.

After cancelling the beginning of  their 2011 European tour, Maroon 5 are now ready to be forgiven by their fans announcing the new Italian dates! Two chances to see Maroon 5 live:

Saturday, December 10 – Rome, Atlantic Area

Sunday, December 11 – Milan, Alcatraz.

If your in the prati area, perhaps having just finished with the Vatican Museums then mabey you might be a little peckish. If this is the case then I would recommend a little place called Fa’Bio (a pun based on the owner’s name, Fabio, and the biologic vocation ofhis place). If you’re the kind of person that enjoys a fresh, natural meal then this is the place for you.

Wether you’re a vegetarian or enjoy a big sandwhich full of prosciutto crudo, they will do it all. The atmosphere is a very friendly one and the guys who run it are a couple of characters; they will help you feel right at home. And when you’ve finished with your food they’ll make you a nice smoothie with fresh fruit and many different recipes that they’ve concocted.

Fa’Bio It’s located on Via Germanico 43, just off Via Ottaviano. To get there just take the red subway line and get off at Ottaviano/ Musei Vaticani.

Hope you enjoy!

And don’t forget: your best options for accomodation in Rome are Hotel Des Artistes and Yes Hotel! Just drop us a line or call us (+39 064454365) to make a reservation or ask us a question.

Our blogger: Liam

- One of the most remarkable events this year will be the beatification of the beloved John Paul II. Crowds from all around the world will flock to the Ethernal City this summer and the accomodation facilities will be working at full capacity:  make your reservation now!

Few historical characters are as significant and inspirational as the late  Jean Paul II. During his long potificate pope Wojtyla (his actual last name) traveled the third world spreading the faith among the poor of the world, helped to bring down communism on his native Poland and gave a new, more human and contemporary face to catholicism.

A true symbol of his age, John Paul II suffered the horror of the second world war and survived it to become the first Polish pope (and the first non-Italian pope in centuries) and one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century.

Proabbly the best-loved pope ever, Wojtyla passed away 5 years ago, and now the catholic church has determined to beatify him. A not very orthodox decision, considering that usually it is required to wait at least 5 years after a person’s death to start the beatification process,

but given the influence and spiritual power of John Paul II the catholic hierarchy, guided by Wojtyla’s trusted collaborator, Joseph Ratzinger,  deemed the waiting unnecessary and activated the beatification process as soon as possible.

The ceremony will take place the 1st of May 2011 at Saint Peter’s and according to Vatican Spokesman Federico Lombardi, an invitation is not required to attend the ceremony.  Everyone traveling to Rome is welcome. The eyes and hearts of the whole world will turn to the eternal city to follow John Paul II in yet another travel: that of sanctity. Dont’ miss one of the most important events of this new year and make now a reservation at Hotel Des Artistes or Yes Hotel, hurry up or you will run the risk of not finding accomodation in what will be one of the periods of maximum occupation ever in Rome!

Our blogger: Raul

Our Blogger: Raul

-Next July pianist Keith Jarrett and his legendary trio (Jarrett, plus Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette) will visit the Eternal City: an occassion not to be missed for those who love great music.

When you think of the European jazz capitals of the world, Paris and Amsterdam come immmediatly to mind. But every summer Rome hosts a number of increasingly important jazz events that reveal the growing interest of Italian audiences in improvised music.

Slowly the Eternal City is gaining cachet as a jazz city and this status will be crowned next July with the visit of Keith Jarrett, probably the most talented and well-known jazz musician alive.

Jarrett started his career with the George Lloyd quartet and then jumped to public notoriety through his performances with Miles Davis. Jarrett can be seen as the substitute leading figure in the jazz world after Davis’ dismissal. Jarrett brought jazz back to its acoustic roots after a period of electric experimentation renewing in the process the American songbook with new renditions of jazz standards. Besides his song performances, Jarret is also widely acclaimed for his ability to create long improvisations on which jazz, classical musical and even folk and gospel music blend in an omogeneous and usually astonishingly beautiful result.

But not everything is milk and honey with Jarret, as Italian audiences attending the Perugia Jazz Festival a few years ago can confirm. On that occasion Jarrett snipped at the public after what he thought was a misrespect on their side: in fact, the musician finds the slightest sounds from the audience, as coughs or whispers to be highly distracting and has no qualms about letting the audience know how he feels. In fact the organizers of his concert hand cough drops to the public before every performance.

If you will find yourself in Rome during July this is a great opportunity to attend a concert of magnificent music. At Yes Hotel and Hotel Des Artistes we are at your disposition for all your accomodation needs in Rome.

Our Blogger: Marcelo

Stoic and fatalistic. Introverted. Painter of daily life. A sense of humor and a frank manner mixed with a conservative vision about politics. A man who simply accepted things as they were. Edward Hopper (1882 – 1967), one of the most popular and well known American artists of the twentieth century will be in Rome from February 16^th.

For the first time in Italy! An exciting exhibition that arrives to Rome after a great success at the Palazzo Reale in Milan (More than 1,600 daily visitors). The Exhibition in Rome is organized with the support of Fondazione Roma and Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. It will be entirely dedicated to all aspects of Edward Hopper’s extraordinary career.

Explore Edward Hopper artistic conception in which  “Great art is the outward expression of an inner life of the artist, and this inner life will result in his personal vision of the world’’ while , “So much of every art is an expression of the subconscious’’ and ‘’ and little of importance by the conscious intellect.”

Our blogger: Marcelo

-Marcelo, philosophical as ever talks about an ongoing exhibition in Rome and while at it takes us for a walk into Leonardo’s mind.

Simply beyond any kind of definition! How can you say that you are something when you are everything? Sculptor, architect, painter, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, anatomist, inventor, writer, botanist, geologist…The very meaning of ‘’open mind’’ is fitting better than never  for someone who explored every single aspect of human being and his relationship with nature. Not for a moment The Beauty was forgotten, since a searcher of the Truth is first of all a lover of the Truth.

Understanding the Truth as a whole is certainly the very spirit of the renaissance. That spirit was fully alive in Leonardo.He dreamed of a flying man, walking on water beyond limitations not by going against nature but through a fully understanding of it . And so in time the dreams became true by an unconditioned faith in nature and human being that gave inspiration to mankind…

The exhibition ‘’ Leonardo, il genio e le invenzioni’’ (Leonardo da Vinci – genius and inventions) At the Palace of the Chancellery is being held in Rome until April 30th 2010. Mostly focused on “machines” designed by the genius find on display fifty-operated machines and available to the visitor to touch and feel.

The machines are divided into five categories: water, air, earth, fire and mechanisms. The first four categories including that interacting ‘’element’’ of nature while the last one instead contains all those machines that may have different applications.

The man had always looked at the sky with an inexpressible feeling of wonder. Leonardo not only looked but worked on in order to design his very famous flying machines (including the parachute).

His genius, however, not only turned to the sky but also to the sea, to enable humans to explore its depths. It seems that Leonardo developed a diver or even a submarine. Later he decided to quit the experiments in fearing that they might be used for illicit purposes such as piracy.  Ethics were part of his vision. Funny enough anyway, to consider that a device for a ‘’miracle’’ (walking on water) was also provided by his creative mind.

This exhibition includes a chain that Leonardo designed for bicycles and watches. By this Leonardo anticipated the invention of a car.

Among the inventions relating to water: the innovative hydraulic saw, which uses water power to drive an automatic system capable of cutting timber and saving human labor.

Now you’ve read about it. You may have red lot about Leonardo. Maybe it’s time to experience directly yourself. Just exactly as he intended it… Isn’t it?

To get there from our locations Hotel Des Artistes Rome or Yes Hotel Rome is very easy by simply taking the bus 40 or 492 arriving there in no more than twenty minutes! If you need accommodation check www.hoteldesartistes.com or www.yeshotelrome.com.