Rome

Foreign media's impression of Rome

16 April, 2020

Writer James Joyce did not love Rome which he used to describe as a man who lives by exhibiting to travellers his grandmother’s corpse, but years have passed since those days and now foreign magazines and newspapers tend to praise…

Italian summer traditions: what is grattachecca and where to get it

16 April, 2020

Okay, so we’ve got Italian gelato, and if you’re in the know there is also the granita which is a flavoured ice drink. And then there’s grattachecca. It’s also a flavoured ice drink but from a slightly different tradition. The…

Easter holidays in Rome: hotel offers and long vacations

15 April, 2020

Easter in Italy is a great way to spend the holiday and it seems that the Belpaese is a favourite destination for many English and international travellers, especially to Rome. The eternal city is at the top of the preferred…

Italian English: "customers gentile" and other fables

15 April, 2020

Far be it from me to criticise Italians for their English, this one comes from the locals themselves. I have been an English teacher in Italy and congratulate myself that none of my students would produce anything quite as creative…

What to see in Rome: The Vittoriano

15 April, 2020

The Romans, it seems, do not love the Vittoriano; a huge monument dedicated to Vittorio Emanuele II, first king of Italy. It was completed in 1935 when Italy was ruled by Mussolini and W.W.2 was looming on the horizon. The…

Rome by night photo gallery

15 April, 2020

Living in Rome often means negotiating traffic problems, transport strikes, and the daily drudge of routine and chaos. If you know Italians, you will find they often lament their own lack of appreciation for the beauty of their country, saying…

Rome to host major exhibition on Hadrian's villa

15 April, 2020

In the early 2nd century the Emperor Hadrian decided to build a villa at Tibur,; he wanted a retreat away from his Palatine Palace (which he did not like at all) and the noisy crowd that daily swarmed the streets…

Roman art on display at Capitoline Museums in Rome

15 April, 2020

From 5th March to 5th September, the Capitoline Museums will host an extraordinary exhibition devoted to Rome’s glorious past. Actually I Giorni di Roma or The Days of Rome, this is the name given to the exhibition, is part of…

What to see in Rome: famous from Dan Brown, the Vatican's secret passage way "Passetto di Borgo" open to the public

14 April, 2020

While already famous for its underground mystery so apt for Rome, Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons really put the Passetto del Borgo on Rome’s map for tourist attractions. While he had the fantasy to open it into the Papal library,…

Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal in Rome for the premiere of Monsters Vs Aliens

13 April, 2020

Celebrities love Rome and it’s not unusual to come across movie stars walking around Rome like simple tourists, gawking at this or that monument! So this time we were not a bit surprised when we bumped into Reese Witherspoon (in…

Stunning line-up for Rome Film festival

12 April, 2020

The Rome Film festival which is in its fifth year will run from 28 October to 5 November. Many stars and movie directors are expected to take part in the event. The organisers have just announced an impressive line-up; from…

Italian Postal Service launches the golden stamp

12 April, 2020

Can a postage stamp be an artwork? Sorry, I don’t have an answer to this, but I know for sure there are people who go bananas over them! Actually some of these stamps are really beautiful and made from the…

Rome: House of Vestal Virgins reopens after 20 years

12 April, 2020

Located at the foot of the Palatine Hill and on the eastern verge of the Roman Forum, the house of the vestal Virgins in Rome has been restored to its pristine beauty at last; after a twenty-year long restoration, this…

Rome: ghost tours and the small version of Milan's Duomo

12 April, 2020

This photo of Rome’s smaller version of the Milan duomo comes from these personal pages: it’s the church of the Sacro Cuore del Suffragio (the Sacred Heart of Suffrage), constructed in a gothic style from 1894 to 1917 by Father…

Driving in Italy: parking in Rome pisses some people off

11 April, 2020

For the Italian language, or Italian English, we’ve already seen the creative and sparky side of the Romans come out with their “clients gentile” funny photo. Here we have another example, but for something far more serious - parking in…

International nativity scene exhibition in Rome for Christmas

11 April, 2020

Until January 31 2009, an exhibition of nativity scenes from around the world will be on display at the the Art Forum Würth in Capena, Rome. It’s an excellent focus for a Christmas religious pilgrimage to Rome, with the pieces…

Boutique shopping in Rome: antique maps and vintage postcards in via Tomacelli

11 April, 2020

Exploring Rome’s byways brings out the romance of the eternal city. There is nothing quite like the city of Rome, with its history, its busy hub of Italy’s colourful population, its popular tourist sights, and of course all the mystery…

Exhibitions in Italy: La Dolce Vita. 1950 – 1960. Stars and celebrities in the Italian fifties at Mercati di Traiano, Rome

10 April, 2020

Although the summer is slowly fading away, the celebrations for Federico Fellini ‘s masterpiece La Dolce vita ( the movie turns 50 this year ) will continue with a series of fascinating events until November 2010; much awaited is the…

Carnival in Italy: the festival of Carnevale di Tivoli

10 April, 2020

It’s nearly Carnevale in Italy where carnival time marks the start of the period of Lent, 40 days before Easter. Obviously the Venice Carnevale is the most famous, although for Italians, the Carnevale of Viareggio is also an important celebration.…

Proposing and getting married in Rome: where to fall in love in the eternal city

10 April, 2020

Rome has always been considered romantic; whether it be attributed to scenes of beautiful Italian gentleman Marcello Mastroianni in La Dolce Vita, the lamp-post of padlocks, or vague ideas of chequered tablecloths in Italian trattorie, the eternal city has always…

Foreign media's impression of Rome

Italian summer traditions: what is grattachecca and where to get it

Easter holidays in Rome: hotel offers and long vacations

Italian English: "customers gentile" and other fables

What to see in Rome: The Vittoriano

Rome by night photo gallery

Rome to host major exhibition on Hadrian's villa

Roman art on display at Capitoline Museums in Rome

What to see in Rome: famous from Dan Brown, the Vatican's secret passage way "Passetto di Borgo" open to the public

Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal in Rome for the premiere of Monsters Vs Aliens

Stunning line-up for Rome Film festival

Italian Postal Service launches the golden stamp

Rome: House of Vestal Virgins reopens after 20 years

Rome: ghost tours and the small version of Milan's Duomo

Driving in Italy: parking in Rome pisses some people off

International nativity scene exhibition in Rome for Christmas

Boutique shopping in Rome: antique maps and vintage postcards in via Tomacelli

Exhibitions in Italy: La Dolce Vita. 1950 – 1960. Stars and celebrities in the Italian fifties at Mercati di Traiano, Rome

Carnival in Italy: the festival of Carnevale di Tivoli

Proposing and getting married in Rome: where to fall in love in the eternal city

Rome streets in American eyes

Luxury restaurants in Rome: Ristorante Camponeschi in piazza Farnese

Italian Art exhibitions: "The Mind of Leonardo" on display at Museo Nazionale in Rome

What to see in Rome: Caravaggio's Madonna of The Pilgrims

Boutique shopping in Rome: 500 types of pasta at Pastateca