Archive for September, 2007

Mail in Rome

Sunday, September 9th, 2007

Stamps

One of the most frequently asked questions in my Bed and Breakfasts is “Where can I find a post office?”. The question is usually wrong, since it is often only postage stamps that are needed and you can get those at tobacconists. If you don’t speak Italian you just show the person in the tobacco shop the address you are mailing your postcards or letters to and you will get the right tariff. The Italian word for postage stamp is “francobollo”.

Mailbox

Mailboxes, at least in Rome, usually have two slots, one for “Roma Città” (City of Rome) and one for “Tutte le Altre Destinazioni” (All Other Destinations).

To receive Mail in the Chaplin Bed and Breakfast Rome

Sometimes our guests wish to have packets or parcels sent to the B&B or hostel. We advise against this, since the Italian mail is not very reliable and packets often arrive torn or empty or not at all. It is safer to use FedEx or UPS instead.

To mail stuff home from Rome

Not all post offices perform this function. If your hotel, hostel or bed and breakfast is in the centre of Rome you had best go to the main post office on Piazza San Silvestro or to the one in Rome Termini (NB: There are 2 post offices in Rome Termini, take the one on the Via Marssal side.).

Postkantoren near the Bed and Breakfast Chaplin Hostel Rome

The nearest post office to the Hostel Chaplin Bed and Breakfast Rome is in Termini on the Via Marsala side. (There is also an entrance on the other side, near track 1).

Opening hours

The opening hours of Italian post offices differ from town to town and even from office to office. You can find the opening hours of post office near you on http://www.poste.it/en/. You will need to know the name of the street the office is located on.

Flamenco in the Auditorium in Rome

Saturday, September 8th, 2007

From September 12th till 22nd in the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome a flamenco festival will take place.

During the 10 days the festival lasts the three caqtegories forming the soul of flamenco will be belicht: el cante (song), el toque (guitar music with rhytmic accompaniment of handclapping and footstamping) and el baile (dance).

The artists:

The festival begins September 12th with Estrella Morente (known from the soundtrack of Almodovar’s “Volver”) and ends September 22nd with a show by the guitarist Manolo Sanlucár.

There will also be exhibitions dedicated to the culture of flamenco, including samples of the andalusian kitchen.

For the complete program and for more information: http://www.auditorium.com/
You can get tickets by calling: 199109783.

To get to the Auditorium from the Rome Hostel Chaplin Bed and Breakfast you take the M bus from Rome Termini.

Frequently asked questions about the B&B Chaplin Hostel Rome

Thursday, September 6th, 2007

Most of these questions are already answered on the website of the Rome Hostel Chaplin Bed and Breakfast itself. This blog gives me the chance to put them all together so here are the most important answers to your queries about payment at the Chaplin Bed and Breakfast, about the way we run the hostel and about the rooms. For questions about Rome itself there is another entry.

Faq Chaplin Bed and Breakfast Rome

Q: What do I need to do to make a reservation at the B&B Chaplin Hostel Rome and how do I pay for my stay at the B&B?

A: Payment itself takes place in cash, upon arrival, but in order to be able to confirm the reservation we need your credit card details (full name, number and expiration date) as a guarantee. Alternatively you can pay the first night’s stay by paying the amount of the first night’s stay through Paypal or by transferring that amount to the Chaplin’s bank account in Italy.

Q: What is the cancellation policy at the Chaplin Bed and Breakfast Rome?

A: If, for whatever reason, you wish to cancel your reservation, this must be done via e-mail or fax, at the latest 5 days before the expected arrival date, otherwise we will charge you the amount of the first night’s stay. In case you have booked the hostel by paying the first night in advance and you cancel 5 days or longer before the arrival date we will refund you the money, minus the commission we have to pay Paypal or our bank.

Q: How far is the B&B Chaplin Hostel Rome from Rome Termini?

A: The Chaplin Bed and Breakfast is no more than a 3 minute walk from Rome Termini. For directions and a map of the area, check our website.

Q: Is the Bed and Breakfast near public transport?

A: Being near the main railway station Termini in Rome, the Bed and Breakfast automatically has all means of public transport at walking distance. Rome’s two subway lines cross in Termini, the main buses leave from the square in front of the station and you will find a taxi stand on the Chaplin B&B side of Rome Termini.

Q: Is there an age-limit at the Chaplin Hostel Rome?

A: No. Everybody, no matter how old or how young they are, is welcome at the Bed and Breakfast Chaplin Hostel Rome.

Q: Is there a curfew at the Chaplin Hostel Rome? A: Of course there is no curfew at the Chaplin Hostel Rome. When you arrive at the B&B, we will give you the keys and you can come back whenever you want, always respecting the other people in the building and the other guests of the B&B Chaplin of course.

Q: Is there a lock-out at the Chaplin Hostel Rome?

A: The Bed and Breakfast does not have a lock-out period either. If you wish to have your room cleaned, and your bed made, you might have to vacate it for a 15 minute period between 10am and noon.

Q: Do we have to bring sheets, sleeping bags, or towels?

A: Of course not. The B&B Chaplin Hostel provides sheets and blankets and you get clean towels every day.

Q: Are all taxes included in the price?

A: All taxes are included.

Q: Are showers include in the price?

A: Of course. The showers at the Rome Bed and Breakfast Chaplin Hostel are included (and always hot).

Q: Is breakfast included in the price?

A: Of course, the Chaplin is a Bed and Breakfast.

Q: What time is breakfast served at the Rome Bed and Breakfast Chaplin Hostel and what does it consist of?

A: Breakfast is served from 8am till 10am and it consists of coffee or tea, different kinds of fruit juice, fresh bread every morning (if you make sure to be up at 8, it will still be warm from the oven), butter, jam, cheese, cornflakes or muesli with milk.

Q: Is the Chaplin Hostel near the centre of Rome?

A: Several of Rome’s main attractions (Colosseum, Forum Romanum, Museo Nazionale Romano, the Basilicas of Saint Mary Major and Saint Peter in Chains) are within easy walking distance from the B&B. Rome is a big city though and of course some of the sights that are further from the centre (Vatican, Saint Peter, Sistine Chapel, Catacombs) require the use of Rome’s public transport system (see the question above).

Q: Do we need a youth hostel membership card in order to stay at the B&B Chaplin Hostel Rome?

A: No, everybody is welcome at the Bed and Beakfast.

Q: Do we have to bring sheets, sleeping bags, or towels?

A: Of course not. The B&B Chaplin Hostel provides sheets and blankets and you get clean towels every day.

Q: What are your check-in and check-out times?

A: At the Bed and Breakfast Chaplin Hostel Rome you can check in at any time after 8am. Since check-out takes place at 10.30am, though, we cannot guarantee that your room will be ready before 12 o’clock noon.

Q: Does the Chaplin Bed and Breakfast provide storage space for our luggage?

A: Of course. Both on your arrival day, in case you arrive before the room is ready, and on your departure day, in case you have a late train or plane and you still want to go and see Rome, without being burdened by your luggage, we will keep your luggage at the hostel. (And to answer the next question: Yes, this is free of charge. You will have to tell us the exact time you will come and pick up your stuff, since we will have to be at the B&B especially for you.)

Q: Are there cooking facilities at the Bed and Breakfast?

A: No. There are coffee and tea-making facilities at the Chaplin Hostel Rome, but no more than that.

Q: Is there internet access at the B&B?

A: Unfortunately not, but the area is full of internet points and we will happily tell you where to find them.

Q: Is the area around the Rome Hostel Chaplin Bed and Breakfast safe at night?

A: Yes, it is. Rome’s biggest police barracks is right across the road from the Bed and Breakfast and there are several sidewalk cafes on your walk between Rome Termini and the B&B making sure that the area is well lit at night.

Q: Can we bring friends into the hostel?

A: It is forbidden to bring people that are not registered into the hostel. This goes for all hotels, hostels and bed and breakfasts in Rome.

Ten Years of MTV-Italia on Piazza San Giovanni

Wednesday, September 5th, 2007

To celebrate the 10 years’ existence of MTV-Italia on September 15th a music festival will take place at the Piazza San Giovanni in Rome. Several famous Italian bands and singers will perform: Tiromancino, Irene Grandi, Elisa and Negramari, who will perform with Jovanotti, are some of the biggest names.

There will be no big foreign names, since the organizers were afraid that that would take the attention away from the Italian singers.

At the same time a sister festival will be held on the Piazza Duomo in Milano.

The MTV music festival on Piazza San Giovanni in Rome from Hostel Chaplin B&B can easily be reached by taking the subway line A from Rome Termini to the stop San Giovanni. This is really the third stop from Termini, but due to work that is being done on the Rome subway system the Manzoni stop is not being used right now, hence count only two stops from Roem Termini.

The Mouth of Truth (Bocca della Verità) in Rome

Tuesday, September 4th, 2007

Why George W. Bush never visits here

The Bocca della Verità (Mouth Of Truth) hangs in the portico of the church Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome, Italy. It is a statue of a round face, shaped like a man’s face and made of Pavonazzetto-marble.

It is thought to have been part of an ancient Roman fountain or manhole-cover. The statue, probably of some pagan God, was not placed in Santa Maria in Cosmedin until the 17th century.

Legend has it that, if one sticks one’s hand into the Mouth of Truth while telling a lie, this hand will be bitten off. This legend is a.o. used in the famous film “Roman Holiday”.

Directions from B&B Chaplin Hostel to the Bocca della Verità

From Bed and Breakfast Chaplin Hostel Rome you take metro line B to Circo Massimo. Walk down Via dei Cerchi, with the Circus Maximus on your left, till you come to the Piazza della Bocca della Verità.

Trevi Fountain

Sunday, September 2nd, 2007

History of Rome’s Trevi Fountain

The Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain), at the Piazza di Trevi, is Rome’s biggest and most famous fountain, especially since Anita Ekberg took a bath in there in Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita”. It is about 26 meters tall and 22 wide. It was built by the architect Nicola Salvi and ordered by Pope Clemens XII.

The name “Trevi” derives from the fact that thee used to be three roads (“tre vie”) leading to the square.

In the days of the Roman Empire it was customary to construct monuments in spots where wells erupted. At the top on the right side of the monument you can see the virgin who is supposed to have pointed out this well to a soldier.

The monument’s theme is Neptune, the God of the Sea, on a shell-shaped chariot pulled towards the ocean by winged horses and tritons. One horse is calm, the other seems wild, thereby symbolizing two aspects of the sea. In the two alcoves to the left and right are personifications of Abundance and Health.
Legend of the fountain

In the old days it was thought that if you drank the water from the fountain you would eventually return to Rome. Nowadays if you were to drink the water from the fountain you would probably not even make it home again, so the legend got adapted. Stand with your back to the fountain, close your eyes and throw a coin over your left shoulder. Now you can come back to Rome. And stay in a room at the Bed and Breakfast Chaplin Hostel Rome, or the Little Italy B&B of course.

Directions from Chaplin Bed and Breakfast Rome

Take the metro from Rome Termini to Barberini (two stops) and then walk along the Via del Tritone till you see the signs for the Fontana di Trevi. We suggest that you go there at night, since the fountain is even more beautiful when it is all lit up.

Where to go from the fountain

Where better to conclude your evening than at the Spanish Steps, only a short walk from the Trevi Fountain. Walk through the Via del Corso and the Via Condotti, Rome’s famous shopping streets and sit down at the steps for a short rest before going for dinner or returning home to the hostel.