Rome blog for Bed & Breakfast Chaplin Hostel

This blog is written for my guests at the Bed and Breakfast Chaplin Hostel Rome.

Pop Art Exhibition

Fifty artists and over one hundred works of art are on display in the exhibition e “Pop Art! 1956-1968”, in the Scuderie del Quirinale.

It is almost impossible to capture the essence of the style Pop Art in one definition, although one can pinpoint some of the characteristics: an interest in consumer culture, in the common, banal aspects of life, but also in the influence of the means of mass communication.

The first room is dedicated to Pop Art’s predecessors, while the following ones are ordered by theme: objects, portraits and brands, the historical events of the sixties (Kennedy’s death, the moon landing).

On the upper floor the exhibition goes back and forth between the high- and the lowbrow. The visitor can see that the artists did not only seek for inspiration in supermarkets and on tv, but also in museums themselves.

The last room is dedicated to the human body.

Pop Art, Gallerie del Quirinale, until January 27th

Directions from the Chaplin Bed and Breakfast

From B&B Chaplin Hostel Rome you need to take bus 64 until the end of Via Nazionale. Via XXIV Maggio is its last side street on the right.

This blog is written as a tourist guide for the guests of the Bed and Breakfast Chaplin Hostel Rome.

Gianicolo

The most beautiful views of Rome are those from the Pincio, from the Dome of Saint Peter’s and from the Gianicolo, Rome’s highest hill, towering over the quarter of Trastevere. While climbing the Janiculum the view gradually becomes more spectacular until reach the Piazza di Garibaldi (easily recognizable from the huge statue of Mr. Garibaldi himself).

Cannons

There is a cannon on the Janiculum, which is fired (with blanks, of course) every day exactly at noon. The first time this was done was on December 1^st, 1846. At that time it was still done from Castel Sant’Angelo. There was a sun dial behind the Sant’Ignazio church and when this indicated that it was noon sharp, a sphere was hung from the church’s dome to indicate to the people at the castle that it was time to shoot the cannon.

Though the sun dial has become slightly obsolete, the tradition was honored until the year 1903, when the ceremony was moved to Monte Mario, a hill on Rome’s north-western side, and then, a year later, to the Gianicolo.

The ritual was interrupted during World War II, and not taken up again until April 21st 1959. Every day since that date three soldiers have come out onto a terrace on the Gianicolo, in order to fire the cannon.

Kisses

At night the sounds of gunshots are replaced by those of kisses. What can be more romantic than a late evening view over the entire city of Rome, with each and every one of its tourist attractions magnificently lit up. Followed by a dinner in Trastevere.

Directions

We recommend that you visit Trastevere first (from the Chaplin Bed and Breakfast the 64 bus to Largo Argentina, followed by tram and then, just before sunset, climb the Janiculum hill, passing the Botanical gardens on the way.

This article is written for my guests at the Rome Bed and Breakfasts Little Italy and Chaplin Hostel.

Museo dei Fori Imperiali

The Museo dei Fori Imperiali reopens today, after having been closed for more than 2 years due to work at Trajan’s Markets.

Around 40 thousand fragments were found and placed in storage during the excavations in the 1930s, and more were added during the 1997 excavations.

Unfortunately many of the masterpieces were turned to dust when the marble of the Forums was used to create chalk.

Trajan

Trajan himself, under whose reign the empire reached its biggest expansion, is barely represented in the new museum. More than others it is Caesar, with the remains of his offices, and August, with the fragments of his enormous statue, who take up a big part of the space.

For the immediate future the restorations of the Ulpia basilica and of Trajan’s library are planned.

Exhibitions

Right now there is an exhibition of the Japanes scuptor Ken Yasuda, while the next show will be about the Dacians.

This blog was created for the guests of the Bed and Breakfast Chaplin Hostel Rome and the B&B Little Italy.

From Bed and Breakfast Chaplin Hostel and Rome Termini you take bus 910. Ask the driver where to get off, for the museum is not really easily recognizable. From Hostel Little Italy B&B you take metro line A to Spagna (4 stops), find the Villa Borghese exit and walk along the eastside of the park till you come to the Galleria Borghese.

Please note that you cannot go to the Galleria Borghese without having made a reservation at least one day before your visit. It is possible to do this via the internet, but that has not always appeared to be equally reliable, so if you have booked your accommodation in Rome in Bed and Breakfast Little Italy or Chaplin Hostel we will gladly do this for you (for free of course). Especially during the high season it is advisable to secure the reservation well in advance of your visit to Rome.

Stanley Kubrick, until January 6th

From the Rome Bed and Breakfast Chaplin Hostel take bus 40E or 64 and get off at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni stop.

It is probably better to turn the question around: When is not a good time for tourists to visit rome? Several travel guides, even big international guides like Lonely Planet, recommend against visiting rome in August. The reason? In August Rome would be too crowded and it would be too difficult to find comfortable, central and cheap accommodation. Lonely Planet and other travel guides that come up with this and similar bits of wisdom ought to be ashamed of themselves. In August Rome is usually so hot that tourists stay away and it is very easy to find cheap bed and breakfasts, hostels en hotels. The bed and breakfast Little Italy Rome en Hostel Chaplin are both about 30 percent cheaper than in spring and autumn.

Summer

There are of course reasons to leave Rome be in August, such as the aforementioned high temperatures, but also that it is the traditional holiday month for the Romans themselves and many restaurants and trattorias will be closed. Until about 15 years ago even museums would shut their doors, but luckily that has changed. On the contrary, under the banner “Roma Estate” several festivals, concerts and exhibitions are held in August for those that stay behind. One more advantage is that August is the only time of the year that you will be able to walk from the B&B to the Colosseum, to name an attraction, without having to fear to be run over by a crazy driver.

Winter

During the winter months, from the second week of November till the end of Febraury, hotel and bed and breakfast rates in Rome drop and you will be often able to get a B&B room at the price of a hostel. The weather will of course be less agreeable and fewer events are organized. On the upside, the lines at the Vatican Museums, the Colosseum and other major tourist attractions will be far shorter. The trip to Rome itself will also be a lot cheaper, especially if you book early enough on one of the budget airlines, like RyanAir or Easyjet .

Spring and autumn

As far as the weather goes,the best months to visit the Eternal City are the spring and autumn months, from March until June and from September until Oktober. The Romans are back from their holidays, the tourists come to Rome en masse, and the buses and metros are packed with people. The queues for getting into tourist attractions like the vatican Museums and the Colosseum can take 2 or 3 hours. Staying in Rome is not cheap (At the moment, as far as accommodation is concerned, Rome is the 7th most expensive city in the world, and the average price of a hotel room is slightly more than 150 Euros per night). Bed & Breakfast Chaplin Rome and Hostel Little Italy are of course way cheaper than that.

Trastevere

Trastevere got its name because of the quarter’s location – in a bend in the river Tiber (tra is between, Tevere is Tiber, hence), which flows through Rome.

During daytime the quarter is fairly quiet, but at night Trastevere is one of Rome’s liveliest areas, thanks to its narrow, winding streets, picturesque little squares and especially its growing number of restaurants, cafes and pubs.

Trastevere’s first inhabitants

Until the beginning of the 20th century Trastevere was really a no man’s land, plagued by malaria and continuous floodings, mostly populated by pickpockets, prostitutes and sailors waiting for their next ship.

The first ones to find permanent abode in Trastevere were Jews and freed slaves. Initially the Jews were mostly traders who managed to earn a living thanks to the vastness of the Roman empire. After the empire’s fall they stayed in Trastevere (In the Vicolo dell’Atleta the remains of an old synagogue can still be seen.)

Trastevere’s main tourist attractions

The Christians were also welcomed in Trastevere. The first basilica dedicated to the virgin Maria can therefore also be found in Trastevere. The Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, which started its existence as an inn, is one of the main tourist attractions of the quarter.

Other sights worth visiting are the Villa Farnesina, the Palazzo Corsini and the Orto Botanico (Botanical Gardens).

Rome’s biggest market

Every Sunday morning Porta Portese, Italy’s biggest flea market, takes place in Trastevere. From the most insignificant household goods and trinkets to antique furniture (not always equally antique, to be sure, so be careful), if it exists, it will probably be sold in Trastevere. Bargaining is definitely recommended, since blond hair and foreign languages are well known to cause instantaneous inflation of prices. It is best to arrive very early in the morning, when there are no that many people yet. Towards 10 or 11am it will be impossible to move without rubbing shoulders with other people. Quite a few of those shoulders, incidentally, are attached to arms and fingers that are very adept at opening zippers and emptying pockets, so once more, be careful.

From Chaplin Bed and Breakfast to Trastevere

To reach Trastevere from Bed and Breakfast Chaplin Hostel Rome you need to take bus 64 of 40E from Rome Termini to Largo di Torre Argentina, where you take tram 8. Until 8pm there is also a direct bus from Termini, the “H” bus, which is far less frequent though.

Manzoni-Museo della Liberazione

After 20 months of reconstruction the line A metro stop Manzoni was reopened yesterday, September 8th, 2007. The stop also has a new name “Manzoni-Museo della Liberazione”.

Archeological station

Manzoni is the first of the so-called “archeological stations”, an antipasto for the future line C Colosseo stop. The archeological finds that have been dug up during the works are displayed behind glass (vitrines) along the tunnels leading to the turnstiles, in such a way that the walls of an opus reticolatum and the remains of an imperial domus can be admired.

The diggings have unearthed the remains of a paved street dating back to the 2^nd century before Christ. After Mecenate improved it in 35 b.Chr. the area, formerly unhealthy, became a rich and popular residential quarter.

The new Manzoni is meant as a foretaste of what the underground stations for the future lines C, D e B1 are going to look like.

The modernisation of line A should be finished in April 2008 and from May onwards the line ought to start working again till midnight (instead of only till 9pm, as is the case right now).

The subway stop Manzoni is on line A, two stops from Rome Termini and the Bed and Breakfast Chaplin Hostel.

Nicknames

Not everybody admires the monument for Vittorio Emanuele (or the Vittoriano), hence its nicknames “typewriter”, because of its shape, and “wedding cake”, because of its kitschy character and white colour. Unlike most of the other Roman monuments, it is not made of Travertine, but rather of Brescian marble. Because of this it does not harmonize with its surroundings, which is enhanced by its proportions: the Vittoriano towers over the surrounding buildings and can be seen from virtually anywhere in Rome.

The monument for Vittorio Emanuele

The Vittoriano was built by Giuseppe Sacconi in order to commemmorate the unification of Italy (1870). It was named after the new country’s first king, Vittorio Emanuele II, depicted as a warrior on horseback. The two fountains symbolize the Adriatic en de Tyrrhenic seas bordering Italy. Two bronze statues of winged chariots are on top of the monument. Construction lasted from 1885 to 1911.

Monument for the Unknown Soldier

After World war I the Altare della Patria (the “Altar of the Fatherland”), the Italian version of the Monument for the Unknown Soldier, was added to the building. Sentries are posted there day and night and the flames on either side are to be kept burning forever.

Museum

The Museo Centrale del Risorgimento, with a collection of 3000 drawings of Italian army uniforms from 1866 till now, is to be found inside the monument.

From Chaplin Bed and Breakfast to the Vittoriano

From B&B Chaplin Hostel Rome you walk to Rome Termini, where you take bus 64 of 40E. You get out when you see an enormous white building that reminds you a bit of a typewriter or a wedding cake.

Guests at the Hostel Chaplin Bed and Breakfast Rome ask me sometimes if there are any churches in Rome providing religious services in English. Here follows a list: