Rome Italy - What to do in Rome during your Rome holiday, Rome Cruise, and Rome Vacation

Italy Holidays- Epiphany

2011-01-05T00:32:00.002+01:00

Epiphany January 6 celebration and festivals around the Magi.

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays.

Italian Tourism has the best Rome Italy pre-cruise tours and Rome Italy post-cruise tours.

Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

If you'll be on a Rome cruise 2011 be sure to visit the Roman forum. Click for January Rome cruises 2011.

Rome Holiday Season-Piazza Navona

2011-01-02T03:10:00.002+01:00

Piazza Navona Rome Italy Christmas

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays.

Italian Tourism has the best Rome Italy pre-cruise tours and Rome Italy post-cruise tours.

Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

If you'll be on a Rome cruise 2011 be sure to visit the Roman forum. Click for January Rome cruises 2011.

Rome NYE: Countdown to a Buon Capodanno

2010-12-31T23:06:00.000+01:00

Happy New Year Italy - Buon Capodanno.

Click for more about Italy New Year and Italy Carnevale.

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays.

Italian Tourism has the best Rome Italy pre-cruise tours and Rome Italy post-cruise tours.

Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

If you'll be on a Rome cruise 2011 be sure to visit the Roman forum. Click for January Rome cruises 2011.

Italy New Year's Eve Traditions

2010-12-30T14:04:00.000+01:00

Italy New Year's Eve Traditions - NYE Rome, Florence and Venice and all the villages and towns are celebrating the coming New Year.

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays.

Italian Tourism has the best Rome Italy pre-cruise tours and Rome Italy post-cruise tours.

Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

If you'll be on a Rome cruise 2011 be sure to visit the Roman forum. Click for January Rome cruises 2011.

NYE Rome Traditions and Festivals

2010-12-29T18:52:00.001+01:00

New Year’s Eve is known as la Festa di San Silvestro (Feast of St. Sylvester) in Italy. New Year’s Day is called Capodanno. On both days you will find people celebrating by eating lentils symbolizing wealth or pork specialties such as cotechino or zampone symbolizing richness for the coming year. Fava beans are also widely eaten for good luck.

At midnight, there are fireworks displays throughout Italy with the largest and longest taking place in Piazza del Popolo in Rome. The fireworks last for an hour and also there is a concert that goes on for hours both before and after the fireworks.

Whatever your choice of rituals, if you are celebrating New Year’s in Italy, you will be well entertained until dawn - and beyond if you wish!

Click here for more about Italy New Years and Italy Carnevale.

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays.

Italian Tourism has the best Rome Italy pre-cruise tours and Rome Italy post-cruise tours.

Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

If you'll be on a Rome cruise 2011 be sure to visit the Roman forum. Click for January Rome cruises 2011.

Baroque and Renaissance Rome: Bernini's Vatican City - The Architect of St. Peter's

2010-12-28T09:49:00.000+01:00

Bernini was called "The architect of St. Peter's" by Urban VIII (1623-44). And Bernini would have considered this quite a complement, as Bernini was one of a handful of artists in his time who would be come to known as a Renaissance Man due to his accomplishments in a variety of fields, including architecture, painting, and sculpture.

Popes Paul V and Gregory XV of the two great Roman families Borghese (see Cardinal Scipione Borghese the Pope's nephew) and Ludovisi (see Sant'Ignazio and Jesuits) respectively. It is these two Popes in the first two decades of the 17th century that created what is known as Triumphant Rome.

Truimphant Rome gets its name from the art and particularly the sculpture of that time, which had a triumphal role because it occupied a rhetorical position in the philosophy of the century. By the end of the 16th century theorists of New Science rationalized that the center of every operation is the man. In De sensu rerum et magi (1620) Tommaso Campanella writes: "Man is the epilogue of the whole World. The World is statue and image. It is the living Temple of God, where he has depicted his acts and written his own ideas. He adorned it with living statues, simple in heaven, mixed and feeble on earth; but from them goes the way to God."

In short, God created the world by means of three great arts:

Sculpture, because it is statuary;
Painting, because it is image; and
Architecture, because it is a Temple.

Men are thus living statues, sculpture in motion.

Bernini's aim was to unite painting, sculpture, and architecture in his work, which he mastered beautifully by the time of the Ecstasy of St. Teresa and the Cornaro Family, both inside the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria.

Urban VIII was the Barberini Pope after Gregory XV, who with Innocent X (1644-55), and the Chigi Pope Alexander VII (1655-67), all erected churches and palaces around Rome and it was these Roman families who were the stimulus for many works by Bernini.

Today when you travel to Rome walk down Via dei Seminario, just off the Piazza Pantheon, to Sant'Ignazio where inside on the ceiling is painted an allegory depicting the nine arts battling for the Jesuit's heart.

Bernini took advantage of the Jesuit's new call for propaganda or "spreading the faith", such as the allegory on the ceiling of Sant'Ignazio by designing and building art around Rome that conveyed a universal and rhetorical message that is persuasive.

The idea of persuasion through images impelled the intellectuals of the time to rediscover the power and resources of rhetoric. The whole act of artistic creation could be viewed in a particular way through the lenses of the "Aristotelian telescope" (the title of a treatise on rhetoric by Emanuele Tesauro); viewed, that is, in terms of such rhetorical devices as antithesis, anastrophe, metonymy, ellipsis, hyperbole, oxymoron, and above all metaphor.

Under Innocent X Bernini created his most complex fountain conceived as an allegorical monument, the Fountain of Four Rivers (1648-51) in Piazza Navona, to the figure group as a theatrical vision in St. Teresa (1647-52).

Under Pope Alexander VII, Bernini busied himself with architecture: Sant'Andrea Quirinale, Colonnade in front of St. Peter's Basilica, sculpture Constantine inside St. Peter's, Daniel and Habakkuk in the Chigi Chapel in Santa Maria del Popolo, and the Chair of St. Peter in the apse of St. Peter's Basilica.

Bernini the architect designed St. Peter's Square and the colonnade, and inside St. Peter's Basilica Bernini the sculptor designed a number of works including the bronze and gold 95 foot tall Baldachine (1624-1633) over the High Alter of St. Peter's Basilica, which cost the papal-state 10% of its annual revenue. It was testament to Bernini that the Vatican's would spend that kind of money on Bernini. And it was a testament to triumphant Rome that the Pope and super-rich of the 16th and 17th centuries used their wealth and money, chariots, like today's Gulfstream V jets, for the artists to travel between Rome, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Istanbul, France and Spain for the artist's sole benefit. And 10% of the annual revenue of the papal state was enough to keep an artist living well for several lifetimes. Of course, rather than sit back and just play the game like today's NBA basketball players, the genius-artist of the 17th century went on working day by day despite millions and millions in today's money in the bank.

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays.

Italian Tourism has the best Rome Italy pre-cruise tours and Rome Italy post-cruise tours.

Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

If you'll be on a Rome cruise 2011 be sure to visit the Roman forum. Click for January Rome cruises 2011.

Books about Rome

2010-12-26T04:35:00.002+01:00

Rome

Founding of Rome and Thereafter:

1-Roma

2-Lavinia

3-The Aeneid

4-Rome

Cicero-The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician by Anthony Everitt (2001)

Route 66 A.D.-On the Trail of Ancient Rome by Tony Perrottet (2002)

Playing Away-Roman Holidays by Michael Mewshaw (1988)

A Thousand Bells at Noon-A Roman's Guide to The Streets and Pleasures of His Native City by G. Franco Romagnoli (2002)

Roma-The Smart Travelers Guide to the Eternal City by Paul Hofmann (1993)

The Seasons of Rome-A Journal by Paul Hofmann (1997)

City of the Soul-A Walk in Rome by William Murray (2002)

As The Romans Do,The Delights, Drama, and Daily Diversions of Life in the Eternal City Alan Epstein (2000)

The Vatican's Women, Female Influence at the Holy See by Paul Hofmann (2000)

Rome Antics by David Maculay

Notes From A Roman Terrace by Joean Marble (2003)

Pasquale's Nose, Idle Days in an Italian Town by Michael Rips (2001)

The Smiles of Rome-Susan Cahill (2005)

Rome Guides:

Rome City Map by Dorling Kindersley Travel Guides

Top 10 Guide to Rome by Sharri Whiting

Trattorias of Rome, Florence and Venice by Maureen B Fant

Rome Insideout by The Map Group

Cafe Life Rome-Joe Wolff (2002)

Great Sleeps Italy, Florence, Rome, Venice by Sandra Gustafson (2002)

Access Rome by Richard Saul Wurman

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays.

Italian Tourism has the best Rome Italy pre-cruise tours and Rome Italy post-cruise tours.

Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

If you'll be on a Rome cruise 2011 be sure to visit the Roman forum. Click for January Rome cruises 2011.

Italy Christmas Traditions

2010-12-25T03:47:00.000+01:00

Italian Christmas traditions video from Naples via San Gregorio Armeno to Rome's Piazza Navona holiday market and festival, Italy at Christmas is wonderful time of year for your next Italy vacation.

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays.

Italian Tourism has the best Rome Italy pre-cruise tours and Rome Italy post-cruise tours.

Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

If you'll be on a Rome cruise 2011 be sure to visit the Roman forum. Click for January Rome cruises 2011.

Rome Christmas - St. Peter's Square Presepe

2010-12-24T00:17:00.002+01:00

nativity scene next to obelisk and Christmas tree in St. Peter's Square.

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays.

Italian Tourism has the best Rome Italy pre-cruise tours and Rome Italy post-cruise tours.

Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

If you'll be on a Rome cruise 2011 be sure to visit the Roman forum. Click for January Rome cruises 2011.

Rome Christmas Eve: Things to do

2010-12-23T16:00:00.000+01:00

Italy Right Now brings you to Rome Christmas Eve - wear comfortable shoes and be ready to walk for a Roman festival.

For more video of holidays in Italy click here.

For video of Rome click here.

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays.

Italian Tourism has the best Rome Italy pre-cruise tours and Rome Italy post-cruise tours.

Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

If you'll be on a Rome cruise 2011 be sure to visit the Roman forum. Click for January Rome cruises 2011.

How to do Scavi Tour

2010-12-22T09:15:00.002+01:00

Want to a Scavi tour of the Vatican in Rome. Try sending an email to :
visiteguidate.musei@scv.va.

In the email include names, date and time you would like to visit.

The Scavi tour is separate from any tours of St. Peter's Basilica or the Vatican Museums.

The tour itself takes about 1.5 hours. Less than 20 people enter with each tour.

If you want to take the Scavi Tour send an email when you know you will be in Rome.

Then pray for a reply ;-)

For more on travel to Italy click here for Web Vision Italy vacations.

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays.

Italian Tourism has the best Rome Italy pre-cruise tours and Rome Italy post-cruise tours.

Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

If you'll be on a Rome cruise 2011 be sure to visit the Roman forum. Click for January Rome cruises 2011.

Rome - Outdoor Markets

2010-12-20T13:35:00.004+01:00

Rome Holidays

Markets in Rome are as old as time. Today in the United States fresh seasonal organic locally grown fruits and vegetables are a real luxury. In Italy and in Rome it is part of La Dolce Vita - access to locally grown fresh organic fruits and vegetables in neigborhood street markets is the way of life.

While in Rome, be sure to get up in the morning, have an espresso, and then wander to a Roman street market.

Depending on the season you'll find artichokes, zucchini flowers, peppers, tomatoes, etc etc. Taste delicious Roman spices like amatriciana and saffron. Enjoy Italy travel with the street fairs and markets.

Rome Street Markets: Monday-Friday

Campo de’Fiori - food and flowers - Mornings
Largo della Fontanella di Borghese - antique books and magazines - Mornings
Via Sannio - second hand clothes and accessories - Mornings
Piazza San Cosimato, Trastevere - high quality food - Mornings
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele - food - Mornings
Via Andrea Doria – food - Mornings
Via Magnagrecia - food - Mornings
Ponte Milvio - mornings

Saturday and Sunday you may find fairs here:

Via Tirso and Via Metauro - antiques and jewellery - Mornings
Lungotevere Capoprati - antique flea market - Afternoons
Porta Portese, Trastevere - flea market, clothing and antiques - Mornings
Centro Sportivo, Via Angelo Battelli - books, collectors’ items - All day
Via Tirso and Via Metauro - antiques and jewellery - All day from 10:00
Via Francesco Crispi - antiques and collectors’ items. (Closed during Summer) - All day
Piazza della Marina, Flaminio - Bric-a-brac, antiques and vintage clothing - All day

For more on markets in Italy visit the Spice Man in Campo de' Fiori.

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays.

Italian Tourism has the best Rome Italy pre-cruise tours and Rome Italy post-cruise tours.

Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

If you'll be on a Rome cruise 2011 be sure to visit the Roman forum. Click for January Rome cruises 2011.

What do in Rome after The Vatican and St Peter's Basilica

2010-12-18T04:54:00.020+01:00

Vatican Tour on a Rome Holiday

After the Vatican tour take a leisurely walk to Piazza Navona indirectly by crossing the bridge to Vittorio Emanuele II. After crossing take second right on Via Paola to Via Giulia. Enjoy Via Giulia all the way to Via dei Farnese. Take a left.

Nice wine bar in the Piazza Farnese square or keep walking through to Campo De' Fiori. Check it out:

http://www.webvisionitaly.com/category.php?id=221&ref_genre=&ref_item=180

Then I'd head over to Piazza Navona To the west of Piazza Navona, behind Brazilian Embassy, is the Via Della Pace neighborhood. There go to Raphael Hotel roof for a drink. Even better if the sun has not set yet.

And you can go shopping in that neighborhood on Via dei Coronari.

And there is plenty of nice Rome holiday trattoria around too:

Our favorite thing to do in Rome is wander.

-Motorino Man

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays.

Italian Tourism has the best Rome Italy pre-cruise tours and Rome Italy post-cruise tours.

Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

If you'll be on a Rome cruise 2011 be sure to visit the Roman forum. Click for January Rome cruises 2011.

Espesso: La Dolce Vita Caffes of Rome; Historical Caffes of Turin

2010-12-16T09:41:00.004+01:00

Rome Caffes

Travel to Rome Italy must include like ritual morning coffee. I prefer macchiato, espresso stained with a little milk. Rome is the capital of espresso, and living la dolce vita includes starting the day in a caffe.

Italian Broadcasting Company and Web Vision Italy bring you these videos about morning coffee in Rome, and the classic battle between Sant'Eustachio and Tazza d'Oro.

Click here to view video about Rome travel, La Dolce Vita - The Caffes of Rome.

Click here to view video about Turin travel, Historical Caffes of Turin.

TAZZA D'ORO ORIGINAL COFFEE srl
Via degli Orfani, 84 (Pantheon) - 00186 Roma

Sant Eustachio Il Caffe Srl
Piazza Di S. Eustachio
00186 Roma (RM), Italy

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays.

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Spas an easy drive outside of Rome: Fiuggi and Terme di Vertralla

2010-12-14T01:00:00.002+01:00

If you're feeling like you can't handle another night in the city of Rome, then the best way to relax and rejuvinate is get away for a night at a spa close by Rome.

South of Rome, off the A1 autostrada on the way to Naples, is the spa of Fiuggi, in the province of Frosinone. Fiuggi has been the watering hole of the rich and famous since the time of the Ancient Romans. Acqua di Fiuggi is thought to have curative powers. These days, Fiuggi is exceedingly popular, with many fashionable hotels and shops and places to eat. We suggest hotel reservations.

North of Rome, off the A1 autostrada on the way to Florence, is the spa of Terme di Vertralla in Viterbo, a 50-minute drive north of the city. The terme are naturally-occurring hot springs that have sprung up in the middle of a field. They have been used for about two millenia, first by the Etruscans. Everywhere around you you can see the remnants from ancient structures. They are free of charge and open to the public, just simply drive up, park the car and submerge yourself in the hot water.

Visit Fiuggi,

Visit Viterbo

For more on Italy, view webvisionitaly.com

Salute Per Acqua [good health through water] = SPA

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays.

Italian Tourism has the best Rome Italy pre-cruise tours and Rome Italy post-cruise tours.

Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

If you'll be on a Rome cruise 2011 be sure to visit the Roman forum. Click for January Rome cruises 2011.

What is an Etruscan?

2010-11-27T01:51:00.003+01:00

The headline said "No Etruscan link to modern Tuscans Study shows" with a sub heading "genetic discontinuity with Bronze Age people," as it was declared by the Universities of Florence, Ferrara, Pisa, Venice and Parma on behalf of its esteemed and tenured sociology and anthropolgy professors, which their E.U.-funded research found.

The news and of course world-government seeking bureaucrats would claim it to be the definitve truth.

Fortunately for civilization, there are many Etruscans left like Motorino Man's alter ego and your friendly writer who had a visit from the 2000 census-counter in Washington DC coming to learn what Etruscan blood is in fact. Once discovering that Etruscan homeland is on the Italic peninsula the census declared Motorino Man "just another Italian trouble maker."

I did remind her Italy the country and thus Italians were not identified as such until long after a country called the United States was founded and even when Lincoln fought the civil war there was no "Italy" to ally.

In fact, the success of Italy's Made In Italy products is rooted in local-ism ot global-ism. Most recall Italy's recent experiment with centralized planning by Mussolini, which sure did get the trains running on time but it also resulted in hundreds pf thousands of deaths. Italy is better known for its long traditition of city-states ruled by locally and which industries are intricately tied together locally to create great product. Today this fashion of doing business is resulting in major contributions to pharmaceutical, technology, aerospace, and other modern-day cutting edge industries.

According to researchers at the universities of Florence, Ferrara, Pisa, Venice and Parma discovered the genealogical discontinuity by testing samples of mitochondrial DNA from remains of Etruscans and people who lived in the Middle Ages (between the 10th and 15th centuries) as well as from people living in the region today.

While there was a clear genetic link between Medieval Tuscans and the current population, the relationship between modern Tuscans and their Bronze Age ancestors could not be proven, the study showed. The study did not reach outside Tuscany to the Italic peneinsula nor did it reach other countries.

''Some people have hypothesised that the most ancient DNA sequences, those from the Etruscan era, could contain errors or have been contaminated but tests conducted with new methods exclude this,'' said David Caramelli of Florence University and Guido Barbujani of Ferrara University.

''The most simple explanation is that the structure of the Tuscan population underwent important demographic changes in the first millennium before Christ,'' they said.

''Immigration and forced migration have diluted the Etruscan genetic inheritance so much as to make it difficult to recognise''.

The scientific data does not necessarily mean that the Etruscans died out, the researchers said.

Teams from Florence and Ferrara universities are working to identify whether traces of the Etruscans' genetic inheritance may still exist in people living in isolated locations in the region.

The new study is published online by the scientific journal Molecular Biology and Evolution.

The Etruscans lived mainly between the rivers Tiber and Arno in modern-day Umbria, Lazio and Tuscany, in the first millennium BC.

By the sixth century BC they had become the dominant force in central Italy, but repeated attacks from Gauls and Syracusans later forced them into an alliance with the embryonic Roman state, which gradually absorbed Etruscan civilization.

Most of what is known about the Etruscans derives from archaeology as the few accounts passed down by Roman historians tend to be hostile, portraying them as gluttonous and lecherous. Yet it is know that ancient Rome and ancient Romans adopted many of the Etruscan customs.

This problem is compounded by the fact that Etruscan cities were built almost entirely of wood and so vanished quickly, leaving little for archaeologists to investigate.

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays. Italian Tourism has the best Italy pre-cruise tour and Italy post-cruise tour Italy vacation packages. Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

Photo: Head of Hermes, 510-500 BC.

Rome Holidays: Ancient Rome Forum Opens Temple of Venus and Rome

2010-11-19T02:08:00.005+01:00

Ancient Rome's most imposing shrine, the Temple of Venus and Rome, has reopened after a restoration lasting almost 30 years in welcome news for a government under pressure since last weekend's collapse of Pompeii's Gladiator School.

Facing East and West to symbolize the sweep of the empire, the temple was built in the second century AD by Hadrian on the vestibule of Nero's Golden House, shifting the Colossus of Nero close to the Flavian Amphitheatre so that it got its better-known name, the Colosseum.

"We have restored to Rome one of the most powerful symbols of the power and greatness of the Roman Empire," said restoration chief Claudia Del Monti, who has been on the job for all but three years of its 26-year duration.

"My project was aimed at reading the temple as far as possible in its entirety," she said, recalling that it had once been split in two and was used as a car park until the 1980s.

Rome's archeological superintendent, Anna Maria Moretti, said the revamped temple "affords an extraordinary view, walking up from the Colosseum".

With majestic pillars and soaring arches, the Temple of Venus Felix (Venus the Bringer of Good Fortune) and Aeterna Roma (Eternal Rome) was designed by Hadrian in 121 AD, inaugurated by him in 135, and finished by his successor Antoninus Pius in 141.

Damaged by fire in 307, it was restored with changes by Maxentius.

The temple restoration is part of the government's plans to open up more ancient sites, said Culture Undersecretary Franco Giro, deputising for Culture Minister Sandro Bondi who was fielding a fusillade of questions in parliament over Saturday's collapse of the school in Naples where gladiators trained. Giro noted that the pits under the Colosseum where gladiators prepared for mortal combat have recently been unveiled and other temples, such as that of Antoninus and Faustina, are set to be reopened within the next year.

"We are respecting the schedule we set for the Forum and we are proceeding with a restoration of an area that was in deep decay, having been abandoned by governments of all colors," Giro said.

He rejected criticism of Bondi's handling of Italy's artistic heritage which began with his allegedly supine acceptance of budget cuts that led to Italy's museums staging a mass closure Friday.

The undersecretary also defended the minister from what he described as "unfair" attacks over the situation in Pompeii, calling the center-left opposition "ill-informed".

Visit Rome travel video by WebVisionItaly.com for more about Rome.

To plan your Italy vacation to Rome click Rome holidays. Italian Tourism has the best Italy pre-cruise tour and Italy post-cruise tours. Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise around Italy from Rome click Rome cruise. If you'll be on a Rome cruise 2011 be sure to visit the Roman forum.

Rome opens up underground wonders of the ancient world to tourists

2010-06-02T03:33:00.001+02:00

A 2nd century guardroom is revealed.

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays. Italian Tourism has the best pre-cruise and Italy post-cruise tours. Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise. If you'll be on a Rome cruise 2011 be sure to visit the Roman forum. Click for January Rome cruises 2011.

Rome Italy Travel Maps for IPhone

2010-06-01T18:19:00.003+02:00

Rome Walking Tour Maps for IPhone

WebVisionItaly's Motorino Man released Rome mobile maps for the IPhone.

Produced by WebVisionItaly's in-house talent, Motorino Man's Rome Mobile Maps: Rome includes maps of Rome to Motorino Man's personal favorite Rome restaurants, Rome destinations, and Rome hotels in Rome, Italy, the first of Motorino Man's Italy travel maps accessible by IPhone.

Motorino Man's Mobile Maps: Italy series includes Italy IPhone maps for traveling to Italy's cities like Naples, Florence, Milan, Venice, and Italy's regions like Abruzzo, Calabria, Puglia, Umbria, Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Piedmont, Campania, Veneto, and Sicily.

Trying Motorino Man's IPhone Rome walking maps is easy as 1-2-3:

1) Click URL here for Motorino Man's R ome Walking Maps

2) When Motorino Man's Rome Walking Maps appears copy URL in adddress bar and send by email to your IPhone Safari WebBrowser

3) In IPhone email click link and then bookmark address to save Motorino Man's Rome Walking Maps URL in Iphone Safari web browser.

That's it - now you have WebVisionItaly's own Motorino Man's Rome Walking Map IPhone URL in your IPhone Safari web browser.

With Motorino Man's Rome Walking Maps for IPhone bookmarked in your IPhone Safari web browser you have a Rome tour guide in your IPhone, with automatic updates coming all the time to boot!

WebVisionItaly IPhone Rome Walking Maps are full of Motorino Man's favorite things to do in Rome, with maps to delicious Roman trattoria, Motorino Man's video as your personal Rome tour guide to see Bernini's Baroque Rome and the Obelisks of Rome, or go shopping like a pro with Motorino Man's maps to Rome's fashion boutiques to shop in Rome for the latest fashions from Rome's runways. Motorino Man is your Rome tour guide on your IPhone.

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays. Italian Tourism has the best Italy pre-cruise tour and Italy post-cruise tour Italy vacation packages. Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

Stay up to date with Motorino Man's Rome travel with Twitter updates from Twitter.com/ItalyTravel

Rome Walking Tours

2010-03-30T14:29:00.003+02:00

Rome Walking Tours: WebVisionItaly.com Rome walking tours with video so you may tour Rome knowing what you are looking at. Explore Rome right from your cellphone with WebVisionItaly mobile web application that includes walking maps of Rome with all its Rome Walking Tours.

Rome Walking Tour: Obelisks of Rome

As we wander Rome it is fun to imagine from where the obelisks in Rome come and how old are the many obelisks that decorate Rome. When walking Rome's ancient streets you are sure to stroll by an obelisk in Rome that dates back to even before Christ, to around 30 B.C. when Augustus brought the obelisks to Rome from Egypt. Many of the Rome obelisks are from Egypt's Ramesses II era. The obelisks were brought to Rome initially by Augustus to continue Rome's connection to the Sun Gods.

On the Rome walking map below the 8 red dots are ancient Egyptian obelisks brought to Rome and the 5 blue dots are ancient Roman obelisks.

Download and enjoy WebVisionItaly.com Rome Obelisk walking tour guide maps and more WebVisionItaly walking tour maps of Rome.

View Rome Walking Map: Obelisk in Rome in a larger map

Rome Walking Tours: Via Del Governo Vecchio

Via del Governo Vecchio is five blocks in old Rome centro storico that runs like a artery connecting the Rome walker to key veins for exploration. Via del Governo Vecchio gets its name from Palazzo Nardini, constructed between 1473 and 1478 by Cardinal Nardini, governor of the city of Rome under Pope Paul IV, the building was originally called called "Palazzo del Governo." Palazzo Nardini stands at No. 39 Via del Governo Vecchio. Across the street from the Palazzo del Governo or Palazzo Nardini you'll find architecture on the buildings from 118 - 123 representing 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries.

When walking this street you'll often hear desperate travelers looking for a specific address, such as a hip boutique or famous pizza spot, exclaim "che confusione!" as they loook for an address. This confusion is caused by the street numbers continuing consecutively by side, from Piazza d'Orologio on the left side toward Piazza di Pasquino, where they then continue on the other side numbered consecutively back to the beginning in Piazza d'Orologio. So unlike typical street numbers with odds and evens on opposing sides, Via del Governo Vecchio is numbered successively, with the numbers counting up on left and down on right - working opposite one another on each side as you walk. The beginning of Via del Governo Vecchio you'll find the first number and last number across from one another.

Via del Governo Vecchio begins in the Piazza d'Orologio, named after the Borromini designed corner clock tower. As you walk look out for the 16th century fresco on 104, which shows the buildings owner dictating to his secretary, a sure sign some things never change. Another illustration that some things never change is the building plaque on the corner of Vicolo dell Cancelleria from 1755 that reads, "By order of the District President it is forbidden to throw any garbage whatsoever into this alley, as prescribed by public proclamation October 23, 1755."

Piazza di Pasquino is the end of Via del Governo Vecchio where you'll find the statue of Pasquino, Rome's first talking talking statue named after a tailor named Pasquino who was the first to post his current affairs witty commentary onto this sculpture shorty after its installation here in 1501. Pasquino the tailor was privy to behind the scenes Rome and Vatican gossip given his position as tailor to the Vatican. His commentary stuck to the statue led to its nickname, "Rome's talking statue." The sculpture itself is from the 3rd century B.C., and is thought to represent the torso and head of Menelaus, king of Sparta and husband of Helen of Troy. Bernini described Pasquino "the finest of all antique sculptures." The English word pasquinade, which means a piece of satire, is derived from this statue.

Click for Rome walking map of Via del Governo Vecchio including shopping boutiques and places to eat.

View Rome: Via del Governo Vecchio in a larger map

Rome Walking Tours: Rome Centro Storico to Janiculum Hill

Walk Rome centro storico Campo de' Fiori and Piazza Navona, walking tour through Rome's cobblestone streets passing Palazzo Farnese, walk down to Via Giulia cross Ponte Sisto over Tiber River west to Trastevere, and then climbing the Janiculum Hill for bird's eye views of Rome.

On the way Maurizio brings us to some off the beaten path Rome points of interest - each providing the Rome traveler verious bird's eye views of Rome.

Across the Tiber from Trastevere is Knights of Malta sovereign land for a look through the most famous keyhole in the world and the famous view of Vatican's St. Peter's Basilica Dome.

Maurizio's Rome tour also includes a jaunt to Monte Mario for a fabulous bird's eye view of all Rome the Tiber River and Ponte Milvio.

Maurizio's My Rome Walking Tour climb up Janiculum Hill from Trastevere offers all kinds of views of Rome's centro storico:

Rome Walking Tours Map

Click this link for larger Rome Map: My Rome Walking Tour: Maurizio's Rome VIDEO Walking Tour of Rome Map

Rome Day Trip: SPA Destinations Near Rome

2009-08-25T08:00:00.006+02:00

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Walking Rome's cobblestone streets is for sure the best way for a traveler to Rome to learn about the Eternal City. Wandering Rome's streets, slipping into an artist's studio, marveling Bernini's sculptures, counting Egyptian obelisks in Rome, sitting by a Roman fountain with a gelato, enjoying an afternoon espresso people watching, shopping in Rome's fashionable boutiques or strolling a fabulous Rome street market all the while walking in Rome on cobblestones laid by the ancient Romans 2000 years ago takes its toll on the Rome-walker's feet.

Upon leaving Rome a slow Italy traveler would be wise to think about a few days relaxing at one of Lazio's thermal spring water SPAs that are just a short trip outside Rome. This a great way for the Italy traveler to relax and re-charge along the Italy vacation before moving on to another fabulous Italian city like Florence, Naples, or Milan.

Salute per acqua - good health through water - is a saying going back to the ancient Romans, who learned from the Etruscans, which civilization settled around the thermal springs near Civitavecchia (old city) in Lazio, the curative powers of water. Of course, Italy is a volcanic land that is spotted with thermal springs across the Italic peninsula providing all types of thermal water springs and mud bath resort and SPA destinations for Italy travelers to visit.

2000 years since the Etruscans and ancient Romans lived on this land, benessere (well being) is the buzzword for Italian spas that are still the pick of the best thermal water spring SPAs in the world.

Below are Italy travel videos of SPA destinations outside Rome. Looking for exclusive Italy itineraries to off-the-beaten path destinations near Rome, Florence, Naples, and Venice contact WebVisionItaly's Italy travel specialists "travel@webvisionitaly.com"

"Salute Per Acqua" - good health through water.

Acqua di Fiuggi preferred by Europe's royalty, was site of Rossellini & Bergman love affair.

SPA outside Rome in medieval Viterbo full of lovely fountains, Est Est Est wine & Dante's favorite thermal spring.

Ancient Etruscan spring baths in Rome's port Civitavecchia, perfect for cruise shore excursion and Rome day trip.

Outside Rome is Castelli Romani. Etruscan & ancient Roman water spas.

For more Rome day trips visit WebVisionItaly.com Lazio Television Channel.

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays. Italian Tourism has the best Italy pre-cruise tour and Italy post-cruise tour Italy vacation packages. Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

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Rome show commemorates Palma Bucarelli

2009-08-22T09:01:00.001+02:00

Rome's National Gallery of Modern Art (GNAM) is celebrating the 20th-century Italian art critic Palma Bucarelli. Bucarelli, who was GNAM superintendent for 34 years, turned the museum into an international attraction and helped popularize contemporary trends in Italy and abroad. The exhibition commemorates the centenary of her birth with over 150 display items.

The main attractions will be Italian 20th-century painting and sculpture masterpieces but the exhibition will also feature everyday mementos of Bucarelli's life, including photographs, music and evening dresses. Mariastella Margozzi, the exhibit's curator, highlighted her support for Italian art. ''She managed to select the best Italian art of the post-war period and bring it to public attention abroad, through collective exhibitions supported by the Foreign Ministry around the world,'' said Margozzi. But as well as taking Italian art abroad, she also promoted an interest in foreign art in Italy. ''She introduced the Italian public to the new, abstract informal art by highly prestigious European and American artists,'' said Margozzi. The curator cited exhibitions on Pablo Picasso (1953), Piet Mondrian (1956) and Jackson Pollock (1958) as particularly popular events organized by Bucarelli.

Bucarelli - who was once described as being ''as famous as a movie star and as talked about as a politician'' - was renowned for her love of controversy.

One move that created particular outrage was her decision to showcase some of the 90 tin cans in a 1961 series by Piero Manzoni, 'Artist's Shit'.

The cans, which purportedly contained Manzoni's excrement, even triggered a debate in the Italian parliament at the time - but the fact that can number 19 recently sold for 80,000 dollars are a sign of Bucarelli's accurate instinct.

Bucarelli acquired a number of now priceless works for the GNAM, including masterpieces by Gustav Klimt and Vincent Van Gogh.

Bucarelli also built up one of the best collections of Italian modern classics in the world, largely due to her networking skills and lasting friendships, which brought donations of works by names such as Lucio Fontana and Alberto Burri. GNAM Director Maria Vittoria Marini Clarelli said one of Bucarelli's most lasting achievements had been positioning the GNAM within an international network of museums that recognized the important of modernity. ''She had a museum-centric vision of the contemporary art system, a view that placed the museum at the core of art,'' she said. Palma Bucarelli: Il Museo Come Avanguardia (Palma Bucarelli: The Museum as Avant-Garde) runs at the GNAM until November 1.

ANSA photo: Bucarelli with sculptor Giacomo Manzu

For more about Italian Arts visit WebVisionItaly.com Italian Arts television channel.

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays. Italian Tourism has the best Italy pre-cruise tour and Italy post-cruise tour Italy vacation packages. Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

Capucci "Fabric Sculpture" Exhibit at Odescalchi Castle

2009-08-19T09:44:00.000+02:00

Roberto Capucci's legendary 'fabric sculptures', exploring the fashion maestro's creations in his 60-year career, will soon grace the halls of the lakeside Odescalchi Cast le at Bracciano, a day trip from Rome in region of Lazio. The 15th century castle, which was location of the Tom Cruise wedding to Katie Holmes in 2006, is owned by one of Capucci's most loyal clients, Princess Maria Pace Odescalchi, from one of Italy's most ancient noble families.

The show, entitled 'Royal Elegance: Roberto Capucci at Castello Odescalchi at Bracciano', begins next month, September 17th, and will run through December 13. Fall travelers to Italy this is a great day trip from Rome.

The 66 outfits and 25 costume designs will be displayed in the castle's public halls, amid medieval armour and tapestries, in a ballroom-like scenario, the princess said at the event's presentation recently. All the creations, including seven bridal gowns and an outfit worn by Nobel medicine laureate Rita Levi Montalcini at the 1986 award ceremony, were personally chosen by the 79-year-old designer.

CAPUCCI'S CREATIONS HAVE APPEARED IN MANY MUSEUMS.

Many of the 66 outfits featured have appeared in galleries around the world.

The stylist's personal collection of 600 creations, 300 colour illustrations and 22,000 sketches are permanently housed in a new museum devoted entirely to his work in Florence, where his work first came to international notice at a fashion show in 1951.

Housed in the 17th-century complex of Villa Bardini, overlooking the Ponte Vecchio in the heart of Florence, the museum showcases the vast archive collected by the Roberto Capucci Foundation over more than half a century.

The Florence museum and itinerant shows, including at Moscow's prestigious Pushkin Museum, tell the story of the designer who elevated fashion into art.

In fact, from the time of his earliest creations, Capucci's origami-like designs have been closer to elaborate works of sculpture than clothing.

He has dressed film stars, first ladies and royalty over the decades but the wearers have usually showcased his creations rather than the other way round. Marilyn Monroe, Jacqueline Kennedy, Gloria Swanson and scores of noblewomen have all worn his outfits.

Capucci has cheerfully admitted that his works are not intended as everyday contributions to women's wardrobes.

''Frankly, I have never let myself be influenced by the idea of 'but when will I wear this, where will I go?','' he once remarked.

''There would be no history of fashion if people had thought like that in past centuries''.

Capucci was considered something of a wunderkind in the fashion world in the 1950s, breaking onto the international scene at the age of just 21 in 1951.

He had already opened an atelier on Rome's Via Sistina the previous year, in 1950, when his work was spotted by fashion entrepreneur Giovan Battista Giorgini, who invited him to display five outfits at a Florence show.

The other designers in the show demanded Capucci's elaborate creations be withdrawn, fearing their own work would be upstaged.

But when the press found out, they called for a separate showing of Capucci's designs, which were greeted with instant acclaim.

Since then, Capucci's work has appeared in galleries in Munich, London, Vienna, New York and various Italian cities.

For more about Italian Fashion click WebVisionItaly.com Italian Fashion television channel.

Deredia in Rome

2009-08-08T14:08:00.002+02:00

Rome's two most famous archaeological sites are for the first time playing host to a contemporary art exhibition, with a series of large-scale sculptures by Costa Rican artist Jorge Jimenez Deredia.

A number of massive bronze and marble statues are on show in front of the Colosseum and in the Roman Forum as part of a wider display of Deredia's work around the Italian capital.

Deredia's sculptures have been erected in several key sites, including Piazza Barberini, San Lorenzo in Lucina and in the courtyards of Rome's art museums, such as Palazzo Massimo and Palazzo Altemps.

There are also a number of smaller works by the artist at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni, along with several of Deredia's bronze pieces from his renowned Genesis series.

The Forum is hosting 17 separate sculpture groups located at sites along the Via Sacra. The idea of showing Deredia's statues in the Forum and the Colosseum was first raised two years ago but met with resistance in some quarters among those who felt the contemporary nature of the work was inappropriate for the ancient sites. But thanks to firm backing from Rome's municipal council, centre-left former Rome mayor Walter Veltroni and the current centre-right mayor Gianni Alemanno, the initiative has finally come to fruition. Discussing the idea at its inauguration, Culture Undersecretary Francesco Maria Giro said the contrast between old and new was a crucial element of the scheme.

''This is a project that unites the new, which is the future, with the old, which never dies,'' he said. As well as marking a first for Rome's archaeological sites, the exhibition also offers a preview of a new international initiative by Deredia entitled La Ruta de la Paz (The Path of Peace).

The Ruta de la Paz comprises nine new sculpture groups that will eventually be located in nine different countries across the Americas, from Canada down to the Tierra del Fuego, with stops en route in the US, Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru and Chile. The idea is to pull together peoples, legends, myths, symbols and traditions from an array of different backgrounds into a single, overarching project. The Rome exhibit features several of these pieces, while the Genesis group at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni has been described as ''the heart'' of the Ruta de la Paz. Deredia's art will be on display around the Italian capital until November 30.

Rome Arts: Is Michelangelo Cross by Authentic Hand of Michelangelo?

2009-06-09T03:52:00.010+02:00

Art experts in Rome are divided over the authenticity of a small carving of Christ bought by the Italian government after it was attributed to Michelangelo.

A Turin art dealer was paid by the Italian government $4.5 million for the limewood carving, which first publicly appeared in 2004, ANSA, the Italian news agency, reported Saturday.

The Audit Court of Lazio opened an investigation into the purchase after the carving recently was pronounced a fake by Naples University art history professor Tomaso Montari and other international art experts.

"There are at least another dozen or so crosses out there made in a similar fashion and this was a style common to the studios of Florence at the end of the 1400s," Montari told The Daily Telegraph in London.

It is well known that all the artists during the Renaissance had studios full of working artists replicating the master artist's designs, much like a fashion house today may be full of young designers. Art experts at the Vatican and in Florence, Siena and Perugia said they examined the cross extensively before attributing the carving to Renaissance master Michelangelo. Those experts, including Vatican Museums Director Antonio Paolucci, tentatively dated the carving to 1495, when Michelangelo was 20, ANSA reported. So the mystery remains, was Michelangelo cross created by the authentic hand of Michelangelo?

For more about the arts in Italy visit WebVisionItaly's Italy Arts Channel.

Rome UEFA Champions League Final: Barcelona Outplays Manchester United to Win Final 2-0

2009-05-27T23:24:00.013+02:00

Rome UEFA Champions League Final: Barcelona Outplays Manchester United to Win Final 2-0

Barcelona Simply Outplayed Manchester United today in Rome to win the UEFA Champions League in a 2-0 shutout. Barcelona adds Rome to a winning streak that is now a European Capital tri-fecta that includes London, Paris and Rome. Is Madrid next?

The fact that Manchester United couldn't put one ball in the net speaks to Barcelona's perfect playing and the great shape of each Barcelona player. 7 of the 11 Barcelona starters rose up from the junior level teams.

Xavi Hernández, Barcelona's 29-year-old crowned a memorable 12 months in Rome by setting up Barça's second goal for Lionel Messi in the 2-0 win against Manchester United FC and was selected as the man of the match by the UEFA Technical Study Group, yet another personal accolade for the midfielder who was also named the player of the tournament at UEFA EURO 2008™. "I'm very happy, especially for the team and for my personal prize – we're very content," he said. "This is historic, for Barcelona and the squad."

Homegrown heroes
Xavi, one of seven homegrown players in the Catalan club's starting lineup produced by the famed academy at La Masia, encapsulates the club's philosophy and has no doubts the Blaugrana's family spirit had been a crucial factor. "I feel very comfortable; I've said for a long time that it is wonderful with these team-mates around me. We worked hard and pressured United by attacking so they wouldn't feel comfortable. Apart for the first ten minutes, we dominated most of the game."

"Xavi was outstanding, he epitomised the outstanding Barcelona midfield performance; the passing of the ball, the movement," Technical Study Group member Roy Hodgson told uefa.com. "There were a lot of other candidates, but Xavi was the midfield motor, ran the match and dictated the tempo. United started really well but the first goal is so important at this level. When Barcelona got that their confidence rose, Manchester United had to take more risks getting forward and that played into Barcelona's hands, especially as skilful as they are. Their defending was also very good; they quickly got back into shape and when the back four was called upon they did very well."

Hodgson reserved most praise for Barça's fluidity, explaining: "Most important of all is the tempo of their passing and their ability to change that. If you pressurise them they're very good at playing it first time and they've always got lots of players around the ball willing to receive it. But if you don't get around them they hold the ball and suck you in and the moment you come forward they pass it. They work very hard and it looks simple, but the front players and the midfielders do an awful lot of running to create space. There's so much movement from wide positions coming infield with the full-backs getting forward, and it's not easy to find an antidote to that."

Rome Walking Maps for IPhone

2009-05-20T07:15:00.006+02:00

Rome Walking Tour Maps for IPhone

WebVisionItaly's Motorino Man released Rome mobile maps for the IPhone just in time for Angels and Demons fans to visit Bernini's Rome.

Produced by WebVisionItaly's in-house talent, Motorino Man's Mobile Maps: Rome includes maps of Rome to Motorino Man's personal favorite restaurants, destinations, and hotels in Rome, Italy, the first of Motorino Man's Italy travel maps accessible by IPhone.

Motorino Man's Mobile Maps: Italy series includes Italy IPhone maps for traveling to Italy's cities like Naples, Florence, Milan, Venice, and Italy's regions like Abruzzo, Calabria, Puglia, Umbria, Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Piedmont, Campania, Veneto, and Sicily.

Trying Motorino Man's IPhone Rome walking maps is easy as 1-2-3:

1) Click URL here for Motorino Man's R ome Walking Maps

2) When Motorino Man's Rome Walking Maps appears copy URL in adddress bar and send by email to your IPhone Safari WebBrowser

3) In IPhone email click link and then bookmark address to save Motorino Man's Rome Walking Maps URL in Iphone Safari web browser.

That's it - now you have WebVisionItaly's own Motorino Man's Rome Walking Map IPhone URL in your IPhone Safari web browser.

With Motorino Man's Rome Walking Maps for IPhone bookmarked in your IPhone Safari web browser you have a Rome tour guide in your IPhone, with automatic updates coming all the time to boot!

Stay up to date with Motorino Man's Rome travel with Twitter updates from Twitter.com/ItalyTravel

Rome Walking Maps: Angels and Demons Renews Focus on Map to Bernini's Rome

2009-05-17T04:45:00.021+02:00

Angels and Demons box office movie release spotlights Baroque Rome attractions designed by Bernini, whose masterpieces are scattered throughout Rome.

Bernini is considered the architect of St. Peter's because of his influence on painting, sculpture, and architecture creating spaces like St. Peter's Square that is marveled for its adherence to the human dimension while the impact on the visitor transcends the temporal space.

Angels and Demons the movie spotlights Italian geniuses like Rome's Baroque master Bernini, who takes center stage 400 year after his work was first released.

While checking out Bernini and Angels and Demons don's miss Boromini. The two Roman masters competed to create great works that make the modern layer of the Rome , created 1000 years after Rome's first fall, so magnificent.

Motorino Man's Bernini Rome Walking Map:

View Rome Walking Tour - Bernini's Art in Rome in a larger map

Angels and Demons movie trailer:

For more video of Bernini's Rome masterpieces like La Fontana dei Quatrro Fiumi visit WebVisionItaly.com.

UEFA Finals Rome: Barcelona ties Chelsea, Faces Manchester United

2009-05-07T20:08:00.005+02:00

Barcelona tied Chelsea with a spectacular goal by Andrés Iniesta's in the 93rd minute during penalty time to tie the game 1-1. Since Barcelona was the away team its goal counted for more than Chelsea's goal, meaning the tie goes to the away team and Barcelona is going to Rome to face Manchester United in the Champions League UEFA final in Rome May 27. Last year Manchester United beat Chelsea in the finals, but there will be no repeat this year.

Manchester United Going to UEFA Finals in Rome

2009-05-06T00:33:00.006+02:00

Manchester United remains on course to become the first team to reach the Europe Champions League final, scoring two goals in the first 11 minutes led to a defeat of Arsenal 3-1 for a 4-1 aggregate victory and a place in the final against either Chelsea or Barcelona, which game will be played tomorrow, in Rome at the UEFA Finals.

Happy Birthday Rome: 2,762 Year Anniversary

2009-04-24T02:48:00.002+02:00

"Where can we begin the story of the universe that is Rome?...the story, the myth of Rome's origins, seems to contain a basic trait still recognizable after all of the city's adventures and misadventures; put simply, its destiny."

Corrado Augias, Secrets of Rome (2007)

April 21 Rome celebrated its 2,762 anniversary of its founding today. Not a bad run.

Who founded Rome? is a matter of some controversy. "Destiny," as Augias noted above, played a critical role.

It was in the time of Caesar Augustus, when the Roman poet Virgil wrote The Aeneid, the great epic of the Roman people, with the aim of elevating Caesar Augustus [nephew of the assassinated Julius Caesar] to being a descendant of both the gods and the founders of Rome. He did this by linking the Trojan hero Aeneas, son of Venus, with the founding of Rome. The Aeneid is the story of goddess-born Aeneas, who flees the burning Troy to embark upon a perilous journey that brings him to Italy to fulfill his grand destiny as founder of what will one day become the Roman Empire.

Virgil immediately sets forth in The Aeneid the heroic theme of "whence came the Latin race... and the lofty walls of Rome"-

"Of arms and a man I sing, who first from the coast of Troy, exiled by fate, came to Italy and Lavine shores; much buffeted on sea and land by violence from above, through cruel Juno's unforgiving wrath, and much enduring in war also, till he should build a city and bring his gods to Latium; whence came the Latin race, the lords of Alba, and the lofty walls of Rome."
(Virgil, The Aeneid, Book 1.)

But what of Romulus and Remus?

Romulus and Remus appear in Roman mythology as the twin sons of the priestess Rhea Silvia, fathered by the god of war, Mars.

Aeneas a son of Venus; Romulus and Remus, sons of Mars.

The Ancient Romans were quite a combination: of love and war.

Legend states that after their birth, Romulus and Remus were put in a cradle and laid on the banks of the Tiber river in order to escape being murdered. The river gently carried the cradle and the twins downstream. The boys were rescued by the river god Tiberinus who placed the twins upon the Palatine Hill. There, they were nursed by a she-wolf underneath a fig-tree and were fed by a woodpecker until a shepherd found them and took them into his home. Ancient Roman historians Plutarch and Livy state that Romulus served as the first King of Rome.

For more about the founding of Rome check out WebVisionItaly's April Italy Right Now show.

UEFA Rome Champions League Final 2009 - Rome

2009-04-20T00:37:00.014+02:00

Rome will host the UEFA Champions League final May 27, which soccer fans and fanatics from all over the world will tune in to, making this the most popular annual sporting event in the world. The entire soccer world will watch Rome’s Olympic Stadium (Stadio Olimpico), which is the home of A.S. Roma and S.S. Lazio, on 27 May 2009 for the UEFA Champions League tournament final event.

Rome's Olympic Stadium was built in 1936 and has a capacity of 82,307. It was the site of the 1960 Summer Olympics, but has also served as the location of the 1987 World Athletics Championships and the 1990 FIFA World Cup

UEFA Champions League has captured the hearts and the imaginations of soccer fans across the globe. The tournament awards the most prestigious trophy in all of European football and is the ultimate goal for any major football club within the continent. The actual event is comprised of a number of stages including knockout and qualifying rounds. The championship has been awarded to 21 different clubs in its history and Real Madrid has proven to be the most successful club, winning the tournament an unprecedented 9 times.

Altogether there are 76 teams that will or have been involved in the 2008-2009 UEFA Champions League in Rome, Italy.

The UEFA standings, as of April 17, 2009 6 weeks from the final:

Group A	Pld	Pts
Roma	6	12
Chelsea	6	11
Bordeaux	6	7
CFR Cluj	6	4
Group C	Pld	Pts
Barcelona	6	13
Sporting	6	12
Shakhtar	6	9
Basel	6	1
Group E	Pld	Pts
Man. United	6	10
Villarreal	6	9
AaB	6	6
Celtic	6	5
Group G	Pld	Pts
Porto	6	12
Arsenal	6	11
Dynamo Kyiv	6	8
Fenerbahçe	6	2

Group B	Pld	Pts
Panathinaikos	6	10
Internazionale	6	8
Bremen	6	7
Anorthosis	6	6
Group D	Pld	Pts
Liverpool	6	14
Atlético	6	12
Marseille	6	4
PSV	6	3
Group F	Pld	Pts
Bayern	6	14
Lyon	6	11
Fiorentina	6	6
Steaua	6	1
Group H	Pld	Pts
Juventus	6	12
Real Madrid	6	12
Zenit	6	5
BATE	6	3

UEFA Semi-Finals First Leg April 28 & April 29

UEFA Semi-Finals Second May 5 & May 6

Barcelona	-	Chelsea
Man. United	-	Arsenal

For more on Italy travel and life in Italy today visit WebVisionItaly.com.

Rome Walking Map: Obelisks of Rome-Rome Walking Tour Map

2009-04-13T21:34:00.009+02:00

Rome Walking Map: Obelisks of Rome.

As we wander Rome it is fun to imagine from where the obelisks in Rome come and how old are the many obelisks that decorate Rome. When walking Rome's ancient streets you are sure to stroll by an obelisk in Rome that dates back to even before Christ, to around 30 B.C. when Augustus brought the obelisks to Rome from Egypt. Many of the Rome obelisks are from Egypt's Ramesses II era. The obelisks were brought to Rome initially by Augustus to continue Rome's connection to the Sun Gods.

On the Rome walking map below the 8 red dots are ancient Egyptian obelisks brought to Rome and the 5 blue dots are ancient Roman obelisks.

Download and enjoy WebVisionItaly.com Rome Obelisk walking tour guide maps and more WebVisionItaly walking tour maps of Rome.

View Rome Walking Map: Obelisk in Rome in a larger map

Rome Easter: Good Friday & Easter Celebrations in Rome

2009-04-10T18:27:00.009+02:00

Easter is a beautiful time to travel to Rome. With the Spanish Steps ablaze in pinks, whites and red spring flowers in full bloom that look like the azalias and rhodadendrums on the fairways of the Master's Tournament. Rome Good Friday tradition Via Cruces, the reenactment of Christ carrying the cross, happens every year in Rome. The Easter Holy Week in Rome culminates with Easter Mass by the Pope from St. Peter's Square, The Vatican inside Rome.

Click for Italy video Rome Easter.

For more video of Italy at Easter time and Rome Easter click WebVisionItaly.com.

Things to Do in Rome: Musuems and Exhibits Spring 2009

2009-04-04T16:10:00.012+02:00

Spring in Rome is popping with flowers blooming, Easter next weekend, and temperatures in the high sixties travelers to Italy are descending on Rome. There are plenty of excellent exhibits to keep Spring-visitors to Rome entertained. Below is a list of a few happenings:

- Colosseum: 'Divus Vespasanius', celebration of Emperor Vespasian, general who took throne from Nero in 69 AD and transformed Rome, founding Flavian dynasty which built Colosseum; until January 10.

- Vittoriano: Giotto and the Trecento; 150 works from world's museums including 20 by pre-Renaissance master himself; until June 29.

- same venue: The Sabines, over 120 never-before-seen works from terracotta throne of King of Eretum, paintings and illuminated codices, up to film posters and clips of legendary 'Rape of the Sabine Women' that helped fledgling Rome survive; until April 26.

- Scuderie del Quirinale: Futurist works from 30 museums including reconstruction of the famous Futurist exhibition held at the Bernheim-Jeune Gallery in Paris in 1912; also, four works returning from New York for first time including Boccioni's 'Stati d'animo' triptych; until May 24.

- Palazzo delle Esposizioni: Darwin 1809-2009, Italy's biggest-ever show on evolution; until May 3.

- Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna: Cy Twombly, first retrospective in Italy; 70-work show previously seen at Tate and Guggenheim Bilbao; until May 24.

- Chiostro del Bramante: The Myth of Julius Caesar, first ever show focusing on him alone; 200 items from ancient times until the 20th century; until April 5.

- Museo Fondazione Roma: Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), lyrical Japanese landscape artist who influenced Van Gogh and Monet; 200 woodblock prints on show for first time in Italy; until June 7.

- Museo Carlo Bilotti: 100 Giorgio de Chirico metaphysical drawings; until April 19.

For more about the arts in Italy and arts by Italian-Americans visit WebVisionItaly.com's Arts Channel.

Vespasian Achievements in New Exhibit in Rome

2009-03-29T17:43:00.008+02:00

Rome is gearing up to celebrate 2000 years since the birth of the Emperor Vespasian, founder of the Flavian dynasty and father of the city's most famous landmark, the Colosseum.

Divus Vespasianus, which opened in Rome March 27, spotlights the life and achievements of Vespasian (9-79 AD) and his sons Titus and Domitian, who ruled for two and 15 years respectively after his death. Preceded by the high antics of Nero's reign and taking power after a year of political manouvering that resulted in four different emperors, Vespasian's tranquil stint at the helm is often overlooked.

Before becoming emperor he was a very successful military commander but little information survives of his time in power, and his reign is today best known for the institutional and economic change he introduced. As an individual, Vespasian is remembered for his relatively humble beginnings, his love of the simple life and his sense of humor.

Born in the provinces on November 17 in the year 9 AD of a father in the lower aristocratic equestrian order, Vespasian was something of a self-made man. He worked his way up the ranks slowly, performing particularly well in the army, and was 60 by the time he became emperor in 69 AD.

''He was a cultured and very able individual, who considered himself a man of the provinces,'' explained the exhibition's curator Filippo Coarelli. ''He brought moderation and sobriety to a city laid low by the corruption of the Julio-Claudian emperors, emphasizing the values of parsimony and attention to administration that would change the face of the entire empire''.

The Senate's approval of the Lex de Imperio Vespasiani when Vespasian came to power ''launched a process of constitutionalization within the Roman Empire,'' said Italian Culture Undersecretary Francesco Giro, who attended the exhibit's presentation. However, Vespasian's best-known legacy today is probably the Colosseum, one of several ambitious building projects he embarked upon.

Work on the structure, which was originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, got under way between 70 and 72 AD and was completed in 80 AD, under Titus. Considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering, it was the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Roman Empire. According to Coarelli, Vespasian also played a key role in reconstructing the city in the wake of the Great Fire of Rome, which took place five years previously. ''The reconstruction attributed to Nero was actually the work of the Flavians,'' he said. ''Vespasian found the city still in ruins after the fire''.

The exhibition aims to explain some of the extraordinary architectural innovations introduced under Vespasian. There are also a host of recent archaeological finds, architectural artifacts and busts of the Flavian emperors. Although centered in the Colosseum itself, the exhibition will extend to two other locations. The first of these is the Curia building where the Senate met, which has been reopened to the public for this occasion. The second is the Cryptoporticus of Nero on the Palatine Hill.

En route, visitors are guided to a series of Flavian monuments, including the Arch of Titus, the Flavian Palace, the Temple of Vespasian and the Temple of Peace. Divus Vespasianus. Il Bimillenari dei flavi runs until January 10, 2010.

La Dolce Vita - F1A Grand Prix in Rome

2009-03-28T23:57:00.013+01:00

WebVisionItaly.com reports Rome is working with motorsport's ruling body FIA on the possibility of a Grand Prix through Rome's famous streets. Sports Councillor Alessandro Cochi says ''there are very frequent contacts and visits by FIA officials and the possibility of running a Grand Prix in Rome in 2012 is ever more feasible.''

The news significantly raises Rome's chances of setting up a one-off GP, experts said, after previous reports that FIA chief Max Mosley was cool about the project.

Last week Ferrari boss Luca Cordero de Montezemolo said he, too, was warming to the plan after early misgivings.

Montezemolo spoke about ways of inserting the GP into the F1 calendar, if only as a one-off event.

''If the Rome Grand Prix comes off then Ferrari will prepare in the best way possible, starting to get acquainted with the EUR (district) because it will want to come first,'' he said.

The Mussolini-era district in southern Rome, a backdrop to several films, is lined up as the venue of the GP, which a group of Roman financiers plans to set up by 2012.

As well as being Ferrari boss, Montezemolo is head of the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) which was created last season to give constructors a single voice in negotiating the future of the sport with ruling body FIA and Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Group (FOG), which controls the commercial rights.

Ecclestone has already given his backing to the Rome Grand Prix plan despite Mosley's reported frostiness.

At a FOTA meeting in Geneva last week, Montezemolo spoke to Ecclestone about the feasibility of the plan.

''I've spoken to Bernie and if, as it appears, the costs can be totally borne by private investors, I think it would be interesting to make an in-depth assessment of its feasibility,'' Montezemolo said.

''We will have to see how to include it in the F1 calendar, because there are many emerging countries that would like to host a world championship race''.

Montezemolo reiterated that a Grand Prix in Rome should not clash or compete with the Italian GP at Monza.

The Ferrari boss's newfound enthusiasm came three days after Renault boss Flavio Briatore said a Rome GP would be ''a fantastic idea''.

Briatore said racing around the historic EUR area would be ''spectacular, like all city circuits''.

Enthusiasts point out that overtaking would be possible there unlike other new street circuits like Valencia and Singapore.

ROME 'SERIOUS' ABOUT PLAN.

The city is ''serious'' about the project, Mayor Gianni Alemanno said recently.

But Alemanno acknowledged that it would not be easy to set up the event given the technical difficulties and opposition in many quarters.

''The negotiations are complicated, almost as complicated as organising an Olympic Games,'' he told journalists, without going into details.

The group of Italian investors and racing enthusiasts, FG Group, was formally set up on January 29.

FG has already met with Hermann Tilke, considered the world's greatest designer of new-generation race tracks.

According to the Italian media, the group plans to outdo the historic Monaco Grand Prix.

FG chief Maurizio Flammini, a Rome businessman who already organises the world Superbike championship, is insistent that the event should not be a one-off but should run ''for at least four years''.

He stressed that the race would have ''a format different from all the other events'' and would create thousands of jobs for Rome.

The group has assured Monza executives its plan would not threaten the Italian GP, one of the oldest events on the motor racing calendar, first run in 1921.

The idea of staging a Grand Prix in Rome was first aired in the mid-1980s by the great Enzo Ferrari.

Italian design gems on show - Initiative showcases legendary industrial creativity

2009-03-19T13:41:00.006+01:00

(ANSA) - Rome, March 19 - A selection of Italy's 20th-century design gems has gone on show at the foreign ministry in Rome, as part of a new initiative to promote the country's stellar reputation in this field. The Italian design industry, which blossomed at the start of the 1900s, has gone from strength to strength over recent decades and three of the country's ministries have now joined forces to preserve some of its greatest achievements. ''Design is the pinnacle of Italian creativity, a blend of artistic ingenuity, artisan skills and business capacity,'' commented Culture Minister Sandro Bondi.

Foreign Minister Franco Frattini explained: ''The ministries involved are pooling their resources and energy, and we are also seeking assistance from leading industry and business figures''. Car design legend Sergio Pininfarina is heading up a technical committee coordinating efforts between the industry, culture and foreign ministries. Unveiling details of the collection in Rome, the ministers showcased some of automotive industry's design stars. Pride of place went to a brilliant red Ferrari F430 Spider from 2004, along with a state-of-the-art Ducati motorbike. Recalling an earlier period in Italian design history was a mythical 1953 Isetta, which helped launched the concept of microcars in the post-war years. Also from this period were two classic scooter models: a Vespa 150 and a Lambretta Innocenti, complete with sidecar. Although the focus was on vehicles during the presentation, the initiative has identified 15 separate areas in which Italian design has left its distinctive mark, including fashion, furniture, lighting, interior decor and graphic design, as well as the booming web sector.

In addition to the Rome collection, the three ministries plan to promote conferences, initiatives and exhibits around the world through Italy's culture institutes and embassies. The Italian design industry emerged in the early 1900s, with a focus chiefly on automobiles and machinery. However, during the post-war boom, its reputation spread to numerous other fields. Home appliances, furniture, lamps, radio sets and TV sets all made their mark in the 1950s. In the 1960s, the focus switched to specific individuals, with industrial designers such as Gae Aulenti, or architects like Marco Bellini becoming established ''brand names'' in their own right.

Alternative, post-modern design took center stage in the 1970s with provocative and kitsch pieces, while Italy's strongest design sector today is furniture, followed by the automotive and lighting industries.

For more video about Rome and Italian design visit WebVisionItaly.com's Italy Trade channel.

photo: a Ferrari F430.

Rome Restaurants: Rome's Centro Storico Authentic Roman Trattoria Restaurant

2009-03-05T23:54:00.010+01:00

Roman restaurants Centro Storico Rome best ristorante and trattoria in Rome, with maps to make it easy. Updates happening all the time so bookmark this page and check back often for new restaurants, caffes, shopping, and things to do in Rome.

Watch WebVisionItaly's Food Channel for video from authentic Roman trattoria and restaurants.

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More walking maps of Rome:

Click and print WebVisionItaly's Rome Walking Maps before you go on holiday Italy Vacation:

WebVisionItaly's restaurants in Rome Map, WebVisionItaly's shopping in Rome Map, and even WebVisionItaly's walking map of Bernini's Rome with guide to Rome.

Rome Gelato Sales Banned After 1AM

2009-02-27T14:43:00.008+01:00

Rome, March 26 - Revellers spilling out of discos and bars in Rome in the early hours of the morning will no longer be able to satisfy late-night munchies under a new city council reform designed to calm the capital's nightlife.

Vendors of freshly made croissants, ice-cream, pizza and sandwiches will have to shut up shop at 1 AM under the new law, which comes into effect in mid March.

''This applies to croissant makers, ice-cream makers, cake shops, yoghurt shops, sandwich shops, take-aways and rotisseries,'' said city councillor Davide Bordoni.

''One in the morning seems to us a reasonable hour that is satisfactory for both the shop owners and residents,'' he said.

For more on two of Rome's most famous gelateria, Giolitti Gelato and La Palma Gelato, and the history of gelato click WebVisionItaly.com Gelato in Rome.

Giotto in Rome: Father of Renaissance Giotto's Works on Display in Rome

2009-02-21T18:14:00.031+01:00

San Francesco expels the devils from Arezzo by Giotto

Rome, February 20 - Rome is gearing up for one of the artistic highlights of its year, a major exhibition paying tribute to the father of the Renaissance, Giotto.

Opening March 6, 50 works of art, including 20 panels, exploring the life and times of Giotto di Bondone (c.1267-1337) will be on display.

Speaking at the presentation of the event, Culture Minister Sandro Bondi said the exhibit would be unique.

''It will just not be a great cultural event but will also have enormous civil, political and democratic value,'' he said. ''Giotto was one of the fathers of European art and just looking at his masterpieces makes us all better people''.

The exhibition will feature wooden sculptures, illuminated manuscripts and goldwork. The highlight of the show will be the fragile, 14th-century panels on loan from major museums around the world, several of which have been restored for the show.

''This event will not simply commemorate Giotto's work, it aims to approach the master from a fresh point of view,'' said Architectural Heritage Superintendent Roberto Cecchi. ''There are so many aspects to Giotto that we still know little about, such as his interest in architecture, and the exhibition will contain some appealing ideas for future studies''.

Although renowned for his skill at life drawings at a time when stylized Byzantine art dominated, much of Giotto's life, travels and training remains shrouded in mystery. He was born in Tuscany of a father named Bondone, studied with Cimabue, one of the greatest painters of his day, and completed his greatest masterpiece, the decoration of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, in around 1305.

However, the year and precise place of his birth and his family's background remain subjects of dispute, as does the order in which he completed his works and even their attribution. The exhibition sets out to address these uncertainties among others, looking at conflicting views and tracing his voyages around Italy through the impact of his art. ''The exhibition will analyze the master's presence in Italy's greatest cities, from Rome to Florence, and from Naples to Milan,'' said the event's curator Alessandro Tomei.

''First-hand evidence has disappeared but historians have reconstructed his trail through documentation and the influence his work had on his contemporaries. ''Where Giotto appeared, artistic expression changed for good,'' he concluded. Entitled Giotto e Le Trecento (Giotto And The 14th Century), the exhibition runs in Rome's Vittoriano from March 6 until June 29.

One of WebVisionItaly's favorite Italian towns is Assisi, which we find so peaceful and beautiful. Inside the Basilica di San Francesco does Giotto's art cover the walls depicting the life of San Francesco? One of our favorite's is the panel that depicts San Francesco expelling the devil and phantoms who had taken over the souls of the people from Arezzo. Giotto was long credited with the frescoes in the Upper Church of S Francesco in Assisi, painted between 1297 and about 1305, but of course there is always controversy and these Giotto paintings in the Basilica of San Francesco Assisi are subject of one big controversy: are the paintings by the hands of Giotto or by students who copied his style.

If you plan to travel to Rome this Spring stop by the Vittorino to see Giotto's work, a wonderful base from which to jump into European Art and the Renaissance.

For more video about travel in Italy click WebVisionItaly.com.

Rome Fashion Week Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2009

2009-02-04T15:53:00.005+01:00

From Reuters today Rome's fashionistas are getting into cat fights about where they hold their cat walks. Rome Fashion Week Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2009 show February 2, 2009 happening in Rome this week brings out the cattiness in its designers.

Rome fashion bristles at Armani jibe from Paris
Mon Feb 2, 2009 4:54pm GMT

By Deepa Babington
ROME (Reuters Life!) - Giorgio Armani's comment that Rome has killed off its fashion scene by parading inept designers has ruffled feathers in the Italian capital. Armani was quoted in Italian media last week as saying in Paris that Rome "has killed high fashion by showcasing people who didn't merit it" and that the French capital offered more for designers.

Armani's office had no comment, but many of the designers in Rome say that if one of Italy's most famous fashion names was true to his Italian roots he would hold his shows in Rome rather than cast disparaging remarks about the people who do. "An Italian in Paris should not be discrediting Italian work at a time of economic crisis for fashion and as the biggest catwalk shows get underway in Italy," Stefano Dominella, chairman of the Gattinoni fashion house and former chairman of Rome's fashion week, told Reuters. "Armani should be more patriotic. His name is so strong, he should not make provocations of this kind." He suggested Armani restore big name power to Rome's struggling fashion week by unveiling collections in the city, which has a long tradition of haute couture and launched designers like Valentino but lacks Paris' glamour and buzz.

Gattinoni's designer Guillermo Mariotto, who unveiled his spring collection in Rome on Sunday, told Reuters that as an Italian he was proud to show in Rome and would never move to Paris, adding that at any rate: "I see no future of couture in Armani."

Neapolitan designer Fausto Sarli, a long-time fixture on the Rome haute couture scene, agreed that Armani's comments did not help as the fashion world grapples with recession-hit sales.

"At times like this, there should be a joint effort to face the crisis," said Carlo Alberto Terranova, Sarli's spokesman and associate, adding that Armani ought to bring his collections to Rome to raise the city's fashion profile.

"Also because when it comes to creativity, in Rome we're not second to anyone. One cannot allow oneself to say Milan or Rome or Paris is better."

Nicoletta Fiorucci, the new chairman of AltaRoma, the group that organizes Rome's fashion weeks, said she saw Armani's point and that under her watch the twice-a-year events would only include high-quality designers.

She has axed some designers from the agenda and tried to raise the event's profile by pairing catwalk shows with exhibits and art, though critics complain it is chaotic at times and lacks the buzz that draws in top fashion buyers and celebrities.

"The tradition of haute couture is divided between Rome and Paris," Fiorucci said. "I take (Armani's words) as a provocation, not as the truth revealed."

(Editing by Paul Casciato)

For video from Italy's designers visit www.WebVisionItaly.com Fashion Channel.

Giro d'Italia 2009 Route Map and Stages

2009-01-25T05:56:00.020+01:00

Giro d'Italia Route Map. Click for a video fly through of the 2009 Giro d'Italia race route in Italy.

Giro d'Italia 2009 Race Schedule and Giro d'Italia Race Maps:

Giro d'Italia 2009 is 21 stages and 2 rest days from May 9, 2009 - May 31, 2009.

Below is the Giro d'Italia calendar, stages, and Giro d'Italia stage maps:

Saturday May 9 - map
Lido di Venezia, Venice, 20.5 km

Sunday May 10 - map
Jesolo to Trieste, 156 km

Monday May 11 - map
Grado to Valdobbiadene, 200km

Tuesday May 12 - map
Padova to San Martino di Castrozza, 165 km (uphill)

Wednesday May 13 - map
San Martino di Castrozza to Alpe di Siusi, 125 km (uphill)

Thursday May 14 - map
Bressanone to Mayrhofen, 242 km

Friday May 15 - map
Innsbruck to Chiavenna, 244 km

Saturday May 16 - map
Morbegno to Bergamo, 208 km

Sunday May 17 - map
Circuit Race in Milano, 155 km

Monday May 18 - REST DAY Giro d'Italia 2009

Tuesday May 19 - map
Cuneo to Pinerolo, 250 km (uphill)

Wednesday May 20 - map
Torino to Arenzano, 206 km

Thursday May 21 - map
Sestri Levante to Riomaggiore, 61 km (timetrial)

Friday May 22 - map
Lido di Camaiore to Florence, 150 km

Saturday May 23 - map
Campi Bisenzio to Bologna, 174 km

Sunday May 24 - map
Forlie to Faenza, 159 km

Monday May 25 - map (uphill)
Pergola to Monte Petrano, 237 km

Tuesday May 26 - REST DAY Giro d'Italia

Wednesday May 27 - map (uphill)
Chieti to Blockhaus, 181 km

Thursday May 28 - map
Sulmona to Benevento, 181 km

Friday May 29 - map
Avellino to Monte Vesuvio, 164 km

Saturday May 30 - map
Naples to Anagni, 203 km

Sunday May 31 - map
Rome, 15.3 km - map

Giro d'Italia 2009 teams should be announced in late January/ early February. Rosters will be announced in April.

For more about Italy visit http://www.WebvisionItaly.com, the only TV network about Italy in English.

Vatican Launches YouTube TV Channel The Vatican

2009-01-24T22:50:00.015+01:00

POPE BENEDICT XVI launched his own YouTube channel last week, called “The Vatican” and available in English, Spanish, German and Italian languages.

The Vatican Radio was already available at:

http://www.radiovaticana.org/en1/index.asp

The new Vatican website, illustrated by the unmistakable Bernini colonnade, the architect of St. Peter's, in St Peter’s Square (Piazza San Pietro), states that it will offer “news coverage of the main activities of the Holy Father” and the Catholic Church while its video-news will present “the Catholic Church’s position regarding the principal issues of the world today”.

Visitors to the site yesterday could consult the Vatican’s daily news bulletin, read the online version of the Vatican daily, L’Osservatore Romano, or watch a dozen Vatican TV news clips of the Pope’s most recent activities.

The launch of the new channel was timed to coincide with the release of the Pope’s annual message for the Church’s World Day of Communications.

Despite his enthusiastic embrace of the internet on the YouTube site, the Pope used his World Communications Day message to urge young people to seek human contact and not isolate themselves on the web.

“It would be sad if our desire to sustain and develop online friendships were to be at the cost of our availability to engage with our families, our neighbors and those we meet in the daily reality of our places of work, education and recreation,” writes the Pope.

For more about Vatican City and the Holy See visit The Vatican City website or visit WebVisonItaly.com Vatican City television channel or the Italian Boradcasting Company's blogs http://italyvideo.blogspot.com, http://www.italyinside.blogspot.com and http://www.romeitaly.blogspot.com.

If you are traveling to Italy and want to visit the Vatican consider making a reservation and buying a Vatican Museum ticket online. Wondering how to buy a ticket to the Vatican Museum? Buy child ticket at time of entry. Click for the Vatican Museum Box office:

(Click here to Book Vatican Ticket )
http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/tickets/do

Rome Tour-Bernini in Rome - Walk Bernini's Rome Map

2009-01-11T23:31:00.024+01:00

I was dreaming of Rome travel, a walking tour of Baroque Rome between plates of authentic pasta like cacio e pepe in one of Rome's many authentic trattoria Romana. A walking tour of Rome is the absolutely best way to see Rome - as Rome truly is "The Great Theater of the World". Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), who embodies Italian Baroque, lived most of his life in Rome, and adorned The Great Theater of the World that is Rome with his art, which is scattered around Rome's streets in the many fountains he designed from Piazza Navona to Piazza Spagna to Piazza Barberini, on its buildings, including the design of the facades of Palazzo Chigi and Palazzo Barberini, in its churches, and in the sovereign nation inside Rome that is Vatican City where Bernini was as Urban VIII (1623-44) called him the "Architect of St. Peter's". After the jump WebVisionItaly.com 2009 Rome Trattoria: Best Restaurants in Rome.

BAROQUE ROME: Walk Bernini's Rome Map

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David Beckham in Rome: AC Milan Versus AS Roma

2009-01-10T02:42:00.008+01:00

Former LA Galaxy Alexi Lalas told BBC that he thinks David Beckham may not return to the Los Angeles Galaxy and Major League Soccer after returning to life at the top of soccer's international dogpile with AC Milan.

Now that Becks is back on top playing with AC Milan, money, prestige, and fun may make it hard to head back to sleep LA Galaxy. Beckham will make his competitive debut for AC Milan against AS Roma in Rome on Sunday.

Read the whole story after the jump

David Beckham AC Milan Debut Update: Sunday January 11, 2009

Beckham played 89 minutes for AC Milan in its 2-2 tie against AS Roma at a packed Olympic Stadium in Rome.

Playing primarily a defensive midfield role alongside Andrea Pirlo and Clarence Seedorf, Beckham was involved in the game throughout but was not one of its lead characters. He took most of the corner kicks and a few of the free kicks, but his offensive contribution was otherwise limited.

Beckham took one shot on goal, but like swatting a fly it was saved without bother by Alexander Doni, Roma's Brazilian goalkeeper.

Victoria Beckham Lands in Rome

2009-01-10T00:13:00.007+01:00

Victoria Beckham and her sons Brooklyn, Romeo, and Cruz arrived in Rome's Fiumicino yesterday. We typically leave Beckham watch to others but now that David Beckham is playing soccer with AC Milan we feel obliged to keep our readers aprised of their every move through bella Italia.

After the click most recent story from Beckham's in Milan and Rome.

For more news, information and travel to Italy offers click WebVisionItaly.com

Rome High Speed Rail to Venice, Milan, Naples, Florence

2009-01-04T00:56:00.006+01:00

TrenI talia, or Ferrovie dello Stato is Italy's national train line. It is very easy to travel in Italy by train. A tip that always helps is to know the name and spelling of Italian cities in Italian language. Buy a ticket from a vending machine or from the person - either way you'll need this information to make your Italy travel easy.

TrenItalia recently introduced high-speed rail service. The alta velocita is Italy's high speed rail, which routes run between Naples, Rome, Venice, and Milan. This train service is called the Freccia Rossa, named after the gorgeous new red trains that run Italy's high speed rails.

TrenItalia high speed rail travel time and cost of train ticket between cities in Italy:

Rome to Milan by high speed rail to three and a half hours. -- Roma a Milano
Milan to Bologna by high speed train is one hour. -- Milano a Bologna
Milan to Florence 2 hours 10 minutes -- Milano a Firenze
Naples to Milan 4 hours and 50 minutes -- Napoli a Milano
Rome to Bari to 4 hours. -- Roma a Bari
Rome to Verona by high speed Freccia Rossa train to 4 hours. -- Roma a Verona
Rome to Venice by high speed rail to 4 hours. -- Roma a Venezia
Naples to Florence travel time by high speed rail is 3 hours 13 minutes -- Napoli a Firenze
Naples to Bologna travel time by high speed rail is 3 hours 43 minutes -- Napoli a Bologna
Rome to Naples by high speed rail is 1 hour 21 minutes -- Roma a Napoli

Route	Time	1st Class	2nd Class
Milan - Bologna Centrale	1h5'	$65	$46
Milan - Florence	2h10'	$78	$55
Milan - Naples	4h50'	$146	$103
Milan - Rome	3h30'	$128	$93
Lemezia T.C.le - Rome	3h59'	$93	$63
Rome - Bari Centrale	3h59'	$93	$63
Verona P.N. - Rome	3h59'	$98	$67
Rome - Venice	3h59'	$116	$81

Italy High Speed rail prices good through January 15, 2009.

High speed rail travel in Italy includes free newspapers, beverages and snacks, so don't bother buying the water and snack in Termini, Milano Centrale, Napoli, or Firenze.

Click here for video How to Buy a train ticket in Italy.

Manchester's Elano going to Lazio Serie A

2009-01-03T23:10:00.004+01:00

Manchester City midfielder Elano admits he would be open to the possibility of a New Year switch to Serie A Giant Lazio.

"I would not have any problem playing in Italy. And Lazio are a very good team," Elano told Corriere dello Sport....

Click here for the full story.

Alitalia Takes over Air One

2009-01-03T14:32:00.005+01:00

The new Alitalia controlled by Italy's businessmen in a consortium named CAI Wednesday completed the takeover of its smaller competitor Air One as part of a plan to relaunch Italy's bankrupt national carrier.

Air One, Italy's No. 2 airline, said in a statement it had closed the deal with the group of Italian investors that has acquired the bulk of Alitalia's profitable assets to create a single, streamlined carrier.

The investors, which include Air One chief Carlo Toto, are scheduled to officially take over operations at Alitalia on Jan. 13.

Air One said in a statement that Toto would reinvest euro60 million ($84.5 million) in the new Alitalia. It did not disclose the total amount paid in the deal.

The investors, led by scooter-maker Piaggio CEO Roberto Colaninno, agreed to a euro1.052 billion ($1.4 billion) deal to relaunch Alitalia some two years after the government started the long and difficult process of unloading its 49.9 percent stake in the unprofitable carrier.

Alitalia never halted flying, but the new airline will have fewer routes and aircraft, as well as employing 12,500 employees rather than the current 20,000.

The new Alitalia is also looking for a foreign investor to take a 20 percent to 25 percent stake, with Air France-KLM and Germany's Lufthansa the most probable candidates.

Italian media have been reporting over the last weeks that Air France-KLM is close to a deal. Both Alitalia and Air France have declined to comment.

For more nws about Italy visit the Italian Broadcasting Company's blog Italy Inside.

For more Italy video visit WebVisionItaly, the only TV Italy telly about Italy in English.

Umbria Jazz Winter

2008-12-28T18:13:00.005+01:00

One hour north of Rome in Orvieto, an easy less than hour train from Rome's Termini Station, is preparing to launch the 16th edition of Umbria Jazz Winter, which runs from Dec. 30 to Jan. 4.

This is the sister jazz festival to Umbria Jazz Perugia, which is an annual event in the college town.

For the 2008/2009 Umbria Winter Jazz headliners include Vaneese Thomas, Stefano Bollani and the Lionel Loueke Trio.

Visit WebVisionITaly for more video about Umbria Jazz.

Pope's Urbi et Orbi 2008 - To the City to the World

2008-12-26T20:13:00.006+01:00

Pope Benedict XVI waved to faithful during the "Urbi et Orbi" (to the City and to the World) message in St. Peter's square at the Vatican. The Pope addressed the economic gloom in his Christmas message.

Benedict XVI warned that the world was headed toward ruin if selfishness prevails over solidarity during tough times for both rich and poor nations.

'If people look only to their own interests, our world will certainly fall apart.'

Benedict dedicated part of his message to Africa, singling out Zimbabwe, where hunger is deepening and cholera is raging. He said that people there were 'trapped for too long in a political and social crisis which, sadly, keeps worsening'.

Suffering also continues in the war-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo and in Darfur, Sudan, the Pope added.

And in Somalia, people are weighed down with 'interminable sufferings' as 'the tragic consequences of the lack of stability and peace,' he said.

Benedict said Roman Catholics had to 'do everything in our power to put an end to the suffering of these children'.

In the past year the Pope has repeatedly addressed the issue of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy, but did not raise it in his Christmas homily.

Bless you my child: The Pope urged the world to stop abuse against children across the world during his Midnight Mass address

Benedict apologized for sexual abuse of minors by clergy and met victims during a July trip to Australia. He also met victims in the U.S. in April.

Pope Benedict said he hoped Christmas would bring hope to those suffering from war, terrorism, injustice and poverty and appealed for peace in Israel.

In his 'Urbi et Orbi' (to the city and the world) Christmas Day message, the Pope also turned his thoughts to some of the world's wealthiest countries, which have been hard hit by the world financial crisis.

'In each of these places may the light of Christmas shine forth and encourage all people to do their part in a spirit of authentic solidarity,' he said from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica to tens of thousands of people below.

'If people look only to their own interests, our world will certainly fall apart.'

He acknowledged that 'an increasingly uncertain future is regarded with apprehension, even in affluent nations'.

In his greeting to Italians, he called for solidarity during a 'considerable economic crisis' that economists forecast could plunge Italy into its longest recession since World War Two.

Rome Walking Map: Rome's Fashion Boutiques Shopping Guide Walking Map

2008-12-25T20:31:00.009+01:00

Rome Italy: Shopping Guide Walking Map to Rome's Fashion Boutiques

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Map to Rome's fashion boutiques, a Rome insiders guide to shopping in Rome. Visit the Made in Italy brands around Via Condotti, Via del Governo Vecchio and Via dei Coronari.

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays. Italian Tourism has the best Italy pre-cruise tour and Italy post-cruise tour Italy vacation packages. Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

Italian food producers and shops offer new way to fight Mafia

2008-12-24T17:06:00.005+01:00

ROME, Italy -- Of all the ways to fight the Mafia, having pasta for dinner isn't usually one of them. But now, that's exactly what Italians can do to help beat organized crime.

A shop in central Rome is offering an array of ''anti-Mafia'' food -- including pasta, wine, olive oil, chick peas, and tomato sauce -- all produced on land recently seized from the Sicilian Mafia and handed over to farmers.

''We have transformed the fight against the Mafia,'' said Antonio Dell'Olio, an anti-Mafia activist who helps promote the shop's goods. ''I can eat anti-Mafia. Anti-Mafia is in my own life.''

Italian law allows authorities to assign property confiscated from organized crime groups to cooperatives, social workers, and volunteers.

In the Sicilian capital of Palermo, a consortium called Libera Terra, or ''Free Land,'' turned agricultural fields formerly devoted to illegal activities into a profitable and legal business.

The label on the food produced there even advertises ''the lawful taste of Sicily.''

The Libera Terra consortium produces the food on the same land once controlled by Toto Riina, a top Mafia boss jailed for a string of murders in the 1990s. That land is in Corleone, the Sicilian town whose name became famous in the Godfather movies.

Click for more Italian food producers and shops offer new way to fight Mafia.

Click here for more about Rome travel.

Rome - Culture, Museum, Things to Do January 2009

2008-12-23T20:51:00.005+01:00

Roma Gospel Festival
20 - 31 Dec 2008 (annual)
Auditorium Parco della Musica
The Auditorium Parco della Musica hosts the Roma Gospel Festival, a 10-day blues event directed by Mario Ciampà and featuring some of the best spiritual and gospel music groups from the USA… More

New Year's Eve in Rome
31 Dec 2008 - 1 Jan 2009 (annual)
Piazza del Popolo
New Year's Eve in Rome takes place all over the city's squares, although Piazza del Popolo is where celebrations are bigger and better with fireworks, rock and classical music concerts lasting… More

One Hundred Nativity Scenes
27 Nov 2008 - 6 Jan 2009 (annual)
Sala del Bramante
One Hundred Nativity Scenes is an annual Christmas crib exhibition, held at the Sala del Bramante within the famous Piazza del Popolo in Rome. More

Christmas at the Auditorium
6 Dec 2008 - 6 Jan 2009 (annual)
Auditorium Parco della Musica
Rome's Auditorium Parco della Musica organises Christmas at the Auditorium, a month-long celebration of music, puppet shows, gastronomy labs, a market and other family-oriented events. More

Piazza Navona Christmas Market
26 Nov 2008 - 6 Jan 2009 (annual)
Piazza Navona
Rome's Piazza Navona hosts a traditional Christmas market, complete with Santa Claus, nativity scenes and stalls selling Christmas goodies, including endless representations, in all shapes and… More

Blessing of the Animals
Jan 2009 (annual)
Chiesa di Sant'Eusebio
Cat-chasing, unmarried fornication and keeping neighbours up at night certainly won't earn Rex a place in doggie heaven. Bring him to Rome's St Eusebio Church during the Feast of St Anthony… More

Roman Purim
27 Jan 2009 (annual)
Rome
Roman Purim, a Roman-Jewish holiday also called "Lead Mo'ed", celebrates with prayers a miraculous event that took place in 1793 (5553 in the Hebrew calendar). In the evening, Rome's Jewish… More

http://www.whatsonwhen.com/sisp/index.htm?fx=event.search&loc_id=134454&cat_id=2229

Strike Strands Rome Air Travelers

2008-12-23T20:10:00.005+01:00

Holiday travelers are scrambling to find flights out of Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci airport thanks to latest round of labour unrest at Italian airline Alitalia.

The baggage handlers and maintenance staff walked off the job Monday to protest negotiations with CAI, the group of investors that plans to relaunch a smaller, more efficient Alitalia next month.

The strike is now in its second day, which which has grounded about 150 flights in two days. Workers at the ground services unit at Fiumicino airport walked off their jobs on Monday to hold union talks about their futures when an Italian business consortium known as CAI relaunches the troubled carrier next year

The walkout stranded holiday travelers, many of whom were still sleeping on airport benches or standing on long lines Tuesday morning waiting for flights out.

Alitalia went bankrupt earlier this year. Its most valuable assets were bought by the business consortium CAI, a group of Italian businessman who own much if Italy's industry, which plans to merge the airline with a domestic rival AirOne.

The airline's bankruptcy commissioner posted an advertisement in newspapers, including the Financial Times, on Tuesday announcing the sale of 46 Alitalia planes and asking for expressions of interest by Jan 29.

For more about Italy visit WebVisionItaly.com, the only television network about Italy in English.

Rome Restaurant-Trattoria in Rome's Centro Storico-Map to Restaurants in Rome

2008-12-21T17:28:00.009+01:00

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Map of Rome - updates happening all the time. Bookmark this blog page so you may check back often for new restuarants, caffes, shopping, and things to do in Rome.

Giordano Bruno by Ingrid D. Rowland

2008-12-20T17:20:00.002+01:00

'Giordano Bruno' by Ingrid D. Rowland excerpts printed in the New York Times.

Giordano Bruno statue stands today in Campo de' Fiori.

Ancient Artifacts Recovered in Rome

2008-12-18T02:06:00.007+01:00

ROME - (WebVisionItaly.com) Italian authorities report seizing a rare 9th century three-faced marble head of the Greek goddess Hecate from a store in Rome's historic center after it was stolen by thieves last year.

The ancient artifact was recovered in Rome by Italian Police.

The bust of Hecate, the Greek goddess linked to witchcraft and the afterlife who is usually depicted with three heads, was found in a store near Rome's Campo de' Fior i square.

It had been missing since June 2007, when thieves made off with it from a Roman house after drugging the owner's family with sedatives.

Italy has carried out a drive to trace stolen artifacts, especially those from archaeological sites.

Delta Air Lines to Begin Nonstop Service Between Detroit and Rome, Italy

2008-12-17T02:05:00.006+01:00

Delta Airlines Detroit Rome
Delta putting pressure to Colaninno's Alitalia CAI investor group - Toronto and Mid West Routes?

ATLANTA, Dec 16, 2008 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX)-- Delta Air Lines' customers can now book convenient nonstop flights between Detroit Metro Airport and Rome's Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport for service beginning on June 4, 2009*.

The flight will make travel to the Eternal City more accessible through Detroit's 115 easy connections and will complement Delta's existing nonstop daily service between Rome and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and twice daily nonstop from New York's John F. Kennedy-JFK International Airport.

"...Delta is pleased to add nonstop connections for customers in Detroit and across the United States to Rome -- Italy's leading destination," said Bob Cortelyou, Delta's senior vice president-Network Planning. "We have strategically scheduled flight times between our Detroit hub and Rome to ensure optimal connections."

Delta's subsidiary Northwest will operate the service in cooperation with Northwest's joint venture partner, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, using Airbus 330 aircraft with 298 seats -- 34 in business class and 264 in economy. The airline's A330s are equipped with World Business Class lie-flat seats featuring a privacy canopy, 60 inches of space between seats, and personal laptop computer power. Customers traveling in both the A330's business and economy cabins enjoy on-demand in-flight entertainment with a wide selection of movies, games and on-board shopping.

For more about Italy visit www.WebVisionItaly.com.

Giro d'Italia 2009 route announced.

2008-12-16T02:27:00.005+01:00

Giro d'Italia route announced

The 2009 Giro d'Italia will start with a team time trial in Venice and finish with an individual time trial in Rome, organisers have said.

The route for the race, which celebrates its centenary this year, was unveiled on this weekend in Venice. The cycling event will take place from 9-31 May and include five mountain stages and a time trial on the Ligurian coast.

The race usually finishes in Milan, but for the centennial event it will reach its climax in the capital. Milan will host the finish of the ninth stage and Mount Vesuvius in Naples will be the site of a mountain stage two days before the finish in Rome. The route will also pass through several points connected with the Giro's history, and cover many of Italy's biggest cities - Venice, Milan, Florence, Bologna and Naples. It will also venture into the French Alps during the 10th stage, which will begin and finish in Italy.

This year's winner Alberto Contador announced in October that he would not be taking part in next year's event but former winners Ivan Basso, Danilo Di Luca, Damiano Cunego and Gilberto Simoni are set to race again.

The only question remains is will Lance Armstrong bike race in 2009? Planning on travel to Italy, check the Giro out May and June 2009 on your 2009 spring holiday in Italy.

Rome Flooding: Acqua Alta High Water Returns?

2008-12-15T22:04:00.003+01:00

ROME, Dec. 15 - Rome was spared major damage Saturday when flood waters peaked without bursting the banks of the Tiber River.

Monday, however, Civil protection officials in Italy say they are concerned a major storm in the region today could prompt more dangerous flooding.

The Italian news agency ANSA said as the third major pre-winter storm ravaged parts of Italy Monday, concern over increased flooding along the Aniene River increased.

The Aniene temporarily overflowed during earlier inclement weather, leaving several of Rome's streets flooded.

The river's level dropped during the weekend but the renewed storm had that level rising steadily Monday...

Fast train launched between Italian cities

2008-12-14T23:50:00.001+01:00

Sunday 14th December, 2008

A new high-speed train link has been launched between the northern Italian cities of Milan and Bologna.

The fast train will cut travel time and will be extended to Rome next year.

Italy’s three other fast train routes will be complemented by the new service, which begins on Sunday.

When the Rome leg is completed, travel time between Milan, Italy's financial center, and Rome will be cut to three-and-a-half hours.

For more about Italy travel visit WebVisionItaly.com

Alitalia leaves the nest: Italian Business Men New Guardians

2008-12-13T05:11:00.007+01:00

ROME, Dec 12 (Reuters) - An Italian investor consortium buying Alitalia formally took possession of the airline's assets on Friday in another step towards closing the long-awaited deal, said Roberto Colaninno, president of the CAI investor group.

CAI's purchase of Alitalia is said to be 427 million euros ($567 million).

CAI, a group of Italian businessmen, takes control after opposition from employees and others failed....

The Anpav and Avia unions representing flight attendants agreed on Friday to join the major unions in backing the deal, though CAI had effectively ignored their protests so far and begun individually hiring pilots and flight staff.

CAI on Thursday said it had also finalised the purchase of smaller airline Air One, whose operations will be folded into those of Alitalia as part of the bid to relaunch it. ($1=.7537 euros) (Editing by Greg Mahlich)

CAI purche of Alitalia for $600 million is far less than the $1.5 billion reported in press. Maybe the CAI group assumed $1 billion in debt.

Either way, nice that Alitalia will be restructured and readied to compete against the world class Gulf State airlines funded by sovereign wealth funds.

Tren Italia Vs. Alitalia: Are Italy's Business Men Going to Really Compete on Rome Milan Route?

2008-12-13T00:06:00.005+01:00

ROME, Dec 11 (Reuters) - A high-speed train service between Rome and Milan will cut travel time by 25 percent to three hours next year....

The railways aims to corner 60 percent of the market for travel by any method over the route over the next two years, the head of Italy's state railways Ferrovie dello Stato CEO Mauro Moretti told Italian television.

The train service announcement comes the same day a group of Italian businessmen take over national airline Alitalia, which runs a Rome-Milan air route Ciampino to Linate...

(Writing by Deepa Babington; Editing by David Holmes)

Question: Tren Italia Vs. Alitalia: Are Italy's Business Men Going to Compete on Rome Milan Route by train vs by plane?

Rare artifacts uncovered in Roman baths dig

2008-12-12T00:04:00.005+01:00

Rare artifacts uncovered in Roman baths dig
Wed Dec 10, 2008 11:53pm IST

By Deepa Babington

ROME (Reuters Life!) - Excavations at an ancient Roman villa and bath complex in the outskirts of Rome have unearthed a wealth of surprisingly well-preserved artifacts, including the marble head of a Greek god, archaeologists said on Wednesday.

"It's very unusual to find such well-preserved remains in Rome because most of the sites have usually been plundered already and the artifacts stolen," Dora Cirone, an archaeologist on the dig, said at a news conference to announce the findings.

"Luckily, much of the remains here were found buried below floor level, and no one had laid their hands on it."

Of note:

The site is Villa delle Vignacce, near Ciampino airport southwest of Rome;
First explored by archaeologists in 1780 who found statues that are now in the Vatican museum;
excavations began two years ago, revealing residence attached to thermal bath complex dating to 1st century A.D.;
archaeologists said they had also uncovered artifacts including: fragments of columns, floor slabs and the head of a marble statue believed to represent either the Greek divinity of Zeus Serapide or Asclepius, the god of medicine and healing;
Discovery of special importance is colored-glass mosaic of leaves and vegetation lining the inside of a vault.

For more on well preserved ancient artifact sites to see authentic ancient Roman lifestyle click Campania TV and Naples TV on WebVisionItaly.com, the only Internet video about Italy.

Rome Video: Caffes of Rome

2008-12-11T23:38:00.005+01:00

Caffes of Rome video brought to you by the Italian Broadcasting Company Italy travel video, visit www.WebVisionItaly.com, the only English telly network TV about Rome in English.

Caffes of Rome were made famous by Fellini but of course the Roman intellecuals and political class has been cooking up ideas in caffes since the early 1800s in Rome.

Click WebVisionItaly's Rome channel.

Book about Rome: Rome, The Eternal City

2008-12-08T03:25:00.003+01:00

The Smiles of Rome by Susan Cahill (2005)

Cafe Life Rome by Joe Wolff (2002)

A Thousand Bells at Noon-A Roman's Guide to the Streets and Pleasures of His Native City by G. Franco Romagnoli (2002)

Roma-The Smart Travelers Guide to the Eternal City by Paul Hofmann (1993)

The Seasons of Rome-A Journal by Paul Hofmann (1997)

City of the Soul-A Walk in Rome by William Murray (2002)

As The Romans Do-The Delights, Drama, and Daily Diversions of Life in the Eternal City by Alan Epstein (2000)

Playing Away-Roman Holidays by Michael Mewshaw (1988)

The Vatican's Women, Female Influence at the Holy See by Paul Hofmann (2000)

Rome Antics by David Maculay

Notes From A Roman Terrace by Joan Marble (2003)

Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King (2003)

Basilica, the Splendor and the Scandal: Building St. Peter’s by R. A. Scotti (2006)

Cicero-The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician by Anthony Everitt (2001)

Rome Guides:

Top 10 Guide to Rome by Sharri Whiting

Rome City Map by Dorling Kindersley Travel Guides

Trattorias of Rome, Florence and Venice by Maureen B Fant

Rome Insideout by The Map Group

Great Sleeps Italy, Florence, Rome, Venice by Sandra Gustafson (2002)

Access Rome by Richard Saul Wurman

Book about Rome: Rome From Its Founding to the Present Day: a Quartet

2008-12-07T03:09:00.001+01:00

Rome From Its Founding to the Present Day: a Quartet

Editor’s comment: Do read these books on Rome in the order presented. Enjoy them as you would a good grappa, slowly. Warning: once you start reading you will be unable to stop. And you will be unable to control the urge to go to Rome and wander about Ancient-Christian-Renaissance Rome as the Romans do.

1-Roma, the Novel of Ancient Rome by Steven Saylor (2007) -
Tells the story of Rome’s first thousand years, 1000 BC to 1BC, from the salt gatherers at the mouth of the Tiber to Caesar Augustus.

2-Lavinia by Ursula K. LeGuin (2008) –
Simply a masterpiece. Tells the story of Lavinia, princess of Latium, who, with pious Aeneas, is destined to found Rome. Their descendants ruled for 15 generations.

3-The Aeneid by Virgil (29-19 BC), Translation, Robert Fagles; Introduction, Bernard Knox (2006) –
Modern verse translation of the ancient Roman epic of goddess-born Aeneas, who, following his fate, fled from the burning Troy and founded Rome.

4-The Secrets of Rome, Love and Death in the Eternal City by Corrado Augias (2007) –
The 15 chapters cover 2700 years of Roman life. Fascinating tales presented in an interesting fashion: “The Most Beautiful Lady of Rome” tells the story of Lucretia Borgia; “The Other Michelangelo,” of Caravaggio.

Rome Culture, Museums, and Festivals December 2008

2008-12-02T04:36:00.002+01:00

"De Chirico e il museo" (a retrospective of this classical artist) and "From Rembrandt to Vermeer", a rich overview of the work of major Flemish painters. Also worth a visit is the show in Palazzo Venezia of another painterly genius, Giuseppe Modica, and the exhibition of Basil Theocharakis, master of sea art. This is the last opportunity to catch painting-photography exhibition "Visions of the Grand Tour from the Hermitage", that brings together works by German, Italian and Dutch artists.

What about music? This month check out the live concerts by the likes of Claudio Baglioni (on his "Q.P.G.A." tour), Giorgia, Zucchero, Cesare Cremonini, Mario Venuti and Gianluca Grignani, but also the traditional Christmas concerts, such as those of the buzzing 'Gospel Festival' and the many concerts on at the city Auditorium.

On the classical front, some great operas can be seen in Rome this month, such as "Othello" and "The Barber of Seville"; great ballets such as "The Nutcracker"; but also many concerts: by the city's Philharmonic Orchestra, by the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, at the Gonfalone venue, in Borromini's Sacristy... And don't miss "Notre Dame de Paris", the mega operatic event by Riccardo Cocciante.

It's time to find out what Rome's theatres and stages have in store for us this month. For the younger set, there's the fantastical "Mickey Mouse Magic Show", the musicals "Poveri ma belli (Poor but beautiful)" and "High School Musical", and two classical Neapolitan dramas, "Miseria e nobiltà" and "Quaranta ma non li dimostra" with Luigi De Filippo.

We can't wait to see Francesca Reggiani in "Questioni di prestigio" and Anna Marchesini's spirited performance in "Giorni felici".

And it's not over yet: you can still catch the last few days of the "Romaeuropa Festival", the guided tours of the Appia Antica park, the many events being hosted at the auditorium for Christmas under the "Natale all'Auditorium" banner, and last but not least, the traditional Christmas rituals, both religious (such as the masses in St Peter's Square) or the pagan (such as the Christmas market in Piazza Navona)...
Exhibitions

IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Musei Capitolini - Palazzo dei Conservatori, Sala degli Arazzi. Piazza del Campidoglio, 1. Info 060608
Until 6 Jan 2009: Ospitando... l'Apollo di Mantova (Hosting the Apollo of Mantua)
This exhibition is part of the "Ospitando..." series that encourages the circulation - in the literal sense of the term - of art, i.e. the exchange of works between different museums in different cities. The Capitoline museums host this refined sculpture - a marvellous marble Apollo probably dating back to Hadrian's era - which is on loan from the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua for a limited time. Tue-sun h9-10. €8, reduced €6 (the ticket includes entry into the exhibition, "The invention of the Imperial Fora. Demolition and archaeological excavations: 1924-1940)

Scuderie del Quirinale, via XXIV Maggio, 16. Info 0639967500
Until 11 Jan 2009: Giovanni Bellini
One of the most famous Italian painters of the 15th century, Giovanni Bellini (a.k.a. as Giambellino) is celebrated in this exhibition. His contribution to the development of painting techniques was considerable, and ranged from the employment of tempera paints to his very particular use of oils in the manner typical of Flemish painters, creating soft tones and amazing light and colour effects. About 70 of Giambellino's works (including his famous 'Baptism of Christ') are displayed in the Scuderie del Quirinale exhibition venue and will be followed by shows featuring the masterpieces of Titian and Giorgione.

GNAM Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, viale delle Belle Arti, 131. Info 06322981
Until 25 Jan 2009: De Chirico e il museo (De Chirico and the museum)
Thirty years after the death of the great painter from Volos, a retrospective is dedicated to the classicist and inventor of metaphysical painting. For De Chirico art was a compass with which to orient oneself in the sea of emotion. About 30 paintings and drawings illustrate the relationship between the artist and classical heritage. Particularly worth mentioning are the works that are clearly influenced by Michelangelo, Titian, Guido Reni, or Rubens.

Complesso del Vittoriano, via San Pietro in Carcere. Info 066780664
Until 8 Feb 2009: Picasso Arlecchino 1917 - 1937
A unique exhibition curated by Yve-Alain Bois shows 180 pieces by Pablo Picasso, on loan from the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Museu Picasso in Barcelona. Oils, etchings and drawings tell of the artist's life and work between 1917 and 1937 - a period that came after the cold melancholy of the blue period, the pale cheerful tones of the pink period, the determined lines of the African period and the intuition and decomposition of the Cubist period - when the Spanish artist was in a discovery phase in which different styles and inspirations converge and were transformed into something free from the constraints and labels of critics.

Colosseo, piazza del Colosseo
Until 15 Feb 2009: Rovine e rinascite nell'arte italiana (Ruins and rebirths in Italian art)
This exhibition focuses on the themes of recovering and preserving the artistic and natural landscape of the nation. These 60 works tell of the various measures and developments that Italy has developed - decrees, laws, private and collective actions - to safeguard its most beautiful sites and treasures. The exhibition is divided into six sections - "The origins of conservation", "Italian Unity and National education", "20th century progress", "Fascist propaganda and war", "The development of conservation principles" and "Counter-trends: conservation today" - and among the many works on show are the Birth of Bacchus from Budapest, the statue of the Goddess Niobe from the Villa dei Quintili and fragments of the Metopes of Selinunte sculptures from Palermo. h8,30-16,30. €11, reduced €6,50

Museo del Corso, via del Corso, 320. Info 0667862098
Until 15 Feb 2009: Da Rembrandt a Vermeer. Valori civili nella pittura fiamminga e olandese del ’600 (From Rembrandt to Vermeer. Civil values in 17th century Flemish and Dutch painting)
Rubens' "Landscape with a hanged man" and Rembrandt's "The money changer" are just two of the artistic gems on show in this exhibition curated by Bernd Lindemann, the head of Berlin's Gemaldegalerie. This prestigious museum has loaned some 55 masterpieces from the so-called "Golden Age" (17th century) of Flemish painting for the exhibition. The works on show the wealth of this cultural period through landscapes, portraits, domestic interiors and the representation of sacred themes.

Galleria Nazionale d'arte antica in Palazzo Barberini - Sala del Caravaggio. Via delle IV Fontane, 13. Info 064824184 e 064814591
Until 23 Feb 2009: Un'ospite misteriosa a Palazzo Barberini (A mysterious guest in Palazzo Barberini)
The painting of Saint Catherine of Alexandria can be seen in the stupendous Sala del Caravaggio and is on loan from the Musée des Beaux Arts in Nantes (which in return has borrowed Simon Vouet's 'Buona Ventura' for their own venue). This work is by Roman artist, Angelo Caroselli, a pioneer of naturalism whose work often had a philosophical vein and overtones of witchcraft. Catherine, the patron saint of philosophers, with her jewellery and sumptuous clothing, evokes pagan priestesses, and in the painting she is imbued in a highly colourful and theatrical atmosphere and displayed alongside "the Holy Family during the Flight to Egypt", a work by the same artist.

Chiostro del Bramante, via della Pace. Info 0668809035
Until 5 Apr 2009: Giulio Cesare. L’uomo, le imprese, il mito (Julius Caesar. The man, the enterprise, the myth)
An exceptional and exclusive event coming up in Rome is the first show dedicated to a quintessential figure in Roman history. Julius Caesar was the link between the republic and the empire, a charismatic man and an extraordinary leader. A series of valuable archaeological finds - sculptures, mosaics, frescoes, jewels, gems, coins - are on show, as are sculptures and paintings by major artists like Hayez, Tiepolo and Rubens that tell the story of Caesar's life. Tue-fri h10-20; sat-sun h10-21. €10, reduced €7

Musei di Roma, info 060608
From 8 Dec to 5 Jan 2009: Apertura straordinaria dei musei (Late museum openings for Christmas)
The city's museums will stay open late during the Christmas holidays. Venues participating in the initiative: Musei Capitolini, Centrale Montemartini, Mercati di Traiano, Museo dell'Ara Pacis, Museo Barracco, Museo della Civiltà Romana, Museo delle Mura, Villa di Massenzio, Museo di Roma, Museo Napoleonico, MACRO, Museo Carlo Bilotti, Museo Pietro Canonica, Museo di Roma in Trastevere, Musei di Villa Torlonia, Planetario e Museo Astronomico, Museo Civico di Zoologia www

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Complesso del Vittoriano, via San Pietro in Carcere
Until 8 Dec: Luciano Pavarotti. L'uomo che emozionò il mondo (Luciano Pavarotti. The man who moved the world)
Photos, videos and other souvenirs pay tribute to one of the strongest and most famous voices on the planet: that of Luciano Pavarotti. This exhibition, which was curated by second wife Nicoletta Mantovani and Alessandro Nicosia, includes audio materials, stage costumes, posters and librettos and traces the extraordinary career of the man known as Big Luciano. His incredible voice accompanies us as we make out way through this exhibition and further improve our knowledge of this incomparable tenor from Modena.

Palazzo Venezia, via del Plebiscito, 118. Info 066780131; 06699941
Until 14 Dec: Giuseppe Modica. Roma e la città riflessa (Giuseppe Modica. Rome and the city reflected)
One of the most interesting contemporary painters in Italy - Giuseppe Modica - has once again chosen the capital as the place to present a series of works dedicated to the theme of the city reflected. Reflection is what this artist's poetics is all about. For years he has had a philosophical perspective, striving beyond objectivity and looking for the evocative core of the matter. 40 never-before-seen works - dream-like Roman landscapes, views and monuments. Tue-sun h8,30-19,30. Admission free

Braccio di Carlo Magno, Città del Vaticano. Info 0668193064
Until 6 Jan 2009: Pio XII. L'uomo e il pontificato (1876-1958) (Pius XII. The man and the papacy 1876-1958)
An exhibition that explores the figure and life of Eugenio Pacelli, better known to the world as Pope Pius XII. The show is divided into nine different sections, dedicated to the intimate and public phases of the pope's life: his childhood, his education, his family life and background, his spiritual journey, his cultural grounding, his time as a priest and finally, his 19 years as pope.

Palazzo delle Esposizioni, via Nazionale, 194. Info 0639967500
Until 6 Jan 2009: Etruschi. Le antiche metropoli del Lazio Etruscans. The ancient metropolises of Lazio)
Mario Morelli and Anna Maria Moretti curated this exhibition dedicated to the Etruscan culture and civilisation of Lazio, which left manifold traces in the urban fabric, rituals and traditions of its main settlements: Veio, Cerveteri, Tarquinia and Vulci, all have a particular spirit and character - Veio, for example, is a great ceramics centre; Cerveteri is famous for its necropolis; Vulci is famous for its white stone; and Tarquinia boasts over 100 stupendous frescoed tombs.

Palazzo delle Esposizioni, via Nazionale, 194. Info 0639967500
Until 6 Jan 2009: Bill Viola
"The Crossing", "The Veiling", "Silent Mountain" and "The Locked Garden" are just some of the works we can admire in this exhibition dedicated to video art guru Bill Viola. His creations are the fruit of a spiritual life that finds nourishment in Buddhism, Christianity, Sufism and Mysticism and that explores the universal moments of human life - birth, death, nature. Videotapes, video-installations, sound landscapes, video performances and electronic projects lead us into a sensorial experience that immerses us in a world of pure sound and imagery.

Palazzo Venezia - Sala Regia, Sala delle Battaglie e Sala del Mappamondo. Via del Plebiscito, 118. Info 0669994319
Until 11 Jan 2009: Basil Theocharakis - Pittura: 1952 – 2008 (Basil Theocharakis - Painting: 1952 - 2008)
The first Italian retrospective dedicated to this poet of the sea, Greek artist Basil Theocharakis. Divided into different sections, such as abstract works, paintings dedicated to 'Mount Athos', or depicting 'Clouds', 'Marshes', stupendous 'Landscapes', 'Marine landscapes' and 'Built-up areas', this exhibition explores the themes that inhabit the artist's watercolours. His pieces appear enchanted by the world around us and imbued with a desire to record it in all its authentic essence, through great details, brushstrokes that are both thick and thin, and the use of fresh and bright colours. Tue-sun h9-19. Admission free

Casa dei Teatri, Villa Doria Pamphilj - Villino Corsini. Largo 3 giugno 1849, angolo via di San Pancrazio - ingresso Arco dei Quattro Venti. Info 060608; 0645460693
Until 11 Jan 2009: Pupazzi con rabbia e sentimento. Una mostra di arte e di teatro di Dario Fo e Franca Rame (Puppets of anger and sentiment. A show of art and theatre by Dario Fo and Franca Rame)
"Grabbing hold of a canvas or a piece of cardboard, starting to draw, throwing down colours and scratching a freshly painted board is the only way of resolving a complex or abstruse scene or staging dilemma." So said theatrical supremo and creative powerhouse Dario Fo before this exhibition was inaugurated. Franca Rame, Fo's wife, helped put together this amazing collection of watercolours, tempera paintings, oils on canvas and etchings created by the eclectic Lombard artist with major enthusiasm ever since childhood. By making "una frappàta di belle figure (a smattering of beautiful figures)" as Fo said himself, or the puppets of the exhibition's title, he started to take his first steps in the world of figurative art, slowly developing a highly visual language that he considered to be the key to his creative originality. Deepen your knowledge of an artist who speaks through the language of colour through these 100 paintings, backdrops, stage costumes and wall hangings. Tue-sun h10-17. Admission free

Musei di Villa Torlonia, Casino dei Principi. Via Nomentana, 70. Info 060608
Until 11 Jan 2009: Scuola Romana. Artisti a Roma tra le due guerre (Roman School. Artists in Rome between the two wars)
After periods spent at the museums and Italian cultural institutes of Tirana, Belgrade, Fiume and Bucharest, this exhibition finally comes to Rome. This show examines the period between the two wars, a period that was culturally very lively. About fifty works by the biggest names in figurative art - such as Guttuso, Mafai and Scipione - and by some lesser-known artists - such as Francalancia, Capogrossi and Cavalli (self-portrait) - are on display. The show is divided into three sections. The first is dedicated to the artist and the creative process; the second is centred on the perceptual subjectivity of places as seen by the individual artists; the third examines the body and its physicality. Tue-sun h9-16,30. €9, reduced €5,50

Casa di Goethe, via del Corso, 18. Info 0632650412
Until 18 Jan 2009: Italiani a Weimar. Disegni italiani dal XVI al XIX secolo dalle collezioni della Klassik Stiftung Weimar (Italians in Weimar. Italian drawings from the 16th to the 19th centuries from the Klassik Stiftung Weimar collections)
This exhibition shows works on loan from the Klassik Stiftung Weimar collection and includes pieces by Giorgio Vasari, Perino del Vaga, the Cavalier d'Arpino, Annibale Carracci, Guercino, Salvator Rosa, Bartolomeo Pinelli and Giovanni Volpato... For many of the paintings coming back to Rome is particularly significant since it represents a return home: the Eternal City is, in fact, the subject of many of these works, such as "The apotheosis of Romulus" by Domenico Maria Canuti. Curator: Ursula Verena Fischer Pace. Tue-sun h10-18. €4, reduced €3

Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant'Angelo, Lungotevere di Castello, 50
Until 25 Jan 2009: Loghi d'Italia - storie dell'arte di eccellere (Loghi d'Italia - the history of the art of excelling)
This exhibition tells the story of four major Italian firms - Amarelli, Peroni, Lagostina and Perugina - and is an event that advertising aficionados will be loath to miss. "Loghi d'Italia" uses photos and objects to tell the story of big Italian firms, the products they sell and the people involved in making them who they are today. Special mention must go to the documentaries by Antonioni and Bertolucci and pieces by artists such as Guttuso and Dalì. Tue-sun h9-19. €8

Fondazione Memmo - Palazzo Ruspoli, via del Corso, 418. Info 066874704
Until 1 Feb 2009: Jean-Michel Basquiat. Fantasmi da scacciare (Jean-Michel Basquiat. Shadows that haunt)
The poet of graffiti art made his name in the carriages of New York's metro trains and later in the hippest art galleries. The hard-living and fast-dying Basquiat ? who boasted collaborations with the iconic Andy Warhol ? painted a dark and fragmented urban humanity and created creatures impregnated by an atmosphere of social disintegration. His artistic language was strong and pure, his perspective was philosophical, and his message was as withering as the signature he invented (SAMO - Same old Shit) to sign off his work... Just like his many fans and collectors around the world, you too will fall in love with the "shadows that haunt" the works of this wild artist! Tue-thu h10-19,30; fri-sun h10-20,30. €10, reduced €8

Museo dell'Ara Pacis, lungotevere in Augusta, info 060608
Until 22 Feb 2009: Bruno Munari
Ten years after his death, the city of Rome celebrates this great Milanese artist and designer who affected the language of modernity deeply, through a series of initiatives, activities, mini-exhibitions, workshops for children, and above all a rich display of his work. Sculptures and graphic pieces will allow us to get to know this refined designer, who made experimentation and intuition his distinctive traits. Tue-sun h11-19. €5

Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant'Angelo, Lungotevere di Castello, 50
Until 22 Feb 2009: Artisti a Roma - Ritratti ed autoritratti, scultori ed architetti dal Rinascimento al 700 (Artists in Rome - Portraits and self-portraits, sculptors and architects from the Renaissance to the 18th century)
"Papi in posa", "La Porpora Romana" and "Il Principe Romano" are all shows dedicated to the art of portraiture, as is "Artisti a Roma". This show examines the art of portaiture and self-portraiture and highlights the importance of the pose adopted by the sitter, their way of thinking and their social status. Among the many works on display are the bronze bust of Michelangelo by Giambologna, self-portraits by Bernini and Vanvitelli, and a heretofore unseen portrait of the poet Metastasio by Martin van Meytens. Tue-sun h9-19

Musei di San Salvatore in Lauro, piazza Di San Salvatore In Lauro, 15. Info 066865493
Until 22 Feb 2009: Visioni del Grand Tour dall'Ermitage (1640-1880). Paesaggi e gente d'Italia nelle collezioni russe - Visions of the Grand Tour from the Hermitage (1640-1880). The landscapes and people of Italy in the Russian collections
Sergej Androsov, Vladimir Matveev and Lorenzo Zichichi are the curators of this show that brings many works to Italy for the first time. A major thanks is owed to the Russian collectors who gathered paintings and watercolours by Dutch, Italian and German artists for decades, and made this show possible. The work of photographer Enrica Scalfari is also on show. She shot the landscapes and places represented in the paintings from the Hermitage, offering visitors the chance to see how the places in question have changed in the course of time. Tue-sun h11-19. €5

MACRO - Museo Arte Contemporanea Roma, via Reggio Emilia, 54. Info 06671070400
Until 28 Feb 2009: Ernesto Neto
The installation is dedicated to Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto, born in Rio de Janeiro in 1964 and on show in an Italian museum for the first time ever. This fluctuating architectural project, with its organic and floral forms, were especially conceived for the Macro Hall space. The artist invites the public to walk through the work and interact with them. The installation will use all the space of the Museum's Glass Gallery (galleria vetrata). Tue-sun h9-19. €1

Museo della Civiltà Romana, piazza G. Agnelli, 10. Info 060608
Until 1 Mar 2009: Il divo è tratto. A passeggio con Gilles Chaillet, tra segni e disegni, nella Roma dei Cesari (Il divo è tratto. Ambling around the Rome of the Caesars in the company of Gilles Chaillet)
The Rome of the Caesars, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Circus Maximus, the streets and alleys of ancient Rome: you can try and conjure all this up in our heads, or... you can go see it at the Museum of Roman Civilisation! These 20 wood tables by the master Gilles Chaillet - laid out chronologically - show ancient Rome at its most enchanting. A series of interactive stations are also available and allow visitors to travel back in time. Workshops will also be held to accompany the exhibition. Tue-fri h9-14; sat and sun h9-19. €6,50, reduced €4,50

Museo di Roma Palazzo Braschi, piazza San Pantaleo, 1. Info 060608
Until 19 Apr 2009: Roma, la magnifica visione. Vedute panoramiche del XVIII e XIX secolo dalle collezioni del Museo di Roma (Rome the magnificent. Panoramic views of the city between the 18th and 19th centuries from the Museum of Rome collection)
A selection of 35 works on loan from the Museum of Rome - water-colours, temperas and paintings - show us how Rome looked to the eyes of travellers and artists: it was a city rich in stupendous monuments, beautiful nature and landscapes. Villa Ludovisi, the Aventine and Monte Mario are three of the places in Rome that come up most frequently in the paintings. Some of the most famous works on show are views of Rome by Samuel Rawle, John Newbolt and Ippolito Caffi. Curators: Patrizia Masini, Anna Aletta and Fabio Betti. Tue-sun h9-19 (closed: 25 Dec and 1 Jan 2009). €8, reduced €6

Rome Tour: Rome Walking Tour Maps-Heart of Rome-Walk Heart of Rome Map

2008-11-19T03:39:00.004+01:00

This map of Rome's heart, the centro storico, is the Rome walking tour map we like to follow upon arrival in Rome to get our legs back while walking and sightseeing in the heart of Rome's centro storico.

Of course, this idea of walking in Rome is not new to the Romans. The passeggiata, the evening stroll, is as old as Rome itself. An Italian social ritual like penguins on parade, la passeggiata is the art of taking an evening walk in Rome.

When going to Rome, bring band-aids and VERY comfortable shoes. Or rent a motorino!

Rome Map: Rome sightseeing tour walk Via Arenula to Campo De' Fiori

This walking tour of Rome's heart, the centro storico, begins at Largo Argentina, the bus stop in Rome's centro storico, on Vittorio Emanuele and Via Arenula. From there we walk south to the little park on the west side - the right side of the street. There we take right, going west down Via dei Giubbonari, to Campo de' Fiori.

Rome Map: Via Arenula and Via del Falegnami to Campo de' Fiori.

This walk takes about 7 minutes or all afternoon depending on the pace.

Campo de' Fiori to Piazza Farnese to Michelangelo Arch Via Giulia
From Campo de’Fiori to Piazza Farnese is one minute, with a walk down to Via Giulia and Michelangelo’s Arch about 5 minutes.

Rome Map: Campo de' Fiori to Piazza Farnese, Via Giulia and Michelangelo's Arch:

Via Giulia to Vatican
From this point walking on Via Giulia to the Vatican walking west, across Ponte Vittorio Emanuele takes about 25 minutes.

Rome Map: Via Giulia Michelangelo's Arch to Vatican City St Peter's Square:

Campo de' Fiori to Piazza Navona
Exit Campo de'Fiori walking west on Via dei Cappellari for the longer route to Via del Governo Vecchio and Piazza Navona, 10 minutes.

Rome Map: Campo de' Fiori to Piazza Navona:

or exit Campo de’ Fiori north west side to Via di Pasquino for quicker route to Piazza Navona and Via del Governo Vecchio, 4 minutes walking by foot.

Rome Map: Campo de' Fiori to Via di Pasquino and Piazza Navona:

On Via del Governo Vecchio you’ll find caffes etc For dinner I would eat like a Roman with Romans going off Governo Vecchio north on Via del Corallo to Piazza Fico for dinner at Da Francesco trattoria. Another good one off Governo Vecchio north on Via di Parione is Cucina Romana Virginiae.

Either way you go from Campo de' Fiori to Piazza Navona, cross Vittorio Emanuele II, which to the west brings you to Vatican in 25 minutes by foot.

Rome Map: Largo Argentina to Vatican City, St. Peter's Square and Basilica:

From Piazza Fico and Via Corallo we stroll toward Via della Pace and Via Parione for a drink with the hipsters at Caffe della Pace, or continuing straight into the Piazza Navona on Via de Tor Millina

Rome Map: Piazza Fico and Via della Pace to Piazza Navona to Pantheon:

Exit Piazza Navona opposite side on Corsia Agonale – cross the main street there Rinasciemento, take left, then first right – Via del Salvatore – walk straight and then you are in for the treat of your life when you see the greatest of Roman buildings, Brunelleschi’s inspiration for Il Dumo in Firenze, the Pantheon at night.

Rome Map: Piazza Navona to Pantheon:

Pantheon to Largo Argentina
If you stand in square, looking at Pantheon, the street to the right of Pantheon, running parallel – follow that straight, crossing Vittorio Emanuele, you will find the starting point due south. (5 minutes)

Rome Map: Pantheon to Vittorio Emanuele, Largo Argentina, and Ghetto neighborhood:

To the left of Pantheon is Santa Maria Minerva, in front is Bernini-designed elephant with an Egyptian obelisk on top - Pulcino della Monerva, an ancient and baroque mix. The Latin inscription on the base, chosen by the pope who commissioned the sculpture to support the obelisk found on the site, Alexander VII, says "...a strong mind is needed to support a solid knowledge".

Pantheon to Spanish Steps
If you still have legs, go opposite direction toward Campo Marzo, then on to Piazza San Lorenzo, and on to Via dei Condotti (15 minutes). There a few good gelato shops along the route, plenty of nice boutiques and a real pleasant walk.

Rome Map: Pantheon to Campo Marzo and Piazza San Lorenzo:

When you get to Via Condotti, take right to Spanish Steps. Walk down Rome’s high fashion runway to Piazza Spagna. (7 minutes)

Rome Map: Campo Marzo and Pantheon to Piazza Spagna (Spanish Steps):

From Spanish Steps to the left is Piazza Popolo, where among other sites is a wonderful Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit

Rome Map: Piazza Spagna to Piazza Popolo:

Via Margutta, well known for its art galleries, very high end fashion and from the film Roman Holiday, is a very pretty street for a stroll on the way to Piazza Popolo from Piazza Spagna (4 minutes). You'll find art studios above galleries, boutique fashion stores, and modern Roman restaurants.

Rome Map: Via Margutta:

Great spot for lunch opposite direction from Spanish Steps is Settimio all’Arancio on Via Arancio. After lunch cross Tiber on Ponte Cavour, where you are 10 minutes from Castel Sant'Angelo and 20 minutes from Vatican.

From Spanish steps we walk toward Trevi Fountain (Fontana Trevi) by winding our way through the streets.

Rome Map: Piazza Spagna (Spanish Steps) to Trevi Fountain. (10 minutes

Exit Trevi on Via de Crociferi, or Via della Muratte if you like street markets, to the Via del Corso, taking right then left into Piazza Colonna –The Column of Marcus Aurelius, a Doric column with a spiral relief, built in honor of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and modeled on Trajan's Column. Built in 200, it still stands on its original site, the heart of Rome in front of Palazzo Chigi – one of our favorites. (5 minutes)

Rome Map: Trevi Fountain to Piazza Colonna - Heart of Rome:

Rome Map: Campo Marzo is west of Piazza Colonna (1 minute):

Piazza Colonna to Pantheon (5 minutes):

From there you can head toward Via di Sant’Ignazio – do go inside to see the “Dome”. (5 minutes)

Excellent restaurant in front of Sant’Ignazio. Between Piazza Colonna and Sant’Ignazio is Via di Pietra, with an ancient temple under restoration.

Vittoria Emanuele II and Via Arenula from Sant'Iganzio to complete the walking tour of Rome's centro storico, wind through Rome's medieval streets to Largo Argentina and the ancient ruins (15 minutes):

Rome Map-Centro Storico:

This walking circle around Rome's centro storico may be tightened and widened using similar pattern. Rome by foot is a great way to explore the ancient city's streets. You may spend days in Rome exploring it by winding and unwinding in a spiral fashion.

On New Years Day in Rome, the Romans are on parade walking down the closed Via del Corso eating fava beans for good luck the passeggiata really finds it meaning. And then each day of the year Romans give thanks and stay in shape by taking a Passeggiata each evening. Enjoy Rome by foot.

WebVisionItaly's walking maps of Rome below. WebVisionItaly's Google walking maps of Rome may be toggled so you that one map with all the highlights may be printed.

For more maps of Italy and video of Italy visit www.webvisionitaly.com, the only Internet TV network in English about Italy travel.

Ancient Rome in 3D on Google Earth

2008-11-13T19:18:00.003+01:00

Google Earth revives ancient Rome

The Colosseum is just one of many ancient buildings users can tour.

Google has added to its popular 3D map tool, Google Earth, offering millions of users the chance to visit a virtual ancient Rome.

Google Earth provides a reconstruction of the sprawling city - inhabited by more than one million people as long ago as 3 BC, under the reign of Augustus.

Users may zoom around the map to visit the Forum of Julius Caesar, stand in the centre of the Colosseum or swoop over the Basilica.

Researchers behind the project say it adds to five centuries of knowledge.

"This is another step in creating a virtual time machine," said Bernard Frischer of the University of Virginia, which worked with Google on the Roman reconstruction.

"The project is a continuation of five centuries of research by scholars, architects and artists since the Renaissance, who have attempted to restore the ruins of the ancient city with words, maps and images," he said.

Also involved was Past Perfect Productions, which reconstructs archaeological and historical sites through virtual reality.

Joel Myers, the firm's chief executive, said: "Cultural heritage, although based in the past, lives in the present, as it forms our identity.

"It is therefore our responsibility to ensure its conservation, to nourish it and make it accessible, with the objective of promoting global understanding. Ancient Rome in 3D is a major step towards this goal," he added.

Google's blog said that the Ancient Rome model contains more than 6,700 buildings, with more than 250 place marks linking to key sites in a variety of languages.

"Whether you are a student taking your first ancient history class, a historian who spends your life researching ancient civilisations, or just a history buff, access to this 3D model in Google Earth will help everyone learn more about ancient Rome," said Bruce Polderman, Google Earth 3D production manager.

Within ancient Rome there are some 200 buildings scholars know a lot about - classified as Class 1, which Google says have been rendered as faithfully as possible.

The 3D models are based on a physical model of the city called the Plastico di Roma Antica.

The model was created by archaeologists and model-makers between 1933 to 1974 and housed in a special gallery in Rome's Museum of Roman Civilization.

The new map was unveiled at an event in the Italian capital, and the modern day Mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, praised the project.

"It's an incredible opportunity to share the stunning greatness of ancient Rome, a perfect example of how the new technologies can be ideal allies of our history, archaeology and cultural identity," Mr Alemanno said.

To learn more about Italy, its culture, its people, the distinct regions, and modern day Italy visit WebVisionItaly.com, the only Internet television network about Italy.

Restaurant in Rome: A Plate Full of Coins

2008-10-21T17:41:00.006+02:00

At a restaurant in Rome when ready to pay the bill we were told no credit cards. Probably not true but we didn't press the issue.

We gave 50 euros and expected 13 euros in change.

What we received was a plate full of coins.

Of course we were cheated by more that 3 euros.

When called to task immediately two 5 euro biils and correct change appeared.

Be ever alert. Never accept a plate full of coins.

Rome Restaurant: "You can't get a bad meal in Italy" -- Oh yes you can in Rome

2008-10-21T15:13:00.003+02:00

The age of myths is over. There are so many tourists in Rome, every day of the year, that food is in huge demand. Many restaurants/trattorias/osterias because of locale are innundated with customers. The key is, they will not see these customers again.

So the tourist-diner gets sub-standard food at top price. The restaurants/trattorias/osterias that exploit their customers can stay in business in Rome a long time since their bad reputation, in the eyes of Romans, is irrelevant: they only serve bad meals to today's tourist.

So trust your own instinct -- walk in, look around, walk over to the antipasto table and look at today's products and concentrate your interest only on today's specials, don't be seduced by a menu of a 1,000 selections. Italian food, authentic Italian food, is of fresh produts, simply prepared, in a homey-neighborhood, friendly, unpretentios environment.

For good food and restaurants in Italy, visit the Food Channel of www.WebVisionItaly.com.

Rome Italy: The Last Supper

2008-10-17T00:04:00.007+02:00

Rome for us is like being at home.

We have lots of friends and family in Rome.

We always have a family reunion on Via della Pace at the Forno Giallo. 9 pizzas & 4 platters of fried stuff -- beer, wine, soda --- lots of laughs, fun, and stories.

My husband's mother's family was from Rome. Some stayed. Some went to the States.

After dinner we strolled by Pasquino to say hello. One hundred years ago my husband's family lived upstairs.

We then went down Via del Governo Vecchio, crossing to Via dei Cappelliari, stopping by one of our cousins homes just before Campo de' Fiori for an espresso and a look at family albums from Rome.

You'll meet our cousins Maurizo and Remo soon - they host the video tour we took Sunday of off-the-beaten path places to see in Rome. All video of Rome coming soon to Web Vision Italy.

We are off to Montalcino for a few days. We'll see Rome again next week.

Rome Italy: Gregorian Chant Benedectine Monasteries

2008-10-15T02:49:00.007+02:00

Benedictines are well-known today for the Gregorian chant, which is done daily about 05:40.

A liturgical chant existed in Rome before Saint Gregory in the 6th century.

But Saint Gregory the Great gave it new prominence. After Saint Gregory the Gregorian chant tradition continued to develop and be enriched right through the upheavals that brought an end to the Middle Ages.

The monasteries, especially those of the Benedictine Order, have done much to preserve the Gregorian Chant heritage.

The Order of Saint Benedict (Latin name: Ordo Sancti Benedicti) is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict.

Within the order, each individual community (which may be a monastery, a priory or abbey) maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests.

The monastery at Monte Cassino established in Italy by St. Benedict of Nursia (A.D.529) was the first of a dozen monasteries founded by him.

Even so, there is no evidence to suggest that he intended to found an order. To the contrary, the Rule of St Benedict presupposes the autonomy of each community.

Despite the absence of a Benedictine order, since most monasteries founded during the Middle Ages adopted the Rule of St Benedict, it became the standard for Western Monasticism.

The Benedictine monasteries went on to make considerable contributions not only to the monastic and the spiritual life of the West, but also to economics, education, and government, so that the years from 550 to 1150 may be called the "Benedictine centuries".

The largest number of Benedictines are Roman Catholics, but there are also Benedictines within the Anglican Communion and occasionally within other Christian denominations as well, for example, within the Lutheran Church.

While in Rome maybe you’ll find one here who’ll accept you:

http://www.osb.org/geog/search.asp

Buon Viaggio!

http://www.webvisionitaly.com/category.php?id=145&ref_genre=&ref_item=87

Rome Travel: A Walk Around the Block Rome

2008-10-14T22:06:00.009+02:00

Our block is Rome.

We walked from our apartment in Piazza Farnese through the open-air market at Campo de' Fiori, past Via del Governo Vecchio, with the young fashion designers, and past Piazza Navona and the Panthenon, down the Corso to Piazza del Popolo, where we had an appointment, naturally at a caffé in Rome.

Done with our business we zig zagged back to our apartment.

For more walking maps for Rome visit:

Rome Centro Storico: Rome Walking Tour Map: The Heart of Rome

First to Via dei Condotti, with stops at the stores with the most beautiful handbags, shoes, expensive silk ties, etc..

Then to Campo Marzio, passing bakeries, and the luscious caffés at the Piazza Lucina.

Then to the right past the Church of the Portuese, on Via dei Coronari, neighborhood of the antique dealers, then to Via dei Bianchi Vecchi, a crossover to Via Giuia, celebrating its 500th anniversary, and we arrived at our apartment a neighbor of the Michelangelo arch.

Tell us about your favorite block.

Rome Fashion and Style: Beauty Calls at La Vetrina

2008-10-13T00:39:00.007+02:00

We took yesterday to relax and take care of ourselves with the Italian touch. Beard trimmed and I had my hair done at La Vetrina

We also stopped by Campo De' Fiori to see the herb specialist who now thinks he's more important in USA than a president.

And of course always fun to go back to Nabiz to see the last styles and desgins.

Rome Italy: Doing it Twice a Day

2008-10-13T00:24:00.005+02:00

Rome Italy - Doing It twice a day...eating pasta that is...no guilt ..it's just so damn good. Of course the portions are reasonable and I am walking 6 or 7 hours a day.

Walking brings me to tomorrow's blog.

Rome hot spots: Art Cafè - SupperClub - Ice Club

2008-04-26T19:18:00.003+02:00

For anyone looking for a change of pace from sitting in the Roman piazza, sipping wine and people watching, as fantastic as it is, there is a multitude of destinations to enjoy in Rome.

If you're interested in going to one of the most popular and largest clubs Rome has to offer then head over to Art Cafè where you're sure to find the most attractive people in the city and the best dance music, located on Viale del Galoppatoio, number 33 just on the outskirts of the Borghese Gardens. A word to the wise though, make sure you're dressed to the nines otherwise you won't get past the door.

If you're not really in the dancing spirit but still want to do something out of the ordinary then always a good choice is SupperClub, Via de 'Nari 14, where you can dine and wine reclined on large white beds like a true Roman. What makes this club stand out from the rest is the mix of music from the DJ, the violinists and the massages the waitresses give.

Not comfortable with being touched by strangers? Then another great destination is the Ice Club, located on Via Madonna dei Monti 17. It's small and intimate and very cold... 28 degrees Fahrenheit to be exact. You enter the reception room where they outfit you with gloves and a metallic cape, then you go through a (lightly) pressurized chamber into the ice room. It's like being transported into a large igloo; the walls are ice, the bar, the tables, the benches and even the cups you drink out of are made from ice. The staff are friendly and they pour stiff drinks to keep you warm, and unlike other ice clubs around the world this one doesn't kick you out after 30 minutes, so feel free to stay as long as your body can handle it.

For more information on Rome, view Rome Now

Lazio, view Region of Rome

For all of Italy, view www.webvisionitaly.com .

Ciao!Alex

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays.

Italian Tourism has the best Rome Italy pre-cruise tours and Rome Italy post-cruise tours.

Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

If you'll be on a Rome cruise 2011 be sure to visit the Roman forum. Click for January Rome cruises 2011.

Travel Rome-TV Italy Telly Italy's Rome

2008-02-02T21:59:00.002+01:00

Travel Rome-TV Italy Telly Rome Italy video Rome. Rome the Eternal City St. Peter's Basilica Dome, The Wedding Cake, Church Spires and Architecture of Rome. Ancient Rome, the Roman forum and Palatine Hill, Italian Broadcasting Company and Web Vision Italy brings you the finest video of Rome, Italy. Italian Broadcasting Company Web Vision Italy is the first and only multimedia publisher about Italy in English. Travel to Italy tip s at the Italy Inside Blogspot, Rome travel tips by blog Rome Italy Blogspot, video of Rome on website www.WebVisionItaly.com

Rome TV Italy Telly Web Vision Italy Video of Rome

To plan your vacation to Rome click for Rome holidays.

Italian Tourism has the best Rome Italy pre-cruise tours and Rome Italy post-cruise tours.

Italian tourism also specializes in Italy cruise tours from Rome. For a Italy cruise from Rome click Rome cruise.

If you'll be on a Rome cruise 2011 be sure to visit the Roman forum. Click for January Rome cruises 2011.