The Great Beauty, More Show than Movie, Has Just Turned Into Rome’s Trendiest Tour
We’re not big fans of this movie nor of its director Sorrentino but we can’t help writing about it and see if and what effects it will have on our city. We saw this film in Autumn, before it started collecting international awards, and found it too ambitious and extreme. Hugely helped by Rome’s beauty, […]
March 2014: The Best events of the month in Rome
March is still a Carnival month this year. Tuesday the 4th marks the end of Carnival, with a follow-up on the 9th in Poggio Mirteto, near Rome. But March in Rome offers much more than that, here are our picks! MUSIC Let’s start with the music scene, particularly interesting this month. The British […]
Gulf Sheikhs Take Over Rome: Their Investment Map in the Eternal City
A 100million euro megastore is about to open in Rome very soon. It is property of Qatar…. FASHION It will be Valentino’s flagship store. Valentino, one of Rome’s top fashion houses, was bought by the Qatar Sovereign Fund in the summer of 2012. And the purchase of the 1,000 sq-meter shop – 2 floors, […]
No Public 2014 Carnival in Rome. Our Favorite Nearby Alternative Celebrations
The Rome city hall decided not to refund the carnival activities this year. Cuts in local government spending are weighing on the 2014 shows and celebrations and therefore this Carnival will only feature private parties and events. The crews who used liven up downtown Rome during the previous Carnivals went to Fano, in the Marche […]
Valentine’s Day in Rome: Our Tips For the Most Romantic Week-End of 2014!
Paris, Venice or Rome? Which is most romantic? Well, we let you choose, but if many of you pick Rome, we would like to help you finding the right things to do to impress your better half. For a historical review of why Rome has a lot to do with Valentine’s Day and who […]
February 2014 in Rome: Valentine’s Day, Six Nations, Carnival and Much More!
Being the coldest month of the year, we really hope that February will stop the never-ending rain to bring us snow! It may be hard to believe, but Rome in white is even more beautiful. 2014 has a late Carnival Season, and unfortunately will not feature any official city-wide celebrations this year [updated post […]
Rome River’s Embankment Walls Soon To Feature 90 Giant Reverse Graffiti!
Up to 9 meters high, 90 gigantic figures will temporarily decorate the Tiber’s walls this year. From Sisto bridge to Mazzini bridge, the downtown portion of Rome’s river, reverse graffiti will give a new face to this part of the city that is too often forgotten, excluding the summer months. Reverse graffiti “wash” figures […]
Tourism Up 5% last year in Rome on Religion, Culture. Good Outlook for 2014
The Christmas holidays have just finished but the tourism industry already calculated that the number of visitors in Rome rose by about 4%, compared with the same period last year. And for the whole of 2013 things went even better than that with a 5,3% increase (total: 12.6 mln annual visitors) from 2012 and longer […]
The Christmas Holidays End on January 6 in Rome with a Long Epiphany Week-End
January 6 traditionally marks the end of the Christmas holidays in Italy, and Rome is no exception. But this is also a festive day as we celebrate the Epiphany (Befana in Italian). Nowadays, this is no longer a very popular holiday but through the 1970s it was the most important of the Christmas feasts in […]
Celebrating NYE in Rome: Parties and Concerts to Greet the New Year
FREE STREET PARTIES The New Year’s Eve street free party on the backdrop of the Colosseum was a traditional downtown appointment in Rome. Due to the underground works, this huge event (tens of thousands of people usually show up) moves to Circus Maximus. Mostly Italian artists will be on stage. We particularly like Nina Zilli […]
Restaurant Calendar for Your 2013 Christmas Holidays in Rome
Some restaurants in Rome close for the Christmas holidays, including many of our favorite ones. They take advantage of the low season, since Romans have long, heavy meals with family from December 24 and many lunches and dinners with friends and colleagues the week before Christmas. Therefore, few locals eat out from December 24 to […]
Christmas Holidays Openings in Rome: Landmarks & Major Exhibits
Rome doesn’t shut down for Christmas nor during the holidays! During the Christmas holidays museums, archeological areas, monuments and exhibitions may have slightly different opening days and hours. But there is always something open in Rome! For instance, the 100 cribs exhibition is always open through January 6 from 9:30am to 8pm. Here is what […]
