Roma Pass - A particularly good initiative

A good deal offered by Rome's council includes free entry to 2 museums, discounts to other ones and free access to public transportation.

If you search the web for feedback about the Roma Pass you’ll find it difficult to come across negative comments about the scheme. That’s because it offers…

• Free access to the first 2 of a network of over 40 monuments, museums and archaeological sites
• Discounts the other museums and sites you visit after that
• Free travel on Rome’s public transport
• A map of Rome
• Guides listing participating museums, sites, events and services where the pass will get you discounts
• A health assistance service

The pass costs €23 and is valid 3 days.

Plan ahead to make the most of it

As the first 2 places you will visit will be free it’s worth visiting the most pricey ones first. You can find a list of participating sites on the official site.

Also, as some places need reservation make sure you mention Roma Pass when you book.

More information about the Roma Pass

Check out www.romapass.it to get the full details of the scheme. Other contact details are:

Telelphone: +39 060608
Email: info@romapass.it

Stay 7 days or more and we'll pay for your airport pick-up

Not quite a stretch limo service but close enough!

We have been using the same company for a few years now. They are very professional and provide a great airport transfer service for a price comparable to the standard taxi – the yellow ones, that is.

Stay 7 days or more and get a free ride on us

That’s right, if you book an apartment with us we will pay for the airport pick-up.

A driver will meet you at the exit holding a sign with your name of it. He / she will direct you to the car — usually a Merc — and drive you to the apartment, helping you with your suitcases.

Looking for accommodation for the Champions League final in Rome?

Renting an apartment will give you value for money and flexibility, Man U to win the final.

When important sporting events are held in Rome things can get quite hectic, especially when football is concerned. The authorities put in place extra security measures and special plans are made for transportation.

Renting an apartment for the occasion would provide for a comfortable retreat from it all. If it’s a group of you travelling it will probably save you money too.

If you are in Rome but want to avoid the game like the plague, staying in an apartment will guarantee you don’t meet any soccer fans in a hotel.

Have a look on our site for apartments in the Spanish Steps area of Rome that is close to the Metro A line that takes you to the stadium. If you can’t find any on tihs site check out our sister site: City Apartments of Rome.

Whatever you reason to visit Rome don’t believe what scare-mongering journalists at The Times are saying. Rome is a safe city.

Barcellona – Manchester United 1 -2

Enough accommodation talk. Lets get serious.

Man U will beat Barca 2 -1. That’s what we think will be the final result will be. We’re sorry to disappoint our Spanish friends, but Manchester United will win it again. Ronaldo will score what will probably be his last goal for Man U.

What do you think will be the score on the 27 of May?

Photos of Rome that tell a story

Announcing a new category for our blog to showcase photos that celebrate the... mundane.

Inspiration for this has come from sites such as RomePhotoBlog and eternallycool.net as much as the stuff we see around us every day.

The idea is to showcase the beautiful and interesting things that can be found away from the famous landmarks: a celebration of the mundane.

We will feature our own photos, those of our contributors as well as anyone who wishes to share their work on this site. We’ll say a few words with every photo we publish just to give images some context beyond what can be seen.

Goes without saying that we will not publish the work of people without their consent — please don’t do the same.

Temptation lurks around every corner

This is the title of our first photo, that has been submitted by our friend and contributor Pablo Moreno.

Find us on Flickr

We’re publishing our photos on Flickr too.

Temptation lurks around every corner

Dolce & Gabbana & ... a Nun, in San Giovanni's metro station. From the Photos of Rome series.

It must have been 2002 or 2003 when I was going to the outdoor market in San Giovanni.

She did notice me taking a photo and didn’t look pleased. I got away before she realised what the other half of the image was.

Berlusconi fields hot candidates for June’s European elections

Why candidate old, fat, ugly politicians when the likes of Barbara Matera and Camilla Ferranti are keen to represent Italy in Europe?

However, Mr. Berlusconi’s wife (Veronica Lario – a former actress) wasn’t amused. She branded the whole thing as a ‘shameless’ election stunt.

This isn’t the case, absolutely. The truth is… two-fold:

1. Berlusconi has the “mental and sexual activity of a 50-year-old” and is “almost immortal”, as his doctor, Umberto Scapagnini, explained in 2004. Veronica is obviously jealous of this.
2. The candidates in question are, in fact, qualified for the job. Don’t let their background and appearance distract you from their great minds, judgement and… assets.

A fine selection of Euro candidates

• Barbera Matera – Miss Italy 2000 finalist, actress and TV presenter, now serious politician
• Camilla Ferranti – Dancer and TV personality, now serious politician
• Eleonora Gaggioli – Former actress, now serious politician
• Angela Sozio – Former Big Brother contestant, now serious politician

STOP PRESS! Eleonora Gaggioli, Camilla Ferranti and Angela Sozio did not make the cut. Perhaps they were not sexy enough.

Unfortunately based in Brussles

If they get elected, of course. So we can’t suggest visiting Rome to stalk out parliament for a furtive glimpse of them. Click on the images below instead and appreciate Italian politics at the highest level.

Visit ancient Rome 2.0 in 3D

Thanks to the Rome Reborn Project anyone can visit the Colosseum (virtually) and experience Rome as it was about 1,600 years ago under Emperor Constantine.

Rome Reborn is a project by the clever folk at the Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities at the University of Virginia. The purpose is well explained on their website:

Rome Reborn is an international initiative whose goal is the creation of 3D digital models illustrating the urban development of ancient Rome from the first settlement in the late Bronze Age (ca. 1000 B.C.) to the depopulation of the city in the early Middle Ages (ca. A.D. 550)

Visit ancient Rome version 2.0 on Google Earth

The model has been built on a Google Earth layer above the modern day version. It consists of 6,000 individual building and landmarks, many of which in high detail. You can also click on each monument to learn more about its history.

All this is available free but you have to download and install Google Earth on your PC. Here’s the link:

http://earth.google.com/rome/

Fly through the Colosseum

The Colosseum is a particularly good landmark to explore given its architecture and purpose. If you can’t make the Divus Vespasianus. Il bimillenario dei Flavi takes place, in part, in the Colosseum then a 3D fly-through is your second best option.

The video…

P.S. Don’t forget to visit Rome for real too!

A night at a museum in Rome

On 16 May museums in Rome will remain open until 1am.

We must thank the French for this, though. Merci.

This event was originally conceived by the French Minister of Culture and Communications back in 2005, the idea being to extend opening hours and organise special events to promote history, culture and what not.

For this fourth edition cities in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Belgium, Serbia, Denmark, Spain and Romania will do the same. But this is no Eurovision song contest. This is good!

Best of all, entrance to many museums is free.

Clever people plan ahead

Are you? For some museums, the good stuff, you will need to book ahead — so it’s best to plan. Have a look at http://en.museiincomuneroma.it, a website set up by Rome’s authorities about museums in Rome linking to… many other websites for each museum. Once you know what you want to book, go back to the Tickets and booking page.

Not to be confused with…

Shawn Levy’s rather poor 2006 feature film: Night at the Museum (2006). No crazy animals here. Just Italians.

Contact details

• Email: eventi@beniculturali.it
• Tel: +39 06 6723 2390 / 2851

Culture Week in Rome: save on tickets to museums, galleries and concerts

'Culture belongs to everyone: you too can participate'.

This is how the event is being promoted this year by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.

To make culture more accessible state-run sights are admission-free and ticket prices for private establishments have been reduced. Opening times have been extended too and whenever possible things are open on Mondays too.

Bear in mind that UNESCO has estimated that 40% of the world’s cultural heritage that’s been preserved lies in Italy. That’s a lot to see and it’s impossible for the state to keep everything open to the public throughout the year. Initiatives like this give people the opportunity to see things that are normally not accessible and for the organisations involved in restorations to show new developments to the public.

Private institutions are also involved in this initiative to promote access to associations, institutes, libraries, concerts and places that are not normally visited by tourists and locals.

Grab that last minute deal and experience a dose of culture

If you’ve got time off this week and fancy a good dose of culturewhy not find a last-minute deal for a flight and perhaps stay in one of our apartments? Our sister site – City Apartments of Rome – offers a last minute deals page that you may want to have a look at too.

Earthquake hits Italy

A powerful earthquake has hit the central part of Italy near L'Aquila, about 95 km from Rome.

The earthquake struck at 3:00am and up to 10,000 buildings have been damaged.

Sadly, reports say that 40 people have been reported to have lost their lives so far.

The earthquake shook Rome violently too but caused no damage. Many people walked out of their homes into the streets, fearing bigger shocks.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those who have suffered this terrible event.

You can read more about this on the BBC website.