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The Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel by Night | Unusual Top Quality Rome Tour

ItalyTravelista — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:46:41 +0000

The 2010 edition of The Vatican Museums by Night will continue on September and October 2010 every Friday from 7.00 pm to 11.00 pm. Book your Vatican by night tickets early to avoid disappointment!

The Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel with more than four million visitors every year, more than 7 kilometers of alleys and more than 1400 rooms to tour host one of the most incredible collections of art and masterpieces in the world enjoyed by independent travelers and families with kids alike. The Vatican Museums are among the greatest museums in the world displaying works from an immense collection going back to ancient Rome times built up over the last 5 centuries by the Holy See starting with Pope Julius II who founded the Vatican Museums in the 16th century.

Rome visitors every Friday night on September and October 2010 have this truly memorable opportunity to enjoy the 2010 edition of the Vatican afterhours tour of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel.

By touring the Vatican by night visitors are able to admire not only the breathtaking collections that include the Upper Galleries of the Vatican Museums (Candelabra, Tapestries and Maps), the Raphael rooms and the Sistine Chapel but will also have access to the Egyptian Museum, the memorable Pio-Clementino Museum and it’s Octagonal Courtyard home to some of the best Vatican’s classical statuary.

That’s just the beginning with more good news for October 2010 with the exceptional events «Che c’è di bello» that blend music, theater, cultural and art exhibitions. To attend these Vatican by night events tickets must be reserved in advance through the Vatican State official website or by contacting our VIP Vatican consultants that will be glad to design a one of a kind Vatican by night itinerary customized just for our guests in Rome.

These memorable artistic and cultural shows will start at around 8,30 PM and last for about an hour leaving then plenty of time to continue the tour of the Vatican and will be performed at some stunning Vatican venues such as the Terrazze della Pinacoteca, with its breathtaking views over the St. Peter’s Dome, the Gregorian Profane Museum, Raphael Loggia, the Cortile della Pigna (courtyard of the pine cone), part of the much older Cortile del Belvedere, and also in the so called Braccio Nuovo, a masterpiece of Rome neoclassical architecture.

Here below please find the detailed Vatican events scheduled for October 2010:

Friday October 1st «Arte della leggerezza e leggerezza nell’arte” with music by Barber, Grieg, Debussy and Milhaud (Terrazze della Pinacoteca)
Friday October 8th : « Spes mea cara. Omaggio a Maria» with Maestro Luca Salerno (Salone di Raffaello)
Friday October 15th «Australian Night» meetings with the aboriginal Australian culture and a show performed by Australians aborigines with an introduction by Nereda White (Terrazze della Pinacoteca enhanced by a visit to Missionary Ethnological Museum
Friday October 22nd Traditional Russian music conducted by the Moscow’s Cathedral Choir (Cortile della Pigna-Propilei enhanced by a visit to the Icons’ Room in The Vatican Pinacoteca museum)
Friday October 29th Il Bel Canto at the Museum with music from Verdi’s Il Trovatore

Would you like to tour the Vatican Museums with Nancy Aiello Tours? Please, contact Nancy Aiello Tours to learn more about our fun and comprehensive private guided Vatican City tour designed just for you and your party. Professional Italy tour planning company Nancy Aiello Tours provides private guided Vatican and Rome tours, Florence tours, Venice private excursions with English, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, French, German and Russian speaking qualified licensed Vatican touristic guides.

For your private guided tours of Italy contact Nancy Aiello Tours at info@nancyaiellotours.com

Ciao from Rome:-)

Nancy Aiello

ItalyTravelista.com

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Since 1997 Nancy Aiello Tours specializes in personalized private guided Vatican, Rome & Italy Tours for Leisure & Business Travelers including underground Rome and her hidden treasures.

New articles are published on our site weekly, sometimes daily. To keep up to date with our news, tips and current events, please sign up for ItalyTravelista free RSS feed.

If you are interested in publishing a version of this article please contact Nancy Aiello Tours.

Tour Italy at Your Own Pace with Nancy Aiello Tours

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Tags: after sunset vatican tour, evening vatican collections, rome tour for families, tour rome by night, vatican by night, Vatican City Tour, vatican museum tour

Tour Rome | Contemporary Art Museums and Events in Rome

ItalyTravelista — Thu, 27 May 2010 17:22:30 +0000

The end of May 2010 marks the beginning of a new era for the Eternal City projecting Rome into the world of avant-garde art and architecture. The cradle of Classicism and Baroque, revered for its past and wealth of art and architecture, Rome now looks toward to take her place among the capitals of contemporary art alongside New York, Paris and London with new contemporary museums and contemporary art events.

The first event is the long awaited opening of MAXXI, the National Museum of XXI Century Art designed by the Anglo-Iranian architect Zaha Hadid, which takes place on May 30 with the launch of the project “Space”, the first thematic display of collections of art (Alighiero Boetti, Anish Kapoor, William Kentridge, Sol Lewitt, Giuseppe Penone, Grazia Toderi, and Francesco Vezzoli among others) and architecture inspired by the fluid forms of Zaha Hadid as an interpretation of the museum’s interdisciplinary vocation. It took 11 years and 150 million euros to build the coiled, concrete 27,000 square meter structure dubbed “the silvery boa” that houses two museums, MAXXI Art and MAXXI Architecture, and provides areas for live performances. Here follow a photo gallery from the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. To enjoy ItalyTravelista’s MaXXI photo gallery visit my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125761&id=1518296367&l=4b0a747a19

Two other exceptional events taking place from May 27 to 30 will make of Rome the global capital of contemporary art, at least for a week.

Prior to the official opening of Macro Summer on June 1^stmodern art lovers on May 29 and 30 have the opportunity to tour the new wing of MACRO, Rome’s Museum of Contemporary Art, which will offer additional space with respect to the gallery housed in the old Peroni beer distillery. Beside enjoying the beautiful new wing designed by Odile Decq visitors will also be able to preview the exhibits in MACRO’s Via Reggio Emilia galleries. These include: “Aaron Young: Slippery When Wet”, “Jacob Hashimoto: Silence Still Governs Our Consciousness”, “Jorge Peris: Micro, Aureo, Adela”, “João Louro: My Dark Places”, “Oscar Savio: Architecture in Black and White” while works by three Italians, Gilberto Zorio, Luca trevisani and Alfredo Pirri, complete the line up.

The other event is the 3^rd edition of the international art fair and festival “Roma. The Road to Contemporary Art”. This four-day art fair, held in the pavilions of the former Testaccio slaughterhouse, will host around 70 international galleries offering a rich program of events, starred chef’s dinners, guided tours, meetings, conversations, presentations, artistic and musical performances, concerts, dj-sets, and video projections to animate daily the fair grounds at Macro Testaccio. Beside the Fair coordinates a set of events and exhibitions held around Rome. Cose Mai Viste (Things you have never seen), Accademia delle Accademie, Spirito, hosted in the Monumental complex of Santo Spirito in Sassia, Piazza d’Arte at the Casa dell’Architettura-Acquario Romano and the new program Academies Feast developed in cooperation with 9 among the most important international Academies and Cultural Institutes in Rome.

Despite nearly three thousand years of history Rome still has the strength to reinvent herself offering exciting new art venues and events amid the glories of antiquities.

MAXXI – National Museum of XXI Century Art
via Guido Reni, 4a
www.maxxi.parc.beniculturali.it

MACRO
Via Reggio Emilia, 54
www.macro.roma.museum

Roma. The road to contemporary art
MACRO Testaccio
Piazza Orazio Giustiniani, 4
www.romacontemporary.it

Would you like to share your Italy travel tips with us? Please write us your comment and we’ll be happy to post it!

Ciao from Rome:-)

Nancy Aiello

ItalyTravelista.com

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Since 1997 Nancy Aiello Tours specializes in personalized private guided Vatican, Rome & Italy Tours for Leisure & Business Travelers including exhibition and contemporary art guided tours led by qualified official Rome tour guides.

New articles are published on our site weekly, sometimes daily. To keep up to date with our news, tips and current events, please sign up for ItalyTravelista free RSS feed.
Tour Italy at Your Own Pace with Nancy Aiello Tours

If you are interested in publishing a version of this article please contact Nancy Aiello Tours.

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Tags: macro museum, maxxi museum, rome contemporary art, Rome Museums

Tour Italy Bomarzo Park 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go

ItalyTravelista — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:11:48 +0000

As the owner of an Italy based tour planning company I happen to read a lot of Italy travel books and Susan Van Allen’s Italy travel book “100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go” is an informative, fascinating, entertaining book, and certainly a must if you plan to visit Italy. I am glad Susan accepted to offer offer my fellow Italy lovers the opportunity to read her take on the most amazing park in Italy.

The Park of the Mosters in Bomarzo, Italy.

In 1564 when his wife died, Prince Vicino Orsini dedicated this place to her. He called it his Sacred Grove. In 1954, Giovanni Bettini found it abandoned, cleaned it up, and renamed it The Park of the Monsters—better for marketing. It’s actually a combo of the two names, which is what makes it so uniquely alluring. It’s set on a wooded hillside where you meander along gravel paths under sun-dappled light and then along the way, popping up in haphazard places, you come upon immense bizarre statues of mythological creatures.

There are about two dozen of these creations in all, most carved directly from the hill’s rocky outcroppings, which explains the unplanned arrangement. There’s a winged mermaid, a sleeping nymph, a sphinx, a colossal Ceres, a tortoise, a whole house that’s set up purposely tilted to astonish you. The most famous of all is a giant screaming monster’s head—so giant you can walk into its mouth, where you’ll find a tongue turned into a picnic table. The inscription carved into this sculpture sums up the park’s surreal atmosphere: All Reason Departs. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding what the heck Orsini was thinking when he created this place. Some look at the statues’ tortured faces and say it was his expression of grieving for his wife, Giulia Farnese. But Orsini began this project before she died.

Their marriage was a good one. He was a military officer, gone a lot while Giulia took over the small town Bomarzo reins. He, of course, had his share of other women, during the marriage and after she died. As far as he knew, Giulia was a perfect, faithful wife. Twenty years after the Sacred Grove was completed Orsini built a temple in her honor that’s the most logical structure in this whole place. The Sacred Grove seems to be more of an expression of Prince Orsini’s intriguing, artsy character. While everybody else in those High Renaissance days was building grand, structured gardens to flaunt their wealth, the Prince turned his back on all that, wanting to create something that was not at all pretentious. It’s not even attached to his castle, but farther down the hill.

Also he didn’t have the money to compete with the Farneses and the d’Estes, so instead of grandeur, he went for shock and awe. Wherever a stone jutted out of the hill, he’d have his workers sculpt it according to his whim. He was a creative type who wrote poems and surrounded himself with the literati. This was his place for contemplation and meditation. It was his dream world where he mixed images from classical Greek, Roman, and Asian times. Like every other prince who had a garden, Orsini had illustrious guests come to visit. But he was always glad when they left, preferring the pleasures of simple country life and his shepherd girls. While other Renaissance gardens were kept up by families over succeeding generations, his was forgotten. Only the locals knew of it, and believed it was a haunted place. In 1938, Salvador Dali, in the midst of a creative crisis, heard about the Sacred Grove, left Spain, and cut his way through a tangle of weeds to see this “sleeping garden.” He became so inspired he made a film that included it and painted The Temptation of Saint Anthony that featured an image of an elephant— clearly inspired by one of the park sculptures. Giovanni Bettini bought the park in 1954 and restored it back to life. A visit here is a relaxing, enchanting experience, where you enter into the mythological dream world of the Prince.

The Park of the Monsters > Daily 8-1 hour before sunset

Golden Day > Wander around the Sacred Grove. There’s a camp lodge-style snack bar there, where you can get a caffè and panino. Eat and stay a short drive north at agriturismo Castello di Santa Maria, a beautiful former convent surrounded by olive groves that serves up exquisite meals.

About the author > Susan Van Allen’s love for Italy stems from her maternal grandparents, who emigrated from Southern Italy. She was born in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up on the Jersey shore amidst wonderful food and drama. When she first stepped off the train into Roma Termini in 1976, she got hooked on Italian travel. Since then she’s explored the country up and down the boot–visiting relatives, immersing herself in the country’s masterpieces and culture, taking language and cooking classes, and going on boating, biking, and hiking adventures. When she’s not in Italy, she is based in Los Angeles, where she lives with her husband and makes scrumptious lasagnas.

Would you like to share your Italy travel tips and pictures with us? Please write us your comment and we’ll be happy to post it!

Ciao from Rome:-)

Nancy Aiello

ItalyTravelista.com

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Since 1997 Nancy Aiello Tours specializes in personalized private guided Vatican, Rome & Italy Tours for Leisure & Business Travelers including underground Rome and her hidden treasures.

New articles are published on our site weekly, sometimes daily. To keep up to date with our news, tips and current events, please sign up for ItalyTravelista free RSS feed.

If you are interested in publishing a version of this article please contact Nancy Aiello Tours.

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Tags: 100 places every woman should go in italy, bomarzo park, Italy, Nancy Aiello tours, susan van allen

Rome by Night | Walking Tour of Rome | Free Rome Tour

ItalyTravelista — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 15:28:53 +0000

Explore Rome, the Eternal City after dark! Rome lovers think Rome is most beautiful at night when its ancient Rome landmarks, St. Peter’s Square and Rome’s magnificent renaissance squares and baroque fountains designed by Bernini and Michelangelo are illuminated in all their glory! Beside it’s another thing to do in Rome for FREE! ItalyTravelista has three walking Rome tours to suggest where parents and children alike can enjoy the charme and elegance of Rome at night at their own pace!

Tour Ancient Rome by Night

Start off your illuminated Rome tour at Piazza Venezia Square to enjoy the Vittoriano Monument and ask your kids whether the huge white monument looks more like a “Wedding Cake” or a “Typewriter”! Then proceed along Via dei Fori Imperiali where on your left is Trajan’s Column and on your side the ancient Roman Forum. In the background rises the majestic Coliseum and to its right the Constantine’s Arch built in 315 AD. Turn right and take Via di San Gregorio until you reach Via dei Cerchi. Turn right and on your left you will see the Circus Maximus where the famous chariot races depicted in the Ben Hur movie took place while on your right rises the magnificent Imperial Rome palaces of the Palatine Hill. Walk the length of the Circus Maximus and turn right onto Via di San Gregorio. On your left stands the Arch of Janus built around 356 AD by Constantius II just next to the beautiful medieval Church of St. George al Velabro and further ahead on your right take a peek at the unusual circular 6th century Church of San Teodoro. Follow around until you reach Piazza della Consolazione. Take the stairs leading up to the Capitoline Hill but before you actually reach Michelangelo’s square stop for the most stunning view over the illuminated Roman Forum!

Tour Christian Rome by Night

Begin your pleasant walk at Piazza Farnese square to enjoy the Farnese Palace lit up and wonder about the great artists of the Renaissance like Michelangelo and Della Porta who worked on this magnificent Renaissance palace now home to the French Embassy. Walk through Campo dè Fiori square lined these days with bars and restaurants but where on Feb. 17, 1600 Giordano Bruno was burnt for heresy onto Piazza della Cancelleria to admire the beautiful Palazzo della Cancelleria, the first palazzo in Rome built from the ground up in the new Renaissance style, and then across the main street to Piazza Navona the most baroque square in Rome. Cross the Tiber river on the Ponte Sant’ Angelo and look at the marvelous Saint’ Angel’s Castle. The highlight and end of your night walking Rome tour will be the breathtaking view of the illuminated St. Peter’s Basilica.

Tour Renaissance and Baroque Rome by Night

Your enjoyable walk starts at the charming Piazza del Popolo square designed by Valadier in the 17th century reminiscent of Bernini’s plan for St. Peter’s Square. Pass the two baroque twin churches and stroll down the antique dealer street of Via del Babuino (the Baboon) for a few blocks and then take a left onto the fascinating Via Margutta, home to several artists including the famous Italian director Federico Fellini. At the end of Via Margutta you reach the Spanish Steps. From Via due Macelli go down Via del Tritone and follow signs on your left for the most beautiful baroque fountain in Rome: the Trevi Fountain.

When visiting Rome do tour Rome by night! Pretty much all of the major attractions that you see in Rome during the day are lit up at night. And yes, definitely worth seeing again, and again.

Ciao from Rome

Nancy Aiello

ItalyTravelista.com

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Since 1997 Nancy Aiello Tours specializes in private family oriented Rome and Vatican tours led by friendly and entertaining official Rome tour guides designed to satisfy the curiosity and attention spans of the whole family visiting Rome.

New articles are published on our site weekly, sometimes daily. To keep up to date with our news, tips and current events, please sign up for ItalyTravelista free RSS feed.

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Rome for children | Family Oriented Rome Tours | Kid friendly activities in Rome

ItalyTravelista — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 00:48:06 +0000

Summer is approaching fast and Rome, Italy is the ideal place for families with kids to spend their holidays. Rome’s rich archeological, artistic and cultural heritage are so remarkable that Rome’s historic centre has been listed by UNESCO as World Heritage site. Rome is a wonderful and very safe place to visit with kids, with lots of fun and informative family oriented activities bound to keep the troops entertained. What are the secrets behind a memorable Roman trip with children? Get every family member involved when planning your trip to Rome, keep your schedule loose as there are so many things to do in Rome, and to get the most out of your Roman Holiday when in Rome allow quality time at quality venues to enjoy Rome at your kid’s pace. Here is Italytravelista’s list of child friendly activities and sights to be visited in/around Rome that will keep the whole family happy and entertained without breaking the bank!

Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

When you look down at the Roman Forum from the terrace on the Capitoline Hill you see the center of the world and the world’s biggest and most ancient jungle-gym. Kids can hide behind the 2000 years old ruins, run on the grassy mounds near the temple of Julius Caesar and have fun at the Farnese Gardens, the first botanical garden in the world. Remind your kids that all the palaces in the world are named after the Palatine hill because the Emperors built here their Palatial houses.

Colosseum

In the Colosseum tell your kids the tales about gladiators and wild beasts. Manned elevators could bring up to 1,000 warriors at the same time or else hundreds of hungry lions…or both! Superb engineering went into the Coliseum. 50,000 spectators could be seated to enjoy the ugliest show of all: death to men and beasts. Tell your children the thumbs up or thumbs down that originated here as the Emperors decided freedom (up) or death (down) for the gladiators.

Gladiator School in Rome

Kids will love a day at the Gladiator School and learn how to become a Roman gladiator. During this two-hour lesson, a gladiator instructor teaches kids and adults how to fight with authentic weapons used by the gladiators of ancient Rome. Lessons are organized and led by members of the Historic Group of Rome who specialize in the re-enactment of Roman life and gladiatorial combat.

The Baths of Emperor Caracalla

The Baths of Caracalla were the largest thermae in the world when completed in 217AD whilst today is a huge playground largely neglected by the hordes of tourists where to enjoy a sunny day with the dramatic Roman ruins in the background. A short stroll from the Caracalla’s Baths leads to the very off the beaten path museum of the Walls of Rome. Located just inside the Porta San Sebastiano kids can march along the Aurelian Walls, just the way the ancient Roman Legionaries used to do.

Early Christian catacombs

There are 69 catacombs on the outskirts of Rome and thousand of tombs but only 5 of the catacombs are open to the public. These underground dark labyrinths are spooky enough to delight and perhaps even frighten most kids!

The Mouth of Truth (Bocca della verità)

Remember the scene with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in the film Roman Holiday? For fun show the kids the original lie detector which is located in the portico of the Basilica of Saint Mary in Cosmedin, one of my favorite medieval churches in Rome. According to a medieval legend if you put your hand into the mouth and tell a lie you’ll be bitten!

Church of the Immaculate Conception or Capuchin Kript

A spooky place which just might fascinate the older kids! The bones and skulls of thousands of Capuchin monks have been crafted into decorative tableaux. No photos allowed and small donation is appreciated by the friars.

Piazza Navona Square

The joyous curves of this sensuous square typify baroque Rome with masterpieces by both Bernini and Borromini. In 86 A.D. Emperor Domitian built a long U-shaped stadium here and since then Piazza Navona Square has served as a glorious outdoor theater. There is much street entertainment going on in this beautiful square including mimes, puppet shows,caricaturists and painters. A great spot for a tartufo ice cream gelato.

Saint Angel’s Castle

Castel Sant’Angelo is just like Rome, layer upon layer, building upon building. This is the most magnificent of all the Roman Imperial tombs that became a fortress in the Middle Ages, a Papal Castle in the Renaissance, and a museum today. Kids can visit the papal prison complete with winding dark scary corridors, secret passageways, real cannons and cannon balls. The view from atop the castle is terrific!

Janiculum Hill

Above Trastevere on the rim of the Janiculum Hill in front of the statue of Garibaldi, is one of best places to view Rome. Pony rides and merry-go-round are near. A puppet show in Italian runs every afternoon and donations are welcome. At noon sharp kids will be amused by the firing of a cannon just below this lofty square, a tradition dating back 100 years when it signaled lunch time for the workers.

Villa Borghese Gardens

Cardinal Scipione Borghese did for Rome what the Medicis had done for Florence. Villa Borghese was the show-place for this 17th C. artistic flowering. The cardinal invited Jacob More from Edinburgh to landscape this vast area. The English style park is 4 miles in circumference and contains statues, green trees, bike friendly itineraries and a small lake. After a tour of the Borghese Gallery these gardens are the perfect spot for a family picnic.

Rome’s playgrounds for young children

Rome offers various opportunities for a day out or nice break from ancient ruins and baroque churches. Villa Celimontana, right up the street from the Colosseum, Villa Ada, to the north of central Rome, and Villa Pamphili, the largest park in Rome not far from the Janiculum Hill, are the perfect spots to enjoy walking, biking or perhaps a soccer game with the local kids. Again perfect for picnics.

Rome day trips

Leave the Eternal City behind for a day on your family Roman holiday and visit Tivoli to enjoy Hadrian’s Villa and Villa d’ Este with its impressive concentration of fountains, nymphs, grottoes, plays of water, and music. Peek into Roman antiquities at ancient Rome’s port at Ostia or visit the hilltop town of Orvieto with its fabulous 14th century Roman Catholic cathedral and Etruscan underground passages.

“For a great selection of places to stay with discount prices visit Rome Hotels for more information.”

Would you like to share your Italy travel tips and pictures with us? Please write us your comments and we’ll be happy to post them!

Ciao from Rome:-)

Nancy Aiello

ItalyTravelista.com

Join ItalyTravelista on Twitter

New articles are published on our site weekly, sometimes daily. To keep up to date with our news, tips and current events, please sign up for ItalyTravelista free RSS feed.

If you are interested in publishing a version of this article please contact Nancy Aiello Tours.

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Art Exhibitions in Rome 2010 | Italy Art Lovers

ItalyTravelista — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:09:03 +0000

If you are planning to visit Rome in 2010 and love ancient Roman art, Caravaggio’s masterpieces or modern American artists allow some extra time between the Roman Colosseum and the Vatican Museums to enjoy these outstanding exhibitions. Herebelow find a (Non-Complete) List of what’s going on in Rome in 2010. For the complete listing prior to your trip to Italy come back to see ItalyTravelista updates.

CARAVAGGIO | February 20 > June 13, 2010

The Caravaggio’s exciting exhibition on view at the Scuderie del Quirinale (Quirinal Stables, also called Papal Stables) to mark the 400th anniversary of the Baroque master’s death when he was only 39 brings together for the first time from art galleries and museums across the world 24 paintings that have been definitely attributed to Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. For more details visit my previous Caravaggio’s post and make sure you book your tickets online to avoid disappointing long lines. This landmark exhibition is a must if you’re planning a trip to Rome.

EDWARD HOPPER | February 16 > June 13, 2010

Following on from a hugely successful showing in Milan, this exhibition on view at the Museo Fondazione Roma features the work of American artist Edward Hopper. Over 170 of Hopper’s rural and urban scenes of the 20th Century American life are on display in specially designed rooms that evoke the sights, sounds and feelings he so carefully portrayed. Among the masterpieces on show Self-Portrait 1925-1930, The Sheridan Theatre (1937), New York Interior (1921 circa), Seven A. M. (1948), South Carolina Morning (1955) together with Summer Interior (1909), Pennsylvania Coal Town (1947), Morning Sun (1952), Second Story Sunlight (1960), A Woman in the Sun (1961) and the stunning Girlie Show (1941).

ANCIENT ROME: The AGE of CONQUEST | March 13 > September 05, 2010

Until September 5th the Capitoline Museums set in the Michaelangelo’s Capitoline square host an amazing exhibition of ancient art dating from the 3rd C. to the 1st Century B.C., a time when Greek influence became predominant to involve the whole cultural world of the Roman Empire and the key to the future Roman artistic and cultural identity. The most avid collectors of Greek art were the Romans, who decorated their town houses and country villas with Greek sculptures and by the first century B.C. Rome was the center of Hellenistic art production, and numerous Greek artists came there to work. The show includes marbles, impressive sculptures and friezes, bronze and silver decorations and terracotta works brought together from major museums like the Copenhagen museum and the British Museum in London.

From COROT to MANET: The SYNPHONY of NATURE | March 05 > June 29, 2010

The Vittoriano Complex (A.K.A. the Typewriter or Wedding Cake) brings together over 170 paintings, drawings and early photographs never shown before in Italy with the aim of exploring the complex and changing relationship between 19th and early 20th century French artists, the French society of the day and the natural world they sought to capture on canvas.

MORGANTINA TREASURES | March 10 > May 23rd, 2010

Palazzo Massimo Museum, part of the National Museum of Rome, hosts until May 23rd the Morgantina silver horde that was looted from Sicily in 1996, smuggled out of Italy, and bought by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The silver treasure from Morgantina that have been on show at The Met until 2006 comes from the Greek colony of Morgantina in Sicily where it was buried in the year 212 B.C. when Morgantina was under siege by the Romans. The Palazzo Massimo Museum is beautifully lit, with English descriptions, hosting entire rooms of frescoes, statues that are among the most famous in the world, and beautiful mosaics from Hadrian’s and other villas: Palazzo Massimo alle terme is the right place to experience the grandeur of ancient Rome.

William Klein’s Rome | Until July 25th

In 1956 Federico Fellini invited photographer and film maker William Klein to Rome to work on his new film “Nights of Cabiria” introducing Klein to La Dolce Vita of Rome. The photos he took as he travelled the streets and clubs perfectly capture the magical atmosphere of the Eternal City in that legendary in that legendary “Dolce vita” era. Set aganist the backdrop of the recently restored Trajan’s Market this exhibition features 60 of these photos, recreating scenes of street demonstrations or fashion sets, Sunday outings to Ostia, or evening promenades through the Roman Forum.

Giorgio De Chirico | April 9 > July 11, 2010

The exhibition at Palazzo delle Esposizioni includes over 120 De Chirico’s paintings brought together from museums and private collections from all over the world. The artworks explore his vision of nature and divided into seven themes: Myths, Shadows, Rooms, Things, Open, Alive, and anti-Nature. A Must see exhibition for the Metaphysical Art lovers, one of the most significant and fertile cultural movements of the 20th century.

TAPESTRY: The Story of Joseph | April 29 > June 30, 2010

The Quirinal Palace, official residence of the President of the Italian Republic and one of the most beautiful palaces in Rome, hosts a free exhibition showcasing the 30 years restoration work on twenty precious tapestries commissioned by Cosimo dè Medici to two leading artists of the Florentine Renaissance, Jacopo da Pontormo and Agnolo Bronzino. The Old Testament tale of Joseph, one of the most influential rulers in Egypt was seen as a symbol for the powerful Medici dynasty. Closed on Mondays.

Other major exhibitions in Rome in 2010 include Leonardo da Vinci and The Genius of his Inventions until April 30th 2010, the opening of the MaXXi museum on May 30th, Piranesi until April 4th, and the Secret of the Marbles opening on December 16th 2000.

Would you like to share your Italy travel tips and pictures with us? Please write us your comments and we’ll be happy to post them!

Ciao from Rome:-)

Nancy Aiello

ItalyTravelista.com

Join ItalyTravelista on Twitter

Since 1997 Nancy Aiello Tours specializes in personalized private guided Vatican, Rome & Italy Tours for Leisure & Business Travelers including Rome exhibition, Rome, Italy and Vatican Museums private guided tours led by qualified official Rome tour guides.

New articles are published on our site weekly, sometimes daily. To keep up to date with our news, tips and current events, please sign up for ItalyTravelista free RSS feed.

If you are interested in publishing a version of this article please contact Nancy Aiello Tours.

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Caravaggio 2010 Rome Exhibition | The Dark Genius of Caravaggio

ItalyTravelista — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 19:05:27 +0000

Caravaggio Exbition in Rome

Opens today at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome an amazing Caravaggio exhibition to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of the great baroque artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, hailed by many as the father of modern painting.

The Caravaggio exhibition in Rome brings for the first time together from galleries and museums across the world only those masterpieces historically verified to be by Caravaggio. Thus visitors will enjoy one of Caravaggio earliest masterpieces “The Boy with a Basket of Fruit” (1593) alongside his famous “Bacchus” (c.1595) from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, and the lesser known still life “Basket of Fruit” (c.1599) which has never before traveled out of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan.

Among the 24 masterpieces art lovers visiting Rome will admire “David with the Head of Goliath” (c.1610) from the Borghese Gallery in Rome, the “Musicians” (1595) from the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the “Lute Player” (c.1596) from the Hermitage in St.Petersburg, “Amor Vincit Omnia” (1601-1602) from the Staatliche Museum in Berlin, and the newly discovered “Taking of Christ” (c.1602) from the National Gallery of Ireland. Unfortunately due to disagreements won’t be part of the show “Saint Catherine of Alexandria” from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid and the huge “The Burial of Saint Lucia” from the Santa Lucia Church in Siracusa.

Caravaggio exhibition at the Scuderie Papali del Quirinale is open every day with the following opening hours until June 13th 2010:

Monday to Thursday 9:30am to 8:00pm
Friday 9:30am to 10:30pm
Saturday 9:00am to 10:30pm
Sunday 9:00am to 8:00pm

Admission is allowed until one hour before closing time.

Caravaggio All Night Long

12-13 June: Caravaggio All Night Long

To mark the last weekend of the Caravaggio exhibition, the Scuderie del Quirinale will be open without a break from 9 am on Saturday morning to 10 pm on Sunday evening.

Reservations can be made for night time visits (from midnight on Saturday to 8 a.m. on Sunday morning). A single admission price of € 7.50 will apply.

Tickets cost Euro 10,00 and Caravaggio Card E.20,00

When in Rome if you are planning to enjoy more Caravaggio gems visit The Casino di Villa Boncompagni Ludovisi in Porta Pinciana to admire “Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto” the only mural ever done by Caravaggio, the Church of St. Louis of the French to admire the cycle of paintings in the Contarelli Chapel, painted by Caravaggio in 1599-1600 about the life of St. Matthew, and the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo to visit the Cerasi Chapel and admire the “Crucifixion of St. Peter” and “Conversion on the Way to Damascus”.

Tickets, Location & Info:

Scuderie del Quirinale

Would you like to share your Italy travel tips and pictures with us? Please write us your comment and we’ll be happy to post it! Buon Viaggio!

Ciao from Rome:-)

Nancy Aiello

ItalyTravelista.com

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Since 1997 Nancy Aiello Tours specializes in personalized private guided Vatican, Rome & Italy Tours for Leisure & Business Travelers including Caravaggio exhibition private guided tours led by qualified official Rome tour guides.

New articles are published on our site weekly, sometimes daily. To keep up to date with our news, tips and current events, please sign up for ItalyTravelista free RSS feed.

If you are interested in publishing a version of this article please contact Nancy Aiello Tours.

Rome off the beaten Path

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Barracco Museum in Rome | Rome Off the Beaten Path Attractions

ItalyTravelista — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:41:18 +0000

Ancient Rome Art Lovers | Barracco museum in Rome

Just off Camp de Fiori in the heart Rome an enchanting Renaissance palace designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger between 1516 and 1523 houses the little known Barracco Museum and its fine collection of priceless ancient sculptures.

The Museo Barracco located in the Farnesina Palace on the Street of the trunk makers features a prestigious collection of sculptures and art from ancient civilizations including Assyrian, Egyptian, Cypriot, Phoenician, Etruscan, Greek and Roman works, which Giovanni Barracco, a rich Italian nobleman, donated to the Municipality of Rome in 1904.

Portrait of a woman from Palmyra Third Century A.D.

The Barracco museum hosts over 400 artworks, all very attractive, and makes a great half day tour in Rome just off the beaten path right between Campo dè Fiori and Navona square! The Barracco Museum due to its size and location offers families with kids and teens an alternative to bigger museums in Rome while providing an excellent introduction to Egyptian, Greek and Roman art and history.

Greek works at the Barracco Museum in Rome | Rome museums

The course of the Rome museum visit begins with the Egyptian art, followed by the Mesopotamian, Cypriot and Etruscan art, ending with the Greek-Roman art, including Greek originals from the 5th Century BC, Roman remakes of Greek originals and Roman Art.

The Greek collection at the Barracco museum provides an in-depth overview of the great sculptor Polyclitus and his school. Roman art is represented by the head of a boy from the Julian family, an elegant example of private portraiture from the early imperial era (First Century AD).

Barracco Museum | Ephebus by Policleto

This historical journey through the evolution of ancient sculpture, which Baron Barracco called in one of his writings “the mother of all arts”, ends with a polychrome mosaic of the Church of Rome, the famous Ecclesia Romana, from the ancient Basilica of St. Peter in Rome.

Barracco Museum in Rome | Nero Child First Century A.D.

INFO:

Museo Barracco

Corso Vittorio Emanuele 166/A – 00186 Roma

Opening hours Tuesday-sunday 9.00am-7.00pm; 24th and 31st of December 9.00am-2.00pm (the ticket office closes an hour in advance)

Closed Monday, 1st January, 1st May and 25th December

What’s Nearby for Foodies:

Roscioli Restaurant & Deli | Via dei Giubbonari

Enoteca Corsi | Via del Gesu’ 87 | Tel. 066 790821

Forno di Campo de Fiori

Enoteca Cul de Sac

Casa Bleve

Would you like to share your Italy travel tips and pictures with us? Please write us your comment and I will be happy to post it! Buon Viaggio!

Ciao from Rome:-)

Nancy Aiello

ItalyTravelista.com

Join ItalyTravelista on Twitter

Since 1997 Nancy Aiello Tours specializes in personalized private guided Vatican, Rome & Italy Tours for Leisure & Business Travelers including Barracco Museum family friendly Rome tours.

New articles are published on our site weekly, sometimes daily. To keep up to date with our news, tips and current events, please sign up for ItalyTravelista free RSS feed.

If you are interested in publishing a version of this article please contact Nancy Aiello Tours.

Barracco Museum in Rome | Romana Ecclesia from the ancient Basilica of St. Peter

A short stroll from Campo dei Fiori Market: The Barracco museum an off the beaten track attraction in Rome.

Barracco Museum | Campo de Fiori Food Market

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Where to Stay in Rome | Bed and Breakfast Lodging near St. Peter | Italy Travel

ItalyTravelista — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:20:00 +0000

Bed & Breakfast in/around Saint Peter | Rome Travel

When visiting Rome why settle for a hotel room when you can experience the real hospitality of a home in Rome? From cheap to chic Rome offers a wide selection of bed & breakfast accommodations often preferred to hotels by the savvy Rome traveler not only for the quality and value offered but also for the opportunity of a cultural exchange with the host.

B&Bs located near the Vatican City and St. Peter are an ideal starting point to tour Rome and the Vatican treasures, explore Rome’s rich heritage and discover Rome traditional food.

Arches Bed & Breakfast |

Arches B&B is located in the Prati area a short walk from the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Square offering large rooms finely furnished at very reasonable rate. Two rooms (Blue/Green) have hardwood floors and overlook a vera nice veranda. Not all the rooms have en-suite bathrooms.

Arte & Studio Bed & Breakfast |

AeS B&B is located in one of the oldest areas around St. Peter’s Square but offers XXI century design and comfort from the elegant furniture and modern artworks to free wifi and TV Sat.

Excellent rates but closed February, October and November.

Best B&B Vatican |

Best Vatican B&B is conveniently located 50 meters from the Metro stop Ottaviano-San Pietro and a few minutes walk from the St. Peter’s Basilica. This small B&B, only 4 rooms, offers stylish accommodation in a very pleasant environment with all the tech amenities required by the twitter-era traveler including free Wi-Fi.

B&B Bibi & Romeo’s Home |

Bibi and Romeo used to run a very good restaurant in Rome but decided to take a new challenge and now own and operate this very nice Bed & Breakfast located just a short walk from the Vatican City offering 4 well decorated rooms all with en-suite bath and free internet access. Bibi and Romeo will let you feel at home in Rome with their hospitality and kindness.

B&B Nicolo III a San Pietro |

This newly renovated small B&B, 3 rooms all with private bath, located in a elegant street a stone’s throw from the Vatican is run with love and courtesy by Francesca and Stefano. Nicolò III is a very simple, cheerful and clean bed & breakfast where to relax after a long day visiting the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel.

The Pope’s Window B&B |

The Pope’s Windows is a new and charming bed and breakfast located in a early XX century building near the Vatican State. From its windows guests will enjoy a terrific view of St Peter’s colonnade and the window from where the Pope gives Sunday Blessing. In all rooms the ceilings are decorated with elegant and beautiful stuccoes and the floor retains the original tiles which together make up a mosaic embellished with beautiful patterns and colors. Only 3 rooms available.

Villino Cecilia B&B |

Bed and breakfast Villino Cecilia is a very nice 19th century villa located in a quiet and peaceful alley along the Vatican walls. Villino Cecilia offers 6 apartments tastefully furnished each one with its own kitchen ranging from 1 to 3 bedrooms designed to welcome from 2 to 10 guests. Lodging at Villino is probably the best choice for families and small groups visiting Rome. Villino Cecilia near the Vatican offers lots of specials and last minute offers. Don’t miss the lovely garden where to enjoy a romantic Rome dinner.

B&B Liberty Rome |

The B&B Liberty Rome is located in a beautiful Liberty building designed renowned Italian architect M. Piacentini. The 3 rooms have all comforts to make you feel at home and are very well decorated. Lots of charme and an attentive service make this small B&B, located in a busy commercial street a great place to spot the locals and live Rome’s everyday life like a Roman.

Bed and Breakfast Bio |

Looking for a bio B&B in Rome? B&B Bio is located in a residential area rich with greenery gardens and parks and has been recently renovated using only natural paints. B&B Bio is the first Rome’s B&B certified by the Italian Association for Celiach and of course serves organic food for breakfast on its lovely terrace. The 3 bedrooms with en suite baths are very elegant and comfortable.

Looking to visit St. Peter and the Vatican? Visit my post A day at the Vatican for tips and suggestions.

Would you like to share your Italy travel tips or pictures with us? Please write us your comment and we will be happy to post it!

Ciao from Rome:-)

Nancy Aiello

ItalyTravelista.com

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Since 1997 Nancy Aiello Tours is based in Rome and specializes in Tailor-Made Private Guided Vatican, Rome & Italy Tours for Leisure & Business Travelers.

New articles are published on our site weekly, sometimes daily. To keep up to date with our news, tips and current events, please sign up for ItalyTravelista free RSS feed.

If you are interested in publishing this article please contact Nancy Aiello Tours for consent and further info.

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Where to Stay in Rome | Convent and Monastery Accommodation in Rome | Travel to Italy

ItalyTravelista — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:59:02 +0000

Travel to Rome | Tour Rome with Nancy Aiello Tours

Convents and monasteries in Rome are blessed and restful alternatives to Rome’s hotels and B&Bs. These religious accommodations usually located in Rome’s historic center offer tight security, spic-and-span bathrooms, often some of the cheapest room rates in Rome plus a sense of spirituality and peace that more than reward for any inconvenience, making convents and monasteries in Rome an attractive budget alternative for lodging in the heart of Italy. Staying in a convent or a monastery offers Rome visitors the opportunity to experience an unusual Rome and make a Rome trip a memorable journey. Convents accept women, men and families with children, but make sure to check in advance if the convent enforces any night curfew.

Out of the 200 or so lodging and accommodations run by religious orders, monks and nuns in Rome this is ItalyTravelista list for a holy Roman holiday.

Casa Bonus Pastor | Vatican Area | No Curfew |

The Casa Bonus Pastor it’s owned by the Vatican but is in all respects a 3 star superior hotel located a short walk from St. Peter’s square. 88 well appointed rooms with only single beds available, a very nice garden and good Italian restaurant make this place an excellent choice to explore Rome and the Vatican without breaking the bank.

Casa di San Giuseppe | Trastevere Area | No Curfew |

The charming Casa San Giuseppe is located in the popular and very central Trastevere quarter, in the heart of historic Rome. It used to be a convent and after lengthy and careful renovations now offers very nice rooms, a spacious parking and free wi-fi at very reasonable rates.

Casa di Santa Francesca Romana | Trastevere Area | No Curfew |

The 600-year-old Casa di Santa Francesca Romana near the Ponte Rotto in Trastevere offers 37 clean and nice rooms in a quiet and stress free environment overlooking medieval buildings and the luscious garden where to enjoy breakfast in the warmer months.

Casa di Santa Brigida | Campo dè Fiori | No Curfew |

The fabulous Farnese Square hosts one of the most beautiful and expensive religious lodge available in Rome. The House of Saint Bridget, a splendid XV century building, houses people of all nationalities and creed but due to its antique furnitures, its lovely terrace and its rich library the 20 room convent could be mistaken for an up-market boutique hotel rather than a religious lodge. Be aware that Santa Brigida is not equipped for disabled guests.

Casa Suore Preziossimo Sangue | Vatican Area | Nightly Curfew |

The nuns of the Preziossimo sangue have recently renovated their convent offering 20 spotless rooms designed in a modern minimal chic style. Very clean rooms equipped with Internet connection, TV and A/C provide very good comfort a short distance from the Vatican. Guests can join the morning mass in the convent chapel but must be home by 11 PM in winter and by midnight in summer.

More Convents and Monasteries in Rome opening their doors to paying guests:

Monastero di Sant’ Antonio Abate | Aventine Hill | Nightly Curfew |

Via S.Sabina, 64

Tel. (011 39) 065745528

Rates: Double E.64

Suore Mantellate Serve di Maria | Navona Square Area | Nightly Curfew |

Via S. Giuseppe Calasanzio, 1
Tel. (011 39) 0668803344
E-mail: s.giulianafalconieri@virgilio.it

Rates: Double E.81

Casa di Accoglienza Santo Spirito | Vatican Area | Nightly Curfew |

Borgo S. Spirito, 41
Tel. (011 39) 066861076

Rates: Double E.81/Single E.35

Casa di Accoglienza Paolo VI | Vatican Area | Nightly Curfew |

Viale Vaticano, 92
Tel. (011 39) 0639091411

Rates: Double E.60/Single E.35

Villa Lante Istituto del Sacro Cuore | Trastevere Area | Nightly Curfew

Via San Francesco di Sales, 18

Tel. (011 39) 0668806032

Rates: Double E.80/Single E.50

To learn more about religious accommodations in Rome visit http://www.santasusanna.org/comingToRome/convents.html for advice and suggestions. To learn more about Rome visit Rome’s Tourism website.

To learn more about Rome hotels and B&Bs read Lee Marshall’s recommended hotels in Rome!

Ciao from Rome:-)

Nancy Aiello

ItalyTravelista.com

Twitter.com/ItalyTravelista

Since 1997 Nancy Aiello Tours specializes in Tailor-Made Private Guided Vatican, Rome & Italy Tours for Leisure & Business Travelers.

New articles are published on our site weekly, sometimes daily. To keep up to date with our news, tips and current events, please sign up for ItalyTravelista free RSS feed.

If you are interested in publishing this article please contact Nancy Aiello Tours for consent and further info.

St. Brigida Convent in Farnese Square | Nancy Aiello Tours Rome Travel

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