Rome: Kings of Convenience Concert, 28 October 2009

“A friend is not a means you utilize to get somewhere”…not many people reading, or better, listening to this line can help singing along or whistling, recognizing one of the most popular songs of some years ago. Year was 2004 and the song was “Misread”, probably the best-known song written by the Kings of Convenience, a phlegmatic Norwegian duo that has become very popular thanks to the delicate melody of this song.

Five years after the publication of “Riot on an Empty Street”, the record that has made the Kings of Convenience famous, the duo coming from Bergen has finally released “Declaration of Dependence”, giving the lie to those who considered them expired after 5 years of apparent inactivity. In fact, after having devoted themselves to their parallel projects (Erlend moved to Berlin and founded the band The Whitest Boy Alive, while Eirik has given birth to the Kommode), Erlend and Eirik are back with the new album, which was preceded by the single “Mrs Cold”, but also with a tour that will take them to Italy too: two unmissable shows will take place in the capital city on the 28th of October and in Milan on the 29th. If you happen to be over there, you should leave your exclusive cheap B&B in Rome or Milan and enjoy the Norwegian duo live: with their quiet sounds and whispered songs they always succeed in creating an unmatchable atmosphere wherever they play.

It might sound strange that a Norwegian band has succeeded in keeping pace with their Anglophone colleagues, and it might be even more difficult to believe that a sweet and almost melancholic song (“Misread” again), written by two ephebic guys coming from the cold North has become a summer hit together with lively party-songs. However, although Anglophone countries, and England in particular, are in power as far as modern music is concerned, we should not forget that in years Norway has given birth to many famous bands belonging to many different music genres, which have become famous also outside Norway, from Black Metal bands, a genre which is very widespread in Scandinavian countries, to the famous band Motorpsycho, not forgetting Röyksopp’s electronic and chillout music.

Among the standard-bearers of Norwegian music in the world now there are also the Kings of Convenience, who have attracted the attention of critics and public in little more than 10 years. Their fans will certainly follow them on tour, perhaps planning a travel to Rome to enjoy their music in one of the most fascinating cities in the world. Besides the songs of the new album, the Kings of Convenience will probably play also the ones of the preceding records, like “Riot on an Empty Street” and “Quiet is the New Loud”, which was released in 2001 and is considered as one of the most representative records of the “new acoustic movement”. If you love this duo do not miss the chance to book 4 stars hotels in Rome and enjoy a magic show.


Tickets: various prices
Date: 28th October 2009
Location: Palalottomatica, Rome, Italy


This article was written by Francesca Tessarollo with support from online hotel booking engine. For any information, please visit cheap B&B accommodation or for travel information have a look to travel to Rome.

Rome: Progressive Nation, 27 October 2009

Progressive Nation, one of the most awaited events by those who have a passion for music, in particular for progressive metal, is coming to Italy!

Born of an idea by Mike Portnoy, the drummer of Dream Theater, one of the most representative progressive metal bands, who wanted to give birth to a music festival dedicated to the more progressive side of hard rock and metal, Progressive Nation is an event that gathers on the same stage Dream Theater and other important bands, who are not chosen because of their popularity or commercial success, but in virtue of their originality, uniqueness and musicianship. The first Progressive Nation tour has taken place in 2008 in various American cities, with the participation of bands like Opeth, Between the Buried and me and 3, while the second edition of the festival has taken place this year with a different line-up: besides Dream Theater, the large audience of the show has enjoyed the performances of Zappa plays Zappa, Scale the Summit and Bigelf. And to make also overseas fans happy, this year Progressive Nation will take place in Europe, too: the tour will kick off in Helsinki on the 23rd of September and end in Ljubljana on the 31st of October, with dates in many countries of the old continent: in Italy Progressive Nation will be held in 4 cities: Milan (26th of October), Rome (27th of October), Bologna (29th of October) and Conegliano (30th of October). If you are planning to travel to Rome or to another of these Italian cities, now you have one more reason to do that!

Besides Dream Theater, the protagonists of the European Progressive Nation will be Opeth, Bigelf, and Unexpected: all these bands are different from each other, although they have all be influenced by progressive metal. Book 3 stars hotels in Rome and grab the chance to enjoy the performance of Swedish Opeth, who play a music genre in which Scandinavian death metal meets progressive metal, progressive rock and even folk, jazz and blues. Also the Bigelf play a very peculiar kind of music, and also thanks to the intense interpretations of the singer their live performances are very special. Canadian Unexpected can be considered as a cauldron that gives space to everything, from various forms of metal (death, progressive, melodic…) to a number of other music genres, from ambient to medieval music.

However, the most awaited band, the band that will convince many fans from all over Italy to book a youth hostel in Rome, is certainly Dream Theater, who will play also the songs of their latest album, Black Blouds & Silver Linings: released this year in June , it debuted at #6 on Billboard's Top 200 album chart, the best result ever achieved by the band. None of their records, indeed, had succeeded in entering the top ten chart. Do not miss their concert: Dream Theater members are proficient musicians, and their concerts are famous also because they pay a lot of attention to the songs they play, in order to ensure a unique and unrepeatable concert every time.


Tickets: various prices
Date: 27th October 2009
Location: Palalottomatica, Rome, Italy


This article was written by Francesca Tessarollo with support from accommodation booking system. For any information, please visit 3 stars hotels in Rome or for travel information have a look to youth hostel.

Rome: International Film Festival, 15 – 23 October 2009

Also this year Rome is ready to welcome the great Italian and international cinema, with the fourth edition of the International Film Festival.

The International Rome Film Festival will take place from the 15th to the 23rd of October in various venues and cinemas all around Rome (the headquarters of the event will be, as usual, the Auditorium Parco della Musica), which will host the screening of over 130 films, documentaries and short films. Such a big offer will certainly satisfy the great number of cinema lovers that have purchased about 20,000 tickets after the first week of pre-sale, and that will probably book 2 stars hotels in Rome, a city that now can offer something more to its tourists. The secret of the success of the festival, which makes it differ from other film festivals, is to be found in the variety of its programme, which includes both cultured and popular films, both works realised by emerging artists and movies featuring great international stars. And the festival, indeed, does not attract only those who have a passion for the seventh art, but also those people that cannot be described as the regulars of film festivals, and who might decide to travel to Rome for reasons other than watching films.

The films projected during the Rome festival are traditionally divided in different categories: besides the official selection, which includes those films that compete for Marc’Aurelio Awards (best film, best actor, best actress, Silver Marc’Aurelio Grand Jury Award), very interesting is also the section “L’altro cinema – Extra”, this year including a retrospective dedicated to Meryl Streep, the great American actress that has delighted and touched us with her brilliant performances, and who will be awarded the Golden Marc'Aurelio Acting Award during the festival, and a retrospective dedicated to Luigi Zampa (do not miss the screening of the restored version of “La Romana”, Zampa’s 1954 film starring Gina Lollobrigida). The section “Alice nella città”, including 12 films dedicated to children and kids, can be seen as a little festival inside the festival, in which budding film lovers will not be passive spectators, on the contrary, they will play an active role, awarding prizes to the best works. Last but not least, the section “Occhio sul mondo” will give visitors, who usually choose discount accommodation, the possibility to deal with some important nowadays issues. This year the focus will be on environment, with particular attention on climate change.

To make the programme of the event even richer and more diversified, many special events will take place during the festival: from the concert of Avion Travel, who will pay homage to Nino Rota 30 years after his death, playing 14 pieces taken from the soundtracks of some great movies, to various exhibitions (including one exhibition dedicated to Sergio Leone, one dedicated to Antonio Ligabue, and the exhibition “Cape Farewell: Art and Climate Change”), to a number of debates and workshops dealing with important themes about the world of cinema.


Tickets: various prices
Date: 15th – 23rd October 2009
Location: Rome, Italy


This article was written by Francesca Tessarollo with support from hotel reservation systems. For any information, please visit Travel to Rome or for travel information have a look to discount accommodation.

Rome: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Party & Show, 14 – 18 October 2009

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Party & Show, the greatest show in the world, finally comes to Italy!

From the 14th to the 18th of October Rome will host the first dates of the European tour of one of the most thrilling shows in the world, an event that mixes circus with interactivity, and that is characterised by the perfect match between tradition and innovation. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Party & Show is ready to leave the United States and to arrive in the Old Continent (the show will take place not only in Italy – Rome and Milan – but also in Spain, Germany and Portugal), to delight also the children – and adults, too – of this part of the world with an amusing, unique, breath-taking show. One more reason to make cheap hotel reservations in Rome and spend some days in the eternal city, which is not hosting the first date of the European tour by accident: it was in Rome, indeed, that Feld Entertainment signed the contract to purchase the Ringling-Barnum & Bailey Circus, in 1967, and do not forget that Rome is home to the Coliseum, which is somehow considered as the first great circus of history.

However, the history of this new touring show begins long before 1967, at the end of the 19th century, with the fusion of the two entertainment companies led by James Anthony Bailey and P.T. Barnum, a fusion that soon achieved a great success. In 1907 the Barnum & Bailey Circus was purchased by the Ringling Bros., but it went on organising its shows independently until 1919, when it merged with the Ringling Bros. Circus. Since 1919 the circus, which has hosted also many well-known people (Buffalo Bill, just to make an example), has achieved a great success and has become famous all over the world, and is now ready to make its debut in Italy with the “Circus & Party Show”, a show that has already been seen by 1,200,000 people in just two years (it was held for the first time in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2007), and which will certainly be sold out also in Italy (book now a discount guest house in Rome, to be sure not to miss the event).

The main feature of this new show is the fusion of typical circus performances, which keep fascinating both children and adults, with new ingredients, which make the show keep pace with the times: besides clowns, stilt walkers, trapeze artists and exotic animals, the tourists who will travel to Rome will enjoy the performances of a daredevil cyclist and sensational motorcyclists. And this is not all: as the title of the event suggests, the event is not only a “show”, but also a real “party” for the audience: if you arrive half an hour before, you will have the possibility to live a real circus experience, wearing circus costumes and discovering the secrets of circus artists.


Tickets: various prices
Date: 14th – 18th October 2009
Location: Palalottomatica, Rome, Italy


This article was written by Francesca Tessarollo with support from online hotel reservation system. For any information, please visit discount guest house in Rome or for travel information have a look to travel to Rome.

Rome: Organic Fair, 15 – 18 October 2009

From the 15th to the 18th of October Rome will host the 4th edition of Biofiera (Organic Fair), a big event entirely dedicated to organic products.

Organic farming, green building, biotextiles, bioconstruction, biocosmetics and bioenergy are certainly expanding fields, which should be more and more supported to give us and future generations a cleaner world, sustainable development and a healthier lifestyle. The Organic Fair that has taken place in Rome, Parco della Resistenza, since 2006, is a big chance for all those who want to learn something more about all the features of this fields, and who would like to know how to improve their life starting from small things, like food and self care. And there is no better place than Italy’s capital city to get in touch with the “bio” world: Italy, indeed, is the leading country in Europe as far as bio-production is concerned (over 1/3 of bio-firms in Europe are Italian), while in the world chart it is at the 3rd place, preceded only by Australia and Argentina; moreover Latium is the Italian region with the highest consumption of organic products. If you book a 4 stars hotel in Rome from the 15th to the 18th of October you will have the chance not only to visit the wonderful monuments and buildings of the city, but also to discover the good products which contribute in making Italy famous all over the world, and to understand that it is possible, through simple devices, to improve our life.

Like every year, the tourists who travel to Rome will have the possibility to visit a number of stalls or to have a break in the refreshment areas, which are all dedicated to organic products, and to enjoy high-quality, and above all healthy, food and wine. One of the aim of the fair, indeed, is promoting, since childhood, a healthy lifestyle, which cannot exist without a balanced diet. Not only food, though: the fair will deal with many other fields, and if you rent holiday apartments in Rome and visit the fair you will have the possibility to take part in debates and meetings and to visit exhibitory spaces dedicated to green building (which uses natural materials and eliminates indoor sources of pollution) and to bioconstruction (buildings compatible with the environment in which they rise). Particularly interesting are also the spaces dedicated to biotextiles and biocosmetics (body care and beauty products realised only with natural ingredients), which attract above all women, but not only them. Last but not least, do not miss the stalls dedicated to organic farms, which follow the rules of organic farming, and to bioenergy (energy from organic material).

The fair is meant as an informative space, but it will also feature many entertaining and amusing events, some of them dedicated to children, too: with games, educational workshops and shows, the fair will turn into a huge party which will give children the possibility to discover the organic world and have fun at once.


Tickets: free event
Date: 15 – 18 October 2009
Location: Parco della Resistenza, Rome, Italy



This article was written by Francesca Tessarollo with support from free booking software. For any information, please visit 4 stars hotels in Rome or for travel information have a look to Holiday apartments in Rome.

Rome: Tori Amos concert, 30 September 2009

In the 90s Tori Amos was one of the most appreciated rock songwriters by both critics and the public. Succeeding in selling millions of copies all over the world, her records marked an epoch and have made Tori Amos go down in rock’s history.

Some might say that the success of Tori Amos, of her music, of her voice which can whisper and make harrowing high notes at once, of her personal style in playing the piano, is fading if compared to the past, but this does not mean that the goddess of rock, as her more affectionate fans like to call her, has stopped, or that her original artistic talent has run out: an evidence of this is given by the recent publication of the latest album of the American songwriter and pianist, Abnormally attracted to Sin. The artist will present her latest work to Italian fans on the 30 of September in the capital city and on the 1st of October in Milan, and cheap B&B accommodation in Rome will certainly be fully booked. Abnormally attracted to Sin is the 10th album in an almost twenty-year career: her first work, Little Earthquakes, was published in 1992, and with this album Tori succeeded in catching the attention of both critics and music lovers and selling 5 millions records all over the world. The piano, that the artist plays since she was a child, is one of the main features of the record, and soon it becomes a protagonist also of the live performances of the artist, who plays it with a unique transport.

After the success achieved with the first album, in 1994 Tori releases her second work, which is still considered as her masterpiece, Under the Pink. Also thanks to a great, strange, original and enthralling song like Cornflake Girl, it sells 8 millions copies all over the world, making Tori one of the most important prophetesses of rock in the 90s. Also Boys for Pele and From the Choirgirl Hotel, published respectively in 1996 an 1998, achieve a good success, and they are an evidence of Tori’s desire to keep experimenting with music and with her unmistakable voice. And the experimentation goes on also with To Venus and back, an album that does not sell as much as the previous ones, and which closes the golden decade of Tori Amos.

The new millennium starts with Strange Little Girls, released in 2001, an ambitious album containing covers of songs of famous artists, and which does not achieve the desired success, marking also the end of the collaboration with Atlantic. Then Tori publishes Scarlet’s Walk in 2002, The Beekeeper three years later and American Doll Posse in 2007. The songs of the latest album, Abnormally Attracted to Sin, that the artist’s fan will have the possibility to listen to booking 3 stars hotels in Rome and attending her concert on the 30th of September, are characterised by her desire to explore new themes, while her voice has kept her unchanged charm. The concert in Rome (it is almost sold out, book now your ticket and travel to Rome) is only one of the dates of the long tour that will take Tori to America, Europe and Australia, an evidence of the fact that, even 20 years after her debut, and after few albums that were not very successful, Tori Amos is still one of the best representatives of good rock.


Tickets: various prices
Date: 30th September 2009
Location: Auditorium Parco della Musica, Rome, Italy

This article was written by Francesca Tessarollo with support from online booking engine. For any information, please visit cheap B&B accommodation or for travel information have a look to travel to Rome.

Rome: The most beautiful 24 Hours in the world, 25 – 27 September 2009

Many 24 Hours mountain bike races take place all over the world, but if one of these is hosted in a wonderful city like Rome, its name cannot but be “The most beautiful 24 Hours in the world”!

The most beautiful 24 Hours in the world is a mountain bike relay that has taken place in the eternal city since 2006, and which is now become an unmissable event not only for the cyclists that want to compete against other sportspeople coming from all over Italy and from abroad too, but also for all those who take advantage of the race to travel to Rome and enjoy, while riding their bike, the view of some of the most beautiful sights of a city that always succeeds in taking your breath away. The course includes some of the most interesting landmarks of Italy’s capital city, like the baths of Caracalla, Appia Antica and the Circus Maximus, and for this reason this mountain bike relay can be considered as a unique event.

However, this bicycle race is considered as an unmissable event not only for the charm that the eternal city has, but also for the festive atmosphere that characterises the event, and that turns it into a good chance to have fun, eating something tasty or listening to live music. The 24 hours of Rome, indeed, is a very diversified happening: a sport, fun, music and gastronomic event at once, ant it is probably for this reason that many tourists decide to book 2 stars hotels in Rome just in the days when the race takes place (this year from the 25th to the 27th of September). Fun is guaranteed starting from the 25th, when the village and the refreshments stalls will be open. On the 25th also the “Bicycle Ride through History” will take place (this is a tour on the streets of Rome under the fascinating evening light) and the day will end with the toga party, the best way to get ready to the race having fun. During the evening the election of Miss Rome 24 Hours will take place too.

The 24 Hours race begins on Saturday, the 26th of September at noon and ends on the 27th of September at the same time. The prize-giving ceremony will be held at 2 p.m.: the 24 Hours Trophy will be awarded to the first classified team, no matter its category (in the race various team categories can take part: teams with only one participant or with 2 to 12 members), but prizes will be awarded also to the three first classified teams of each category, as well as to the team with the most fanny outfit, to the one that has set the most original camp, to the eldest, the youngest and the heaviest participant, and to the cyclist that comes from furthest. To sum up, everyone in a way or another, and using their sport ability or their imagination, will have the possibility to compete for a prize, and this is an evidence of the fact that the 24 Hours of Rome is not only a sports competition, but also an amusing event. Book now a youth hostel in Rome!


Date: 25 – 27 September 2009
Location: Parco degli Acquedotti, Rome, Italy



This article was written by Francesca Tessarollo with support from hotel booking engine. For any information, please visit 2 stars hotels in Rome or for travel information have a look to youth hostel.

Rome: ¡Flamenco!, 10 – 20 September 2009

If you have a passion for flamenco, or if you simply would like to learn more about this traditional Spanish form of art, do not miss ¡Flamenco!, in Rome from the 10th to the 20th of September.

The third edition of ¡Flamenco!, an appreciated festival that the eternal city dedicates to one of the most famous Spanish forms of art, will be a good chance for all those who will travel to Rome and at the same time will take a journey to another land and into another culture. During the festival the Auditorium Parco della Musica and other venues in the city will be enlivened by the performances of some important flamenco artists that will turn Italy’s capital city into a Spanish oasis.

Thanks to this festival flamenco, an important heritage of Andalusia and of Spain in general, which has been exported all over the world, will be protagonist also in Italy, giving all the tourists who will take advantage of cheap hotel reservations in Rome the possibility to see with their own eyes and listen with their own ears to this beautiful music and dance. Although many people may think that flamenco is only a type of dance, we should not forget that it is divided into three categories: el cante (traditional singing), el toque (typical music played with guitar accompanied by hands and feet beat), and el baile (dance). El cante, el toque and el baile will all be protagonists of this festival, which is meant to introduce all forms of flamenco in an exhaustive way and through the performances of first-level artists.

The festival will open with el cante, in particular with the performance of Esperanza Fernández, an important flamenco singer who is very appreciated for her deep knowledge of traditional flamenco but also for her capacity to deal with different music genres. In Rome she will offer wonderful interpretations of flamenco classics. Also you cannot miss the concert of Diego el Cigala, who will delight the Roman audience with his latest project, after the great success achieved by “Lagrimas Negras” in 2004. If you want to know something more about el toque, enjoy the concert of saxophonist Perico Sambeat and his ensemble, who will play an original mix of flamenco and jazz.

And if you have a passion for dance, you definitely have to book discount accommodation on the 12th of September and attend the show “De entre la luna y los hombres” with Fuensanta La Moneta, an artist that in spite of her young age has already performed in various festivals and theatres all over the world. The artist will also help all those who would like to try to dance flamenco: as has happened in the past editions, also this year the programme of the festival includes some lessons with two great teachers: Fuensanta La Moneta and Isabel Bayón, a dancer from Seville who is considered as one of the best interpreters of gypsy art. Both dancers will give two lessons, one for beginners and one for advanced dancers, to give all flamenco and dance lovers the possibility to personally experience this fascinating form of art.


Tickets: various prices
Date: 10th – 20th September 2009
Location: Rome, Italy


This article was written by Francesca Tessarollo with support from online booking system. For any information, please visit cheap hotel reservations in Rome or for travel information have a look to discount accommodation.

Rome: Festa d’Africa (Africa festival), 8 – 15 September 2009

Many features of African art and culture are not well-known all around the world, and when we think about the black continent our mind goes to its wonderful, exotic landscapes, to its rhythms and to its colours. However, contemporary African art and culture are definitely worth being known and supported, both for their aesthetic value and because they give us the possibility to discover another point of view and a different world view.

One of the best ways to discover African culture is taking part in “Festa d’Africa” (Africa Festival), an event that will take place in Civitavecchia, Ladispoli, Sacrofano and Rome from the 21st of August to the 15th of September 2009. The 8th edition of the festival will end in the eternal city: travel to Rome from the 8th to the 15th of September and learn something more about African theatre, dance, art and music. The festival, which always attracts a number of visitors in 4 stars hotels in Rome, is meant to help the dialogue between different peoples and cultures and to make people learn something more about what is different from themselves, because only knowledge can destroy barriers and incomprehension. No wonder that the keyword of the event is dialogue: it is only through dialogue that we can listen to and understand other points of view, and dialogue implies being willing to respect and to accept different opinions. The word dialogue is meant as dialogue between different forms of art, dialogue through art and dialogue as an instrument to build peaceful relations between peoples. All forms of art are powerful means of expression and communication, which can be used to deal with problems of vital importance.

Festa d’Africa is not only meant as a festival of African art and culture, but also as an important chance to make people know some of the most urgent issues of the black continent: just to make an example, the festival will host the screenings of the movie “Mooladè” and of the docu-fiction “Vite in cammino”, which deal with the serious problem of female genital mutilation.

The programme of the festival includes dance and theatre shows, screenings of films and documentaries, performances of singers and bands, but also debates and discussions, in order to go deeply into all the features of African culture. On the 8th of September there will be a debate on the importance of music in African society: in Africa music is not only entertainment, it is also a powerful tool to criticize the society and to give advice to the community, and it is in some way considered as people's consciousness. The festival will host other interesting debates on African dance (“Dogon: the water dance”) and cinema, in particular on Nigerian film industry, the so-called “Nollywood”, which is now considered as the second more productive film industry in the world.

Other unmissable events are the dance performance of Vincent Mantsoe, whose Afro-fusion style combines African dance and other forms of contemporary dances, Macire Sylla’s concert and the theatre show “Un homme ordinaire pour quatre femmes particulières” by Slimane Benaisse. Book now a discount guest house in Rome!


Tickets: various prices
Date: 8th – 15th September 2009
Location: Rome, Italy

This article was written by Francesca Tessarollo with support from hotel reservation system. For any information, please visit discount guest house in Rome or for travel information have a look to Travel to Rome.

Rome: Lively nights on the terraces of Castel Sant'Angelo, 1 July – 30 August 2009

Castel Sant’Angelo is one of the best-known and most representative monuments in Rome, and it has accompanied the history of the city for centuries, turning into a funerary monument, a prison, a fortified outpost, a Renaissance residence and a museum.

Nowadays Castel Sant’Angelo is an unmissable sight for all tourists who travel to Rome, above all in summer, when the wonderful location where it arises hosts one of the most appreciated summer events in Rome: “Lively nights on the terraces of Castel Sant’Angelo”. The event, which is held for two months in summer (this year it will take place from the 1st of July to the 30th of August) is a cauldron of different interesting happenings, which includes live music, cabaret, magic shows, children entertainment, exhibitions, fairs and much more. A series of events that convinces Romans to leave their houses and tourists their 3 stars hotels in Rome every night, to immerse themselves in a cheerful atmosphere and in a wonderful location.

Every night there will be live music, and the main role will be played by ethnic and folk music of all kinds, from Celtic to Balkan sounds, from the tradition of South Italy to that of central Europe and that of Roman dialect. Do not miss, in particular, the concert of Barbara Eramo, an Apulian but Roman of adoption singer, that of the Irish Street Band, which will focus on Celtic music and traditional Irish rhythms, and the performance of Ritmia, a band that will make you take a real music journey through the different music and folkloristic traditions of Italian regions.

And if you wish to have fun you can attend a show of comic theatre: many artists and comedians will perform various kinds of gags, ranging from cabaret to surreal entertainment to nonsense. Many happenings, moreover, have been specially organised for children, but they will certainly attract adults too. Clowns, jugglers, stilt walkers, magicians and buskers will most probably catch the attention of both children and their parents, who will jump into a magic and fantastic world.

Between a show and the other you will also have the possibility to visit an exhibition of Roman handicraft, a unique chance to discover local handicrafts, from leather to ceramics, from glass to jewellery, not forgetting high-quality food and wine. Moreover a large fair will give you the opportunity to visit various stalls of vintage clothes and other items, antiques, jewels, art and much more: renting holiday apartments in Rome and taking part in the event you will have the possibility to buy unique products and items.

If you are not interested either in live music or in comic and magic shows or in exhibition and fairs, note that “Lively nights on the terraces of Castel Sant’Angelo” is worth visiting also because in this period visitors will have access to some spaces that are not usually accessible at night: you will have the opportunity to visit Sala Paolina, the prisons, the armoury and Passetto di Borgo and enjoy a particularly fascinating light and atmosphere.


Tickets: 10 euro, reduced 8 euro
Date: 1st July – 30th August 2009
Location: Castel Sant’Angelo, Rome, Italy


This article was written by Francesca Tessarollo with support from Holiday apartments in Rome. For any information, please visit online reservation system or for travel information have a look to Travel to Rome.

Rome: Etruscomix, Etruria in comics, 30 June – 25 October 2009

Creating comics is a real form of art, although it is too often considered as a bare entertainment for kids. In fact comics are powerful means of communication and tools to express one’s creativity and imagination.

Comics are even more than this: they are effective narrative tools that using images and words (sometimes only images) can communicate with the reader more than any other means of communication. An evidence of the narrative power of comics is given not only by the literary value of many graphic novels, but also by their being used to tell historical events and as reworking of literature classics. Comics have showed to be on the same level of other forms of art and literature, succeeding in standing comparison with them, even giving them something more. The exhibition “Etruscomix, Etruria in comics”, which will take place in Rome from the 30th of June to the 25th of October, shows that comics can be compared to and inspired from a field that is seemingly very different from them: archaeology.

The exhibition, which is meant to make people discover the Etruscan civilization, a civilization that has left many important traces in the Italian areas where it developed, is born of an original, though not new, idea: six Italian comic-strip writers have been selected (Francesco Cattani, Marino Neri, Paolo Parisi, Michele Petrucci, Alessandro Rak, Claudio Stassi) and immersed for few days in places that have been described as “Auteur residence”: the National Etruscan Museum Villa Giulia in Rome, the Necropolis della Banditaccia in Cerveteri and the Museum of Tarquinia. Each place has been visited by two artists, who have taken inspiration from the finds to realise their works. Here are the titles of the works that have been inspired by Etruscan culture and civilization: “Etruria” (by Claudio Stassi); “Una Partenza” (A departure, by Marino Neri), “Adonie” (Alessandro Rak), “L’episodio del fabbro” (The episode of the blacksmith, by Francesco Cattani), “Netvis” (Michele Petrucci), “Viaggio” (Travel, by Paolo Parisi). If you travel to Rome you will have the possibility to see these works visiting the exhibition at the National Etruscan Museum Villa Giulia, an event that is expected to attract many visitors, both comics lovers and people with a passion for history and archaeology, in cheap B&B in Rome. The plates, indeed, will be displayed next to the archaeological finds of the museum, giving birth to something new and fascinating, and helping visitors to learn something more about Etruscan history and culture. The reproductions of the plates will be displayed also in the other “Auteur residences” that hosted the six comic-strip writers (the museums of Cerveteri and Tarquinia), enriching also these museum paths.

The bill of the exhibition is also worth mentioning, as it has been realised by one of the greatest and most famous Italian comic-strip writers: Milo Manara. The bill takes inspiration from the Sarcophagus of the Spouses of Villa Giulia Museum, and the portrayed characters seem to invite visitors inside an Etruscan house; the exhibition, indeed, as Milo Manara himself has pointed out, is meant to open a window on history. Book now 2 stars hotels in Rome and get ready to travel back in time!


Tickets: 4 euro, reduced 2 euro
Date: 30th June – 25th October 2009
Location: National Etruscan Museum Villa Giulia, Rome, Italy


This article was written by Francesca Tessarollo with support from booking engine. For any information, please visit Cheap B&B accommodation or for travel information have a look to 2 stars hotels in Rome.

Rome: Gran Ballo di Ferragosto, 15 August 2009

Ferragosto, together with the longed for summer holidays, is coming! Those who are not lucky enough to travel to some exotic locality, or simply to relax at the seaside or in the mountains, and have to stay in the city, will have the possibility to spend a cheerful and carefree day thanks to the number of events that take place in Italian cities to celebrate the event.

Some of the most beautiful squares in Rome, in particular, will host an event that was first held in 2002 and that has already become an unmissable event of summer in Rome: the Gran Ballo di Ferragosto. If you think that in August the city gets empty and boring, travel to Rome at Ferragosto and you will change your mind: thousands of visitors, both tourists and Roman citizens who have not left, will colour the city dancing and having fun. The Gran Ballo di Ferragosto, indeed, is an event that involves the whole city, from the centre to the suburbs, bringing music and cheerfulness all over Rome: some stages are set up in various squares all around the eternal city to host the performances of professional dancers that always amaze and involve the audience. It is difficult to be indifferent to the music that spreads in the city, and people always begin to dance while attending these performances. The success of the event is also given by the variety of music genres that are played in the squares, which give everybody the possibility to dance and listen to their favourite music. Those who have a passion for couple dancing, tango, smooth dance etc., will choose the squares where these genres will be played, while those who would like to dance in a unique open-air discotheque will choose those locations where dance, disco and 70s music will play a main role. Or maybe are you a hip hop or Latin – American music addicted? No problem, you will certainly find the ideal square for you!

A unique chance to release your energy dancing in one of the most fascinating cities in the world, in locations that will certainly add a magic feature to the event. Events are all free (what are you waiting for? Book a cheap hotel in Rome and travel to the eternal city!), apart from the traditional concert held in Marcello Theatre, with Hiroshi Takasu at the piano and the music by Thalberg, Liszt and Fumagalli.

If this summer you are planning to stay in a youth hostel in Rome, the Gran Ballo di Ferragosto is the best way to take part in an ancient and typical Italian celebration, which was officially established in 18 B.C. by Emperor Octavius, after his investiture as Augustus (hence the term “Ferragosto”, i.e. “Feriae Augusti”, holidays of the Emperor Augustus). Nowadays Ferragosto also corresponds to a Catholic feast, the Holy Day of Obligation to commemorate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but its origin is pagan, and dates back even before the official establishment of the feast by Augustus. August has always been the month of rest and celebrations, and the Gran Ballo di Ferragosto is the logic and interesting evolution of ancient celebrations.


Tickets: free event. Concert at Marcello Theatre: 18 euro
Date: 15 August 2009
Location: various squares, Rome, Italy


This article was written by Francesca Tessarollo with support from hotel reservation software. For any information, please visit Travel to Rome or for travel information have a look to cheap hotel reservations in Rome.

Rome: Taiwan images and movement, 7 August 2009

If you want to spend a night discovering a different and fascinating culture and place, do not miss “Taiwan images and movement”.

“Taiwan images and movement”, which will take place in Rome, at Villa Doria Pamphilj, on the 7th of August, is an event dedicated to Taiwan, also known as Formosa, i.e. beautiful, lush. And the beauty of this island, with its wonderful landscapes and lush vegetation, but also with its culture and traditions, will be celebrated in Rome, with an event that has already convinced many tourists to book 4 stars hotels in Rome.

The name of the event refers to the main features of the happening: images, in the sense of photos, and movement, which will be created through fascinating dance performances. Travel to Rome and take part in the event: you will have the possibility to see around 20 photos taken by some of the best Taiwanese photographers, images that will make you learn something more about some cultural features of the island, but which will make you discover also the wonderful landscapes that have made the island famous. The island, indeed, features a number of beautiful sites, forests, parks and protected natural sites, with rare or endangered animal species.

The feature “movement” will be given by dance: the event will be opened by a performance of Centro Promozionale Danza di Roma, a group directed by ex-dancer Yang Yulin, which will be followed by the Lan Yang group, specialised in classical and folkloristic dance inspired from Taiwanese traditions. “Taiwan images and movement” is a unique chance to enjoy the performance of one of the most famous dance groups of the world, a group that was born in 1966 and has performed all over the world, making people discover and appreciate Taiwanese traditions. Hosting the performance of the Lan Yang group the city of Rome wants to highlight and strengthen Italy’s relationship with Taiwan, helping the encounter between different cultures, which cannot but cause an enrichment for both countries.

The Lan Yang Dance Academy was founded in 1966 by an Italian missionary, Father Michelini, who had arrived few years before in Ilan. The dance academy is only one part of a wider project, a youth centre that organises various kinds of activities, and that gives Taiwanese children and young people the possibility to have a place where to meet and to learn something more about the culture and traditions of their homeland. In this way they will be able to convey them, to make them well-known, even abroad, and to keep them alive. The dance academy, in particular, is open to all kids aged 9-18 years old, and since its creation it has achieved huge results: in about 40 years the Lan Yang group has gone beyond Taiwan’s boundaries several times, and has performed hundreds of times in over 30 different countries, bringing Taiwanese culture all over the world and achieving a great success.

If you want to enjoy the performance of this unique group, do not miss “Taiwan images and movements”: book now a discount accommodation in Rome and travel to the eternal city!


Date: 7th August 2009
Location: Villa Doria Pamphilj, Rome, Italy



This article was written by Francesca Tessarollo with support from Discount accommodation in Rome. For any information, please visit Reservation software or for travel information have a look to 4 stars hotels in Rome.

Rome: Villa Celimontana Jazz Festival, 18 June – 20 September 2009

Imagine to spend an evening in a charming park in one of the most beautiful cities of the world, listening to the music played by some of the best Italian and international jazz musicians: Villa Celimontana Jazz Festival offers you this, and much more.

Villa Celimontana Jazz Festival is one of the most awaited summer events in Rome, and since 1994 it has helped to fill the 3 stars hotels in Rome attracting many people with a passion for jazz, but not only them: the festival, indeed, is a real cultural event, with a programme rich in music, art and literary events. To make the atmosphere of the festival even more appealing, and to make it stand out among the great number of jazz festivals that take place all over Europe, the event is held in a wonderful venue, Villa Celimontana, which has inspired also the name of the festival, and which has always been considered as a cultural and artistic place. Villa Celimontana, a beautiful public park on Colle Celio, is not only situated in an excellent location, offering to Romans and the tourists who travel to Rome the possibility to retreat to an oasis inside the city, but it is also an important venue from an artistic and cultural point of view, as it hosts various monuments of different historical periods.

The wonderful location that will host the festival will be the ideal setting for the concerts that will take place throughout the summer, from the 18th of June to the 20th of September. The programme of the festival is very rich, and includes bands and musicians of different styles, provenance and experience, to celebrate all the forms and branches of jazz music. Villa Celimontana will host the performances of important musicians and bands like Cedar Walton Quintet, David Liebman Quartet, Sarah Jane Morris, Rava and Bollani, Roberto Gatto, but it will give space also to emerging talents, with events like “Dopofestival” (afterfestival) and “Giovani Titani” (young Titans). Other interesting events are “Bluesmoon”, a show which takes inspiration from the landing on the moon, in the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing, and which features music and readings of texts and poems, “Tra Futurismo e jazz” (between Futurism and jazz), a concert meant to look into the relationships between jazz and 20th century’s avant-gardes, tributes to great artists like Billie Holiday, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Joe Zawinul. If you want to discover how jazz can mix with other genres and new sounds, do not miss the concert “Stefano Rossigni Batuque Percussion”, in which Afro – Brazilian rhythms and percussions will play a main role, and the performance of Rocco Zifarelli with Linley Marthe and Francio Lassus, who will celebrate the fusion of jazz and rock.

Spend some days in the eternal city (you can stay in a discount guest house in Rome) and take part also in the other events that enrich the programme of the festival: you will have the possibility to attend a show of “W il Musical”, in which music, dance, theatre and cinema will mix creating something new, or if you have a passion for tango you will have the chance to dance on the dance floor that will be set up in Villa Celimontana. Also art, with exhibitions and installations, will play an important role, and literature lovers will enjoy the festival as well: “Piazzetta del libro” (book square) will host various events, from books presentations to meetings with authors.


Date: 18th June – 20th September 2009
Location: Villa Celimontana, Rome, Italy


This article was written by Francesca Tessarollo with support from Discount guest house in Rome. For any information, please visit Travel to Rome or for travel information have a look to 3 stars hotels in Rome.

Rome: Diabolik – Eva Kant, 10 July – 13 September 2009

Diabolik, a famous comics character created in 1962 by sisters Angela and Luciana Giussani, is now being dedicated the largest exhibition ever realised in his honour.

The exhibition “Diabolik – Eva Kant”, curated by Italian journalist Vincenzo Mollica, will take place at Palazzo Incontro in Rome from the 10th of July to the 13th of September, and is an unmissable event for all the fans of the “king of terror”, who will certainly book 2 stars hotels in Rome to enjoy this unique event. The exhibition is meant as a celebration of one of the most famous and loved characters of Italian comics, a thief that, together with his charming partner and lover, Eva Kant, has been fascinating readers of all ages for almost 50 years, thanks to his thefts and his criminal deeds. The exhibition held in Rome does justice not only to Diabolik, but to comics in general, which are not always seen as a real form of art, but which cannot but be considered as an important means of expression that has characterised mass society, creating new heroes and sagas that are now part of our collective imagination.

Travel to Rome and learn something more about an important chapter of the history of Italian comics immersing in the world of Diabolik and Eva Kant (a very important feature of the story and one of the first modern female characters of Italian comics), and discover their secrets, their exploits and their adventures. The exhibition includes 6 sections and hosts memorabilia, reconstructions, original plates, scale models, posters and much more. The first section, “History of a story”, is meant to make visitors discover how comics are realised, explaining all the phases of their creation until printing. In another room the documentary “The diabolik sisters”, dedicated to Diabolik’s creators, sisters Angela e Luciana Giussani, will be projected. The section “Eva Kant prima donna” is dedicated to the main female character of Diabolik, with a number of panels depicting the thief’s partner, who has become a model of femininity, elegance and independence. If you are curious and want to discover something more about the tricks used by the “king of terror”, the section “Diabolik between science and science fiction” will catch your attention: this section, indeed, includes scale models and reconstructions of the inventions created by Diabolik. “A life in black” is the section dedicated to the publishing house Astorina, which has always published Diabolik comics, while “Two against all” is meant to explain the complex relationship between Diabolik and Eva Kant. Last but not least, “Diabolik on the wall”, the section that gathers various posters depicting Diabolik: from the bill of the movie realised by Mario Bava in 1968 to advertisements, from cartoons to other publications. Do you need one reason more to book holiday apartments in Rome and visit the exhibition? Then note that the exhibitory spaces of Palazzo Incontro will host 10 original plates of the first number of Diabolik, which are only rarely displayed in public.


Tickets: free admission
Date: 10th July – 13th September 2009
Location: Palazzo Incontro, Rome, Italy


This article was written by Francesca Tessarollo with support from 2 stars hotels in Rome. For any information, please visit Travel to Rome or for travel information have a look to holiday apartments in Rome.

Rome: Japan. Tradition and innovation, 26 June – 10 September 2009

If you have a passion for drawing, and in particular for Japanese drawing, do not miss the exhibition “Japan. Tradition and innovation”, in Rome from the 26th of June to the 10th of September.

The exhibition “Japan. Tradition and innovation” will be inaugurated at the Casa delle letterature in Rome on the 26th of June, and will then be open to the public and to all those who will decide to travel to Rome and, in a sense, to Japan as well. No wonder that Casa delle letterature has been chosen to host the event: since its creation, indeed, it has always been meant to make people discover other cultures, in particular those which have had some influence on western art, and for this reason it has always been a place where interculturality and multidisciplinarity have reigned. Also the exhibition “Japan. Tradition and innovation” is intended as an opportunity to discover another culture, the Japanese one, focusing in particular on Japanese fiction and illustration, and presenting both modern and ancient styles, movements and techniques, which have characterised different forms of art, from theatre to literature, from poetry to children’s illustration.

To discover something more about these forms of artistic expression you only need to make a cheap hotel reservation in Rome and visit the exhibition, which includes a comparison between two important kinds of Japanese illustration: Ukiyo-e and manga. Ukiyo-e (literally “pictures of the floating world”), is a form of artistic Japanese woodblock printing which was very popular in the Edo period (1603 – 1867), when after a strong urbanization a new class of merchants and artisans, who used to write and paint, began to develop. At the end of the 19th century, with the development of photography and new techniques from Western countries, Ukiyo-e became less popular, but the xilographs that were realised in that period are still considered as important pieces of Japanese art, which everybody has the possibility to discover thanks to the exhibition hosted in Rome. Casa delle Letterature, in particular, will host some xilographs of the prestigious Contini collection, which were realised between 1803 and 1860 by important artists like Kitagawa Utamaro, Hasegawa Sadanobu, Utagawa Kunisada, Utagawa Kuniyoshi and Utagawa Hiroshige.

However, the exhibition also focuses on contemporary forms of Japanese illustration, with highlight on mangas, which are already very popular also in western countries. Among the displayed works you will find drawings by Nakamura Hiroyuki, Tatsuro Ciuchi, Osamu Komatsu, Tomoko Matsumoto, Yuko Shimizu and Keitaro Sugihara, while in the manga section you will also find works realised by Italian artists like Federica Di Meo, Alice Esculapi, Giusy Oliva and Mariapia Vannucchi. If you have a passion for manga, the exhibition offers you a great opportunity: book now an exclusive cheap B&B in Rome and get ready to take part in the manga workshops curated by Wish, the only Italian drawer to be graduated at the Yoyogi Animation Gakuin in Tokyo. During the workshops teachers will deal with subjects like expression, background, basic materials, inking. A unique chance to deal with an important Japanese form of art in a concrete way and to discover something more about a different culture.


Tickets: free admission
Date: 26th June – 20th September 2009
Location: Casa delle letterature, Rome, Italy


This article was written by Francesca Tessarollo with support from exclusive cheap B&B. For any information, please visit Travel to Rome or for travel information have a look to cheap hotel reservations in Rome.

Rome: Noche de Roma, 17 June – 16 August 2009

Summer is the season of fun and brightness par excellence, the season that everybody waits for to have fun, forget the dullness of winter and break off everyday routine.

If you want to experience the liveliness of summer in Rome in the best way, you must visit Noche de Roma, a great party dedicated to Latin-American culture. Noche de Roma, a long-awaited event for all Roman citizens, but also for the tourists that crowd the city and the 4 stars hotels in Rome in summer, is a great chance to end the day in a cheerful and carefree way, tasting some typical dishes, taking part in a dance lesson or simply visiting the stalls that colour Stadio Tre fontane (Eur quarter), where the event takes place.

Every night, from the 17th of June to the 16th of August, starting from 8 p.m., you will have the possibility to leave your youth hostel in Rome and enter a small, South-American island, still staying in the eternal city, to enjoy the party together with thousands of other people who visit Noche de Roma. You can decide to enjoy gastronomic tours or to dance: the programme of the event is very rich and will satisfy everybody. Choose among about 20 refreshment points, where people offer different kinds of food at different prices, to meet everybody’s desires and needs. If you want to have your dinner while sitting, perhaps enjoying a show of Brazilian artists at once, you can book a table in the “Area Brasile Caliente”, where you will taste tasty grilled Brazilian skewers and meat.

To loosen up after dinner nothing is better than a Latin-American dance: in the “Area Brasile Caliente” the largest dance floor of the city will be set up, and everybody will have the possibility to dance salsa, bachata and reggaeton. Both if you are beginning dancers, and if you already have a basil knowledge of Latin-American dances, at your disposal you will have great teachers, who will give free salsa lessons in the “Area Salsa 100%”, where involving shows and displays will take place too. Moreover, every Saturday Noche de Roma will turn into a real discotheque, with the participation of various DJs.

But if you prefer to spend a night in a more relaxed way, Noche de Roma gives you the possibility to visit a number of stalls, where you will find many different types of products: clothes and typical products, but also fine ceramics and pieces of contemporary art, musical instruments and wellness products.

Noche de Roma welcomes all those who wish to have fun and experience something new: Roman citizens and tourists who travel to Rome, adults and children. And children will be dedicated a number of spaces, where they will have as much fun as their parents: stalls, a playground with inflatable games and a number of cultural and game events. In conclusion, Noche de Roma is the ideal place to spend an enjoyable summer night together with your friends and family, but it is also a great chance to learn something more about Latin-American culture.


Tickets: free admission
Date: 17th June – 16th August 2009
Location: Stadio Tre fontane, Rome, Italy



This article was written by Francesca Tessarollo with support from youth hostel. For any information, please visit Travel to Rome or for travel information have a look to 4 stars hotels in Rome.