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.