Weekend in Italy

Summer has just ended and with it is coming the last chance to join the so-called high-season services. If you are coming to Italy before middle Autumn, here is a list of charming services you might enjoy joining, not available in low season:

In Rome, available until the end of October: book a guided visit to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel; another version of the tour includes also the visit to Saint Peter’s Basilica. If you prefer an open air tour, you can choose our Historical Walk to Baroque Rome, that will show you the legendary Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, or Historical Walk to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, (the political, military, and civic center of the Roman Empire), as well as the Arch of Titus and the Arch of Constantine.

In Florence, available until the end of November, you can experience the real Italian cuisine: Cooking hand-made fresh pasta following ancient Italian traditions, both using a rolling pin and a pasta machine,  followed by lunch with the dishes you have prepared, accompanied by a good Tuscan wine. Also for Italian food lovers, the Medieval Florence Gastronomic tour, until October 31st: discover the part of the historical center where it is still possible to imagine the life of Florence in the fourteenth century with the kiosks selling the old and tasty “street food”, like “trippa” and “lampredotto”, “panino con il Peposo”, “crostini fiorentini”, “pappa al pomodoro”,  “ribollita” and “coccoli fritti”.

And, for those of you willing to take advantage of the last warm days of the year, available until the end of October the Panoramic trekking in Florence: wear a comfortable pair of shoes and discover the city from another point of view! A local guide will take you along routes unbeaten by mass tourism among the green of the hill that is closer to the historical center. It is a walk in contact with the art, history and nature of Florence enjoying a wonderful and unforgettable view of the city.

Luxurious wines and cheeses specially selected by our Sommelier and matched by the most traditional flavors of the Lazio countryside. Tasting in a typical wine bar located in the heart of Rome. Also included is a detailed explanation of the various flavors and background of the history.

Enjoy some of the many delicious tastes of the Lazio region!

Opening on September 24th and until January 17th 2010, at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome, the exhibition “Rome, the painting of an Empire”, the figurative representation of a crucial period in Roman history, from the 1st century BC to the 5th AD. Six centuries which saw the Roman Empire rise and develop, from the advent of Julius Caesar in 49 BC to the extraordinary consolidation of advanced power structures that could hold such a vast territory together.

You can book your entrance tickets here.

2009has just begun and many of them are already thinking about new years purposes. At the end of the 2008 year, perhaps you have re-examined all the things that have happened to you and you have decided that in this new year many things must get better, for you and for your families

In order to have a good beginning of the year, keeping the wish of changing and being better persons, many people have decided to go to Rome to get Pope Benedetto 16th’s blessing.

If you think too it could be a good way to start changing your life, you can book a visit to Rome with Papal Audience.

Each Wednesday morning, about 8 am, an organized tour can give youthe change to visit the sacred places of Rome (Castel Sant’angelo, Saint Peter’s), but also to join a meeting that could change your life.

Book now the Papal Audience in Rome for you and your family>>

There are still some few seats available for the New Year concert in Rome at Quarticciolo Theater, a recently opened theater part of the recovery program for the Quarticciolo old market. The project, followed by architects Ferdinando Pepe and Angelo Preziosi, includes a theater, a multimedial library, and exhibitions area and a refreshment-room, all in 1500 square meters.

The New Year concert at Quarticciolo Theater in Rome is performed by the Philharmonic of Rome, with musics by Johann Strauss jr, in the version for Salon-Ensamble, according to the transcription of some of the most important composers of early 2oth Century.

The concert will last about 2 hours. Cost is 10.80 euro, including reservation fee. You can purchase it online here>>

The theater is close to two important streets: Viale P. Togliatti and Via Prenestina. The access to the theater is easy by public transportation:

bus line 451 from Ponte Mammolo (Metro B) or Cinecittà (Metro A) - stop Togliatti/Gelsi
bus line 556 from via Walter Tobagi or via delle Gardenie - stop Togliatti/Gelsi
tram 14 stop from via Giovanni Amendola (Termini) - capolinea Togliatti

See what else you can do in Rome: museums, tours, itineraries, shopping…

For Christmas Holidays, give yourself a night tour of Rome through the streets of the Imperial city, in order to admire at night all those lights illuminating it.

Christmas is the best period of the year. In addition to the usual lights to give omage to the monuments as Colosseum, the Imperial Fora and the Constantine Arch, the whole city is decorated with lights to celebrate Christmas and New Year.

This tour lasts about 2 hours, departing around 8 pm, and takes place by bus. It includes two stops: in the splendid Piazza Navona to admire the beautiful Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi and obviously the Fontana di Trevi, to throw away  the coin in the water made famous by Anita Ekberg.

Thanks to an expert, it is possible not only to admire, but also to discover the story and some fascinating details of the Imperial Rome (Colosseum, Circo Massimo, Roman Fora) and later ages. It is a way to visit Rome comfortably even if you don’t have much time available, perhaps after an intense journey of museums and shopping, admiring some masterpieces of Italian art, sitting down on a bus.

Passing through the Tiber river, you will be next to the Jewish district with the synagogue and then next to the huge Castel Sant’Angelo: two symbols of the presence in Rome of different religions.

Then, the park of Villa Borghese, the Pincio hill and Piazza del Popolo, with the twin churches and Ramses obelisk, Porta Pinciana, and then to Via Veneto, famous for the social life during the 50’s and 60’s, with the nice caffès and hotels attended by vips, immortalized in the film “la Dolce Vita“. Because Rome has had fame and splendour in various centuries.

Except December 24th and 31st, this tour is always available: book now your tour to the Illuminated Rome>>

Photo by Jeffemanuele by Flickr

If you are planning a weekend in Rome, you don’t have much time available, and you will have to split among museums, monuments, culture, shopping, fun and restaurants…there is a quick and simple alternative to visit the city and at the same time give a glance to the Imperial city.

The City SightSeeing tour is a bus with audioguide in various languages taking you all around Rome.

With a ticket costing only 15 euros, you can hop on and off the bus as many times as you wish, so you can visit a monument or a church each time you are interested in. Or even to make a stop in a Roman trattoria! It is also an interesting way of moving freely in the city without subway tickets or taxi.

The Rome Citysightseeing tour has 3 lines for 3 different trails, the first departing from Termini Train Station, other from Piazza Venezia, and the last one from Santa Maria Maggiore. The beginning of the tour can be made from any stop, and ticket lasts 24/48 hours.

Purchase now your ticket for City SightSeeing Rome tour