Yes Hotel Rome Travel Blog: The Rome travel guide

Our Blogger: Rhodora

Polenta is loved by everybody…this dish has on the table of Italian families for generations!!

Polenta is a corn meal mush, but is more than that! It’s the staple food of the North of Italy, where after pasta, is one of the favourite dishes. It can be served in innumerable ways: as a first course, baked, with stews, or even as a bread substitute.

For citizens of Rocca di Papa , a small village near Rome, Polenta is too a unique and complete food, it is added to the usual simple condiments (with tomato sauce, sausages, meat, cheese etc), the condiments that the old farmers use to this day  to create to create dishes that satisfied the gourmets.

And it is in Rocca di Papa for the second year that will be a special gastronomic event in occasion of Valentine’s Day: “La Polenta degli Innamorati” ( The polenta of Lovers). The event will be surrounded by so many moments of entertainment with music and with “Il bacio più lungo” (The longest kiss), all the couples attending this event are invited, it consists in a kiss of mass to enter on the Guinness world record as the major kiss of mass ever!

La Polenta degli Innnamorati will be held on the occasion of Valentine’s Day, Frebruary 14 and February 15 at the center of Rocca di Papa, one of the many little towns that can be explored from Rome using as a base a well-located hotel like Hotel Des Artistes or Yes Hotel.

Our Blogger: Wanda

In the station Termini in Rome has just been inaugurated Convoglia, a quality restaurant  with 6 different areas: a gastronomic shop and osteria, a pizzeria and grill, a takeaway section, a wine bar and a fine restaurant.

Convoglia – roughly translated as “with joy” but also a play on the word convoglio, convoy in Italian- was opened with the aim of bringing back Romans to the Termini Station while offering to travellers and tourists, always afraid of falling into “tourists traps”, excellent Italian cuisine.

The smart structure of Convoglia is particularly convenient in a train station. If you have time you can decide to sit down and get a glass of wine, with one of the 13 types of pizza on the menu or if you are in a hurry on your way to the airport you can make a quick stop at the takeaway area –where “takeaway” doesn’t necessarily means lacking of imagination and care- to eat something on the run.

If you are curious enough to take some time and enjoy the restaurant you’ll be rewarded with many interesting surprises. The menu combines the Italian and Roman tradition with other culinary inventions of great quality. Everything from the meat and the wine to the furniture and the architecture has been selected meticulously to create a unique experience for the visitor.

For further information visit their website. Convoglia is open from 7 A.M to 1 A.M

The Termini station is a very convenient zone to stay while in Rome: in the area surrounding it you’ll find many good restaurants –Convoglia among them, of course-, cinemas, boutiques and pharmacies, not to mention the fact that from it it’s really easy to move anywhere in Rome or in Italy. Near the Termini Station, Hotel des Artistes and Yes Hotel are great choices for its quality and great prices.

Our Blogger: Jona

Italy is a wonderful country symbolized by the capital, Rome. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations. If you are thinking of visiting the eternal city, your decision will surely be influenced by the art and culture of the Roman people. And not to a lesser extent, Roman cuisine, which attains a strong reputation worldwide thanks to its quality and natural ingredients.

1) ANTIPASTO (Starter) :  ROMAN CROSTINI

Ingredients:

stale bread, mozzarella, salted anchovy, butter, parsley.

Preparation:

Mix the anchovies with the butter and spread this on slices of bread. Grease a baking dish with butter and then take the slices of bread and add mozzarella to each, sliced. Flavour with salt and pepper and Bake for about 8 minutes.

2) PRIMO PIATTO (first course): BUCATINI ALL’AMATRICIANA 

Ingredients:

bucatini (spaghetti shaped pasta), pancetta, 1 glass of white wine, tomatoes, grated pecorino cheese, chilli, onions.

Preparation:

In a frying pan fry the onion and pancetta. When the meat is golden brown, add the wine and mix until it evaporates. Then add some tomato, chilli peppers and leave to boil. Drain the pasta, seasoned with sauce. Stir quickly and sprinkle the cheese on top.

3) SECONDO PIATTO (second course): SALTIMBOCCA ALLA ROMANA  

Ingredients:

Slices of veal, ham (prosciutto crudo), butter, a dash of white wine, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Preparation:

Place the meat on a chopping board and beat each slice. Then add salt, pepper, a slice of ham for each, and a sage leaf. Pierce with a toothpick to keep everything together. In a frying pan, melt the butter and add the meat. When the pieces are golden, add the white wine and leave to cook on a moderate flame until ready.

And finally…

If this wets your appetite enough to visit Rome, why not check into Hotel Des Artistes for a stay near some great eateries… there’s even a 10 percent discount on selected restaurants nearby.

Buon appetito, and happy eating!!!

Our Blogger: Arianna

Have you ever been to Civita di bagnoregio? No? Then let’s go on an adventure together…

In my recent post I told you about Calcata, the “dying village�, which the government decided to rebuild in a different place because it laid completely on dangerous volcanic rock.

What happened to Civita was almost the same. In fact, the village lies on a steep volcanic rock, which is apparently risky because two gorges were built between it.

Like all the towns in the province of Viterbo, this area was inhabited by the Etruscans but rocks have been found which the link the area back to the stone age.

If you do a quick search on the internet you will be able to find a lot more information about this so I’m just going to write about my own personal experience in this magical place.

I went to Civita earlier this year on Easter Monday and spent the first part of the day visiting Bomarzo and the monster park. However, because the weather was bad (a bit cold and rainy) I didn’t stay there a long time.

On the way back to Rome, still in the daytime , my friends and I decided to see the famous “dying� village.

First of all I have to point out that today the village is divided in two parts: the new part is actually called Bagnoregio and Civita is the original.

I parked the car at the front of Bagnoregio and I took the bus that brings you very close to the big pedestrian bridge that joins the two parts. The bridge was built only a few years ago and is the only way to reach the medieval area.

In fact, as I explained in my last post, a lot of wealthy people decided to rebuilt the ancient village and buy a small house in the suburb. It now costs much more in respect of the past.

Crossing the bridge is an unusual experience because you feel as if you are arriving at something that really belongs to another age. A small curiosity: Civita today has a population of just eight people.

Inside the village, you can find small café’s, wine cellars, and even restaurants where you can try pasta with medieval sauce.

The view is wonderful: eroded mountains and blue sky – and the most important thing: no cars!!!

Christmas is very close. In Civita a real nativity is held with 50 actors recreating the holy scene… Don’t miss it. And with Hotel Des Artistes so ideally placed near Termini station your journey can be easily planned.

How to get there

From Hotel des Artistes: Go to Termini station (5 minutes), and take a train to Viterbo. From there, take the Viterbo Cotral bus until Bagnoregio.

Hi friends, here is your friend –big- mouth knows -all about- it .

During one of my tours around the wonderful Eternal city of Rome , after I was duly impressed by my visit to the great Rome Pantheon followed by the very interesting walk into and around the Rome Church of San Ignazio di Loyola (Where there is a great masterpiece of 3d conception) I found out something else altogether which was no less interesting.

You would suppose that an Ice cream Parlour that appears in every travel guide is only for tourist people that go to fancy places and ignore all about the secrets of the “natives” , the romans in our case.

Well, you would be wrong to assume so… Indeed the Roman ice cream parlour Giolitti at Via del Vicario 44 is probably the best ice cream shop in town. Be bold and and you may try any flavour : you will not be disappointed, and do not forget to add the delicious panna on top (cream). For those who really crave ice cream there is one special ice cream of almost 90 cm long.

You can see lots of clerks and all kinds of local people crowding the place including the famous. The other day on my way to Giolitti I bumped into the popular Italian singer Renato Zero, who was also cruising to the ice cream place. I said hi, he replied pleasantly with a smile and went on at a leisurely pace  to choose his ice cream flavours. There also place for take a seat and relax while you are planning your next visit or tour.

Ice Cream Parlour Giolitti Rome

It is springtime now that I’m dropping this lines for you fellows, but they told on winter the hot chocolate with panna (cream) is fantastic!!!

Few meters from there you find the spectacular Marco Aurelius Column (they say that the one of Trajan at the Forums is better, but you will not climb that high to check the difference)

In front at the Corner Via del Corso and Via del Tritone stands the Alberto Sordi Gallery, which is a beautiful Shopping Mall made within an ancient building . Alberto Sordi is a famous roman actor and in one his movies he played the part of an Italian guy trying to ‘’become’’ an American. Surely the result has to be interesting.

Ok, follow my humble advice (!) , take your girlfriend or boyfriend or whoever, or just go by yourself and have some fresh tastes of Rome.

Other suggestions of Rome Ice cream shops.

Take care, Your friend –big- mouth knows -all about- it alias Marcel

And for your stay in Rome why not try our new 3 star Yes Hotel Rome?

Italy did not have a Halloween tradition as such but it has been making amazing progress over the past 8 years. Halloween is surpassing the well-known Italian holiday. A large majority of Italians would like to see Halloween become a national holiday in Italy, but still many disagree with its meaning and roots. In 2006, it was suspected that  250 million Euros was spent on Halloween parties and accessories,  which was 20% more than in 2005.Halloween is the time of year where both kids and adults  dress up, go out and throw confetti and play innocent practical jokes on everyone, It runs for  about one week. In Italy they make cakes in the shape of beans. These cakes are called Beans of the Dead. In Southern Italy families prepare a special feast for the souls of the departed on All Souls’ Day. The families would set the table with a bountiful meal. Then they would all go to church to pray for the souls of the deceased. They stayed there all day, leaving their home open so that the spirits could enter and enjoy the feast.                                                                                                   

For Italians it’s really not the meaning behind Halloween that means something, it’s just an excuse to have another ‘Festa. Halloween in Italy is not just for kids, though. Oct. 31 is undoubtedly a good excuse to party — the day after Italians are on official holiday for All Saints celebrations. Billboards abound for a foreign beer company, hailing itself as the ‘official sponsor of Halloween,’ and night clubs throughout Italy are hosting costume parties. Ties to the local culture aren’t always excluded — adults will party all night while they relive medieval traditions in Grazzano Visconti (province of Piacenza), including a re-enactment of the legend of the town’s famous ghost seems as that the night of the living dead will likely become a permanent fixture in Italy. The Halloween seems to have sparked more initiatives around traditional Italian customs and On Nov. 2, the day Italians honour the dead.

Come and visit Rome if you want a new taste of Halloween, but before booking flights do take a look at accomendations in Rome.

 

There are 4 major churches in Rome, which are in order of importance : St John in Lateran, St Peter’s,  St Paul outside the walls and St Mary Major.

St Mary Major, in italian “Santa Maria Maggiore” is close by our My Hotel Rome, about 5 minutes on foot only, and also near the Coliseum : Where Via Fori Imperiali joins Via Cavour take left on Via Cavour and walk all the way up and you will not miss the Basilica, about 500 metres ahead on your right.

The church used to bear the name of St Mary of the Snow (in italian “Santa Maria della Neve”)  due to the fact that Pope Liberio, during 4th century , had a revelation in a dream that it would be snowing overnight over the church.

The inner walls have beautiful mosaic designs depicting episodes from the Old testament and the bell tower, built in 1370 is 76 metres tall which is actually the tallest in Rome.

The church is located on the hill Esquiline one of the seven hills of Rome. 

 

 Rome is  famous for the great roman  food, tasty and genuine and we highly recommend our Yes Hotel nearby restaurants.

and end up your meal with an extra cold limoncello, the famous all italian digestive !

 

 

 

 

 

 

While you are in Rome for your holiday unwind a bit and relax. Here are a couple of suggestions and ways that might help you adjust and get used to doing things the Roman way for a while.

 

The first thing you should do is lose all sense of time and forward planning. Throw your itinerary out of the window and go on an adventure. Have fun getting lost and discovering something new. Don’t follow the crowd all the time. Go off track and down some old beaten path and you may find a few surprises. If you manage to do this you will enjoy Rome a lot more because this is how the city is.

 

Take a stroll along the Tevere and go have a good look around the Forum and old market areas. Take your time don’t rush and sample all the ice cream and pizza to your hearts content. Sit down and have a coffee or a glass of limoncello and live the good life for a while. Rome is a city that is meant to be discovered by walking. All the sites are close enough to get to on foot and its also a lot cheaper doing it this way too. Plus you will also have an excuse to treat yourself to lunch at the many restaurants in the nice side streets running off from all the piazzas after you have worked up an appetite.

 

There is so much to see in this city that you could spend a life time here. As you casualy walk down the many streets and into the piazzas there will always be something that will catch your eye and will pique your curiosity. Be lead by your eyes and not by a piece of paper. Go where your curiosity leads you. You can also relax in one of the many parks found in Rome and make like the locals and lounge around on the grass or spend some quality time with that someone special. Don’t overlook the romantic side of the city. There are many quiet spots to go to and lots of perfect settings to have dinner or an afternoon drink and watch the sun set over the ancient skyline with its many beautiful buildings.

 

 Rome is also a great place to go to to have a really good party. The district of San Lorenzo is always alive with its students who always have time to party and socialise. The beach at Ostia is also only a 55 minute train ride away. The remains of the aniceint port of Ostia ar also really close. So you can always do a bit of sight seeing and then closer to the evening head of to a bar or club and paint the town red.

Rome is not just a city with a whole bunch of old ruins. It is still very much alive and is buzzing with activity. There is plenty to do and see for the whole family and it is full of activities for the young and old. You will never forget your holiday in Rome and you will be retelling your holiday stories for a long time afterwards.

Good advice to stick to in Rome good location. Whilst on Holiday it is worth while searching for accomendation based close to Termini station. From Termini you are able to travel all around Rome, and also take trains to other cities around Italy.