Yes Hotel Rome Travel Blog: The Rome travel guide

Our Blogger: Wanda

On October 5 th 2009, in Rome will be inaugurated the exhibition “Michelangelo Buonarroti Designs in Rome”, at the Capitoline museums.

A beautiful collection, divided into seventeen sections and 105 works thanks to which is possible to follow the architectural production of Michelangelo in the Eternal City, a group of works that are among the most beautiful and characteristic of the city.

The exhibition goes from the architectural planning of the Basilica of St. Pietro to Vatican (1547 -1564), to the of the Sistine Chapel (1508 -1512), with the world-famous frescoes of the Creation and the Universal Judgment.

“Michelangelo, architect in Rome” is curated by Mauro Mussolin and Pina Ragionieri , was conceived by the Foundation House Buonarroti and has been organized by the association cultural Metamorphosis under the patronage of the president of the Republic.

Interested on art? Then it’s only fitting to stay at Hotel Des Artistes; we’ll be more than happy to help you to enjoy the best of Rome!

Address: Piazza del Campidoglio, 1
Zona: Rione Campitelli (Foro Romano- Campidoglio-P.Venezia) (Rome center)
opening time: Martedì-Tusday – Domenica-Sunday -from :10.00-20.00 – Chiuso-Closed on Monday- Lunedì.
Tickets: 8 euro
Phone: +39 06 0608

-An upcoming exhibition will open a window to the universe in the Eternal city.

Our Blogger: Marcelo.

When you come to Rome, you are looking for answers. Rome is romantic, is exciting and full of life. It gives you a clue about our origin. It tells us something about how our civilization came to be. That is why is one of the most wonderful adventures. It’s a chance to discover ourselves. It tells us who we are and where are we coming from.

You may want to go deeper right to the Big Questions. Why not? Big questions regarding not only our society but Universe itself. Now in Rome you can find that answers too.

What is the origin and destiny of the Cosmos?

What are the Matter and Dark Energy, which occupy most of our Universe?

Are there parallel worlds?

What is exactly a black hole?

Tracking back all the sings coming from the most remote places in space and time. The whole Universe is sending us a message and technology give us the chance to grasp it.

This is what ‘’Astri e Particelle. Le Parole dell’Universo’’ (meaning ‘’Stars and Particles. The words of the Universe’’) is about .  this incredible exhibition will take place at the Palazzo delle Espozioni in Rome from 26th October 2009 to 14th February 2010.

Special effects in two and three dimensions. Gardens of galaxies displayed in all their beauty before your eyes. Information regarding many experiments related to light, gravity and basic particles. A glimpse of the great achievements of science.

If you feel like understanding and feeling the beauty of the Great Mystery, visit it.

The Palazzo delle Esposizione is located in Via Nazionale, 194. In the centre of Rome. Tickets are available from 7,00 euros to 15 euros. Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: from 10:00 to 20:00, Friday and Saturday: from 10:00 to 22:30, Monday closed (it could change, check by phone first).

Our locations are very near to this exhibition. Check www.yeshotelrome.com or www.hoteldesartistes.com and make a booking today to enjoy everything Rome has to offer.

For further information:                                                        www.palazzoesposizioni.it.                                                                                 +39 06489411, +39 0668301087 (fax).

Our Blogger: Stefano qwy8zk39m4

Finally, 100 masterpieces, some of them unpublished, will be exhibited from 1 May to 26 July 2009 at Castel Sant’Angelo, in the XXVIII European edition of the Exhibition of Tourism and Cultural Traditions, which this year has the suggestive title of "Invisible Treasures”. "Invisible wonders”, we might add, because some of the impressive Italian cultural heritage is hidden, kept in storage of state museums.

The exhibit is divided into sections: “Deposit of Excellence "," Matter of Space", "Perennial Deposit”, “Extra-museum Deposit", "Architecture of the deposit", "Passages of State", "Memories from the warehouse", "Contemporary Deposits" and "The culture of the new citizens."

The works on exhibition come  from many parts of Italy: the prestigious Pinacoteca Vaticana and many of the most important Italian museums, including the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto, the National Palace of Venice, the National Gallery of Palazzo Barberini, and gallery of modern art in Rome, the Museo Regionale di Messina, the Galleria Regionale della Sicilia Palazzo Abatellis, the Capodimonte Museum, the Galleria degli Uffizi, the Palatine Gallery, the Pinacoteca di Brera The Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, the Museo Nazionale d’Abruzzo, the National Gallery of Umbria.

At the exhibit there are delicate works, textiles, scrolls, manuscripts, prints, photographs, and many other objects and works of art that have been retrieved from the underground market by the Italian police.

This is of course, an exceptional opportunity to admire many interesting works of art usually kept away from the average tourist. To enjoy this and many other cultural activities, make a reservation at Hotel Des Artistes or Yes Hotel, our knowledgeable staff will be more than happy to help you to discover the wonders of the Eternal City.

Our Blogger: Stefano

After a long restauration process and the reinforcement of walls and ceiling, now, after 30 years of closure, finally visitors from all around the world will be able  to visit the “Hall tenth" of the Baths of Diocletian in Rome.

Finally, now that the Baths of Diocletian are open again the Romans and tourists, the public can see the tomb of Platorinus.

Gaius Sulpicius Platorino was one of three coin minters in the city, in Augustu’s age. His tomb was discovered on the right bank of the river tiber in 1880. It contained decorated cinerary urns and two statues of Platorinus and his daughter.

The funerary objects have now been reunited and the tomb of Platorinus has been reconstructed. it is located in the Hall X, the museum’s renovated space at Diocletian’s Baths in Rome.

The tomb of Emperor Marcus Aurelius will also be open for exhibition in the hall.

In the museum in the coming months will be shown the grave of Macrino too. He was a proconsul for Marcus Aurelius and he was erroneously identified as the man who inspired the movie "Gladiator" by Ridley Scott.

In the X hall you’ll find exposed too tombs, sarcophagi and reliefs with portraits of the deceased. Besides the great tomb that reigns in the great hall, called the Platorini, there are also two chamber-tombs dug out of tufa stone, discovered in 1951 in Quirino Majorana that were part of a necropolis of Via Portuense between the end of the first and the third century AD. Among the other exhibits on display in the hall from a sarcophagus via Labicana with Dionysus and Ariadne, and two large marble sinks.

The central part of the room has been left intentionally left empty to allow his organization of concerts and conferences, so that it can become a place of cultural events.

In fact, from April 4 to May 2, on occasion of "The Night of Museums" every Saturday evening meeting is planned with music, theater, literature.

Now the baths of Diocletian come back at the city, and we wait for the other rooms to be opened.

The Baths of Diocletian are only a stone’s throw away from Hotel Des Artistes and Yes Hotel, your home away home in the Eternal City!

Our Blogger: Michele

If you loved the concept of a recent film with Ben Stiller you’re gonna love this idea: on may 16th 2009 many museums in Rome will be open to allow you to admire its treasures in a unique way.

Among the museums you”ll be able to admire you have Palazzo Massimo (near hotel Des Artistes and Yes Hotel!), The National Museum of the Diocletian Baths, and the Caracalla Baths. All these museums and monuments will be open from 8:00 P.M until 2:00 A.M. That day is Saturday, and as usual in Rome, you’ll have the subway working until 1:30, so getting around will be easy too. Besides, the entrance will be free- All you have to do is show up and have a great time!

This activity, that started on the year 2005, and is now followed on many other European cities is meant to invite citizens and tourists to rediscover museums and see them too as a place to develop social interactions. Many of the museums will organize special activities for that day, like Hadrian’s Villa, near Tivoli, where a night walk (with illumination of course) will take place.

Another tempting options are The Market of Trajan, The Capitoline Museums (an excelent choice!), The Pantheon and the Ara Pacis museum. All of them will be open during the night and the  entrance will be free.

Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to enjoy the cultural richness of Rome under (literally) a different light. Hotel des Artistes and Yes Hotel are great choices for accomodation not only for its incredibly convenient location, but also for its great comfort standards

If you want to see the latest one the best place to go to is St Peter’s Square. Here you can celebrate mass with the Pope and hear his Sunday message. He is the latest head of the Roman Catholic Church which roughly has 1 billion followers. Although the responsibility he has is enormous and the power he has is equally so, his seat of office is within one of the smallest city states on earth.

The Vatican City is just 0, 44 kilometres square. It has its own radio station, television station, post office, railway station and helipad. 3000 lay workers also work in the Vatican City along with priests, dignitaries, nuns and guards. The Vatican City is all that remains of the papal states of 1859. This was originally 44,030 kilometres square. Other property also still retained by the papacy includes the Lateran palaces and Castle Gandolfo, which is also the Pope’s summer residence..

The Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and of course St Peter’s Basilica, which is also the largest in the world are all situated here. The walls running around the city also serve as the international boundaries. The Swiss Guard also served as the personal guard of the Pope and of the state. They are extremely well trained and disciplined. They are also all Swiss, single and devout Catholics.

Pope John Paul II transformed many policies of the Vatican in the eighties. One of the policies that changed was that Catholicism was no longer the state religion in Italy. The current Pope Benedict the 16th has very big shoes to fill. John Paul II left a big legacy and everyone expects Benedict to carry on in the same way.

A trip to Rome would not be complete without a visit to Vatican City. Please don’t forget that to get into St Peters there is a strict dress code. No bear shoulders or any skirts or pants above the knee and no open shoes. Obviously with the weather heating up and being extremely warm, clothing for outdoors will probably not be appropriate to gain entry. Take a bag with you and pack a long sleeve top and pair of pants. They are very strict so no amount of crying or begging will get you in.

The best time to go to the Vatican Museums is at least an hour before opening as the queue here is very long and slow.This means that with the current opening time you should get there by the very latest at nine in the morning. At the moment St Peter’s is open from seven in the morning till 7 in the evening. Go here after you have been to the museum. It’s also really great because at some points in the queue you get to wait under the colonnade that encompasses the square.

You can take the metro line A from Termini Station, which is the main station in Rome, it is only a 5 minute walk from our Hotel in Rome Des Artistes, which will take you directly to the Vatican.

This fantastic art museum is situated in one of the most beautiful parks of Rome. It contains some of the most precious and treasured works of art, from ancient Roman art, to the great Renaissance and Baroque masterpieces, created by Italian masters and other Europeans alike.

The pieces on display range from sculptures to paintings. There are some especially beautiful and intricate sculptures by Bernini dotted throughout the museum. It is necessary to book beforehand to get tickets for the Villa Borghese.

All the pieces in the museum were collected by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, a nephew of one of the popes. He was a patron to many of the great masters. The ground floor is also decorated with mosaics and is frescoed.

Apart from the museum the park is a great place to go in the warmer spring and summer months. You can also rent fourseater pedal bikes or roller blades and go skating around the park too. The Pincio is also very close. There are fantastic views of Rome from this viewpoint located just above Piazza del Popolo.

Piazzale Scipione Borghese 5

06 841 7645
06 32 810 Reservations for Saturday and Sunday are required
Tues- Sunday 9am – 7pm

Rome has many interesting things to see above ground but there is also a lot to see buries beneath the cities streets taking the name of catacombs. Long twisting mazes of tunnels and underground vaults filled with coffins and the remains of Christians long dead.

During the persecutions of the Christians in ancient Rome, they had no choice but to gather in secret to bury their dead and also to worship. This was absolutely essential because Christianity only became legal when Emperor Constantine declared it to be lawful.

Many of the crypts and tombs in the catacombs have inscriptions written in Greek and Latin. There are also symbols which represent Christ and the holy trinity. These are commonly represented by the fish symbol and the good shepherd.

There are five places to go to see catacombs in Rome, mostly scattered along the ancient Appian Way.

Catacombe di Domitilla , Via delle Sette Chiese 282 , Bus 218 and 613 , Hours 8:30 – 12:00 12:30 – 17:00 Closed on Tuesday and in January

Catacombe di Priscilla , Via Salaria 430 , Bus 56 and 310 , Hours 8:30 – 12:00 14:30 – 17:00
Closed on Monday and in January

Catacombe di San Callisto , Via Appia Antica 110 , Bus 218 and 660 , Hours 8:30 – 12:00 14:30 – 17:00
Closed on Wednesday and in February

Catacombe di San Sebastiano , Via Appia Antica 136 , Bus 218 and 660 , Hours 8:30 – 12:00 14:30 – 17:00
Closed on Thursday and in Novembre

Catacombe di Sant’Agnese , Via Nomentana 349 , Bus 36 , 60 , 136 and 137 , Hours 9:00 – 12:00 16:00 – 18:00
Closed on Monday afternoons and from 9:00 – 12:00 on Sundays and holidays

If you wish to visit the Rome’s catacombs with a guide we suggest you take a guided Rome’s Catacombs tour, and as for your stay in Rome a good central hotel like Yes Hotel Rome is recommended, which location is besides the Termini train station, in walking distance to major sights in Rome and close to public transportation.