Yes Hotel Rome Travel Blog: The Rome travel guide

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Finally, 100 masterpieces, some of them unpublished, will be exhibited from 1 May to 26 July 2009 at Castel Sant’Angelo, in the XXVIII European edition of the Exhibition of Tourism and Cultural Traditions, which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.

This private walking tour of the Vatican Museums in Rome starts at 08.30 m and lasts about 3 hours / 3 hours and a half. You will be meeting your guide outside the entrance of the Vatican Museums.

This very enjoyable walk around the Vatican only includes few participants so you will have plenty of time to ask as many questions as you want to your guide. You will be shown around various parts of the Vatican Museums such as the Cortile della Pigna, the Gallery of the Candelabra, the Gallery of the Tapestries, Gallery of the Maps, the Hall of the Immaculate Conception, the Rooms of Raffaello, and eventually the Sixtine Chapel.

You will be then lead to the Saint Peter’s Basilica and you will admire the great works by Michelangelo but also Bernini and some other famous artists and will enjoy the extensive explanation with the full story of the church, from when it was first founded to the more recent renovations. By the end of the tour you will walk towards Saint Peter’s Square which was conceived by Bernini.

The walking tour of the Vatican runs daily except Sundays and Wednesdays.The rate includes the entrance fee and the english speaking guide. Do not delay and book now !And since you certainly want to discover more of Rome stop over in our central Yes Hotel Rome for your say

A great place to go during your visit to Rome is to the many churches that are located almost everywhere in the city. You don’t have to pay to get in and you will see some of the most beautiful art work ever created.

Churches are usually open during different times of the day and are normally closed during lunch hour till three. The most astounding paintings, frescoes and paintings are on display. Created by some of the most famous artists of the baroque and renaissance periods. These include Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Bernini and Raffaello.

Although everyone wants to go see the Vatican museums and the Sixtine Chapel the queues are usually long and you have to got there quite early too. Unfortunately most of the churches that have many fantastic works of art are overlooked for the bigger more well known churches and basilicas.

Another great thing to go look at in the churches are the nativity scenes around Christmas. These are extremely well made and the attention to detail is often exquisite and very pleasant to the eye. A lot of the churches also ask that you switch off your cell phone and that you keep the noise to a minimum and to take pictures with out using the flash. The most famous is probably in St Peter’s square, but you will also enjoy the Piazza Navona’s and Spanish Steps’, from which our B&B Rome De Cappuccini is close to.

Also bear in mind when you do go to see these fantastic works of art, is that every church you walk into is a fully functional place of prayer and worship. Please don’t forget to take off any hats you may be wearing.

Rome isn’t just about Saint Peters Basilica, The Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Gardens and Museums . There are so many other places to go and see the art on display and its free. You wont be disappointed.