As every spring from 1951 you will have the chance to admire one of the most beautiful sights the Eternal City has to offer: the stairs of the Spanish Steps will be embellished with flowerpots of azaleas as a colourful way to celebrate the arrival of the new season.

Why use Azaleas to celebrate spring? The answer, besides the fact that azaleas are beautiful and are in full flowering during April, is hard to guess. For some, the idea might be somehow connected to the legend of the Roman goddess Proserpine who escaped from her husband Pluto to go back to her mother Ceres, but due to a spell cast on her by her husband she had to spend six months on earth and the other six months in the underworld with him. According to the legend Proserpine, by going back to earth, gave start to spring and summer, while during the six months that she had to spend in the afterlife autumn and winter arrived on earth.

The dates can slightly vary in operation of the flowering of the azaleas, but the office of the tourism will provide all the necessary information.

If you’ll be in Rome in that period don’t miss this opportunity!!! The Spanish Steps are waiting to celebrate with you! Book at the Hotel Des Artistes or Yes Hotel located only a walk away from the Spanish Steps!

The Internazionali BNL d’Italia is an annual tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy, the Masters Series event at the Foro Italico. Aside from the Grand Slams, this is the highest-ranking tennis competition in the world, attracting the best male and female tennis players. The men’s competition is one of the 9 phases of the ATP Masters1000 circuit, while the women’s is one of the main WTA circuit competitions. The two competitions are currently held in separate weeks in May. The tournament is played on clay courts.

The event was previously known as the Italian Open and changed to its current name in 2002. The Italian tennis championship was first held in 1930 in Milan, where it was held until 1934 before being moved to the Foro Italico in Rome in 1935. Now is the highest profile tennis event in Italy; every year tennis enthusiasts from all over the round flock to the Eternal City to assist to the tournament.

In 2007, the Italian bank BNL becomes the “title sponsor” of the tournament. BNL has always developed strong relationships with Italian sport and its main associations: it has been the bank partner of the CONI (the Italian National Olympic Committee) for 70 years.

The spectacular Foro Italico was constructed between 1928 and 1938 and is located on the bank of the River Tevere. It hosts numerous sports venues including the Stadio Olimpico, which hosted the 1960 Summer Olympics.

Mussolini built the sports centre to encourage young Italians to keep both bodies and mind fit. As such, the track and the tennis court were embellished with colossal marble sculptures of athletes who preside over all athletic efforts whilst showing off their fine physiques.

The event is more than just tennis – it is a total entertainment experience. High fashion, fine food, fabulous shopping and celebrity musical performances have made it one of the most glamorous stops on the ATP World Tour. To enjoy all of it don’t hesitate to make a reservation at Yes Hotel or Hotel Des Artistes!

Tickets for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia go on sale on the Italian Tennis Federation website.

One of the most exciting sporting events in Rome is the annual Marathon which will see the city center turned into a pedestrian  zone with concerts, shows and performances

It will take place March 21, 2010 at 9.00am where the race will start at   Via dei Fori Imperiali, under the shadow of the Colisseum.

For those who would like to live a great day this marathon is a not-to-be-missed event. Even if you are not the sport type, there will be a parallel event, the “Roma Run”, a non-competitive 4 Km run for those who want to be part of the celebration but are not trained marathonists.

They also will activate the “Marathon Village”,there will be dining, health care items, bus service, radio service of civil protection, resuscitation centers: everything necessary to  enjoy of a sporting event in all safety

You can also be the protagonist by participating and obviously having the chance of winning this incredible race . Here at Yes Hotel and Hotel Des Artistes we will have many people from all over the world participating,  join us to make your dream a reality!

REGISTRATION FEES
• € 35.00 – until November 23, 2009
• € 42.00 – until December 21, 2009
• € 55.00 – until January 28, 2010
• € 65.00 – until March 8, 2010

Recommended changes or any requests and / or additions to the rankings will be accepted by 25.03.2010 and should be sent to the e-mail info@tds-live.com. Thereafter, standings will be final.

For more info please visit www.maratonadiroma.it

September 19th and 20th at 2010 Elton John is going to offer two concerts at the Auditorium Parco della Musica. Sir Elton John will be companied by legendary drummer Ray Cooper at both concerts which starts at 20.30. The English musicians are going to perform some of the biggest hits of Sir Elton like Rocket Man, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Your Song, Daniel, Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me, Nikita and Elton Joh’s last ballad the Boy in the Red Shoes.

Legendary Sir Elton John as everybody knows him, was born in the London suburbs at 1947, has made a long and remarkable career, received numerous Grammy Awards and at least 250 million sold albums. During the years ’72 and ’96.

Ray Cooper has worked for example with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton and many many other artists. He has played in many Elton John’s albums and last time they performed in concert together was in Russia at 1979.

The concert will be held at the Auditorium Parco Della Musica, one of the most modern music venues in Rome that can be easily reached from Yes Hotel or Hotel Des Artistes.

-Rhodora introduces you to Malika who will be performing soon in Rome; we hope she surprises you as se has surprised us all in Italy.

Malika Ayane was born in Milan in 1984 to a Moroccan father and an Italian mother.

In 2006 Ferdinand Arnò decides to use her voice for Time Thief, music composed by himself  for the DTC advertising campaign, which begins in a symbiotic partnership, which in 2007 brings to Soul Waver, soundtrack to Saab’s advertising. Another television spot where we can find one of her songs is that of Barilla in 2009, whith its instrumental rendition of  I giardini dei salici.

The first single from the album is Feeling Better, that becomes a hit radio and allows Malika to  gain recognition all over the country.
In 2007, the singer meets Caterina Caselli that immediately sees in her an artist with an original style:  fresh and spicy.

Malika began working on his first recording project, released in the autumn of 2008 and is titled Malika Ayane. The first single from the album, Feeling Better, becomes immediatly a radio hit.

On 2009  Malika partecipates to the Sanremo Festival with Come Foglie (As tree leaves , lyrics and music by Giuliano Sangiorgi one the greatest Italian signers and part of the band Negaramaro) produced and arranged by Ferdinand Arnò.

On wesnesday 28^th april 2010 at 9.00 p.m, Malika Ayane will meet her fans to treat them with her special brand of pop-soul on a concert at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, one of the finest music venues in Rome .

The auditorium is located only minutes away (with a bus) from Hotel Des Artistes and Yes Hotel, the choice for all those trying to live Rome to its fullest!

It’s incredible: just think that Galileo borrowed the idea of the telescope by small tubes equipped with lenses, a kind toy you could say. This was produced in Holland and Galileo found it in the streets of Venice around the year 1609. And so almost by accident was possible to confirm the revolutionary theories of Nicolaus Copernicus. Now humanity could look straight on the eyes the Milky Way. The striking revelation (or confirmation If you prefer): the Earth is not the center of the universe.

Here is the contribution of the Great Galileo to the human race: changing your point of view, changing the way we look at things (and the way we should look at ourselves).

From October 31^st to January 6, 2010 will take place the exhibition ”The Galileo’s telescope. The tool that changed the world’’ will take place in Rome at the Palazzo Incontro. Opening hours from 10 to 19, every day except Monday. The exhibition displays l replicas of ancient instruments as well as important documents and manuscripts. It’s about a fascinating journey that allows us to know the strong connection between science, culture and religion during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The exhibition also shows the evolution of techniques for producing lenses and mirrors, glasses and dark rooms.

The Palazzo Incontro is located in Via dei Prefetti 22, easy to reach from our locations with the bus 492 arriving there in no more than 20 minutes. Check www.yeshotelrome.com or www.hoteldesartistes.com for more information about our services and location.

Whitney is back and on her way to Rome

We all know the extraordinary voice of this American singer who has been active for  25 years now. To the delight of her many fans through her official website, has been officially confirmed the dates of the new tour of the legendary American singer, and we discover that, Whitney Houston will return to Italy after 11 years. The star of rhythm and blues will perform in Forum di Assago in Milan on 3 May 2010. After Milan, she will make a stop in the capital. The Palalottomatica Arena in Rome, the venue of many relevant concerts, will host this great concert on May 4, 2010 at 21.00, and the singer will propose to her affectionate audience a selection of her greatest hits and, of course, the songs from her latest album I Look To You already topped the charts world. “This is my first tour since the days of My Love is Your Love and I am very excited to perform in front of my loyal fans after all this time. I’m preparing a great show and I can not wait to sing the songs of my latest album “These are the words of Whitney Houston. After 25 years of career now, and making a come back after troubled years, Whitney Houston became an artist of great depth, a diva, a legend. One of the most successful female artists of all time, which has sold over 140 million albums worldwide and received 411 awards … and after so long, she is finally back in Italy.

Here at Yes Hotel and Hotel Des Artistes, we will be more than happpy to have you as our guest and to show you the many marvels Rome has to show you.

Ticket prices: Parterre EUR 120.00 Grandstand Central 1 ° ring EUR 130.00 Grandstand Central 2nd ring EUR 110.00 1st and 2nd ring Lateral EUR 85.00 3rd Ring Central Euro 65.00 3rd Ring Side EUR 50.00

Get ready to skate in the Eternal City.

You can get to the perfect Holiday spirit also in Rome ! Have you always wanted to slide gracefully over the ice without falling? This unfortunately takes lot of practice and won’t happen over night. You don’t have to be a professional to go with the flow and enjoy an unusual kind of fun also here in Rome!

One inside ice skating ring is already open and the outside ones will be opened by mid December. And they will be open until February or March. The outside ice skating rings you will find close to the city center, by Castel Sant’Angelo at Piazza Adriana is “Grizing Village” open everyday from 10 until 24, “Sottozero” near the Auditorium Parco della Musica, open mon-fri from 14 until 21, sat from 10 until 24 and sun from 10 until 21 and “Ice Park” at piazza Re di Roma open mon-fri from 14 until 24 and sat-sun from 10 until 24.

All of these places they rent the skates as well. The inside skating ring “Iceland” is located at EUR, easily reached by metro B. Opening hours and other details can be checked at www.iceland90.com/orari.php but during the weekdays the ring  is open for the public in the evenings and sat-sun for the whole day.!

Well, what are you waiting for? Now there will be nothing missing on you perfect Christmas and New Year vacation in Rome! If you are wondering about accomodation, check the websites of Yes Hotel and Hotel Des Artistes, or drop us a line at info@hoteldesartistes.com and info@yeshotelrome.com. We’ll be more than happy to give you our best offer, either for our accomodation-only options or for our special packages for this season.