Continue reading »]]> St. Valentine is another holiday that is celebrated in the city of Rome, which loves festivals and festivities of any kind and duration. Thus if you happen to be in Rome for a romantic Valentine’s holiday, there will be plenty to do and experience with that special someone who makes everything different and far more pleasant. The first to start with is that the Italian capital is a very romantic place with plenty of nice squares and places for walking, numerous romantic parks and tiny restaurants, plenty of fountains that can take your breath away. Whatever you decide to do around St. Valentine’s Day in Rome, try to stay away from the crowds and get those romantic corners and hidden tiny squares, which are known only to the locals and to you. Often, these places are as close to the major sites of interest that you will be really amazed by that fact.

This photo of Etabli caffe, winebar, ristorante

This photo of Etabli caffe, winebar, ristorante

This photo of Etabli caffe, winebar, ristorante
The other important thing to decide and arrange is where you will dine while in Rome for your St. Valentine’s holiday. Without doubt you can start a nice tradition here, by finding a nice restaurant to come back to year after a year. You can find some good offers by reading the comments of the people who have recently been to Rome and try a few placed until you choose that special one where you will both feel great and where you will be delighted by the professional service, the delicious meals and the excellent wine. After all you should not forget that it is the good memory that makes a certain place special, even if it is just a small pizzeria, a bakery or an ice-cream shop. A good tip to take is to explore the Trastevere district with its cozy dining places at the narrow streets and lovely lanes near the river, as well as the restaurants along the river promenade itself. Another favorite place is Piazza Navona and the restaurants there, though the year could be quite tourist oriented, yet still one can enjoy a glass of good wine and some cheese.

If you plan to go on a special dinner in Rome, you have to know that you will need a reservation and that the dinner usually starts at 7 p.m. If you get bread on the table, know that you will have to pay for it afterwards. Another thing to know is that most probably you will sit very close to the other people in the restaurant, but this is normal for the small dining places. Among the good dining options are the small restaurants on Via di Tor Millina and along Via del Governo Vechio, as well as in the area of Campo dei’ Fiori. A good restaurant to consider is Etabli, which has a great atmosphere, as well as the enoteca Cul de Sac, which offers an impressive selection of wines and several dishes. If you love pasta, then go to Pastarito, they have several restaurants in the center of Rome and they are all incredible.

Continue reading »]]> Vacations with dogs seem like a great idea. It can be fulfilled and amusing. You would be amazed to see how well your dog would respond to the change of place and weather. Dogs are strong animals and can survive in extreme cold and heat as they have a great immune system and body mechanism. Due to this, either people always plan to take their dogs along with them on vacations or they travel around just to make sure they have best friend together. If you plan to leave the dog home, you can always install an indoor dog fences to keep dog of furniture. These dog fence systems for indoors are portable and easy to travel with.

dog and cats

Indoor dog fence is affordable and easy to make and order. All you have to do is, train your dog to stay within a certain boundary when told do. However, if the authorities and management allows your dog to stay in the hotel or vacation spot premises then you can always take along your dogs in vacation and always feel at ease. If you are travelling alone or with a family, your kids would never get bored at beaches and hotels if they have their dogs with them, as they would always get a chance to love them, hug them and be near them as they do back home.

dog vacation

Vacations with dogs can be a little problem if the hotels do not have an electric dog fence or wireless dog fence. As sometimes dogs are not allowed to stay with you inside a room and they are kept safely in another room, the electric dog fence and wireless dog fence can help you stay carefree, as there would be no chances of your dog running away from the room. Many times due to absence of wireless dog fence and electric dog fence dogs have ran away from the vacation spots in search of their owners.

You need to make sure you take along all the supplies of your dogs along with you on vacations. There is special tin food for dogs and dog biscuits. You can take along a good stock of both so that you would not have to keep your dog hungry until you find some place to eat yourself and your dog would have enough to eat staying healthy and active all the time. You must take along a strong leash and hang a bell in the collar of your dog just to know where the dog is running and going.

It is always good to have your dogs with you during your vacations but you need to know that dogs must not be pushed far from their limit to bear the travelling time. You must only take your dogs along with you if you are sure that your dog is healthy and fit to bear the environment and temperature change. If you see your dog showing signs of being unwell, never think about curing the dog and forcing to take him along since it can further harm their health. If your dog is fine and healthy, you will never miss the company of him and must do something to take him along.  http://www.electricdogfence.com/ is a great way to find dog fence systems for all your travel containment solutions.

Continue reading »]]> If you happen to visit Rome these days there are a few great places for snacks that you should try. The first one on our list is Il Forno di Via dei Pastini. The place is situated in the centre of Rome, but should not be confused with two other places with a similar name, so make sure you are at the right place. The place is near Piazza di Pietra and the Pantheon and is a small bakery that serves some really tasty things to eat. Among the best things to try here is pizza Bianca, which is made in the roman style – crunchy and thin. This goes perfect if plain, but one can also add some mortadella and enjoy it even more. In summer, some of the clients try the combination of figs and raw ham on this pizza. It may sound strange, but actually it is very tasty, so try it and you will not regret it. Another option to consider is pizza rossa, which is made with tomato sauce. This one is a bit thicker and comes with some olive oil as well. At Il Forno di Via dei Pastini one could also buy home-made cookies and some refreshments. The place is closed for siesta from 13.30 o’clock until 15.30 o’clock.

The other great place for some snacks that deserves the attention is Dar Filettaro a Santa Barbara, which is located in a small and lovely square near Campo de’ Fiori, again in the city centre itself. One of the tastiest things to try here is the salty cod a filet of baccala, which one can grab and then go for a walk. In case you want to sit down and eat there are seats inside, which is good for the cold weather now. Good to be tried here is the chicory salad with a pesto of garlic.

Another fantastic place for a snack is the Roscioli pizza place, which offers thin, plain pizza. There one could also try some cheeses and wines, as well as cold cuts and fresh bread. The service here is great and quick. One can also buy some bottles of wine here, as well as a few local cheeses.

Those who love sandwiches will absolutely adore the Boccone place, where one can try various Panini, including one filled with chocolate. The place is located on Piazza di Pietra in the city centre and is open every day from 10 o’clock in the morning until 7 o’clock in the evening. The finest sandwiches to try here are “Palermo” and “Rome”, “Venezia”, etc. The combinations are so many and sometimes strange, but they all taste very good. One can also make a selection of one’s own, let’s say using mozzarella and fresh salmon, tuna and cherry tomatoes, grilled eggplant and sun-dried tomatoes as well as olive oil and cheese. The types of bread can also vary. Besides that, there is also a good selection of beers and cold drinks too.

Continue reading »]]> The Italian capital Rome will host various music events this month. This Friday, 18^th November at 9 o’clock in the evening  the Roberta Gambarini Quartet will perform “So in Love”. The event is part of the Roma Jazz Festival. The event will take place at Auditorium Parco della Musica, Sala Petrassi. The musician Gambarini was nominated for a Grammy award in the year 2008. It is a curious fact that she started as a musician in jazz clubs in Northern Italy, then moved to Milan to work for a radio and television, before she started recording under her own name. She found favour with the public and jazz critics with her album “Easy to Love”, which she released in the year 2006. Later, she was described as the “best new jazz vocalist to come along in fifty years” by the pianist Hank Jones. The music event is definitely worth a visit.

Other musicians that will be performing this Friday are the French flutist Magic Malik and the composer Gilbert Nuovo as part of the Franco Jazz Festival. Gilbert Nuovo has been performing at the French Academy Villa Medici, while Magic Malik was part of the reggae band Human Spirit. Today, Malik is among the leading jazz musicians. The event will take place near Piazza Navona in Rome, at Centro San Luigi dei Francesi, Largo Giuseppe Toniolo.

As part of the Roma Jazz Festival the city will welcome the combination of bass and a solo voice of Petra Magoni and Ferruccio Spinetti, former members of the group Avion Travel. The duo will perform on Saturday, 19^th November at Auditorium Parco della Musica, Sala Sinopoli. The musicians aim at the pure emotion coming from the music and their repertoire includes pop and jazz performances. On the same day Ibrahim Malouf will appear. Malouf is a trumpeter, specialising in combining Western jazz with Arabic influences, forming a kind of Mediterranean jazz style.

The Roma Jazz Festival will continue and on November 21^st, at Auditorium Parco della Musica, Sala Santa Cecilia shall perform Stefano Bollani and Hamilton De Holanda. Bollani is a jazz pianist who will perform a Gershwin piano concerto with symphony orchestra. Since Bollani has been recently inspired by Brazilian music he will perform with De Holanda, who plays bandolim, a Brazilian 10-chord stringed instrument. On the same day, at Auditorium Parco della Musica, Sala Sinopoli will perform Natacha Atlas and Transglobal Underground. She is an Egyptian singer and a classical violinist who will present her new album “Mounqaliba”, written in Arabic, with Western and Middle Eastern sounds.

On the next day, 22^nd November,  the singer and narrator Marta Zanazzi will perform with the percussionist Gianluca Ruggeri and other percussionists from the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia di Roma. On the same day at Auditorium Parco della Musica, Sala Sinopoli, Rodrigo y Gabriela, guitarists and singers from Mexico, will perform.

Continue reading »]]> The city of Rome is great to visit at any time of the year, but if you do so in the middle of November you should better write down the names of the cafes and resting places you will need to visit to warm up, relax, drink and eat something delicious. There are so many such places in Rome, but we picked these since they are really special. The first one on our list is the great tearoom Babingtons, which is located in the centre of the Italian capital, on Piazza di Spagna and is open from 9 o’clock in the morning until 8 o’clock in the evening. The tearoom is very close to the low level of the Spanish steps and is under the place where the English poet John Keats used to live. At the tearoom are being served cakes and pies, cookies and scones. The place is not among the cheap ones, so expect to pay about 20 Euros for a tea (the selection is really amazing, but the menu is helpful due to the characteristics of the flavours) and a cake.

A great place for a coffee and breakfast is the Bar Ambassador, which is located on Via Fabbroni Street. There one could try a delicious NutellCoffee with Nutella cream at the bottom, which goes perfect with a croissant.

 Another great place to relax and enjoy in the late afternoon, when in the area of Trastevere, is the Baylon Café, where various aperitifs are served. These are various snacks, which are included in the price of your regular drink. These aperitifs are cheap and very tasty and sometimes you will not need a dinner after all. The place is also open in the morning, when one could get a lovely cup of cappuccino and breakfast. Besides the Baylon Café, there are other similar bars of that kind in the centre of Rome and they are located around the area of Piazza Navona and also Campo di Fiori e Trilussa.

Those who love ice-cream will tell you that they do so during all seasons and the coming winter does not change their taste. For all of them there are two wonderful places in Rome, which should be mentioned. These are the Grom ice cream shop and the Fior di Luna, which offers bio ice cream. At Grom, a small gelateria close to the Pantheon on Via della Maddalena street, one can try delicious ice cream, made of high quality ingredients and prepared in the finest way possible. Besides fabulous ice cream, the place also offers tasty hot chocolate, which comes with whipped cream on the top and is ideal for the cold November mornings. The website of the place can be checked out here: http://www.grom.it/eng/index.php

The other place mentioned, Fior di Luna, is situated in the Trastevere region, which serves bio cultivated flavours, based on high quality ingredients. The ice cream they serve is very delicious and so are the fruit preserves and marmalades they also sell. Their website to check out is here – http://www.fiordiluna.com/

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The Italian capital Rome is a delightful city that features an impressive variety of places for entertainment, sightseeing and fun. It is also a place with many squares known as piazzas, fountains that take away your your breath and lovely parks. If, however, one wants to get off the beaten path and enjoy some hidden places of relaxation in Rome, check out the sites presented here. These places are not among the most popular ones, but this is their charm.

The first place to be named here is the park Parco Pappacci, which is an excellent place to relax and find some peace away from the tourist crowds in this popular holiday destination. This park is great to go and relax a bit or to bring your dog if you travel with one, since there is a special area for pets. The place is also good to run and to bring your children, as there are nice playground areas for them like for example the pony ride. The place is also good to have your lunch here, to read a book or to catch the sun’s rays. The Parco Pappacci is an ideal place for a rest in summer as the trees make for good shadew, which is excellent for the hot summer days in Rome in July and in August. The park is near Via di Grottarossa 124.

Another place good for relaxation in Rome, which is not that popular among the tourist crowds but is adored by the locals, is Villa Doria Pamphilj. The park is the biggest in Rome and is favourite with the Romans, who often come here for a walk, to ride a bike, to run in the morning and even to have a picnic. The place is very interesting and features some nice historical landmarks and wonderful sites such as the curved bridge, which stretches over Via Olimpica, and which connects the two parts of the park. On the eastern part there are some statues, landscaped gardens and fountains, while on the western part of the park there are some great areas with interesting fauna and flora. The park is extremely popular with joggers who even have dressing rooms and showers at their gathering point. The park can be accessed from Via della Nocetta, Via Aurelia Antica, Via Vitellia, Via Leone XIII and Via di Porta S. Pancrazio.

For those who want to relax and have a lovely dinner there are a few romantic places away from the noise, but featuring lovely views. These are the restaurants on the terraces and roof gardens of Rome. Many of these roof terrace restaurants are a bit expensive, but not all of them. The ones that should be tried and enjoyed are the roof terrace on Hotel dei Consoli; the roof garden at Palazzo Manfredj Hotel Gladiatori, which is open during the winter months as well; Terrazze del Vittoriano with its panoramic elevators and Terrazza Caffarelli.

Continue reading »]]> Now, November is not the typical month of the year for trips to Rome but in case you happen to visit the Italian capital at that time of the year, there is still plenty to be seen and enjoyed besides the main historical landmarks, piazzas, fountains and cultural sites. Like every big city, Rome has plenty of attractions and events every month revolving around art, literature, theatre and music. And, if at first one might wonder what is there to be done in Rome in November, there are actually  plenty of festivities, celebrations and events to consider.

All Saints’ Day is celebrated at the start of Novmember. Actually, the exact day of celebration  is the 1^st of November. On that day, Italians tend to remember their loved ones who have died and they visit the cemeteries. It is interesting that on that day you can see many churches open for visiting, which are generally closed during the rest of the year. On that day one can visit all churches in Rome and this even includes the Roman catacombs. On the following day, which is not a public holiday and is known as All Souls Day, Italians still bring flowers to the loved ones they have lost. Another day that is celebrated during the first days of November is Unity Day, which marks Armed Forces Day and the first World War. During that day a ceremony takes place near the Unknown Soldier’s Tomb near Piazza Navona.

Among the festivals that are held in Rome in November are the Rome Jazz Festival. The jazz concerts are usually held at the Auditorium Parco della Musica and last throughout the month. Another event that should not be missed is the Roma Europa Festival, which covers most of November. The programme for this festival includes various concerts, dance and theatre performances et cetera. The performances are held at various sites throughout Rome and these include the Teatro Argentina and Teatro Olimpico, as well as the Concilazione. The motto for this year’s edition of the festival is ‘Try the impossible’. Another day celebrated in the city of Rome in November is the Feast of Saint Cecilia on 22^nd November. The feast day of the saint is celebrated at Santa Cecilia in the Trastevere neighbourhood of Rome, and also at the Catacombs of San Callisto.

There are other interesting events in Rome that deserve  attention in November. These include the home furniture exhibition at Moa Casa where one can sample the latest trends in furniture design. The exhibition has free entry on week days and a small entry fee on weekends. Another event is the La Soffitta Sotto i Portici bargain market for various items, organised twice a month on Sundays at Piazza Augusto Imperatore. For those who love sports there is the annual football derby between Rome and Lazio, which takes place at Stadio Olimpico.

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