Vacation Rates

There are so many wonderful things to see and do when you are visiting Rome that the location of your accommodations will play an important part in how easily it is to get to the areas that you will want to visit. The benefits of staying in Rome apartments vs hotels is very easy to see when you are planning your trip and thinking about the kind of place you want to stay while you are here.

When a person stays in a hotel, it has a tendency to distance you from the area that you are visiting. The people, smells, and culture of a city are often lost in the room that you leave your suitcase in. The personal touches of home are lacking and the colors of the room do not reflect the life and vitality if the city.

For many people, staying in a hotel can be distracting. There are noises in the rooms next to you and very few places within the room to get away from the activities going on in the room. For a group vacation, staying in a hotel room can be crowded and uncomfortable when the individuals have different sleep schedules or want to go out at different times than other members of the group.  Read more...

Sfida dei Borghi (Challenge of the Wards) – Monte Compatri. Monte Compatri being a town whose origins are even older than Rome, it is obvious that its people are quite rightly proud of their ancient past. Once a year, in mid-August, they hold festivities consisting of various tests and games of skill, with an archery contest among the 5 wards of the town as the centrepiece of the celebrations. A historical procession with about 300 participants dressed in 17th century costume takes place before the contest, providing a splendid feast of colours. At the same time street artists conduct their performances in other parts of the town, so that the whole population can fully enjoy the festivities.

Mercatini del 600 (17th century Markets) – Bassano Romano. The 17th century was for Bassano a time of peace and comparative prosperity. Small wonder then that many years ago, when the towns senior citizens met to discuss what period in its history should be represented at an event to be held once a year, it was decided to pick exactly that century. The result is a masterly reproduction of the local markets ” and concurrently of peoples habits and fashions ” as they were in those days, re-enacted in the month of July. Every detail has been carefully planned and executed in order to give visitors the impression of stepping back into the past: from the participants attire to the layout of their stalls, from the decorations of buildings and streets to specially designed scenes along the way. And the deceptively unsophisticated-looking restaurants do a great job at meeting the demands of the many customers tempted by local delicacies.  Read more...

* You are walking through Rome and all of a sudden you hear a bang. What is it? What’s happening? Nobody seems to show any concern and people go about their business as usual, except that they look at their watches. It’s midday! And the bang you heard is the 12 o’ clock cannon shot fired every day from the Janiculum Hill. This is a tradition that started in 1847 to give people a time signal to set their clocks and watches by.

* Ever heard of the “most beautiful hole in Rome”? On top of the Aventine Hill – one of the seven hills of Rome – there is a garden known as ‘Giardino degli Aranci’, or Orange Garden, with a fabulous view of the city. At sunset, when the entrance gate closes, you can peep through the keyhole and have a breathtaking view of a line of trees and, lit in the background, St. Peter’s Dome.  Read more...