12 PHOTOS OF ROME - SAN LORENZO

Cat in the window

The posts of this series are dedicated to the way I see my city, Rome, and to the way I live it, All the photos of this series have been taken by me or by people that were with me. Sometime the quality is not so good, I hope readers will excuse me for that.

SAN LORENZO, THE SOUL OF ROME

The direction of the brewery

Chimney

In each city there is a district where the soul of the city is located. The soul of rome is in San Lorenzo, the district of La Sapienza University.
It is the district whose bombing, on July 19, 1943, during World War II, started the end of the fascism. The building and the chimney located at the end of Via degli Apuli, are what nowadays remains of a brewery that was destroyed by the bombs. The building is now used by the University.

Casa dei bambini

Maria Montessori founded here her first Casa dei Bambini. The original building was also destroyed by the bombs.

The presence of the University may be seen also looking at the names of some cafe, like the one named 110 e lode, like the maximum points one can get at the degree.

The graffinti on the walls always remember that this is a district for students and artists.

110 e lode

Aviolibri

You will also find unusal shops, like the Aviolibri library, one of the only two in Rome that is specialized in books about aviation.

Houses in the Walls

Probably the stangest thing you may see in San Lorenzo are the Houses in the Walls. People are living inside the Auelian Walls; some of those apartments are also offered to tourists.

Not far from those houses, it is curious to observe, looking at the towers of the Aurelian Walls and those of the Termini railway station, the contrast among ancient and modern

Towers

Evening in San Lorenzo

Even if San Lorenzo has a vivid nightlife,  during the day it is a quiet area, very dufferent from other parts of Rome

By day

By day

Cat on the roof

And a cat can stand quiets on a roof!

Vincenzo



P.S. In Sanlorenzo you will also find a lot of excellent restaunts that will not dry your credit card

STAYING ON VACATION

Vacatio (Latin) = Lack, absence

Few days ago one Roman host posted, in a group of a social network, the comment that one of her guests left about the stay in her apartment. The comment was very positive for the apartment, but the problems came. Here is, textually, what the guest wrote

We stayed 3 nights in Rome. I really wouldn't recommendo staying any longer unless you are a history buff. We were very underwhelmed by the experience of the Colosseum area and even the Vatican Museum. My favouriteplanned visit was to St. Peter' Basilica and the difficult walk to the top. 
Aside from that we just enjoyed walking around to the Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona. We couldn't wait to leave & head to Positano.

The guest was a 30 y.o. bride from New York having the honeymoon in Italy.
Most of the comments by other hosts were about the lack of culture of that person. Frankly speaking I believe that what was missing was something else.

Let's go back to the word vacation, derived form the Latin, the language that was spoken in ancient Rome, vacatio.

When on vacation, one should stay away from everything that is similar to daily life. It is not a case that no one considers to be a vacation stayng at home during the weekend, To be on vacation it is necessary a big change.
Going to seaside or to mountains for a skiing vacation is a big change. Visiting a big city is not itself a big change, simply because most of the people live in a big city. If they don't, that is if they come from a small town or a village, the impact with a big city can be difficult. Well, that's not the case of the bride. She was coming from New York, a city that is even bigger.
But what she saw is exactly what she is experiencing every day: chaos, noise, crowded sites and so on.
Is there any difference among those two pictures?  Not really, just the buildings on the back.

Crowd at Times Square

Crowd at the Colosseum

But, indeed, the situation is the same, a lot people.
So why leaving New York to stay in the same situation in Rome? Furthermore, why doing that during the honeymoon, a period of the life when one would like to be on a full vacation?

Dear New York's bride, you are not guilty of lack of culture or something elese. You reacted as anyone, including myselg, would have reacted if left alone.

Your fault, if any, was to believe to those claiming that staying in an apartment is the best way to live as a local. No, staying in an apartment is the best way not to be on vacation, to stay like in your home, or even worse.

You would have deserved a Good Morning by the host or the by the staff every day and someone delivering to you a cup of coffee, just to start in the best way.  You would have deserved someone, the host or other guests, talking with you every morning to understand your mood, to suggest you which sites to visit away from the big crowd, to give you their feedbacks.
You would not have deserved to stay alone in an apartment, without any of those things.

Rome is a city that may be seen in several ways, not only the historical one. There are art, religion, politics, architecture, engineering, curious places, romantic spots, all of them away from the crowd.
One of my best moments in New York was looking at the families playing baseball (or is it softball?) at Central Park. You may look at the archeological site of Largo di Torre Argentina from an historical point of view. There is the historical one, it is the location of the Curia of the Theatre of  Pompey, the place where Julius Cesar was killed on March 15, 44 BC. But I would have recommended to you to look at it also as a Cat Sanctuary, a shelter for homeless cats.
You should have been told that most of the best restaurants of Rome are out of the center.
Therefore you were not on vacation, you were staying at home far away from your own home.

We run this blog to give to our guests our recommendations, to be close to them at any moment.
And we do not forget to tell to them - Good Morning- evey day

Vincenzo

PICK OF THE DAY - GRATTACHECCA

What does it mean to live like a local? Having to go to buy bread, milk and meat at the supermarket or discovering the pleasures of the place one is visiting?

In my opinion only the second. The first is a boring duty that one has to do every day.

One of the local pleasure in Rome during the summer time is the grattachecca. What's that?

It is crushed ice with a syrup, lemon, cherry, mint, almond or whatever the fantasy might suggest.

Grattachecca is something completely different from granita, a typical specialty from Sicily, and sorbet.

These last two specialties are prepared starting from water in which the sugar has been melted making it boil. The syrup is then added to the water, also a liqueur or prosecco for the sorbet and everything is then put in the freezer stirring every 15-20 minutes. The final result is something that is at the same time granular and creamy. In some recipe, also some drops of milk to get it more creamy.

The preparation of grattachecca is much quicker as it is made from blocks of ice that are crushed at the moment, the adding the syrup. Therefore at the same time one will drink and chew the ice. 

Because of the low sugar content, it will result strongly refreshing and thrist quenching.

Grattachecca is typically sold in small kiosks that normally open in the late afternoon or even only in the evening. Those kiosks usually become also meeting point for the people.

One of the best grattachecca in Rome is sold in a kiosk that is located just steps away fro the St. John Villa, along Via Magna Grecia, close to the subway stop. The name of the place is Er Chioschetto.

Vincenzo

JOAN BAEZ AT THE BATHS OF CARACALLA - HER FAREWELL TOUR

On August 6, 2018, the great American singer Joan Baez will hold a concert during her Farewell Tour in the amazing scenery of the Baths of Caracalla, Rome.

The Baths of Caracalla are the location of a great summer season of concert and operas.

We, Romans, are honoured to host this great artist and great woman has chosen our city for one of her last concerts and we wish her all the best thanking her for the emotions she has given to us with her songs

ROMAN WALKS - 4 - VIA NOMENTANA

Monument to the Bersagliere

We wrote here that Rome is not only the historical center..
Walking along the streets leaving from the gates of the Aurelian Wall gives to the visitor a different view of the city, of its modern development, of its real life.
Nevertheless, along the walk, one will find also sites that are testimonies of the past.
Via Nomentana is not one of the main roads leaving the center of Rome, it has not the status of national road, but it is one of the busiest and one that has had an important part in the history of the ancient and modern city.
And I have a special relation with this street because I was born along it and my school was there too.

Porta Pia: Art and History

Porta Pia

Via Nomentana starts from Porta Pia, one of the gates of the Aurelian Wall. Porta Pia has been designed by Michelangelo Buonarroti and that's alread a good reason to give a look to it.
Its importance is, however, essentially historic. It was here, opening a break in the Aurelian Wall, that the Italian army entered to Rome on September 20, 1870 ending the temporal power of the Pope.  Well, there would be a lot to say about that, but it is too long for this post.
The break was opened just steps away from Porta Pia and its position is indicated by a column. Inside Porta Pia there is the Historical Museum of the Bersaglieri, the infantry corp that first entered to Rome. A monument to the Bersagliere soldier is located just in front of Porta Pia. Entering inside the center, the street continues straight with Via XX Settembre, celebrating the entry to Rome of the italian army and then with Via del Quirinale leading directly to the square in front of the presidential palace, Quirinale Palace, formerly residence of the kings of Italy and earlier of the Pope.

Parks

Villa Tornonia

Along the first 2.5 km, Via Nomentana is flanked by typically bourgeois buildings and some villas of the Roman aristocracy.. The most important and known of them is Villa Torlonia. Initally the land belonged to the Pamphilj family, later it was bought by the Colonna family, both of them using it for farming. It was finally it was bought by the Torlonia princes that started the construction works calling the famous architect  Valadier. 

Casina delle Civette at Villa Torlonia

During the fascist period it was used as residence by Benito Mussolini that rented it at the symbolic price of 1 Italian Lira per year. A bunker was also built for protection during bombing.
After the war it was abandoned till 1978 when it was acquired by the municipality of Rome and transformed to museum and public garden.

The other villas along Via Nomentana are Villa Paganini, Villa Blanc and Villa Leopardi.  However there are also several other private green spaces belonging to private residences, and insitutional building, including several embassies and consular offices

Embassies

Via Nomentana is characterized by several embassies and consular offices located along it or in the streets just on its sides. Russia, Lybia, Afghanistan, Malaysia, are some of the countries havin their embassy or consular office located here

Sant'Agnese and Santa Costanza

Basilica of Sant'Agnese

The complex of SantìAgnese and Santa Costanza is worth a visit for artistic, religious and historical reasons. It includes the Basilica of Sant'Agnese, erected in the VII century BC, the ruins of the old basilica dated IV century AD and the Mausoleum of Santa Costanza, also dated IV century AD. 

Mausoleum of Santa Costanza
and ruins of ancient Sant'Agnese

According to the tradition the mausoleum was erected by Costantina, also know as Costanza, daughter of the Emperor Constantine as her own birial place. According to another hypothesis, it was erected by the Emperor Julian I as burial place for his wife Helena that was sister of Costanza. In any case Costanza was buried there. Her Sarcophagues was later moved to the Vatican Museums.

Ancient Rome

Mausoleum of Tor di Quinto

In front of Villa Blanc ine can see another mausoleum, more correctly a piece of a mausoleum. It is know as Mausoleum of Tor di Quinti, because it was originally located in the area of Tor di Quinto, alonjg the Via Flaminia. It was moved to Via Nomentana on the XIX century to mark the entrance of Villa Blanc.

Ponte Nomentano

Approximately 1.5 km after the mausoleum one will reach Ponte Nomentano. Along with the Milvian Bridge, it was one of the most important entraces to the urban area of Rome. Originally built during the republican period, it was reconstructed in the VI century AD and later fortified and partially reconstructed during the XIX century.

It has remained open to the car traffic until aproximately20 years ago. Today, along to the surrounding park, it is restricted to pedestrians. 

Garden City and Night Life

Città Giardino

Soon after Ponte Nomentano there is a square with a market that is dedicated to Menenius Agrippa, the Roman politician that persuaded the plebs to end the secession at the beginning of the V century BC. He gave his speech to the plebs in this area (Mons Sacer). After the secession ended, the office of Tribune of the Plebs was created. On the side of  Piazza Menenio Agrippa, there is another square, Piazza Sempione. In the early XX century this area was still out of the city. Here it was erected a bourgeois district called Città Giardino (Garden City), made of small villas with a private garden. The square, with its church, was the heart of the district. Nowadays it has became a spot with a vivid nightlife, so accounating the area of Ponte Nomentano with the one of the Milvian Bridge.

Piazza Sempione

the Roman politician that persuaded the plebs to end the secession at the beginning of the V century BC. He gave his speech to the plebs in this area (
From Piazza Sempione it is to go back to Porta Pia with one of the several bus lines passing here

Vincenzo
Reserve your room at Villa Borghese Guest House and also at San Lorenzo Guest House and St. John Villa

6 GOOD REASONS TO STAY AT SAN LORENZO GUEST HOUSE IN ROME

 

  6 GOOD REASONS TO STAY AT SAN LORENZO GUEST HOUSE

1) PRICE PER VALUE 

Our rooms have all the comforts: private en-suite bathroom, air conditioning, satellite TV, mini fridge, safe-box, water kettle to prepare complimentary tea and coffee.We do not oversell, what you see in the pictures is real. You will not see a small room looking like a big one, you will not see a room looking full of light when it is actually dark. 

2) SENSE OF HOSPITALITY

 
Hospitality starts at the check-in; we will receive you at any time, no strict limits as in other b&b or apartments.We are available 24/24 to assist you and to provide all the information to make your visit to Rome an unforgettable moment. 
And you will find useful information, suggestions for tour, reastaurants and events in this blog.

3) PEACE AND PRIVACY: 

San Lorenzo Guest House is in the heart of a district with a vivid night-life but is located in a very quit street. And no other people, apart from the guests, is resident in the building.

  

4) SERVICES

Even if we are a guest house, we provide presence and assistance to our guests 24 hours per day. In the morning we will serve you the breakfast directly in your room or in the living room that will remain open to the guest all day around. Even if we are not present at the reception desk, we will always answer to your phone calls, just ask what you need.

 

5) ENJOY ROME 

We are located in the heart of San Lorenzo neighborhood, one of the most characteristic districts of Rome, full of places where you can eat, drink and have live music without spending a fortune. The Ex Dogana, a space of industrial railway archaeology, is becoming one of the  most popular places for concerts, exhibitions and events in Rome You will stay in a building that is a small piece of history of modern Rome, an entire manor house of the late nineteenth century. 

6) MYSELF

I am not humble if that's not necessary. I put my face in what I do.

I started the hopsitality business on October 2013. My background is totally different and, till that date, I was a guest, a very frequent guest indeed, spending apprximately 100 nights per year away from home, for leisure and mostly for business pusposes. 

Therefore I based my business on what I likedm and did not like, during my trips.  

• I am always available for guests, any time. My phone number is written everywhere
• I like meeting guests to give recommendations about the sites to visit, reastaurants, and Roman life
• Even though I have a technical background, history has always been my passion. Rome is a city that, first of all, must be understood for its history
• I believe that being able to communicate is essential in this business. Even writing the posts of this blog I try to maintain a high fluency in the English language, the one that I used in 30 years of professional life. That is because I think guests appreciate the possibility to talk abot several subjects so my skills must not be limited only to "good morning, good evening, on the left, on the right, coffe, tea" and so on. Actually speaking I am limited to those word when we come to French, Spanish, Russian. So my staff includes French, Spanish and Russina speaking people.

SUMMER SALE - SALDI ESTIVI

ROME - ROMA

SAVE THE DATE: JULY 7, 2018

RICORDATE LA DATA DI INIZIO: 7 Luglio 2018

Ask to our staff for information about best shopping areas in Rome or read here

Rivolgetevi al nostro personale per informazioni sulle migliori zone per lo shopping oppure leggete qui

www.villaborgheseguesthouse.com

www.sanlorenzoguesthouse.com

www.stjohnvilla.it

ICE CREAM TIME IN ROME

Summer time, ice cream time.

Here the guide by ROMEING

Here the cuide by ROMEWISE

Do not forget to book you room on Rome at Villa Borghese Guest House

3 MUST-SEE SITES IN ROME

Basilica of St. John Lateran

Which sites you should not miss when visiting Rome?
Colosseum? Vatican? Trevi Fountain? Well, those are easy answers, but...
Very likely you already know those places having seen them on pictures, movies, books and so on.
And very likely, after going there, you will hate Rome having been submerged by the crowd of people and invited to buy low quality souvenirs by hundreds of seller insisting continuosly to convince you to buy something you do not want.
So, here is my selection of places you should not absolutely miss during your visit in Rome

1. St. John Lateran
2. Porta Maggiore
3. Appian Way

ST. JOHN LATERAN

St. John Lateran

Thousands of people viist every day St. Peter and the Vatican. Much less people visit St. John Lateran that is, actually, the cathedral of Rome and the Holy See. Yes, the throne of the Pope is in St. John Lateran, here is the place where his power starts. St. John Lateran has been the first church to be built in Rome and it is considered the mother of all the churches of the world. And, aloong with the basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, that is located just few hundreds neters away and the Holy Stairs (Scala Sancta), that is located just in front of it, is the symbol of the new equilibrium of power that was defined by the emperor Constantine I the Great in the early IV century AD. That equilibrium has survived till the present days when we consider the influence of the Pope on the political life of the western world. 

The Edict of Milan, year 313 AD, stated the importance of the christian religion and was the first step of a political alliance among the empire and the christian community. The first sign of that alliance was the donation of the area former fort of the imperial cavarly bodyguard and of the adjacent Lateran Palace, previously known as Domus Faustae (House of Fausta, Constantine's wife). 

St. John Lateran was then erected and the Lateran Palace became the residence of the Pope. 

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme

It is well known the the policy of Constatine was strongly inspired by his mother Elena (St. Helen). After her trip to Palestine, she brought back the relics of the Holy Cross, that were placed in the basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, built on the location of her house, the Domus Sessoriana, and the stairs of the Governor Palace of Jerusalem that are believed to be those used by Jesus when going to Pilatus. The stairs were placed in a building in front of St. John Lateran. 

What essentially occurred in the first part of the IV century AD was that the emperor left to the Pope the moral and religious power, earlier connected to the political and military power in the person of the emperor. And The End of that is not yet arrived.

PORTA MAGGIORE

Porta Maggiore, one of the gates of the Aurelian Wall is probably the place where ancient and modern Rome live together. 

Porta Maggiore

Urban railway

Nowadays Porta Maggiore is one of the main traffic and public transportatio hubs in Rome. Four tramway lines, one urban railway line and some bus lines pass here. Two important roads, Via Prenestina and Via Casilina (once named Labicana), start from here.

Aqueduct

Two thousand years ago it was also a traffic hub for the same two roads. And it was also the main water hub of the city; 9 were entering to Rome in that area. Porta Maggiore itselfis in reality a monumental arch carrying the piping of two aqueducts, Aqua Claudia and Aqua Anio Novus. Piping is clearly visible from the side.

APPIAN WAY

Appian Way

What should be said about the Appian Way apart from the fact that it was named Regina Viarum, Quenn of the Roads? It has been the first highway ever built. The construction technique is so sophisticated that the road has survived till the present days and it's partially used, 

Apart from the road itsel, the Appian Way offers a lot to se: the Circus of Maxentius, the Mausoleum of Caecilia Metella, Villa dei Quintili, Castrum Caetani, Priscilla tomb, the basilica of San Sebastiano fuori le mura, one of the original Seven Pilgrim Churches, the Catacombs of San Callisto and much more.

Villa dei Quintili

Do not forget to reserve your room at one of the Bed and Rome and Breakfast properties.

www.sanlorenzoguesthouse.com
www.stjohnvilla.it
www.villaborgheseguesthouse.com

ROME - NOT ONLY CENTER

Villa dei Quintili - Appian Way

Few days ago I was driving through the center and I wass impressed by the flow of tourists everywhere.
Rome historical center is full of point fo interest, something like 20000, and because of that it deserves special attention by tourists. Indeed it is the place in the world where there is the highest concentration of monuments, art and so on.
Nevertheless my feeling was different. Evrything seemed to me like people were living like in The Truman Show, a giant size one.

11 PHOTOS OF ROME - CAELIAN HILL

The posts of this series are dedicated to the way I see my city, Rome, and to the way I live it, All the photos of this series have been taken by me or by people that were with me. Sometime the quality is not so good, I hope readers will excuse me for that.

OUT OF TIME, OUT OF SPACE

Rome, like every big city in the world, is chaotic. Let's say that people living in Rome have learned how to survive in the chaos 2000 years ago when, being the first city to do that in human history, it surpassed one million inhabitants.

VITA DA B&B - POST TECNICO

Eh sì, dicendo tecnico intendo tecnico per davvero, ossia niente a che fare con l'ospitalità, le prenotazioni e così via, anche se alcuni aspetti tecnici ci sono, ma con la chimica e con la fisica.

7 PHOTOS OF ROME - ALMA MATER

The cloister inside the faculty of Engineering and the water well, symbol of the

The posts of this series are dedicated to the way I see my city, Rome, and to the way I live it, All the photos of this series have been taken by me or by people that were with me. Sometime the quality is not so good, I hope readers will excuse me for that.

Colle Oppio, San Pietro in Vincoli, Engineering

SET CINEMATOGRAFICI ROMANI - I SOLITI IGNOTI

Piazza Armenia - I Soliti Ignorti

Dire cinema italiano significa dire Roma, sia perché a Roma ci sono gli studi di Cinecittà sia perché la Città Eterna offre tanti scenari quanto forse nessuna altra città al mondo.

Molti film girati a Roma sono comunque andati alla ricerca di ambientazioni differenti rispetto a quelle che tutto il mondo conosce, Colosseo, San Pietro, Castel Sant'Angelo, ma più legate alla vita di tutti i giorni.

Tra questi film, uno dei più famosi è certamente uno dei capolavori assoluti, anzi proprio il capostipite, della commedia all'italiana, I Soliti Ignoti.