Bed and Rome and Breakfast - 3 B&B in Rome: 2017

mercoledì 13 dicembre 2017

GRAFFITI TOUR


Graffiti

A tour of independent art galleries in Rome - Street art from Pigneto to Torpignattara.


People know that in Rome beauty can be found everywhere, even without looking for it.
The center of the city is an example of that. It is the Rome of the emperors, of the popes, of Dolce Vita that is in the imagination  of everyone.
Rather, my interest is in an other side of Rome, more hidden but not less interesting, even if you don’t find Rome’s street art in a guide book.

domenica 10 dicembre 2017

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 16


FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A BRITISH TRAVELER

Back to part 15

It took some time to complete the diary of my trip to Rome but, as I wrote at its beginning, I was rather busy with the planning o my wedding with Janet.

Time to go


So my week in Rome came to the end. It would be nice to have longer vacations but it takes time and money. However Janet and I are already planning to come back soon to spend more time together where we met, sisiting also all the most romantic sites of the cisty. And they are not few.

domenica 19 novembre 2017

VITA DA B&B - UN BALCONE, UN DESTINO


Quale modo migliore per rendere omaggio al grande Paolo Villaggio, recentemente scomparso, che essere protagonisti di una disavventura fantozziana proprio dove il mitico ragionier Ugo ha compiuto una delle sue memorabili imprese, prendere l'autobus al volo?

mercoledì 8 novembre 2017

OFFERTA PARCHEGGIO GRATUITO


Una delle caratteristiche uniche del St. John Villa è quella di avere un parcheggio privato. E' quello che vedete nella foto qui sopra, ci entrano due o anche tre macchine see non troppo grandi. E' adatto anche ai furgoni.

Per tutto il mese di novembre e fino al 6 dicembre 2017, a coloro che prenoteranno tramite il nostro sito www.stjohnvilla.it o direttamente per telefono offriremo gratuitamente il parcheggio, su prenotazione e secondo disponibilità.

Il St. John Villa si trova a Roma dietro alla Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, a 5 minuti dalla fermata San Giovanni della linea A della metropolitana e a 15 minuti a piedi dal Colosseo.



domenica 5 novembre 2017

DON'T BE SHY, ASK US


St, John Villa Trip Advisor review

When I started to operate in the Bed and Breakfast business, I was fully convinced that, to have success, my focus had to be on the people rather than on the property itself.
In other words, it is important to offer comfortable rooms that are equipped with everything that is important for a good stay, but it is not necessary that they look like a luxury suite.
People staying at a bed & breakfast or at a guest house are surely happy if they find an informal place but they are especially happy if the host is taking care of them more than the staff of a hotel would do.
I am normally based at the St. John Villa but, whenever you have some special request, even if you are staying at Villa Borghese Guest House or at San Lorenzo Guest House, please fell free to contact me. Please call also and especially in the case you have some problem.
Vincenzo
(phone +39 340 1586022)roma

mercoledì 25 ottobre 2017

ITALIAN BREAKFAST - WHEN IN ROME DO AS ROMANS DO


From a guest review
The breakfast was very basic and only offered sweet items...
Apart from the fact that, at the St. John Villa, we do not offer only sweet items (the specific guest did not look around), even if that was the case, there would be nothing strange, it's the Italian breakfast.

I frankly beliebe that, when traveling, one must not only visit monuments and museums, but also enter into contact with locals and local traditions. And cuisine is an essential part of that.

Italian cuisine is recognized to be of of the three most important cuisines in the world, along with the French and the Chinese ones (I would personally add also the Turkish cuisine). The order of preference can be different, every person may have his/her own, but there is no doubt that visiting Italy and expecting to eat like at home might sound strange.

mercoledì 18 ottobre 2017

lunedì 9 ottobre 2017

OUTLET SHOPPING IN ROME


Italian fashion brands are at the top level of appreciation all around the world. When in Italy, going for shopping is a must do for many travelers.
Outlets provide an excellent combination among variaty of choice of top brands and convenint prices.
Close to Rome there are two well know outlets, one in Valmontone and one in Castel Romano.

giovedì 21 settembre 2017

SAN LORENZO - L'ANIMA DI ROMA (E NON SOLO)


Se i Fori e il Campidoglio sono la storia di Roma, Piazza di Spagna con il Tridente il salotto, San Lorenzo è l'anima di Roma ma non solo di Roma.
Abbiamo già avuto modo di parlare del quartiere dove si trova San Lorenzo Guest House, ma qualche altro approfondimento è d'obbligo.
La zona di San Lorenzo misura in totale poco più di 30 ettari, mezzo chilometro quadrato includendoci la parte a nord della Via Tiburtina. Eppure questa piccola zona ha avuto una influenza enorme sulla storia contemporanea, e non solo quella italiana.

Nota: quelle che seguono sono osservazioni derivanti da mie opinioni personali. Come tali esse sono criticabili e ogni visione alternativa è ben accetta. 

martedì 5 settembre 2017

ABOUT SAN LORENZO BY NIGHT


In a recent review a guest of San Lorenzo Guest House wrote the following words.

"We weren't completely happy about the localization because we sometimes were afraid to walk as it was getting dark ( many homeless people and drunks).It was safe to walk during day."

I think that it is necessary to provide some clarifications especially for our future guests.

domenica 6 agosto 2017

PICK OF THE DAY - ROME RESTAURANTS MAP

 

In a city like Rome there are thousands of restaurants of every type for all pockets.
And there are a lot of websites where one can find the ranking of their top restaurants.
Obviously the rankings are not always the same but some restaurants can be found in several of them.
But, in most of the cases, their location is not whown on a map. Once entered in those websites, the visitor will have to start huntng to find the closest place.
Well, I took one of those rankings, click here to see the full details, and placed all of them on a map of Rome. It contains 38 restaurants of all types and for all pockets. Just open the map and give a look.



And, don't forget to book your room at our properties.

Villa Borghese Guest House
St. John Villa

sabato 5 agosto 2017

ROME HISTORICAL CENTER - WHERE WE ARE

Talking with our guests, I have realized that several people believe we are not central in Rome.
Well, that is not true, even if the 3 Bed and Rome and Breakfast properties are located out of the official border of the historical center of Rome. Well, let's see some facts, those facts that all well known to a Roman

mercoledì 2 agosto 2017

STELLE CADENTI, PREZZI IN CADUTA


Il 10 Agosto è la festa di San Lorenzo, il patrono del nostro quartiere. Ed è anche la notte delle stelle cadenti..
Per celebrare la festa, i prezzi del soggiorno a San Lorenzo Guest House sono anch'essi in caduta.
Per ogni soggiorno di almeno 2 notti tra l'8 e il 16 Agosto, otterrete uno sconto immediato del 20 % prenotando direttamente tramite il nostro sito ufficiale.
www.sanlorenzoguesthouse.com

FALLING STARS, FALLING PRICES


August 10 is the day of Saint Lawrence, the patron of San Lorenzo neighborhood. And the night is the night of the falling stars.
To celebrate the event also the prices at San Lorenzo Guest House are falling.
For any stay, minimum 2 nights, between August 8 and August 16 you will get an immediate 20 % discount, when reserving through our official website
www.sanlorenzoguesthouse.com

domenica 23 luglio 2017

URBEM FECISTI - ENGINEERING & ARCHITECTURE


The articles of the series Urbem Fecisti are dedicated to the way Rome has shaped the modern world, to its modernity. It's a fact that Roman Empire is still living inside each of us in the western world and not only.

Pantheon, a masterpiece of engineering and architecture

Hadrian was one of the greatest emperors of Rome, for sure the one that, more than anyone else, patronized arts, literature and philosophy. By many, he is considered to have be the most wise emperor.
Nowadays we can still admire its legacy in many works, starting from the Hadrian's Wall, one of the most important landmark in Britain, to Hadrina's Villa in Tivoli, near Rome, to its mausoleum, now known as Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome.
However the most impressive among the buildings that were erected under Hadrian's rule is for sure the Pantheon in Rome. He rebuilt the temple dedciated to all Gods, originally built by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa during the empire of Augustus, that was destroyed by a fire in the year 80 AD. What remains of the original buildg is the inscription in the front part and the to massive bronze doors, each one having the weight of 7 tons.

Before going on , I wish to ask you a question: whinch of the two walls in the picture below, both built essentailly using the same technique, brick binded by concrete, is the older and what differences do you observe? The walls are located few hudreds meters away one from the other, so weather conditions are the same. You can place your answwer in the comments. 



martedì 18 luglio 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WITH US


GET FREE NIGHT AND CASH BACK


Come to Rome to celebrate your birthday and reserve your room with us at
If your birthday is on one of the days of your stay, including the day of departure, you will be eligible for our special offer HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
  • 2 nights stay: 10 € cash back
  • 3 nights stay: 25 € cash back
  • 4 nights stay: 40 € cash back
  • 5 nights stay or longer: price of last night
And, if you come with your relatives and friends, the offer will be applied to all the reserved rooms!
The offer is valid only for reservations made using our official web-sites or contacting us by phone/mail. It is not valid for the reservation of one room only with single occupancy.
All discounts will be applied at the moment of your stay.
In your reservation please indicate in the notes HAPPY BIRTHDAY and the name of the person. birthday.

Note: the offer is not valid in the following periods
  • From December 24 to January 6
  • From the Monday before Easter to the Tuesday after Easter
  • From April 23 to June 4
  • From September 10 to October 15

BUON COMPLEANNO CON NOI

NOTTE GRATIS E SCONTI


Festeggiate a Roma il vostro compleanno soggiornando presso una delle nostre strutture
Se il vostro compleanno cade in uno dei giorni del vostro soggiorno, incluso il giorno di partenza, avrete diritto alla nostra offerta speciale BUON COMPLEANNO.
  • 2 notti di soggiorno: vi sconteremo 10 €
  • 3 notti di soggiorno: vi sconteremo 25 €
  • 4 notti di soggiorno: vi sconteremo 40 €
  • 5 o più notti di soggiorno: l'ultima notte sarà gratis
E se venite con i vostri parenti ed amici l'offerta sarà estesa a tutte le stanze prenotate.
L'offerta è valida solo per prenotazioni fatte attraverso i nostri siti web ufficiali o contattandoci per telefono/mail. Non è valida per prenotazioni di una sola stanza ad uso singolo.
Tutti gli sconti verranno applicati al momento del vostro soggiorno. Nel caso di tariffa prepagata, la somma vi verrà restituita in contanti
Vi preghiamo di indicare nella prenotazione BUON COMPLEANNO e il nome della persona che compie gli anni.

Nota: l'offerta non è valida
  • Dal 24 Dicembre al 6 Gennaio
  • Dal Lunedì prima di Pasqua al Martedì dopo Pasqua
  • Dal 23 Aprile al 4 Giugno
  • Dal 10 Settembre al 15 Ottobre

domenica 9 luglio 2017

ROMAN WALKS - 2 - ARCHEOLOGY AND CHRISTIANITY


The walking tour we are presenting in this post starts from the St. John Villa. It touches some of the most famous sites of Rome, Colosseum, Santa Maria Maggiore, St. John Lateran.

lunedì 3 luglio 2017

ROMAN WALKS - 1 - NORTH OF THE CENTER


As well as every city, and even more, Rome is a city that must be discovered walking. There are so many places to be seen, such a long history and so much art that, jumping from one of the main spots to the other does not allow to understand it fully.
We have already prepared and presented some walking tour and we have presented those in the series One week in Rome.

sabato 1 luglio 2017

VITA DA B&B - L'ESTATE AL ST. JOHN VILLA


In realtà non solo in estate, ma durante tutta la bella stagione, cioè da metà marzo ai primi di novembre, soggiornando presso St. John Villa ci si può rilassare in giardino o in terrazza. Che poi, A Roma, l'inverno non è che sia così freddo da impedire di sedere all'aria aperta. Durante i mesi invernali, comunque, sotto il gazebo mettiamo una stufa riscaldante.


D'estate spesso si viaggia in macchina o in motocicletta. Presso il St. John Villa troverete anche il parcheggio.
Cosa aspettate allora, per la vostra vita da b&b, a prenotare la nostra offerta speciale per l'estate?



Vincenzo


domenica 25 giugno 2017

FAST FOOD ROMAN WAY

Pizza, supplì and...

When talking about fast food restaurants, one thinks immediately to brands like McDonald's or Burger King.
Actually there are not many places from those brands in Rome. Nevertheless there are plenty of places that may be defined fast food, or strett food restaurant-

mercoledì 21 giugno 2017

VITA DA B&B - CHI SI FERMA E' PERDUTO


Ma cosa mai ci vorrà a mandare avanti un b&b o una guest house? Beh, magari se è un b&b piccolino da un paio di stanze può anche essere, ma quando si parla di più attività, le cose si complicano un pochino.

venerdì 16 giugno 2017

JUST RELAX - SUMMER SPECIAL


Do you think that visiting Rome should be something different than the overcrowded Colosseum and Vatican?
Do you think that the Eternal City, the city with the lagest artistic, historical and cultural heritage in the worl might well offer something worth to know almost at every corner?
Do you like the stories I am writing abou Rome?
Well, if your answer to the above questions is yes, that is for you

JUST RELAX - DISCOVER ROME WITH ROMANS

This special package offer is thought to allow you to know Rome in the way its citizens live it

I will accompany you half a day, but also something more than possible, to discover some places in Rome that are not the ones most commonly visited by tourists, such as:

- Clivus Scauri
- Museum of the Aurelian Wall
- San Pietro in Vincoli
- San Saba neighborhood
- Panoramic view fro the Zodiaco terrace
- Coppedè district
- Appian Way
- Aqueducts around Rome

- Basilica of Santa Sabina
- Via San Teodoro, behind the Forum
- Testaccio neighborhood
- and others
  

The package for two people includes
San Lorenzo Guest House
  • 3 nights stay in a double room, bed & breakfast
  • bottle of wine or fresh fruit basket at the arrival
  • 3 days pass for public transportaion for both people
  • half day accompanied tour around Rome (schedule to be mutually agreed - Italian or English language - translation to Russina accordingto availability
In addition to that we will assist you in the selection of restaurants so that you may experience Roman and Italian cuisine without becoming a victim of tourist traps

Prices and conditions

Villa Borghese Guest House
Prices are total for two people and do not include city tax

The package is on sale till July 31, 2017, according to availability. An advance payment of 100 € is required. It may be reserved only by mail or phone through the following contacts
St. John Villa
  • info@sanlorenzoguesthouse.com
  • info@stjohnvilla.it
  • villaborgheseguesthouse@gmail.com
  • +39 340 1586022
No matter where you will stay, I will also be happy to welcome you for a drink together in the garden of the St. John Villa.

In any case you may still normally reserve your room at

Vincenzo
The lemon tree at the St. John Villa

giovedì 15 giugno 2017

TESTACCIO - IL CUORE ROMANISTA DI ROMA


In tutte le città che hanno più di una squadra di calcio militanti nella serie maggiori, esiste una fiera rivalità. Sarà perché tutto ciò che riguarda Roma è unico, nessuna rivalità come quella tra Roma e Lazio è così sentita tanto da essere diventata simbolo delle rivalità stracittadina ed essere entrata nella cultura popolare venendo ad essere messa al centro di numerosi film e telefilm famosi a partire da Un giorno in pretura degli anni '50 del XX secolo fino a I Cesaroni, recente serie televisiva e anche Mangia prega ama, film americano del 2010 con Julia Roberts.
Aldilà dell'unicità di Roma, cosa ha fatto sì che questa rivalità diventasse tanto accesa?

domenica 11 giugno 2017

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 15


FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A BRITISH TRAVELER

Back to part 14

Tramway Lines in Rome


While writing Part 10 of this diary, I mentioned that combining the use of tramway lines 3 and 19 allows the visitor to see several important sites as well as  hop oon - hop off bus.
Indeed that is true in general when considering the entire tramway network of Rome.

lunedì 5 giugno 2017

VITA DA B&B - APPARTAMENTO O B&B


Qualche settimana fa ci siamo addentrati nel dilemma "albergo o b&b". Supponiamo che il nostro eroe, cioè il viaggiatore, abbia deciso di non essere assolutamente un tipo da albergo, magari unicamente per una vile questione di pecunia - eh sì, gli alberghi in genere sono parecchio più cari - ed abbia quindi scartato tale soluzione.
Pensate forse che abbia finito di tribolare? Assolutamente no, perché a questo punto dovrà scegliere se prendere una stanza in un b&b o affittare un intero appartamento.
E qui le cose si fanno più complicate perché si tratta di due soluzioni piuttosto diverse.