MOVIE SETS IN ROME - MAGNA GRECIA PARKING

Some time ago I was having dinner at a restaurant close to the St. John Villa. At the end of the dinner, while going out from the restaurant, I was stopped because outsiede they were filming a movie.
After few minutes, when they finished, I was left to go.

Months later I had the opportunity to see the scene that had been filmed that day.
It belonged to the Episode 2 of a TV series that has had a great success at the end of 2016, The Young Pope, directed by the Academy Award winner Paolo Sorrentino and interpreted by great actors such as Jude Law interpreting the Pope, Diane Keaton, Silvio Orlando, James Cromwell, Scott Sheperd, Javier Camara, Cecile De France and others.

In that scene the personal secretary of the Pope, Sister Mary, interpreted by Diane Keaton, the personal secretary of the Pope, follows the Secretary of State, Cardinal Voiello, interpreted by Silvio Orlando, out of the Vatican trying to discover his secret life, if any. Cardinal Voiello enters into an apartments building  and Sister Mary climbs the ramp of a parking in front of it to look inside. She starts thinking that Voiello has a lover when she sees him greeting a woman. With her big suprise, immediately after, she realizes that Voiello has gone there to deliver comfort to a disabled boy that he consider his best friend.

 

Magna Grecia market

The ramp of the parking can be briefly seen at second 19 of the recap. That parking is located just in front of the restaurant where I was having dinner, at the corner between Via Amiterno and via Magna Grecia. Actually it is rather far from the Vatican, on the opposite side of the historical center, behind the Basilica of St. John Lateran 

The building of the parking is an important piece of the architecture if the late 50's of the XX century, designed by Riccardo Morandi. on the ground floor there is a market and on the upper levels the parking. 

Unfortunately the conditions of the building are, nowadays, very poor. The market is sparsely attended by customers and most of the counters are not in use. the parking is closed since few years because of water seepage. Currently there is no clear project for the recovery of the building. Local markets have lost attendance sinnce the supermarkets made available also the fresh products and the parking has suffered by a poor management.

Like all the inhabitants of the area I hope a good project will come soon to bring the building tho the new life that it deserves.

Vincenzo

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 6

Palazzo Barberini

 FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A BRITISH TRAVELER

Fontana del Tritone - Piazza Barberini

Piazza Barberini is named after the palace of the aristocratic family Barberini that is overlooking the square. Actually the entrance is on Via delle Quattro Fontane. The National Gallery of Anciet Art is located in the palace. At teh center of the square you can see the Fontana del Tritone (Fountain of the Triton), one of the famous Rome's fountains.
Leaving Piazza Barberini, I started to go uphill aloong Via Veneto, the street of La Dolce Vita.
Nowadays the glamour of the street is not the same as it was in the early Sixties of the XX century.

Via Venetto - Lower part

USA Embassy

Still, it mantains its fascination. Halfway betwwen Piazza Barberini and Porta Pinciana you will find the USA embassy.
Continuing to go uphill I reached Porta Pinciana, one of the several gates along the Aurelian Walls.

Via Veneto - Upper part

Porta Pinciana

Porta Pinciana is one of the few gates that has essentially mantained its original appereance although two new arches have been opened in the modern era to take into account the traffic,

Once crossed the gate I entered into Villa Borghese to reach the Borghese Gallery, to meet Janet.
We tried to buy a ticket, without any success: sold out.
Lesson learned: if you wish to visit the Borghese Gallery  during your stay in rome, book in advance.

Galleria Borghese

It was a pity not to visit it, but we had the opportunity to spend the afternoon of a marvellous sunny day walking inside Villa Borghese, the most famous of the villas of Rome. And that was the place where we realized that we could have something in common. We discovered later that is something occurring rather often among the Roman people.

THE FAN

Link to part 5

SAN GIOVANNI SWEET TEMPTATIONS

Here are some sweet addresses in San Giovanni, ice creams and pastries.

Alcuni dolci indirizzi a San Giovanni, gelaterie e pasticcerie

Cannoleria Siciliana - typical Sicilian pastries and gastronomy - Piazza Re di Roma, 10
Gelateria Rivareno - ice creams - Via Magna Grecia, 25
Gelateria Kappadue - ice creams - Via Britannia ,49/51
La Dolce Costa - pastries prepared with the recipes of the famous confectioner Sal De Riso form Amalfi - Via Gallia, 12 

Taste them, enjoy them - Assaggiate e gustate

Houses in the Walls - Case nelle Mura

The Aurelian Walls are not only one of the best preserved parts of the ancient Rome, but also something that is still part of the daily life of several people.

Le Mura Aureliane non sono solo una delle parti meglio conservate dell'antica Roma, ma anche qualcosa che è ancora parte della vita di numerose persone.

Few hundreds meters away from San Lorenzo Guest House, along Viale di Porta Tiburtina you will find some houses that have benn made inside and over the ancient walls. By the way, in Via Campania, close to Via Veneto, one of the towers has been used for a school of art.

Ad alcune centinaia di metri San Lorenzo Guest House, lungo Viale di Porta Tiburina, si trovano alcune abitazioni che sono state realizzate dento e sopra le mura. Inoltre, in Via Campania, vicino a Via Veneto, una delle torri delle mura è stata utilizzata per realizzarci una scuola di arte.

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 5

 FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A BRITISH TRAVELER

I came out of the Galleria Esedra and I had in fornt of me the complex of the Baths of Diocletian.
They overlook what officialy is Piazza della Repubblica but that, for most of the Romans, is still Piazza Esedra. That was the name till 1960. It comes from the exedra of the baths; the sqare has been built following exactly its limits. It is one of the most famous and beautiful squares of Rome, a city that is certainly not missing beautiful squares.

Baths of Diocletian

The Baths of Diocletian are really impressive. They were the greatest imperial baths in the ancient Rome, so wisely built that a large part of the buildings are still existing and in use, even if for different purposes. In past centuries the baths were used as a quarry for building materials for the construction of other buildings. A part of the complex was instead demolished in the late nineteenth century to allow the construction of the adjacent Piazza dei Cinquecento and Termini railway station.

Santa Maria degli Angeli

Many people may think that the word Termini has something to do with "teminal". Indeed it comes from thermae, baths. 

Interior view of Santa Maria degli Angeli

What has remained, and it is a lot, is nowadays used as museum space or, in other cases, transformed to churches. Among those, the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli is particularly notable. It has been designed by Michelangelo Buonarroti, and later modified by Luigi Vanvitelli, using the tepidarium. it is the church used for the official ceremonies of the Italian state.
Once left Piazza dell Repubblica I walked down along Via Nazionale, one of the shopping streets in Rome to turn right to Via delle Quattro Fontane.

San Carlino and one fountain

This street is named after the four fountains  that are placed at the cross with Via XX Settembre and Via del Quiranale. Just at the corner you may see the church of San Carlo (better known as San Carlino) alle Quattro Fontane, one of the masterpieces of Francesco Borromini. This swiss archietct, along with his fierce rival Gian Lorenzo Bernini, characterized the baroque period in Rome.
In fornt of San Carlino there is the back corner of the Quirinale, the presidential palace that was previously the residence of the Pope and later of the Savoia royal family.
Going down from the four fountains cross to Piazza Barberini, you will leave on your left Via Rasella, sadly famous because it was the place where, during the German occupation in World War II, occurred an attack to the German troops that led to the horrible reprisals known as Fosse Ardeatine, from the name of the quarry where 335 comon and political prisoners were killed by the nazists.
Well, once reached Piazza Barberini it's time for another stop for a coffee.

THE FAN

Link to part 4

SHOPPING IN ROME

Well, let's be honest with ourselves, one of the main reasons to visit Rome is shopping. Rome is a temple of shopping, especially for clothing, shoes, bags and also jewellery.
In Rome you can find the most famous luxury brands, the trendiest ones as well as those that are appropriate for budget buyers that still desire a quality product. A big part of the historical centre of Rome is a great, open-air, shopping mall.

 

Diciamoci la verità, uno dei motivi più importanti per visitare Roma è lo shopping. Roma è un tempio dello shopping, specialmente per abbigliamento, calzature, borse e anche gioielleria.
A Roma si possono trovare i marchi più famosi del lusso così come quelli più alla moda o quelli che, senza rinunciare alla qualità, sono più adatti a portafogli meno capienti.
Una gran parte del centro storico di Roma può essere considerato un grande centro commerciale all'aperto.

Via Condotti

The most important shopping area is the one laying inside and around the so-called Tridente (the 3 straight streets departing from Piazza del Popolo - Via del Babuino, Via del Corso, Via di Ripetta).
Via Condotti is probably the most famous among the streets in that area.
The area of Via Veneto, Via Bissolati and Via Barberini may be considered an extension of this zone.

La zona più importante per lo shopping è quella all'interno e intorno al Tridente (le 3 strade rettilenee che partono da Piazza del Popolo - Vial del Babuino, Via del Corso, Via di Ripetta). Via Condotti è sicuramente la più famosa delle strade dello shopping.
L'area di Via Veneto, Via Bissolati e Via Barberini può essere considerata una estensione della zona centro.

Within the historical centre you may consider also Via Nazionale. and, close to the Vatican, Via Cola di Rienzo and via Ottaviano.  But also out of the historical centre you may find interesting areas, such as Via Po-Via Salaria, where you can find La Rinascente department stores, Via Appia Nuova, Viale Marconi and other ones.

 

All'interno del centro storico bisogna pure ricordare la zona di Via Nazionale e, in prossimità del Vaticano, quella di Via Cola di Rienzo e Via Ottaviano. Ma anche al di fuori del centro storico vi sono zone interessanti come quella di Via Po-Via Salaria, dove si trovano i grandi magazzini La Rinascente, Via Appia Nuova, Viale Marconi e numerose altre.

NON CAPISCO IL RUSSO, MA... PARLIAMO RUSSO

Я не понимаю по-русски, но ... мы говорим по-русски

В St. John Villa каждое утро вы встретите русский говорящий персонал, который поможет вам общаться с нами для получения любой информации, которая вам может понадобиться.

По запросу и при наличии возможности, член нашего персонала будет сопровождать Вас во время Вашего визита в Рим, чтобы помочь вам общаться с людьми, например, когда вы идете в магазин за покупками.

Vincenzo

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 4

Porta Pia

 FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A BRITISH TRAVELER

The day after I was ready for a full immersion in Rome. And especially I was ready to walk, because that was what I understood the day before during the sightseeing tour. Rome is so full of things to see, almost at every corner, that the only way to go into depth is to walk. It is not a case that all the historical center of Rome is in the UNESCO World Heritage List with something like 25000 places of interest.
My new friend Janet was busy on the morning, as she was in Rome mostly for business purposes.
We were appointed in front of the Borghese Gallery in the early afternoon. Although she did not have a reserved ticket, she hoped to find one on sale. Therefore I decided to arrive there walking.
I followed the direction I was given in San Lorenzo Guest House for my itinerary.
So I walked first to Viale Castro Pretorio, taking the name by the Castrum Pretorium, the barracks of the Praetrorian Guard, that was the elite corp of the ancient Roman army, providing personal security to the Emperor. It has to be said that was not alway the case, sometimes the Praetorian Guard was at the center of rebellions againt the reigning emperor.
The area of the Castrum is now moltly occupied by the National Library. Anyhow the walls, that were incorporated into the Aurelian Walss, are clearly visible.
Short after I reached Porta Pia. Among Italians ,Porta Pia is probably the most well known gate of Rome from an historical point of view, because it is where, in 1870, took a short battle against the papal army after which the Italian army entered Rome, bringing an end to the temporal power of the Pope. A monument dedicated to the bersaglieri, the infantry cosp that took part to the battle is located in front of Porta Pia. But Porta Pia is also an important architectonical piece, being one of the last works of Michelangelo Buonarroti. 

The British Embassy

Just behind it, one can see the Embassy of the United Kingdom, a contemporary architecture work by Sir Basil Spence.The previousl building had been destroyed in 1946 by a terrorist attack related to the coflict in Palestine that was rising just in those years. Actually that is not the best part of the british history.
I walked along Via XX Settembre, a street that is named after the day of the battle of Porta Pia, passed the cross with Via Pastrengo, a curious street where circulation as in UK on the left side, and then turned to left to get to Via Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, just after admiring the fountain at the cross, the Fontana dell'Acqua Felice. then I stopped inside the Galleria Esedra, to taste one cannolo alla siciliana of the famous pastry shop Dagnino, to drink a coffe and to write the notes of my first hour of walk.


THE FAN

Link to part 3

CORNETTI BY NIGHT IN ROME

A common saying is "When in Rome, do as the Romans do". Something that you shoud therefore do is one thing that every Roman has done at least once in his/her life, having breakfast before going to sleep. We are talking of a light Italian breakfast, not an American style one with eggs and bacon. Indeed, it would be rather difficult to sleep after that.

In rome there are several places where, in the middle of the night, or just close to dawn, you can find a freshly baked cornetto, the foundation of the Italian breakfast.

Here are some places where you can go for your night stop

• Il Cornettaro di San Lorenzo, Via dei Piceni, just steps away from San Lorenzo Guest House; this is a bakery, not a cafè, and you will have your cornetto for half of the normal price
• Cornetto Notte, Via La Spezia 115, close to the St. John Villa
• Cornetto Notte, Via Ostiense 77, close to the Testaccio area
• Il Sorchettaro, Via Cernaia 49, Porta Pia area, not far from Villa Borghese Guest House 
• Alba Dolce, Via Albalonga 64, close to the St. John Villa (by the way, it is on the same steet of Pompi, famous for the tiramisu, that is also open till late hours.
• Il Maritozzaro, Via Ettore Rolli 50, close to the Trastevere station; this is an institution for another Roma specialty, the maritozzo con la panna (a cake with whipped cream)

And here are few places for the day

• Cristalli di Zucchero, Via San Teodoro 88, Circus Maximus; even if you are not a fan of sweet food, go there in any case, it is probably the most enchanting street in Rome
• Gran Caffè La Caffettiera, Piazza di Pietra, where you can have probably the best coffee in Rome along with cakes of the Neapolitan tradition, looking to the Temple of Hadrian

PROMOZIONE PARCHEGGIO ST. JOHN VILLA

Quella che vedete in primo piano è la mia macchina, più avanti ci sta quella di un ospite. Se ci si stringe e le macchine non sono troppo grandi ne entrano anche 3. In quel caso lascio la mia fuori.

Il parcheggio per gli ospiti non è gratuito, costa 8 € al giorno. In realtà è un prezzo poco più che simbolico.

Per tutto il mese di febbraio 2017 a coloro che prenoteranno un soggiorno di almeno 2 notti tramite il nostro sito www.stjohnvilla.it offriremo gratuitamente il parcheggio, su prenotazione e secondo disponibilità.

PICK OF THE DAY - RESTAURANTS AROUND ROME

Alcuni suggerimenti di vario tipo e in varie zone di Roma, dal ristorante raffinato alla tavola calda

Some recommendations for eating in different ways around Rome

L'Arcangelo - Via Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli 59 - Prati, Castel Sant'Angelo
Ristorante raffinato sotto la guida del famoso chef Arcangelo Dandini
Fine restaurant under the guid of the famous chef Arcangelo Dandini

Kinkku - Viale Guglielmo Marconi 415 - Ostiense, Basilica di San Paolo, Università Roma 3
Cucina espressa, take-away con alcuni tavolini sotto la guida dei giovani chef Simone Santini e Luigi Torraco
Express cuisine, take away with some seats operated by the young chefs Simone Santini and Luigi Torraco

Ginger Sapori e Salute - Via Borgognona 43-46 - Piazza di Spagna
Panini gourmet, frullati e piatti bio
Gourmet sandwiches, healthy and susteinable shakes and meals

HOME PIZZA IN SAN LORENZO

HOME PIZZA 

Come ordinare una pizza che arriverà direttamente nella tua camera, calda e croccante? 

Ecco qualche posto consigliato!!

How to order a pizza and have it arrive in your room, hot and crispy? Here are some recommended place !!

Radicchio&Pommodoro - www.radicchioepommodoro.it

+ 39 06 4441524 - +39 3888875886

Pizza Lampo - www.pizzalampo.eu

+ 39 0627800696 - +39 3475685566

Pizza Jet - www.pizzajet.net

+ 39 067008914 - +39 3896222255

Pizzologia - www.pizzologia.it

+ 39 0644702629

Cari Lettori - Dear Readers

Cari Lettori,

da oggi il nostro blog cambia nome; non più San Lorenzo Guest House, ma Bed and Rome and Breakfast. Nei prossimi giorni apporteremo alcune novità anche alla veste grafica del blog.
Esso diventa infatti il blog unico di tutte e tre le strutture Triangolo Romano, da noi gestite, tutte con la stessa cura ed attenzione per i nostri ospiti.
Potrete quindi conoscere tutte e tre le strutture e scegliere quella le cui caratteristiche meglio si adattano alle necessità del vostro soggiorno: San Lorenzo Guest House, Villa Borghese Guest House, St, John Villa.

Dear Readers

starting from today the name of our blog has changed; no more San Lorenzo Guest House, but Bed and Rome and Breakfast. In the coming days we will do also some changes to the layout of the blog. It is going to become the unique blog of the three properties forming the Triangolo Romano (Roman Traingle) group that we manage all with the same care and attention for our guests.
You will then be able to know about all the three properties and select the one that best fits the needs of your stay: San Lorenzo Guest House, Villa Borghese Guest House, St, John Villa.

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 3

FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A TRAVELLER FROM BRITAIN

I got back from my walk in San Lorenzo and took my room. It was comfortable as I expected and I was happy to find in the room a water kettle to prepare complimentary tea and coffee. After a shower, I went to take a quick lunch in one of the several places that can be found in the San Lorenzo district, such as Mejo, 100 Montaditos, pizzerie al taglio where one can get slices of pizza, and finally I started for my first tour in the centre of Rome.
Having no knowledge of the city and wishing to get a first idea, I decided for a hop on - hop off tour.
There are many companies running those toures with a double deck bus (obviously, seat on the upper deck when weather is good) and almost all of them have their terminal at Temini station that I reached with a 20 minutes walk.
They do not run all the same route, but variations are slight and all of them goes to the most famous places, Colosseum, Circus Maximus, St. Peter, Castel Sant'Angelo, Venice Square and so on. Nice tour for sure to get a first knowledge of the city, and also to meet a nice girl, Janet, that... well to make it short, we are now planning our wedding.
To tell the truth, when the day after I told to the girl at the reception about the hop on - hop off tour, I was told about a very good alternative that is easily available when you stay at San Lorenzo Guest House. I will tell you about that next time. But, anyhow, the tour was wonderful at least because I met Janet.

Campo de' Fiori

By the way, we completed the day at Campo de' Fiori with a nice dinner and later sitting in one of the several bars around the square.

The name of the square (Field of the Flowers) comes from what it was once, a field with flowers. Centuries ago it was the place for public executions. The most famous person that was executed here was the mok and philosopher Giordano Bruno, burnt at the stake, whose statue is dominating the square. Talking wih a local guy I learned a something of interesting about the Romans. Giordano Bruno lived in  the second half of the XVI century and became very famous, making also some money, for his work. He travelled all around Europe and teached in several cities. When he was accused of heresy, he was invited on numerous occasions to recant his philosophical positions but refused indignantly to do so. And he went to the stake. Every year, in the anniversary of his death, several people meet in Campo de' Fiori to celebrate him as martyr of freethought.

Whenever you talk to people in Rome you will discover that most of them will tell you the worst thing about the Catholic Church, that it is conservative, reactionary, hypocritical just to quote the first and easiest things coming to my mind. On the other side almost no one could consider the idea of a Rome without the Pope.

A common saying in Rome is  Venire a Roma e non vedere il Papa (you came to Rome but you didn't see the Pope) meaning that someone did't do what he was expected to do.
And, when a Roman want to talk about spmething occurring very rarely, he will say A ogni morte di Papa (on every Pope's death).
In reality the city and the Catholic Church are like two conjoined twins. They might hate each other but they cannot live separated.

Palazzo Farnese

THE FAN

P.S. It comes just now to my mind; steps away from Campo de' Fiori, there is Piazza Farnese where you can admire the worderful Palazzo Farnese, one of the masterpieces of the Renaissance. It is the location of the French Embassy, the most beautiful in Rome indeed. However also the British Embassy, modern architecture, is worth a view.