Lucci Hotel Rome Blog

August is a very special month to visit this beautiful city. Why? Locals are away on vacation. So they leave the city all for you as peaceful as you will never get it during the rest of the year.

Public transportation is not so crowded and the general atmosphere is more relaxed. But it’s hot-You may say. Well no much a difference if you compare with July and the last half of the month of June.

Most of all, Romans go on vacation during august for tradition, since in this City there is a very strong traditional mentality.

I just wanted to suggest an idea and here it is:

Aside the river, The impressive Castel  Sant’ Angelo will take you back to the middle ages, but do not let yourself be deceived for the appearance.

It is actually a fortress from the XIV century, meant with the purpose of protecting the Pope. The famous Passetto di Borgo connects the Basilica of Saint Peter with the Castel where the Pope could take refuge in case of invasion.

But is much older than that!

The Emperor Hadrianus order its construction as his personal Mausoleum. An imperial law prohibited tombs to be set inside the limits of the Ancient City. You could have your tomb inside only if you were declared a God.

Since Hadrianus was a good one (but not good enough to be taken as a God) he made his own plan. He built a huge monument to be seen from afar, just right aside the official limit (the Tiber) and built also a bridge to serve as a connection. By that he gave himself the place that in his mind deserved and so he may rest in peace…

Back to our century, in the summer until the 4^th September during the evening discos, restaurants  and an open market make the area lively but pleasant at the same time.

You could become romantic so easily!

Enter the castle (that for this period can be visited from 20.30 until 24.00) and have (Why not?) a romantic dinner in the restaurant inside with most outstanding view…

PS: The Castel is at five minutes walk from Saint Peters and fifteen minutes walk from Piazza Navona , there is in the area a swimming pool open from 10.00 until 18.00.

HAVE MUCH FUN!!!!

Our blogger: Marcelo

Picture this: finally, after all those months of saving you are in Rome. Of course, you feel great. You arrived a bit late to your hotel (My Hotel, of course), but after a shower in your comfortable room you feel wonderful and anxious to start seeing all what Rome has to offer. You’re planning all the nice things
you’ll do tomorrow when somehow (maybe the news, or through your hotel) you realize there will be a transport strike in the city.
Tragic coincidence, but it might happen. Actually many people are in that situation right now while I write this lines. That’s why I decided to make this small emergency guide that will be also useful if you just want to explore the city without taking the buses or the subway.

Walk the City
In Rome during a strike your feet are your best friends. Cabs will be hard to find and you will have to wait years for one, so grab a map and get ready to walk and watch.
From My Hotel you can get walking to the Colosseum, and on your way you’ll find two marvelous churches that you have to visit. The first one is Santa Maria Maggiore where you’ll see many works of Christian art, as a breathtaking mosaic from the fifth century. The main attraction in the second church, San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Peter in Chains) is the world-famous statue of Moses, by Michelangelo that I’m sure you’ve seen a hundred times in many an art book.

 

 

Since the Colosseum is the first stop in many visitors’ itinerary you might not be interested in seeing it again. If that’s the case, another option within walking distance are the Spanish steps. The area is packed with restaurants and interesting things to see. Besides Via del Corso, the place to go shopping in Rome, is only a couple of steps away, so you’ll find it more than useful if you want to buy some nice souvenirs or if you are a shopping-maniac with a very high limit on your credit card.

Stormy Weather
But maybe you’re not the walking kind. Or maybe you’re so unlucky that you’re facing a strike and a rainy day at the same time. Well, don’t fear, there’s a solution for that too. Repubblica Square (10 minutes walking from My Hotel) has everything someone in your situation can ask for. There are two big bookshops (Mel Book Store, and Feltrinelli International) that sell books in English, so you can sit to read in one of the many cafes in the area, in the mysterious fashion of the spies in the movies. For the less sophisticated
there are two (yes, two) McDonald’s very near that will also make your children happy if you are travelling with them. If there adults only then a pub or a Rome wine bar would definetely be suitable, to get warm and make plans !
Walk down via Nazionale from Repubblica Square and discover the magnificent Palazzo delle Esposizoni, a museum that you’ll love if you are into contemporary and modern art (right now they have a Kubrick exposition that looks extremely interesting.)

Back in Repubblica Square there’s also a cinema where at least one movie in English is played every day. Add to that a nice dinner in a nearby restaurant (you have at least five of them near My Hotel) and the strike day is gone and you not even noticed it.

TIPS

-The Italian word for “strike� is “sciopero�, fear it and be alert if you see it in the newspapers or you overhear it in the streets.

-Ask in your hotel about the details of the strike, they are seldom 24 hours long.

-A pretty obvious solution is to book a bus tour. If it sounds good ask the staff in My Hotel, they will be more than happy to help you with that.

I have been hearing that phrase quite a lot lately and I am really not surprised. The weather for the last few days has been absolutely fantastic but it has also been devilishly hot. The past few days have been around 31.5 degrees. Thats just a bit lower than the record for Rome a couple of years ago at 32 and a bit degrees.

If this is what its like now in spring i dont know how its going to be in summer. Anyway a few tips on how to survive the heat in Rome for the time you are here. The first and most important thing to remember is to drink plenty of water. Thats no problem in [tag]Rome[/tag] because there are loads of fountains in the streets and the piazzas.

The second things you should do is try to stay out of the sun when it is the strongest.

That would be between 12 and 3 in the afternoon more or less.

Thats really easy to do because there are loads of parks and green areas with trees and lots of shade. The most notable and most famous of these being the [tag]Villa Borghese[/tag] of course.

 

As the city is so hot during the day the nights are also very warm. This is perfect for a nice walk during the evening. Rome is extremely beautiful when it is lit up at night. The bars also stay open quite late so you can also get a cup of coffee or something cold and have a seat and relax. The places to go in the evening are definetly the ones with the most lights. [tag]Fontana di Trevi[/tag] is definetly a must. So are most of the big piazzas like Venezia and Navona. The [tag]Colosseo[/tag] is also fantastic at night as are the other parts of the [tag]forum area[/tag].

Another way to beat the heat would be to do a lot of indoor activities. This would be really easy to do as Rome is full of loads of historical [tag]monuments and museums[/tag]. The churches are also a good place to stop and have a look at the art work inside. If you have children with you, especially if they are young, you can take them to a museum, Explora, especially for kids located in Via Flaminia 60. They also have a cafe there so you can relax and have something to eat while they are off doing what kids do.

There is also a water park located near Rome called [tag]Aquapiper[/tag].

It is open from 9:00 till 19:00 from Monday to Saturday and from 9:00 till 19:30 on Sundays and holidays.

The best thing is that entrance is free for children under 10 years of age.

 

 

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