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Le esperienze speciali per italiani e romani (anche da 7 generazioni) – autumn edition!
25 October 2020  By Roma Eat 

Dopo il successo delle ultime passeggiate speciali, siamo tornati!

Per questa stagione autunnale, abbiamo creato una serie di esperienze speciali dedicate agli italiani e ai romani (anche da più di 7 generazioni!).

Un ciclo di eventi per scoprire Roma in una maniera unica, insieme al nostro team di curiosi archeologi. Tutto in sicurezza!

Pronti?

Ecco qui l’elenco completo: e per chi prenota due eventi, in omaggio un regalo speciale targato Roma Eat.

Roma misteriosa: tra magia e esoterismo

Una passeggiata insolita alla scoperta dei misteri che si nascondono tra gli angoli più suggestivi della città: la Roma dei fantasmi.

Verrai condotto tra vicoli, piazze e strade sulle tracce di spiriti di altri tempi: personaggi di ogni epoca e rango, con la loro storia, ma soprattutto i loro segreti. 

Vivrai una Roma dai tratti magici, legata alle religioni e ai riti misterici del passato, a partire dalla tradizione etrusca, fino ai culti orientali e ai primi riti cristiani. 

Partiremo dai fantasmi che si dice infestino le più antiche rovine romane imperiali, per passare a quelli creati dai roghi e dai processi della Santa Inquisizione, e arrivare infine ad alcune presenze più vicine a noi. Una finestra su una Roma esoterica, inquietante e dal fascino sorprendente. 

Quando: sabato 31 ottobre alle ore 16

Dove: Largo Argentina

Durata: 1 h e 30

Prezzo: 12€ a persona

A spasso per le rovine: il Colosseo

Una passeggiata in compagnia di un archeologo alla scoperta dei segreti di uno dei monumenti più conosciuti della Roma antica, ma di cui quasi nessuno conosce la vera storia: il Colosseo.

Preparati a salire su una macchina del tempo e catapultarti nella vita quotidiana di un cittadino dell’impero romano. Proverai l’emozione del giorno dei giochi all’interno dell’anfiteatro: la frenesia sugli spalti, la paura del gladiatore prima di scendere nell’arena, la gioia per i trionfi e la sofferenza della sconfitta. Scoprirai l’organizzazione che stava dietro questi eventi e gli intrecci politici, d’amore e di competizione. 

E non solo: attraverso uno storytelling coinvolgente, ti mostreremo le tracce della vita quotidiana che ancora oggi si possono trovare nei siti archeologici: basta sapere dove cercare! 

Quando: sabato 14 novembre

Dove: via della Polveriera 50

Durata: dalle 10 alle 12

Prezzo: 12€ + biglietto di ingresso (il costo del biglietto è di 18€)

A spasso per le rovine: il Palatino

Accompagnato da un archeologo, scoprirai tutti i segreti che si celano in una delle aree archeologiche più stupefacenti di Roma: il Palatino. 

Intrighi, strategie politiche, lusso e splendore: è solo un assaggio di ciò che si nasconde su uno dei colli di Roma, dove si trova il palazzo dell’uomo più potente dell’impero romano, l’imperatore. 

Attraverso il nostro storytelling, vedrai le rovine come mai le hai viste prima: tutto intorno a te prenderà vita! Ti mostreremo i passaggi segreti usati dai servi per muoversi nel palazzo senza essere visti, i sistemi per riscaldare le camere durante i rigidi inverni o le tecniche per guardarsi le spalle da pugnali indesiderati!

Ascolterai le storie di chi ci ha vissuto e di chi, purtroppo, ci perse la vita.

Un luogo di potere, bellezza e ricchezza, ma anche il posto più pericoloso di tutto l’impero.

Quando: domenica 15 novembre

Dove: Via della Salara Vecchia 5/6

Durata: dalle 10 alle 12

Prezzo: 12€ + biglietto di ingresso (il costo del biglietto è di 18€)

 

Per tutte le esperienze la prenotazione è obbligatoria!

Per prenotare, scrivere un messaggio a: +39 338 882 8690

Oppure scrivere una mail a: romaeat@yahoo.it

 

E ricordatevi: se prenotate più di un’esperienza speciale, avrete in omaggio una sorpresa targata Roma Eat!

Vi aspettiamo!!

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8 of the best Italy travel tips
27 September 2020  By Roma Eat 

1: Be prepared for public transport.

Or, if you’re driving, get ready for the Italian traffic. Each city in Italy has its own public transport system that usually includes buses, trams or metro. It’s a good idea to read a little about how to get around the city you’re visiting if you want to depend on more than your two feet. Doing some research can also save money as many cities offer a day pass. As for the train system, it connects all the major cities and several smaller ones. 

Also, even if you do not have a car, do not be afraid. In many Italian cities there are now car sharing services. You won’t even have to think about paying for parking!

If you love cycling, in Rome there are many bike paths that you can find. Cycling among the colors of autumn is magical and green. 

2: Have reasonable expectations for where you can go and what you can see.

By keeping your travel itinerary within reasonable bounds and leaving free afternoons to wander at will, you’ll find that you can prevent yourself from becoming an overwhelmed tourist. I know, there are just too many places to visit in Italy and too many interesting sites, museums, shops, and restaurants in each of these cities. But before you go, siphon off the most interesting places onto your must-see list, and in the spaces between allow yourself the luxury of discovering Italy as it comes.

Simply getting lost in the streets of the city you can find treasures and magnificent secret corners.

3: Get off the tourist trail!

It isn’t only Florence, Rome, and Venice. Small towns throughout every region are lovely places, and a visit to them is a sure way to see what Italy is really like. Slip into any town’s main square at about 5 pm and watch the locals as they enjoy their daily passeggiata.

Go where the locals go! In this way you can totally immerse yourself in the local culture.An example? Visit the oldest district of Rome, enjoying the best of street food in our company!

4: Know busy times from slow times.

Avoiding the metro at rush hour and the Colosseum on Sunday mornings is a key way to making your trip to Italy more enjoyable and less stressful! Also good to know whether the restaurant you’ve been dying to try requires reservations. Restaurants are busiest between 1 pm and 2 pm for lunch and the busiest hour for dinner is 9 pm.

5: Learn a little about Italian regions.

The regional differences between Lazio and Campania are a joy to explore and can add depth to your trip to Italy. The best way to discover a region is to stay in an agriturismo, which is most often in the countryside. Agriturismo usually also offers regional fare produced on-site, and the owners are often happy to talk about where they live and why it is the best region in Italy.

6: Pack appropriately.

The last thing you want to do is to lug a heavy suitcase up a hundred stairs in Amalfi or over the jittering cobblestones of every Italian city. Always pack less than what you think you need, as you will probably do some shopping while you’re here! Also, watch the weather. Though the temperature remains steadily hot in summer and cool in winter, be prepared for flux if you’re coming in autumn or spring. And do know that it does get cold—shorts are impossible during winter!

7: Shop at the markets.

Italy is known for its food and part of the pride Italians have for their cuisine comes from its simple ingredients. So what better way to get to know Italian food than to be exposed to its building blocks? At the markets, great bunches of intertwining cicoria sit besides pyramids of round artichokes in winter; while in summer the glistening or marbled eggplant and the various coloured fruits will have you salivating. If you’re a real foodie, one of the best travel tips for visiting Italy is to NOT miss the markets – they are definitely the best places to discover how locals eat and shop (and get a snack for yourself!).

In Rome, visit with us the biggest market in Italy!

8: Pick up some Italian.

Many Italians in the large more touristy cities speak English, but a sure way to win an Italian’s favour is by speaking a few choice words in their language. Italian is a language of nuance and flourish, traits that are appreciated when foreigners try their hands at them. If you know a little French, Spanish, or Portuguese (or even better, Ancien Latin!) then you won’t have much trouble at all. A good trick is to listen to the pronunciations of the Italians around you and try to mimic it. Extra points are awarded for correct gesticulations!

Follow this travel tips and for sure you will have an amazing holiday visiting Italy! And most of all – have fun while traveling! Don’t let the little challenges take away from the sites, smells and sounds of the Italian culture!

Let us know what you think in the comment below!

Until the next digital journey

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The 3 historic cafes in the center of Rome
30 August 2020  By Roma Eat 

Hello friends,

Today with our digital journey we want to take you to the discovery of the 3 historic cafes in the center of Rome. 

These are places where the intense aroma of coffee blends with history, telling us incredible anecdotes about the city’s past and who, passing through the Capital, was fascinated by it.

Are you ready to get lost in a cup of coffee?

Bar Rosati

Since 1922, the bar Rosati is historic not only because it is almost a century old, but also because it has seen so many facts between its cups and its Art Nouveau furniture. In fact, the Rosati is a real artistic and literary café, a meeting place for painters, artists, filmmakers, actors and politicians.

The ’30s were a golden age, just as in the post-war period it was easy to spot among its rooms famous names of our literature such as Alberto Moravia and his wife Elsa Morante. In the ’60s, then, Fellini often came here, as did Pasolini and Italo Calvino.

The bar Rosati in Piazza del Popolo was a place of debate, of comparison, of great speeches on art. It seems that the scripts of many cult movies of our cinema were written on these tables!

If the interior has an ancient atmosphere, the tables offer a view of the magnificent square, which has the oldest obelisk in Rome in the middle!

Where: Piazza del Popolo 4-5-5A

Caffè Atelier Museum Canova Tadolini

A Café Atelier? Yes! Entering the Caffè Atelier Museum Canova Tadolini means immersing yourself in art and history, and drinking a coffee is a unique experience.

Inside you will be surrounded by busts, sculptures, preparatory models, marble and bronze groups, some of them even huge. All according to the original…disorder!

In fact the place was the studio of the sculptor Antonio Canova. In 1818 the master then renewed the rent for his best student, Adamo Tadolini, and until 1967 generations of artists from the Tadolini family followed one another in the studio. Today, in this unique and fascinating historical place, there are works by all of them: Canova, Tadolini, Scipione, Giulio, Enrico.

The rooms are one more beautiful than the other and all different!

Where: Via del Babuino, 150/A

Antico Caffè Greco

The oldest historic café in Rome and the second in Italy: only the Florian in Venice is “older” than 40 years! The Antico Caffè Greco was opened in 1760 by Nicola della Maddalena, called the “Greco” for its origins, and took its name from his nickname.

Among its rooms have met intellectuals, artists, politicians, painters, historians. In the period of the Grand Tour it was the reference point for foreigners visiting Rome.

A curiosity: at the Antico Caffè Greco foreigners could have their mail delivered, and there was a little box dedicated to this purpose.

The list of famous personalities who have followed one another over the decades is endless. We mention only a few: the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, Buffalo Bill, Canova, Casanova, D’annunzio, De Chirico, Orson Welles, Wagner, Mark Twain, Toro Seduto (!!), Stendhal, Nietzsche, Pasolini, Andrea Pazienza, Cardinal Gioacchino Pecci who became Pope Leo XIII, Renato Guttuso, Leopardi, Ludovico II of Bavaria. In short, many different brains, each of which in its own field has made history.

Another curiosity: the Caffè Greco is the largest private art gallery open to the public in the world. In fact, in the maze of its rooms there are 300 works on display. And still today, somewhere in the café, you can find the painter Stellario Baccellieri seated somewhere intent on painting and interpreting the coffee according to his very personal vision.

Where: Via dei Condotti, 86

Have you ever been to one of these cafes? Write it in the comments!

To the next digital journey!

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Excursions around Rome: feel like Indiana Jones!
9 August 2020  By Roma Eat 

Rome is wonderful, but in summer an escape from the city is a must. 

With a few minutes by car, you can reach magnificent places, totally immersed in the nature, where you will regenerate yourself and get away from the stress of the city chaos. Many are the benefits of a nice trip out of town in the surroundings of Rome!

Get in the car, we are about to reveal some fantastic and “unknown” places less far than 30 km from the G.R.A. (Grande Raccordo Anulare). 

The peculiarity of these places in fact is that they are super secret – very few people know them – and are so beautiful, wild and adventurous that they have nothing to envy to exotic places far away hours and hours by plane.

Are you curious?

Le cascate dell’inferno (Hell’s Waterfall)

By car: 40 min from Rome

Things to Bring: a picnic basket (if you want to eat outside), hiking shoes

Located within the Veio Park, the fourth largest park in Lazio, this waterfall is a place that is hard not to fall in love with. 

You’ll find it a few hundred meters as the crow flies from the “Sorbo meadows”, a picnic spot for families; but don’t worry, your destination is anything but “crowded”. As soon as you reach the place, you’ll feel the emotion of whoever arrives first in a mysterious place (Indiana Jones docet).

The arrival is surprising: you can hear the sound of the waterfall’s roar of water, but the waterfall is invisible, being behind a curve inside the rocky gorge, and appears only at the last moment in the eyes of the curious visitor.

Le cave di Salone (The quarries of Salone)

By car: 26 min from Rome

Things to bring: hiking shoes, a flashlight

What follows is not exactly one of the most beautiful secret places near Rome. Because it’s not near Rome, but in Rome: beauty at kilometer zero!

And that’s not all: it is under the eyes of thousands of people who drive through the highway Rome – Aquila in the direction of Rome every day.

These are the Salon quarries, from which the Romans extracted the material that was transported to the city via the river Aniene, then along the Tiber, and finally arrived in the city. The Romans used it for the construction of the great monuments and buildings of the capital.

It is such an extraordinary place that looks like a movie location: medieval towers reflected in the lakes, a rock cliff overlooking a huge cavity with trees upside down, climbing plants covering the ruins, the sun illuminating the environment through huge open holes in the vaults.

This place will give you a sense of suspension of time.

Il ponte coperto (The covered bridge)

By car: 40 min from Rome

Things to bring: hiking boots, torch.

Perhaps the most stunning place near Rome.

It is located near the city of Ceri, a medieval fortified village built on a large spur of tufa rock. This area, not far from Cerveteri, was inhabited in ancient times by the Etruscans, who built something that will leave you breathless.

Near Ceri, in fact, the ground sinks forming a ravine, that is a very deep gorge than can be visited. 

These are ancient tunnels that were dug by the Etruscans to drain the water of the nearby river during floods, in order to avoid a flood in the esplanade surrounding the town and its cultivated fields. You will therefore walk in one of the oldest water infrastructures in Lazio, even older than the great Roman aqueducts.

Today you will see that these tunnels appear larger, because the water continuing to flow has caused an erosion of the walls.

After a few hundred metres of walking you descend steeply to the bottom of the gorge, inside which you walk until, suddenly, you find yourself in front of a gigantic cavity with a smaller one on the side, and another even smaller nearby, all dug in a large rock basin.

This is an unmissable stop for those who want to have a spelunking experience, discovering hidden corners by the light of a torch.

Do you want more information about these or other itineraries near Rome? Write us in private!

Until the next digital journey!

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Secret corners of Rome
2 August 2020  By Roma Eat 

Listing all the curious and hidden corners of Rome is an endless undertaking.

Next to the attractions known and admired all over the world there is a secret and “not-known” Rome (also for 7th generations Romans) that deserves to be discovered. 

The best way to do it? It’s on foot. Wander the streets and get lost lost in the intricate streets of the historic centre, or the most interesting “new neighbourhoods”.

Here 3 secret places that you can visit!

Crypt of the Capuchin Friars

The crypt of the Capuchin friars is certainly one of the strangest places to see in Rome. It is located under the church of Santa Maria della Concezione in Piazza Barberini. 

The Crypt is composed of six small chapels. The peculiarity is that these chapels keep the bones of almost four thousand monks of the Capuchin order. The monks began this practice in 1631 and since then the six chapels have been decorated with bone parts to create chandeliers, seats and frames. 

A place macabre and fascinating at the same time that recalls another secret and little place in Milan: the Chapel of San Bernardino alle Ossa. 

The magic door of Piazza Vittorio

If you pass by Piazza Vittorio, just behind Termini station, you will for sure notice that in the middle of the square a mysterious door. It is in marble and is protected by two statues of the Egyptian god Bes.

The mystery is also fuelled by a coded message, written on the door itself , that no one has yet unveiled.

The Magic Door, also known as Alchemical Door of Rome, was part of a villa, of which today there is nothing left.

The legend says that the Marquis Palombara, 15th century Italian alchemist and poet, managed to transform metals into gold through this door. To succeed in this task was the dream of every alchemist.

It is one of the most magical and mysterious places in Rome.

The Coppedè district

The Coppedè district is one of the most special (and also a little bit noir) places in Rome. It remains a little out of the city centre, but is definitely a reference point for all the lovers of Art Nouveau and Liberty architecture. 

The area gets its name from the architect Coppedè who started the project in 1915 and left it uncompleted. He decided to commit suicide in 1927.

Immerge yourself in the Art Nouveau by entering the neighborhood through the entrance of the Ambassadors’ Palaces and let yourself be conquered by the buildings in the neighborhood that recall Gaudi’s fantastic houses.

Among the most beautiful palaces are the Palazzina del Ragno (Spider Palace) and the Villa delle Fate (House of the Fairies).

 

Are you in town in August? 😉

If you want to have fun and discover Rome with a specialized archaeologist, write us and we will organize a private experience for you!

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Cycling through the wonders of Rome
24 July 2020  By Roma Eat 

Rome is a city waiting to be discovered: getting lost in its streets is the most fun and magical activity you can do. Although, especially in summer, walks in the late afternoon are a must, there is another way to fall in love with Rome and to find wonderful corners: on the saddle of a bicycle.

Few people know the “bike-friendly” side of Rome, but with its bike paths and a little bit of spirit of adventure you can reach fantastic places.

We haven’t convinced you yet?

Here are three itineraries to live on two wheels!

Bicycle path from Villa Ada to Villa Borghese

Itinerary: here the map

Cycling you can reach two of the largest municipal parks in the capital: Villa Ada and Villa Borghese. Green oasis very different from each other, but full of hidden and magical corners.

Villa Ada presents numerous neoclassical buildings, such as the royal villa, and is located in the northern part of the city, in the Parioli district. 

Villa Borghese includes the Italian garden, large English style areas, fountains and ponds. There are three things you really cannot miss: the breathtaking view from the Pincio, the garden of the lake with the small temple of Aesculapius and a walk in the “Bioparco”.

The cycle connection between the two parks goes from Via del Foro Italico to the Parco delle Valli, along Viale del Giardino Zoologico.

From Eur to Caracalla baths

Itinerary: here the map.

From the Eur lake to the centre of ancient Rome: more than a bike path, it’s a real time machine! 

It starts from one of the most modern districts of the city, which develops around the well-known “EUR lake”, where you can relax or enjoy various sports.

Then, following the cycle path, you magically move from modernity to ancient Rome. Once you have reached the ancient Aurelian walls, built between 270 and 275 by the Emperor Aurelian to defend Rome from possible attacks by the barbarians, the route leads to the thermal baths of Caracalla and the city centre. 

And just at the Caracalla baths you can stop for a visit, because it is one of the most impressive examples of imperial baths, preserved for most of their structure. (here an amazing experience to live!)

Until the birth of the Baths of Diocletian, the Baths of Caracalla have been the most important public spas of the city. They served mostly the residents of the Augustan region between the Celio, Aventine and Circus Maximus.

Auditorium: the park of the music

Itinerary: here the map.

In case after relaxing in the shade of the trees of Villa Ada you want to listen some good music and not only, get back on the saddle: the Auditorium Music Park is waiting for you.

It is a complex built on a project by the famous architect Renzo Piano and has been inaugurated in 2002.

A curiosity: during its construction, a Roman villa dating back to the 3rd century B.C. was found! You know, in Rome every excavation is a discovery 😉

The music park is an open-air work of art, composed of museums, places for cultural activities and exhibitions, and also bars were you can enjoy an aperitif. But the absolute protagonists are the rooms dedicated, as its name says, to the music.

The Sala Santa Cecilia is one of the largest concert halls in Europe!

The ride to reach the Auditorium is not only pleasant, but it will also allow you to discover unknown corners of the city, such as the area of the Mosque or the hill of Villa Glori.

Moreover, after having filled up with music, you can continue your ride to Ponte Milvio, where other bike paths connect.

and the GRAB?

 What is it? It’s the Large ring connector of the Bike

Anyone who loves bikes is… waiting for it! 

It is in fact still an uncompleted project that provides the connection to all the Roman parks and cycle paths.

A 44 km route to get around the Eternal City safely and dedicate a day dedicated to beauty. 

Of course, we will keep you updated on the realization of this fantastic project!

 

Are you interested in a cycling experience in the streets of Rome, write us to discover our proposals on two wheels 😉

And if you know any other bike itineraries in Rome, suggest them in the comments, we are always happy to ride our bike discovering Rome 🙂

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Secret Rome (even for a Roman for 7 generations)
14 July 2020  By Roma Eat 

It is said that all the roads lead to Rome: but how many secrets are hidden along each route?

Counting that Rome is “old” only 2767 years, you can imagine that it is a treasure chest of many little hidden gems all to be discovered. Just know where to look!

Well, with our special events we want to let you discover some “chicche” (“gems”) of the city, that even the Romans from five, six, seven generations ignore. All this while being accompanied by an archaeologist: an experience not to be missed!

To increase your curiosity, here are two special stories about the Eternal City.

La Bocca della Verità

How many times have you dreamed of visiting Rome on the saddle of a Vespa like in the movie “Vacanze Romane”? In one of the scenes, the two protagonists visit the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, very popular because preserves in the porch one of the symbols of Rome: the famous Bocca della Verità. 

We all know that the ritual photos are those that depict us with our hand inserted in “the mouth” … but would we continue to do so even if we know that this mask of two meters in diameter was, in fact, a manhole cover of a cloaca? An ancient toilet seat, in short!

But come on, that’s not the only hypothesis. Another highly accredited claims that the mask was the cover of the sacred well of Mercury, where the Roman merchants solemnly swore their honesty in buying and selling. Perhaps this gave rise to the idea – in which the Romans strongly believed – that, if you tell a lie while putting your hand in the mouth, the mask will unveil the liar and cut the hand!

Testaccio: the quarter-dump

Testaccio is one of the truest neighborhoods in the city! But… have you ever wondered where the district name comes from? Monte Testaccio, also called Monte dei Cocci (testae, “shards” in Latin) is an artificial mountain 36 meters high that originated as a real “controlled landfill”.

We are in fact not far from the ancient river port Emporium, where materials and consumer goods from distant worlds arrived. The terracotta pots used for transporting food – especially oil – were not covered internally with protective materials, and therefore could not be reused; they were consequently broken, and the shards were stacked neatly on top of each other. And so it was that the heads of over 53 million unused amphorae formed the hill that today gives the whole neighborhood its name!

If you liked this article and you will come to Rome in the coming months contact us: we can create private experiences for you and your travel group

On the other hand, if you are already in Rome and  you want to discover other secret and curious places in Rome join our special event “Secret Rome (even for a Roman from 7 generations)”.

When: Friday 24th July at 19:00

Where: Via degli Zingari 59

Duration: 1 hour and 30 min

Price: 10 euro per person

Also suitable for families with children

To book just send an email to: romaeat@yahoo.it or write a message to +39 3398421687 

There’s only a few places left! Do not miss an incredible experience led by an archaeologist on the streets of Rome!

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