Visit the surrounding of Rome - Tourism and travel tips for your vacation or weekend.

Are you planning your holiday or a weekend in the surrounding of Rome? Do you want to know the main information about the surrounding of Rome? On Visititaly you will find guides and suggestions written by the editorial staff, travel experiences of navigators who, like you, have chosen this area as a destination to spend their holidays. Check out interesting proposals for a weekend in the surrounding of Rome and holiday ideas to discover the area with Visititaly's travel tips.

Travel guides and videos

Bracciano Bracciano Regional Natural Park

Cerveteri Journey through the necropolis of Cerveteri

Campo de' Fiori Square

The Mouth of Thruth

Explora: The children's museum in Rome

Rome The Colosseum

Rome Christmas Time in Rome

Rome The gardens of Rome - Part 3 - The Gardens of Ninfa

Navona Square

Crux Vaticana on Display at St. Peter's Basilica

Rome The Vatican Museums

The Pantheon

Rome Tasty Rome

Rome Stars and Particles. The Voice of the Universe

The Roman Forum

Castel Sant'Angelo

Rome Rome's Planetarium and the Museum of Roman Civilization

Saint Peter's Basilica

Rome Rome's Sabine Hills: nature is just around the corner

A trip to the Vatican Museums

Rome The gardens of Rome - Part 2 - Botanical Gardens at the University of Tuscia

Rome The Gardens of Rome - Part 1: Lake Bracciano

The Vatican City

Rome Midnight Mass at Rome's Santa Maria in Ara Coeli

Rome Shoopping in Rome

Rome A night in Rome

The Mouth of Thruth

Rome, the Mouth of Truth

In the portico of the Paleochristian church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome, at the foot of the Aventine hills, a Roman statue is conserved that has attracted the attention and curiosity of tourists from all over the world.

It is the "Bocca della Verità", which in English means the Mouth of Truth, an ancient stone mask from the Classical period that represents a river god with an open mouth, wide eyes and a flowing mane of hair.

The reason for its unshakeable fame is a rather macabre legend associated with the mask since ancient times. If a liar puts their hand inside its mouth,they will lose it. This legend probably originates from Roman times. It is said that the rich wife of a Roman noble was accused of adultery. The woman denied the accusations, but her husband wanted to put her to the test by making her hand inside the stone mouth. Knowing perfectly well that she was lying, the woman used a very clever strategy. In front of a group of curious bystanders who had gathered around the Mouth of Truth, the man who was actually her lover embraced her and kissed her. She pretended that she didn't know him and accused him of being a madman and the crowd chased him away. When she put her hand into the mouth, the woman declared that she had never kissed any other man apart from her husband and the poor madman who had just kissed her. In this way she was certain that she hadn't lied and her hand was saved. The betrayed husband saved her honour, but the Mouth of Truth lost its credibility and it is said that since that day it no longer carried out its function as a right and unappeasable judge.

The mask is so famous that even Hollywood honoured it in a film about the city called Roman Holiday. In one of the most memorable scenes, Gregory Peck, in front of a terrified Audrey Hepburn, daringly challenges the mask by putting his hand inside its mouth.

Even today, this ancient mask is the cause of queues of tourists who line up outside the beautiful Paleochristian church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. The thrill of the risk is evidently too strong and you honestly can't resist putting your hand inside this harmless, but unsettling stone face and hope for the best!

scritto da Chiara Guzzetti - ultima modifica il 23/11/2021

Christmas Time in Rome

St. Peter's Basilica in Rome at Christmas. Italy

The long season awaited is here again, Christmas time. If you are planning to spend your Christmas in Rome, consider yourself lucky. Spending Christmas in Rome gives one an exceptional feeling which cannot be easily forgotten. If you are thinking of where to spend this year’s Christmas holiday, think no further than Rome. Rome gives one an experience to discover and explore a world of ancient traditions mixed with colourful symbols and Christmas folklore. In Rome Christmas holidays start from the Christmas Eve and ends at 6th January. During the Christmas in Rome, the cultural tradition takes the stage. Family members and friends come together with a variety of foods being served. During this festive season, the centre of attraction lies on a Christmas tree and a Nativity crèche. Whether you are a Christian or not, I assure you a Christmas spend in Rome is incredible. You will be exposed to the Italian lifestyle and the religious activities being performed. Rome is not only a top city in Italy but it has also a reputation to be the city where the celebrations for Christmas started. Christmas markets in Rome During this enchanting season, several markets are open in readiness to usher in this important occasion. Some of the Christmas markets in Rome include Piazza Navona, Ice Park Christmas Village, among others. The Ice Park gives you an opportunity to taste all kinds of the typical products. The shopping place is warm characterized by the joyful atmosphere. Tourists can not only shop in this place but will also have a lifetime event in sporting activities such as ice skating. Besides this they will also experience stunning world class performance which is aimed at making them stay entertained all through. Navona square is also a Christmas market in Rome. It’s one of the most famed and well known in the city. It’s open from early December till Epiphany, 6th January. This market is characterized by beautiful squares in Rome. One can buy gifts, sweets, toys, typical foods and coloured lights in this market. Piazza Re di Roma is another Christmas market in the area. It opens from early December till the Christmas Eve. Things you can buy here include decorations, toys, gifts, Christmas lights, typical foods and Christmas sweets. Piazza Caprera is another Christmas market in Rome. It’s founded in Piazza Caprera square and one can buy things like gifts, typical foods and lights here. Other Christmas markets include Mercantino Natalizio di Fiumicino and Flamino Stadium. Traditions Christmas in Rome start as early as December 8. The events are kicked off with decorations. In Rome although gifts are given out on Christmas day, most of them are given out on Epiphany, January 6. Christmas trees and decorations mark the peak of the celebrations. The lights can be seen as early as December or late November. The Nativity crèche is also a centre of attraction with many people around the globe travelling to witness it. The family eats the meatless dinner on the Christmas Eve and thereafter a midnight mass is attended. The most famous traditional food in Rome is fish. Christmas Eve mark the time when the meal is served. Traditional bonfires highlight the celebration of Christmas. They bonfires are lit on the square of town (main). Rome’s tradition is not so much diversified from the rest of Italy but its stands as one of the unique cities in Italy due to the size of the Christmas market, the Christmas trees which are many, and nativity displays. Why visit Rome at Christmas The history of Rome coupled by the religious festivities makes Rome astounding place to spend your Christmas. The worshipping, ice skating, nativity scenes, Christmas lights, Christmas trees, delicious traditional meals, seeing the pope, Auditorium celebration of Christmas among other reasons makes Rome the place to be. The city’s buildings are exceedingly beautiful. Comfortable temperatures give you the serene environment to spend your Christmas holiday. Touring Rome can add value to your life and trust me it will be a memorable event.

scritto da Dave Mitchell - ultima modifica il 24/11/2021

A trip to the Vatican Museums

Vatican Museums, Raphael's School of Athens

The Vatican City in Rome is one of the smallest independent states of the world. It is located in Italy and harbors a number of museums. These museums are famed for displaying the works collected in the Roman Catholic over the centuries.

The artwork ranging from sculptures of famous artistes’ in the classical period to vital art masterpieces of the renaissance.

These pieces were collected by several popes during their regime and stored in the museums that were funded in the 16th century by Pope Julius the second. There are several Vatican museums with different art works. These museums of Vatican City are famed for large attendance compared to any other museums in the world. The greatest record over was the 2011 attendance where more than 5 million people visited the Vatican museums.

Visit the Sistine chapel.

The chapel is named after its founding commissioner, Pope Sisto, who had a large room built for the purposes of holding papal court assemblies. It's one of the most famus treasure of the Vatican Museums. This room was known as the cappella magna in the medieval times and was fortified with the capacity of holding up to 200 members, a choir, important family representatives, a college of 20 cardinals and an assortment of laymen and servants.
Apart from holding meetings this chapel was built for protection purposes to safeguard the pope.
It was constructed from 1475 to 1483 and it was dedicated to our lady of the Assumption .

This project was controlled by Baccio Pontelli who focused on building tall medieval walls. Its entrance comes after the Sala Regia whose purpose was to hold the Pope’s audience.it has arched windows that light the chapel. Its flooring is of ancient mosaic. Upon its construction completion, famous painters worked on the interior working different art works from the bible. There are sections decorated with pontiffs of the 1st-4th century portraits .There are biblical story paintings on the walls: these are some of the most famous frescoes of the human history including The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo, Trials of Moses by Botticelli and Delivery of the Keys by il Perugino.

The Pinacoteca museum

This buildings completion was in 1931 and first commissioned by PuisIX.
The main purpose of this building was to house significant paintings in its different rooms. Room one contains the primitives. These are wooden paintings with a golden background belonging to artists form the 12th – 14th century. These paintings contain clarity of perspective with the main paintings being at the center and scenes from its life appearing on the side. Room two holds paintings of painters form Siena and Giotto of the 14th century. The painting of Christ before Pilate is one perfect example. The paintings in this section are refined and elegant with warm coloring. More prominent paintings in this middle section include the redeemer conferring a blessing and the triptych. The third room has new style of painting from the 15th century with solid figures where the central perspective is eliminated leaving room for depth. The best example is the Madonna with child. Rooms four to 16 also contain specific paintings from different painters with unique and varied aspects and style. Making a trip to this Vatican museum is the only way that one can satisfy his or her curiosity.

The Etruscan museum

This was founded in the 1837 by Pope Gregory the sixteenth. It contains a different type of art mostly archeological findings from south Etruscan. It also houses bronze and Italian vases as well as an assortment of Roman pieces.

The Pio Christian museum

This museum contains all types of Christian antics whose initial exhibit was in Lateran museum. It was also founded by Pius the ninth in 1854. It contains statues, inscriptions and archeological findings up to the 6th century. A famous statue of this museum is the good shepherd statue which was restored in the 18th century.

The bottom line is, Vatican museum are rich with history and interesting artistic perspectives. Making a trip to this part of Italy when on vacation will give you a different kind of experience from the normal tourist attractions.

scritto da Mario Brusa - ultima modifica il 24/11/2021

Looking for other ideas for sleeping around Rome

HOTEL BEVERLY HILLS ROME

Rome - Largo Benedetto Marcello, 220

e-mail www +39068542141

Hotel Beverly Hills Rome is located in the prestigious Parioli neighborhood. The famous Villa Borghese park is just around the corner, as is Via Veneto and the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna. A spacious and elegant reception hall with large glass doors and sofas welcomes guests to the Hotel Beverly Hills Rome. This is a clear prelude to the expert hospitality and warm welcome which the guests will find within. Whether you are a businessman who needs to stay in the heart of the capital or a family looking to spend a holiday exploring the city’s fascinating history and art, each of the 183 guest rooms and suites of the Hotel Beverly Hills Rome will give you a warm welcome and will make you feel right at home. The warm and welcoming atmosphere of the Mascagni Restaurant and the Puccini Bar & Bistrot, with classic furniture and impeccable service, paints a perfect picture of the cosmopolitan hospitality offered by the Hotel Beverly Hills Rome. The Hotel Beverly Hills Rome is an expert in quality meetings. Equipped with spacious and elegant common areas, its 6 meeting rooms are all soundproof and come equipped with the most modern technology.

HOTEL CORALLO

Rome - Via Palestro, 44

e-mail www +3964456340

Hotel Corallo in Rome is a comfortable 2 star hotel located in the historic city center, a five minute walk from Termini Train Station and a short walk from the Tube Station Castro Pretorio.