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Great Tours of Rome

Rome walkway Trevi

Rome installs elevated walkway in front of Trevi Fountain

Trevi Fountain walkway to remain in place for duration of works.

Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri on Saturday inaugurated an elevated walkway across the front of the Trevi Fountain as the Baroque monument undergoes maintenance work.

Crowds of tourists queued up to cross the temporary structure, in place for the duration of the works which are scheduled to finish by the end of this year in time for the Vatican’s Jubilee 2025.

Gualtieri described the view from the steel bridge as “truly spectacular”, with city authorities boasting that the raised walkway will offer visitors an “unprecedented view” of the monument.

The walkway will be accessible every day from 09.00 to 21.00, with last entry at 20.30. On Mondays and Fridays, the opening will be delayed until 11.00 to allow for the collection of coins.

Up to 130 people at a time will be able to stand for a few minutes on the walkway which will remain set up until restoration work is completed in December, Corriere della Sera reports.

The fountain is currently drained, with many tourists arriving at the landmark in recent weeks expressing their disappointment at finding it behind perspex barriers.

Recent photographs and videos of the fountain, shared by Wanted in Rome on social media, have largely been met with indignation, from both Italians and foreigners.

Local traders have also voiced their opposition to the walkway, over fears that it will damage the fountain’s travertine basin, however the city’s superintendency has assured that the structure poses no danger to the monument.

Photo credit: wantedinrome.com

Text: wantedinrome.com

 

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Rome rose garden

Rome opens rose garden for autumn blooms

Rome’s autumn roses on display for 18 days.

Rome will reopen the municipal rose garden to the public from Thursday 24 October until Sunday 10 November 2024, the city announced on Wednesday.

For the duration of the special opening, the Roseto Comunale will be open for free every day from 08.00-17.00.

Situated on the eastern slopes of the Aventine hill, overlooking the Circus Maximus, the garden is home to more than 1,200 different varieties of rose, many of which flower in the autumn. 

  • Rome’s rose garden celebrates its founder Mary Gayley Senni

The Roseto Comunale is located on Via di Valle Murcia 6, close to the Giardino degli Aranci and near the Circo Massimo stop on the Metro B line.

The garden is normally open from late April until the middle of June, as well as for a couple of weeks in October. This year the autumn opening is later than usual.

For more information on the garden, including how to request a guided tour, see the city website

Photo credit: Boris-B / Shutterstock.com.

Text: wantedinrome.com

 

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Tivoli opens by night

Tivoli opens Villa d’Este and Hadrian’s Villa by night in August

Enjoy the magic of Tivoli by night this summer.

The magical gardens of Villa d’Este and the ancient ruins of Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli, located 30 km north-east of Rome, will open late on Saturday nights in August.

Visitors can admire the Renaissance water gardens of Villa d’Este and its spectacular flood-lit fountains until 23.45 on 3, 10, 17 and 24 August.

The majestic Villa Adriana, built between 118 and 138 AD by Emperor Hadrian, can be visited until 23.00 on 15 and 16 August.

In addition it will be possible to enjoy an evening visit to the Villa Gregoriana park in Tivoli from 18.30 to 20.30 on 10 and 17 August, by booking in advance on the FAI website.

Ticket offices for Villa d’Este and Villa Adriana close one hour before night visits end, for more details see VILLÆ website.

Fonte: www.wantedinrome.com

 

 

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Tourists in Rome

Tourists in Rome toss coins into Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain style

Coins rain down on top of Roman ruins.

A new trend in Rome sees tourists throwing coins into the Roman Forum – imitating the Trevi Fountain ritual – in the hopes of a return to the Eternal City.

A growing number of visitors can be seen tossing coins into the Forum from the panoramic viewpoint below the Campidoglio on the Capitoline Hill.

Some of the tourists mimick the over-the-shoulder tradition associated with the Trevi Fountain while others aim for their coins to land directly on top of Roman ruins.

The trend has been going for some years but has gained momentum recently and has been the focus of recent news reports in Rome.

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Vatican Museums

Vatican Museums to raise ticket prices in 2024

The Vatican Museums is to raise the price of its ordinary full entry tickets to €20, up from €17, with effect from 1 January 2024.

There will be no change to the reduced fare, for those who are entitled to it, neither will there be any change to the reduced entry ticket which will remain unchanged at €8.

The price hike is “strictly linked to the general increase in costs”, according to a statement on the museums’ website, which also said that the non-compulsory reservation fee of €5 “remains confirmed”.

The Vatican Museums recently announced that it will be extending its opening hours from 08.00 until 19.00, also with effect from 1 January 2024, as part of a major shake-up of its admission policies ahead of Jubilee 2025.

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Domus Tiberiana

Restored Domus Tiberiana to reopen to visitors after almost 50 years.

The newly-restored Domus Tiberiana, one of the main imperial palaces on Rome’s Palatine Hill, will reopen to the public on 21 September, the Colosseum archaeological park has announced.

The ancient building, whose façade is characterised by large arches overlooking the Roman Forum, is located in the north-western area of the Palatine Hill, in an area located between the Temple of Magna Mater and the slopes of the Forum.

“The grandiose imperial residence, covering approximately four hectares on the Palatine Hill, overlooks the valley of the Roman Forum with mighty arches on several levels, an iconic image of this corner of the ancient city”, Parco archeologico del Colosseo wrote on Facebook on Saturday night.

Built as a sumptuous palace by the second Roman emperor Tiberius, who reigned from 14 to 37 AD and was succeeded by Caligula, part of the building was subsequently incorporated into Nero’s Domus Transitoria.

In December 2020, Parco archeologico del Colosseo director Alfonsina Russo told Wanted in Rome that the works to restore and protect the Domus Tiberiana complex were carried out “with the scientific contribution of Italian and foreign universities and important names in the Italian technical-scientific world.”

Describing the Domus Tiberiana as “the first of the imperial palaces conceived in an organic and monumental way,” Russo said the new itinerary would include previously inaccessible rooms in areas of the site untouched by “either of the excavations in the late 19th century and early 20th century.”

Russo said studies were also conducted into the reasons, “including the major archaeological excavations of the early 20th century, that triggered the serious sliding of the walls towards the Roman Forum that from the 1970s was one of the most serious problems for the safety of the monument.”

As reported in January 2021, the restoration works uncovered surprises including a family grave, thought to be from the 13th century, containing the remains of “seven people perhaps killed by an epidemic or a traumatic event”.

There are traces of activity from the 18th century, believed to be related to the Horti Farnesiani, while archaeologists also unearthed a hoard of coins from the seventh century and a “still intact oil lamp” from the fourth century, found in a niche of a wall.

Visitors will reportedly be presented with an itinerary related to the activities of the imperial court through three themes: daily life, trade and economy, and religion.

The new visit, which is expected to begin from the Clivio della Vittoria and will include a display of ancient discoveries, is to be unveiled in the coming days.

Photo Parco archeologico del Colosseo 

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Ryder Cup 2023

Italy hosts the Ryder Cup for first time in history.

Rome will host the golf world’s biggest tournament, the Ryder Cup, at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club from 25 September to 1 October 2023.

The prestigious event, which dates to 1927 and is in its 44th edition, is being held in Italy for the first time.

Considered golf’s greatest team showcase, the Ryder Cup is the most followed international sporting event after the Olympic Games and the Football World Cup.

Every two years, 24 of the best players from Europe and the US face off in match play competition.

A contest between two teams comprising the 12 strongest European and US golfers, the Ryder Cup is the only sporting event in which Europe competes as a team.

Over the decades the US has claimed 27 wins, against 14 by Europe.

Team selection

The US team will comprise the top six eligible players in the points rankings with six picks from captain Zach Johnson.

The European Team will be made up from the top three eligible players from the European Points List, the top three eligible players from the World Points List and six picks from European captain Luke Donald.

Two of the team’s five vice captains in the Ryder Cup are Italian brothers Francesco and Edoardo Molinari.

The players currently confirmed on the European team are Viktor Hovland, Roy McIlroy and Jon Rahm.

The US team so far includes World Number 1 Scottie Scheffler and US Open champion Wyndham Clark

Venue

Located 17 km north-east from the centre of Rome, the 150-hectare Marco Simone course with its 27 holes has been redeveloped specially for the major event which is set to welcome 50,000 spectators each day.

Tickets

General admission tickets for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are sold out.

However there are some special packages still available aling with general admission tickets for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

All tickets are digital and must be assigned to a named attendee in advance, for full details see Ryder Cup website.

Photo Federazione Italiana Golf

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Pantheon crowded

Italian culture minister satisfied with new ticket system.

The Pantheon has taken in almost €200,000 in ticket sales since a new ticketing system was introduced at the Rome landmark a week ago, Italy’s culture minister announced on Monday.

“The numbers relating to the first week of paid entrances to the Pantheon are decidedly positive”, said Gennaro Sangiuliano, who told reporters that the Pantheon had welcomed more than 50,000 visitors since it began charging tourists entry fees on 3 July.

The total admissions at the monument over the last week were 51,275, generating €192,173 in ticket sales, reports state broadcaster RAI News.

  • Italy’s Pantheon makes €20,000 on first day of ticket sales

Just over half the tickets were purchased online, a fact hailed by Sangiuliano as “significant” and “a sign of a progressive affirmation” of the new ticketing system.

“A figure that also makes me happy concerns the 4,830 reduced admissions, young people between 18 and 25 who have chosen to visit, over the last seven days, one of the best preserved ancient monuments in the world”.

Under the new system tourists are required to pay €5 to enter the historic site whose daily opening hours are 09.00-19.00 (last admission 18.30).

However the site remains free to Rome residents, visitors with disabilities and the under-18s, while visitors aged 18 to 25 pay a discounted entry fee of €3.

Proceeds from the ticket sales are divided between the culture ministry, which receives 70 per cent, with the remaining 30 per cent going to the diocese of Rome.

The culture ministry will bear the costs of cleaning and maintenance at the Pantheon while church authorities will use the funds for charity and the upkeep of of state-owned churches in Rome.

The Pantheon is the most visited heritage site in Italy, attracting around nine million visitors a year.

Photo RAI

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Rome-Pompeii train

High-speed service to run four times a month.

Italy’s newly unveiled direct train service between Rome and Pompeii is to run every Sunday, starting from 6 August, the culture ministry has announced.

The high-speed Frecciarossa service, inaugurated on 16 July by Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, was initially scheduled to run just once a month, on every third Sunday.

However due to high interest in the service – a collaboration between the Italian culture ministry and the state railways group – it has been decided that the direct train between Rome and Pompeii will run once a week instead of once a month.

The journey time from Rome to Pompeii is one hour and 47 minutes, with the return trip taking two hours and 15 minutes.

The Frecciarossa service leaves Roma Termini at 08.53, arriving in Pompeii at 10.40, with the return journey departing at 18.40 and arriving back in Rome at 20.55.

Passengers can watch a video about the history of Pompeii as well as buy entrance tickets to the archaeological park on board before hopping on a shuttle bus to their destination from Pompeii station.

The new direct connection is added to the 50 daily round-trip journeys that already exist between Rome and Pompeii.

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Rome Pride 2023

Rome mayor to join Roma Pride celebrations.

Rome will see a return of the Roma Pride parade through the streets of the Italian capital on Saturday 10 June 2023.

The parade will depart from Piazza della Repubblica at 15.30 and make its way to Via dei Fori Imperiali, led by Italian pop music duo Paola & Chiara.

Under the banner “QueeResistenza”, the event will see the participation of Rome’s centre-left mayor Roberto Gualtieri for the second year in a row.

  • Roma Pride celebrates 25 years

Organisers say the title refers to “a cry of resistance, a cry of existence” and that the event takes place following “multiple attacks against the Queer community” during the first year of the right-wing government led by premier Giorgia Meloni.

“We are a community that exists regardless of what happens,” Mario Colamarino, Roma Pride spokesperson and president of gay rights association Mario Miele said in a statement, describing QueeResistenza as “the synthesis of a community that fights, that resists, that exists because no government will ever be able to stop it.”

The Roma Pride event will result in road closures and bus detours in the city centre, for traffic details see Roma Mobilità website.

Photo credit: Lucky Team Studio / Shutterstock.com

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