rome blog

Nowadays prostitution is illegal in Italy. Behind the sex slaves who work on the streets there are different criminal organisations, mob families from southern Italy and also from Eastern Europe.
In the ancient Rome the situation was very different. Certain areas of Rome were full of brothels servicing any type of clients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Many of these brothels were even run by public institutions.

The whorehouses for the upper classes were mainly located close to the palace, near the Circus Maximus and Emperor’s palace. It seems that in this zone the wife of Emperor Claudius, Messalina, used to attend the most famous brothels under the nickname of Lycisca.

However, most of these whorehouses, called Lupanaria (from Latin lupa: she-wolf, prostitute), was located in the Suburra, a miserable slum filled with the poorest members of Roman society. This area was found around the blocks that today surround Piazza Navona, the ancient Domitian Stadium.

Sadly we have no concrete traces left of these places, because of the new buildings and also because this area mainly consisted of wooden constructions we have not stood the test of time. According to legend, part of the ruins of the Domitian Stadium, which we can still see in the crypt of the church of St. Agnes, included the rooms of some famous Lupanaria, where prostitutes from all around the Roman Empire were offered their special services. In this same place St. Agnes had to suffer incredible tortures and her martyrdom. A few centuries later, Marquise De Sade, during his Italian journeys, will describe this sight as one of the most interesting of his travels…”a magic spot, where you can breath a sensual and sinful atmosphere”.

To get an exact idea of the look of the Roman Lupanaria, we can take as example, the very similar
Lupanaria which were discovered in better conditions during the excavations of Pompeii: very small rooms with stone beds, “decorated” with wall paintings showing sex positions and the specialities of the prostitute who was working in that room. Some of the clients wrote short graffiti phrases before leaving …among the others, we can read on the walls: “Hic ego puellas multas futui”(Here I fucked many girls), or “Myrtis, bene felas” (Myrtis, you suck well).

The sensual atmosphere of St. Agnes Crypt and other magical places of Rome are ready to be discovered. Don’t forget to book apartments in Rome for your short or long stay.

The Fluxus Biennale opened January 26th in Rome and will explore this avant-garde movement, which wormed its way into the 20th century art canon, over the course of the next two years.

George Maciunas, Lithuanian-born American artist, embodies the enterprising and ideological force behind this international community of the artists which declared the death of the artist and the arts in 1965. Dismayed by the modalities of the art world of the sixties, he and contemporaries that shared his vision embarked on a mission to destroy traditional concepts about art which established the apotheosis of the artist as a genius, and to protest the bourgeois elitism and intellectualism of avant-garde art.
Their goals were the following: To consolidate art for the masses, expose the artist as an impostor, and celebrate the absurd and the chaotic through the arts. The birth of Fluxus was convened with the law of total anarchy.

One of the first Fluxus activities ultimately positioned it as anti-art par excellence, and introduced the happening to the world. In 1963 Maciunas, who was then working as a graphic designer in the U.S. air force in Wiesbaden, organized and conceived the first Fluxus music festival, which left the audience completely perplexed. One of the most memorable performances were the “Piano Activities“, which lead Maciunas and his colleagues to “play” a piano – symbol of the Bourgeoisie – by destroying it.

The Biennale is held in Rome and was inaugurated in the auditorium Parco Della Musica with a retrospective exhibition focusing on Maciunas. The show encompasses a variety of works by the artist and highlights the most interesting components of his body of work, as well as his critical spirit and influence on other artists, both past and present.

Starting with this inaugural exhibition, the festival will explore the most radical and innovative avant-garde movements of the 20th century within the framework of shows, events and concerts. The main focus is on Fluxus and its subversive activities and artworks. The group turned the conventions of the art world upside down, with works like Maciunas’ “Piano Activities” or sixties-era “Cut Piece” by Yoko Ono a performance piece where she would kneel in front of an audience and have her clothes cut off piece by piece until her body was exposed completely naked.

If you are interested in experiencing a happening or becoming witness of one of the most interesting and fun artistic experiments of the 20th century, you shouldn’t miss this show. Go to Rome. Rent apartments in Rome and sink into the anarchy and chaos of Fluxus.

Leonardo da Vinci, we’ve talked about him a thousand times for good reason. This Italian renaissance genius was an active innovator in various different disciplines: painting, sculpture, anatomy, engineering, architecture and philosophy, among others.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) began his multidisciplinary career in Andrea del Verrocchio’s Florence studio, where other soon to be important renaissance artists like Botticelli or Ghirlandaio also studied. Perhaps we just think of his visual masterpieces like “Monalisa” or “the Last Supper,” but as we mentioned above it’s important to remember that the Tuscan genius also embarked other intellectual pursuits, both humanistic and scientific. He explored the human body via dissection of corpses, drew his discoveries, and together with Belgian physician Andrea Vesalio (1514-1564) is credited with establishing the fundamentals of modern anatomy.

This extraordinarily creative and talented mind couldn’t help but direct its gaze toward the future and begin to invent objects and machines that could be useful for humanity in all its activities, including war. Using the writings and drawings found in the “Davinci code” a group of experts and artisans have been able to construct models of these “machines of the future.”

Amongst the 45 models we can find some that are truly amazing and visionary, considering that Leonardo was working on his projects the fifteenth century: inventions prefigured include the parachute, the tank, the bicycle, a revolving crane and a hydraulic saw. You can find these and other inventions on display in Rome’s Chancelor’s Palace (near the “Campo dei Fiori”) and appreciate Leonardo’s genius for yourself. The interactive exhibit will be open until April 30th, and you can try the machines- nearly all of them are functional! However, we don’t advise depending on his version of the parachute, despite the fact that Leonardo had conceived of his prototype as a system that would allow a person “to jump from any height without injury”.

This exhibit is the ideal chance to introduce children to work of this unique creative genius. Rome the eternal city a place where it’s impossible to get bored, and there is something for everyone: art and history lovers, sports fans, shopping addicts, gourmands and ice-cream freaks. For lodging close to all these attractions, stay in Apartments in Rome.

It’s almost Easter now but an interesting exhibition still on-going in Rome brings us back to the Carnival atmosphere. “Carnevale Romano” is the title of this temporary exhibition which is located in the Museo di Roma of Palazzo Braschi, just nearby Piazza Navona. A collection of over 90 art pieces, including prints of Bartolomeo and Achille Pinelli, watercolours of Jean Louis Baptiste Thomas and paintings of Orlov and Werner.

In Italy there are several famous Carnival celebrations: the most glorious one is certainly from Venice but also the one from Viareggio and the historical Carnival of Ivrea attract tourists from all over the world. Not many people know, anyway, that until the second half of 19th century, also in Rome there used to be a famous and of course crazy Carnival. Before Rome was added to the Italian Republic and was still part of the Papal State, the days of Carnival, before Lent, were a unique chance for the lowest social classes to turn the social order upside down and exchange their otherwise very miserable lives for a different life for a brief moment. Many artists, during the centuries, celebrated the crazy atmosphere of Roman Carnival in their Grand Tour diaries: Among these, Goldoni, Belli and a young Goethe, admitting his difficulties in finding right words to describe such an explosion of colours and noises.

The entire zone of the city center was invaded by a mass of people dressed in carnival costumes of Meo Patacca, Rugantino, Cassandrino and other famous local characters of the “Commedia dell’Arte”.

Music, noise, jokes, dissolute and libertine behaviour were characterizing these celebrations. However the main events of the ancient Roman Carnival were 2:
- The race of the Berbers, wild horses which were left running from Piazza del Popolo, all along Via del Corso.
- The final feast of “Moccoletti”: in Roman dialect, Moccoletti were candles that everyone had to fix behind their back. During the final day of Carnival people were trying to turn these candles off from each other.

The “Carnevale Romano” exhibition will last until April 5th, it is open every day but Monday. The opening hours are from 9am to 7pm in Museo di Roma of Palazzo Braschi. Ticket price is 8 euros.
For sure another wonderful occasion to rent apartments in Rome and spend a few days in the Eternal City.

Beauty and art have always been connected. Sometimes, by trying to reflect what is considered beauty for society and sometimes by turning ugliness into something beautiful.

Beauty can be too simple, by lacking expression, something only useful to be contemplated and then forgotten. Youth has always been related to beauty: young and perfect bodies, smooth skin, bright light in young eyes, full of hope, the charm of their naiveté…It has served as an inspiration for many great works. And…on the other hand, we have the old age.

People used to admire these geniuses who created wonderful work and then died leaving a beautiful and young corpse. But it seems that old artists despite creating real works of art –matching up to the transgressor like Kurt Cobain or Francesca Woodman-, fruit of their maturity and wisdom, don’t look so attractive.

John Coplans’ Courage
When John Coplans was 60 years old, already retired from art critics and photography, he started to take pictures of his body, a body with no fakes, showing wrinkles and sags, baldness, and varicose veins. Coplans went beyond provocation and controversy. He wanted to express his life experience, his coexistence with his shield, the part of him which years ago was the fruit of narcissism and self-indulgence.

In front of common photographers who use perfect bodies to communicate more or less deep ideas, John Coplans showed us his entrails without letting us view him as a human being. He used human bodies as a sculpture, like ancient Greek artists, but showing the opposite of beauty, and reacting against a society that only appreciates those bodies and perfect smiles suitable for commercials.

Observing the passing of time in the shocking pictures of Coplans’, in the charming former capital of the Roman Empire you can’t escape from the past. Don’t waste any time and rent a comfortable and cheap accommodation on Apartments in Rome. You can follow the marks of time on your partner’s skin or in the walls of the Colloseum.

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio died 400 years ago. For this reason an extraordinary exhibition has been organised to celebrate this anniversary. The location of such an amazing event couldn’t be any other but Rome, the city where the famous Lombard genius realised most of his painting.

An intense life
A lot has been written about the genius of Caravaggio. Sometimes he has been appreciated and considered more for his eccentric and unconventional life than for his special creative ability. Caravaggio seems to be the epitome of a true artist…loose living, genius, bohemian life style; during his youth he has been involved in several criminal actions and was sentenced to prison and even to death penalty for murder. However the bohemian lifestyle of Caravaggio can only be considered to be true partially because he was also very “organic” to the society of his time.

Powerful patrons
He was friends with some members of the influential family of Colonna, he had, as well, several important sponsors, such as the aristocratic cardinal Del Monte, the noble Marcantonio Doria, cardinal Mattei and Vincenzo Giustiniani, probably the richest man in Rome at that time. The protection through these personalities permitted to Caravaggio to express his genius freely, reaching the highest peak of fame.

The exhibtion
For sure it’s not the first exhibition dedicated to Caravaggio but certainly this one gathers the highest number of masterpieces. 24 paintings, coming from the most important museums and galleries of Rome, Italy and rest of the world. The idea of the exhibition is to choose only paintings which have been historically certified as original, excluding, for now, the pieces which are still under critical discussion about their authenticity and those ones which are “second or additional versions” of original pictures.

The “Basket of Fruit” from the Ambrosiana Library of Milan, the “David with Goliath’s Head” from the Borghese Gallery in Rome, the “Amor Vincit Omnia” from the Staatliche Museen in Berlin, the “Lute Player” from the Hermitage Museum in St.Petersburg, the “Bacchus” from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, the “Boy with the Basket of Fruit” from the Borghese Gallery in Rome…these are just a few of the amazing paintings that we will be able to admire in the exhibition, which has been organised in the elegant location of “Scuderie del Quirinale”, just nearby the “Quirinale Palace”, in the center of Rome.

The exhibition has started on February 20th and will terminate on June 13th. Success has been immediate and over 5000 people are visiting the gallery every day. Considering that price is very honest (10 euros is really not mucg for the number of incredible masterpieces), I would suggest you to rent some Apartments in Rome, visit the exhibition more than once and breath the art feeling in the air.

It’s not certainly a rarity to read about cases of corruption on Italian newspapers. The music takes all different tone when one of these cases leads to a larger scandal, involving Vatican City and a supposed ring of escort service and gay prostitution. Main starring of this story is Angelo Balducci, former head of Italian Public Works Office, recently arrested in range of criminal inquiry.

The investigation regards irregularities committed in public contracts for the organisation of main events such as Sardinian G8 meeting, which was later moved to L’Aquila after the earthquake. Balducci is also a Papal Gentleman. This type of important Papal attendants officiates a role in public ceremonies and happenings, for example welcoming diplomats and heads of state who visit the Pope.

Revealing conversations
During the last two years investigation police recorded many conversations between Balducci and Chinedu Thomas Ehiem, a 40y/o Nigerian man, nicknamed as “Mike”, member of the choir of Cappella Giulia, (a choir used in St. Peter’s Basilica during those ceremonies which don’t involve the presence of the Pope). According to the wiretaps, it seems that Ehiem was obtaining homosexual escorts to Balducci. Dialogues don’t leave any room to imagination, including details about physical descriptions and sexual availabilities of the guys: “Angelo…I got a new German one for you…2 meters tall, 97 kg, completely active”, or, “I got a Cuban one”…”I got one from Naples”…

Seminary students involved
Many times it said the escorts were illegal immigrants, prostituting themselves in change of staying permission or poor young men in need of money. However phone taps reveal that in certain cases the male prostitutes were religious seminary students: in one of the telephone conversations Balducci says “At what time he has to be back in the seminary?” This story has caused embarrassment in Vatican State, also because the title of Papal Gentleman obtained by Balducci during the pontificate of John Paul II, is a life charge and not revocable. He will keep the title but he will be “suspended” and he won’t be called anymore to officiate any role in public ceremonies in Vatican.

In the meanwhile Thomas Ehiem, the Nigerian man, has been dismissed from the St. Peter’s Choir of Cappella Giulia. Mr Balducci instead is not enjoying the comfort of any apartments in Rome: he is currently hosted by the State prison of Regina Coeli (in seclusion). But you can enjoy your Roman stay booking Apartments in Rome, the best way to stay calm and forget this corruption matter.

Theoretically, a secret should be kept and even more so if it has passed from generation to generation. But we decided to be generous and tell you some little secrets to spare you from going to the dentist in these times of crisis. Yes, people are so stressed they are biting down on their jaw. When I had a toothache, my grandmother would prepare me a thyme and eucalyptus infusion with two rose petals. Do you have any secrets to reveal?

Does anyone know, for example, how to open a bottle of champagne that has been shaken without wetting the guests? Simply put its head upside down about thirty seconds. It is true that we do not dine with champagne every day, but this trick is very good for these crucial moments…

Here is another one. When one of your clothes labels rubs on the back of your neck but you don’t really want to cut it off, take a nail file and rub it on the label. That usually does the trick. Scratch smoothly so you don’t remove what is written. People say it works well!

What may be helpful to have a whiter and more beautiful smile without having to try all the toothpastes in the market is to buy green clay and occasionally clean your teeth with it. Others speak of rubbing your teeth with the white part of a lemon before cleaning them or placing a few drops of bicarbonate and hydrogen peroxide on your toothbrush. Be careful with the dosage, the product quality and the frequency of the use, everything in excess can be harmful.

And for those who have tasted the anti dark circles, the cold spoons or cucumbers, there is another remedy for the dark and deep circles. It includes taking a swab soaked in skimmed milk. Or you can just sleep more.

And now a trick that your grandmother does not usually teach but you will find out about it through women’s magazines or friends. Did you know that the hot-cold combination increases sexual desire? The hot mint tea is especially recommended because after a few sips of burning menthol, kissing the private parts of your partner will leave a fresh feeling. You can imagine what kinds of pleasures are activated…

The remedies do not always function well in all the individuals, but the best of all is that you try them. We use to reproduce a lot of unusual tricks from other cultures. So your tips are welcome!

Finally, we never will tire of saying that trips are a wonderful solution for boredom because they give you a chance to get away, to be surprised and to tell unforgettable anecdotes. One of the most recommended destinations is the fascinating Italian capital. For a cheap and relaxing stay, rent Apartments in Rome.

Do you remember when having a tattoo was a synonym for the word lout and it was assumed that a tattooed person was somebody with a bad reputation along with a sinister life? So, nowadays, the tattoo’s tacky seafarer image is long a thing of the past. There is an endless list of celebrities getting tattoos, from models, actors, soccer players and, of course, musicians.

But you must remember that tattoos are forever and almost irreversible, unless you want to remove them with surgery, but there is a risk for your skin and the result can be a disaster.
Let me tell you about a surrealistic case, by way of illustration: Johnny Depp, in full ecstasy of love for his girlfriend in those days, Winona Ryder, he had “Winona forever” tattooed on his arm. After the broke up, he had the ‘n’ and ‘a’ surgically removed to simply say “Wino forever!” Not stylish at all, isn’t it?

Haute Couture Tattoos
Well, if you don’t want to run the risk of going through this embarrassing situation, the always surprising Karl Lagerfeld has created for this spring the first line of Chanel transfers. The result is similar to a real tattoo, in the shape of necklaces and chains featuring the brand logo and floral decorations.

The instructions for use are a bit of water, then you can choose a part of your body and that’s all… we have a temporary Chanel accessory. There are several varieties too: the iconic double C’s, chain bracelets, rosary beads and little birdies. You could choose between fifty-five different designs, packaged under the name of Les Trompe L’Oeil de Chanel that will start selling online for around 50 Euros from March 1st.
You don’t need to get yourself inked anymore! And you will be real posh with your Haute Couture tattoo! Find out what the buzz is about and how to style them!

Show off your Chanel tattoo when you visit the charming Italian capital. And don’t forget to book Apartments in Rome, a very handy way to get budget accommodation.

Hello Kitty is back in fashion. But if you think about it, it has been always fashionable and it has been part of the childhood, adolescence and adult life of many women all over the world. Here are some facts about this character-icon that has been reproduced in so many notebooks, pencil holders, towels, backpacks, mugs, umbrellas, hats and so many other things. Hello Kitty was born in Tokio in the Sanrio Company in 1974.

The first object with the cute little cat was a plastic purse in 1975. From Japan, the brand was spread first to the U.S. and then to the rest of the world, becoming popular, even among the celebrities. Celebrities like Paris Hilton and Mariah Carey love Hello Kitty accessories.

From the Hello Kitty character we have seen an emergence in cartoons, video games and even a musical: on February 9th, it was premiered in Milan the Hello Kitty Show. This is a musical based on a modern fairy tale in which three girls of 18 years old search their dreams. Hello Kitty bursts into their lives and… to discover the rest of the story we invite you to see this original musical. Do not miss it!

The Show is perfect to go to with the whole family. The elaborate set design and music that moves from jazz, pop and rock, have been designed to attract a diverse audience. The choreographies also go through fashionable rhythms such as hip hop and break dance. As you can see, this is a stunting show. Even the most demanding visitors will be charmed!

The show will go through several Italian cities before touring to other European countries. Have you ever been to the Eternal City? This could be an excellent occasion. Maybe this time you can convince your partner or children to go with you. From March 17th to the 21st you have the opportunity to see the Hello Kitty Show at the Teatro Olimpico in Rome. Do not worry if you do not have a shirt nor a bag with the kitten, in the Italian capital there are so many stores that you will not have any problem to find them. For an affordable, convenient accommodation, rent Apartments in Rome and purchase your tickets as soon as possible.