Alternative attractions in Rome - Rome, the “eternal city,” isn’t the first destination many young Saudis think of when they travel to Italy, unless of course they are planning to go wild shopping in Via Condotti.
Some might even wonder: “Why exchange the intense fun you can have in Rimini and Riccione or the tidy and relaxing atmosphere of Como and Forte dei Marmi with the boring prospect of visiting antiquities in chaotic Rome?”
The social life of humanity’s first metropolis is somehow underestimated and little advertised in comparison to that of other major capitals as Paris and London. However, knowing how to select places on Lonely Planet and experiencing the city like locals do would probably change one’s impression of the town.
As European major cities, the Italian capital is a concentration of theaters, cine clubs, art galleries, cafes, concert areas and clubs coming to live under an evocative setting of historical and architectonical assets that no other city in the world can boast of. Trendiest districts among young Romans are San Lorenzo, Pigneto, Testaccio, Trastevere and Monti — areas dedicated to amusement and culture. Despite their shabby and unkempt outlook, these popular quarters hide an intense social life and attract many university students, artists, craftsmen and intellectuals.
The list of clubs and cafes where you can combine the pleasures of a chat with friends, live music and characteristic cuisine is large. Bibli, Cafe Letterario, Café Bohemien, Circolo degli Artisti, Fanfulla and Necci are amid the most popular ones. World-famous Italian intellectual Pier Paolo Pasolini was a regular client of Necci, a bar that rose in 1924 in Pigneto’s poor outskirts. Today, Necci is an unconventional restaurant where you can taste the delicious dishes of a London chef in a relaxed, informal and vintage atmosphere.
Eclectic spaces are not to miss in Rome. Alpheus is a huge disco in Testaccio divided into four main halls, which hosts meetings, fashion shows, exhibitions and reviews during the morning plus an intense schedule of concerts and black, hip-hop, house and commercial music at night.
Close to Alpheus, Palladium theater hosts public manifestations, music, cinema, ballets and seminars. “Try the Impossible” is the slogan accompanying the theater’s next public manifestation, the 2011 Roma Europa Festival, which is running from Oct. 7 – Nov. 30. Cohabitation in multiethnic societies and Arabic dances will be among the various subjects and activities within the Festival’s 39 artistic appointments, partly guested in other locations.
Likewise, the Auditorium Parco della Musica is another huge polyvalent complex in Parioli district that gathers all artistic genres. In addition to an ongoing contemporary music festival, New Musical Spaces, this spectacular arts complex, designed by world-famous architect Renzo Piano, will host the sixth edition of the International Rome Film Festival from Oct. 27 – Nov. 4.
With its lovely narrow sided streets, small boutiques and superb examples of architecture, Monti district deserves a particular attention. The area is the ideal location for tourists willing to experiment the flavor of 19th century Rome while shopping in Via del Boschetto and Via dei Serpenti or hanging out with friends in the characteristic cafes near Via Madonna dei Monti, the district’s main street. Monti’s Roman folklore irradiates with a particular exquisiteness every October thanks to the “Ottobrata Monticitana,” an annual festive event gathering Romans and foreigners in front of dinner tables, concerts, live paintings, exhibitions and movie screenings.
In addition, very touristic destinations like Villa Borghese, Villa Pamphili, Villa Ada and Villa Celimontana, that house a good portion of Rome’s works of art, have become places of social and cultural gathering among the younger generations. This is particularly true during summer when the beautiful gardens and stunning sceneries of these huge villas become an ideal location for concerts, festivals and open bars.
The Celimontana Jazz Festival in the homonymous villa and the program of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater in the heart of Villa Borghese constitute, for instance, regular summer appointments for young Romans. Rome’s version of the Globe Theater is designed on a circular base with a stage in the middle of the audience in typical Elizabethan style. It was built in 2003 and represents, together with the House of Cinema and the National Modern Art Gallery, an important attraction for artists, intellectuals and students.
Talking about art galleries and “alternative Rome,” it’s impossible not to mention MAXXI, National Museum of the 21st Century Arts, in Flaminio district, designed by Architect Zaha Hadid and MACRO, another Contemporary Art Museum placed in Testaccio district.
Sympathetic to the dynamism of their districts and the high percentage of youth animating them, MACRO and MAXXI offer the most relevant national and international contemporary artistic expressions while remaining open till late. Besides, MACRO’s huge structure has been recently enlarged with a new building designed by French Architect Odile Decq that offers new expositive spaces and facilities including a bookshop, restaurant and café.
One final recommendation: In case you’ve just reserved your flight to Rome, don’t forget to visit Chiostro del Bramante, an expositive space hosting two exhibitions dedicated to Europe and the Middle East. “Orientalists. Charms and discoveries in 19th century Italian paint” is a selection of 80 works of art describing the East in 19th century Italian paint. “Women through my Lens” is a collection of photographs from Fatima Abbadi, an Italo-Jordanian photographer who tries to capture everyday femininity through the lenses of her own European and Middle East’s experience. ( arabnews.com )
Some might even wonder: “Why exchange the intense fun you can have in Rimini and Riccione or the tidy and relaxing atmosphere of Como and Forte dei Marmi with the boring prospect of visiting antiquities in chaotic Rome?”
The social life of humanity’s first metropolis is somehow underestimated and little advertised in comparison to that of other major capitals as Paris and London. However, knowing how to select places on Lonely Planet and experiencing the city like locals do would probably change one’s impression of the town.
As European major cities, the Italian capital is a concentration of theaters, cine clubs, art galleries, cafes, concert areas and clubs coming to live under an evocative setting of historical and architectonical assets that no other city in the world can boast of. Trendiest districts among young Romans are San Lorenzo, Pigneto, Testaccio, Trastevere and Monti — areas dedicated to amusement and culture. Despite their shabby and unkempt outlook, these popular quarters hide an intense social life and attract many university students, artists, craftsmen and intellectuals.
The list of clubs and cafes where you can combine the pleasures of a chat with friends, live music and characteristic cuisine is large. Bibli, Cafe Letterario, Café Bohemien, Circolo degli Artisti, Fanfulla and Necci are amid the most popular ones. World-famous Italian intellectual Pier Paolo Pasolini was a regular client of Necci, a bar that rose in 1924 in Pigneto’s poor outskirts. Today, Necci is an unconventional restaurant where you can taste the delicious dishes of a London chef in a relaxed, informal and vintage atmosphere.
Eclectic spaces are not to miss in Rome. Alpheus is a huge disco in Testaccio divided into four main halls, which hosts meetings, fashion shows, exhibitions and reviews during the morning plus an intense schedule of concerts and black, hip-hop, house and commercial music at night.
Close to Alpheus, Palladium theater hosts public manifestations, music, cinema, ballets and seminars. “Try the Impossible” is the slogan accompanying the theater’s next public manifestation, the 2011 Roma Europa Festival, which is running from Oct. 7 – Nov. 30. Cohabitation in multiethnic societies and Arabic dances will be among the various subjects and activities within the Festival’s 39 artistic appointments, partly guested in other locations.
Likewise, the Auditorium Parco della Musica is another huge polyvalent complex in Parioli district that gathers all artistic genres. In addition to an ongoing contemporary music festival, New Musical Spaces, this spectacular arts complex, designed by world-famous architect Renzo Piano, will host the sixth edition of the International Rome Film Festival from Oct. 27 – Nov. 4.
With its lovely narrow sided streets, small boutiques and superb examples of architecture, Monti district deserves a particular attention. The area is the ideal location for tourists willing to experiment the flavor of 19th century Rome while shopping in Via del Boschetto and Via dei Serpenti or hanging out with friends in the characteristic cafes near Via Madonna dei Monti, the district’s main street. Monti’s Roman folklore irradiates with a particular exquisiteness every October thanks to the “Ottobrata Monticitana,” an annual festive event gathering Romans and foreigners in front of dinner tables, concerts, live paintings, exhibitions and movie screenings.
In addition, very touristic destinations like Villa Borghese, Villa Pamphili, Villa Ada and Villa Celimontana, that house a good portion of Rome’s works of art, have become places of social and cultural gathering among the younger generations. This is particularly true during summer when the beautiful gardens and stunning sceneries of these huge villas become an ideal location for concerts, festivals and open bars.
The Celimontana Jazz Festival in the homonymous villa and the program of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater in the heart of Villa Borghese constitute, for instance, regular summer appointments for young Romans. Rome’s version of the Globe Theater is designed on a circular base with a stage in the middle of the audience in typical Elizabethan style. It was built in 2003 and represents, together with the House of Cinema and the National Modern Art Gallery, an important attraction for artists, intellectuals and students.
Talking about art galleries and “alternative Rome,” it’s impossible not to mention MAXXI, National Museum of the 21st Century Arts, in Flaminio district, designed by Architect Zaha Hadid and MACRO, another Contemporary Art Museum placed in Testaccio district.
Sympathetic to the dynamism of their districts and the high percentage of youth animating them, MACRO and MAXXI offer the most relevant national and international contemporary artistic expressions while remaining open till late. Besides, MACRO’s huge structure has been recently enlarged with a new building designed by French Architect Odile Decq that offers new expositive spaces and facilities including a bookshop, restaurant and café.
One final recommendation: In case you’ve just reserved your flight to Rome, don’t forget to visit Chiostro del Bramante, an expositive space hosting two exhibitions dedicated to Europe and the Middle East. “Orientalists. Charms and discoveries in 19th century Italian paint” is a selection of 80 works of art describing the East in 19th century Italian paint. “Women through my Lens” is a collection of photographs from Fatima Abbadi, an Italo-Jordanian photographer who tries to capture everyday femininity through the lenses of her own European and Middle East’s experience. ( arabnews.com )
No comments:
Post a Comment