by the Coliseum and the Roman Forums

New Entry in our network: Hotel Solis, by the Coliseum
We are glad to offer a three star small hotel, just 200 meters from Roman Forums and 400 meters from the Coliseum (real distances)

Central, comfortable and elegant, Hotel Solis is the perfect choice for those who want to spend an all mod cons holiday in Rome never getting too far from the heart of the city.

Completely restructured with elegance and care for every single detail, the hotel offers rooms with all mod cons: private bathroom, satellite TV, air conditioning, mini-bar and direct phone.

Placed in a definitely perfect setting, nearby the Imperial Forums and just a few steps away from the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, Piazza Venezia and many other places of artistic and cultural interest, Hotel Solis is the ideal accomodation for your Roman holidays. Staying at this comfortable and welcoming hotel you will live the emotion of waking up every morning right in the heart of the historical centre of Rome and easily reaching all the main areas of interest.

Another nice choice for a small and charming accommodation in Rome!

The Italia Lodging Staff
http://www.italialodgingrome.com

Rome: bed and breakfast or hotel?

To answer this question you should know exactly what is the meaning of bed and breakfast in Rome, and in general in Italy - since you are supposed to know what to expect from a Hotel.

This type of accommodation is very much different from country to country: if in the United Kingdom (the homeland of bed and breakfasts) this type of accommodation has a long tradition and there are several bed and breakfast associations, a rating system, and a quality control, in Italy things are a bit different. The first bed and breakfast opened in Rome in 1997, so less than 9 years ago, and since then thousands of B&Bs opened all over Italy. At the beginning it was a solution to answer the quest for accommodation of the pilgrims coming for the Jubilee (year 2000).

The state rules concerning the bed and breakfast standards and policies are demanded to the regions, and in each region things work differently. The result is that nowadays we still don’t have a general rating system and a quality control. If bed and breakfasts are checked by the official tourist boards at the very beginning (when they open), no other control is done afterwards.

In this situation the control effort is demanded to private companies which promotes bed and breakfasts, and serious companies check constantly the service quality and the overall standard offered. In good bed and breakfast you find extremely high quality standards at a relatively cheap price. Usually they are very well located and rooms are comparable to 3 stars hotel rooms (sometimes even better!).

Anyway if you are looking for a bed and breakfast in Rome don’t think about finding a house or a cottage, but a big apartment well organized with 3 to 6 rooms for guests, many times with en-suite bathrooms (to be sure ask for it!) and a breakfast hall. If you are concerned about breakfast, don’t think about the English one: we have strict rules in the Lazio region about the food manipulation. That’s why if a bed and breakfast sticks to the rules you won’t find hand made cakes, pizza, fresh croissants: everything you are going to get has to be singularly packed.

What Italia Lodging do is a constant effort to list the bed and breakfasts that offer the best overall standards, with good locations and a very good quality-price ratio.

Anyway we feel more comfortable when customers know from the beginning what to expect from a bed and breakfast in Italy. What you will surely get among our accommodation is a charming atmosphere, a welcoming staff and a spick and span environment and, many times, a standard which is better than double priced hotels.

Explain exactly and clearly your needs and you will surely spend a nice and relaxing holiday!

The Italia Lodging Rome Staff - http://www.italialodgingrome.com
Tel: +39 06 77250543
Fax: +39 06 77591877
e-mail: info@italialodging.com

A Rome View from the Quirinale Hill

Are you thinking about staying in a luxurious Rome hotel, having a dinner with a magnificent view overlooking Rome from the Quirinale Hill? Well, at Hotel Barberini this is definitely possible.


This is something usually possible for your closest neighbour, living almost next door: the president of the Italian Republic.

The Hotel Barberini, between the "Tritone Fountain" of Barberini Plaza and the Quirinale Gardens, is a 4 stars hotel with a very prestigious location. This hotel will welcome you with fine hospitality and all mod cons in a refined and courteous atmosphere.

The hotel offers 31 comfortable bedrooms, entirely soundproof, furnished with elegance and care of the details, of the ambience and charm. All have writing desk, air conditioning system, mini-bar, safe-deposit box, satellite TV, direct dial phone, hair dryer, towel warmer. There are also 4 luxurious suites with cable radio, parlour and hydro-massage bathtub.
The care given to the details and the use of wonderful marbles make the interiors a pleasant and relaxing "oasis" for guests. The atmosphere becomes even warmer and welcoming in the rooms, furnished with exclusive furniture and materials designed and produced for the Hotel Barberini only.

But the Hotel Barberini has something more to offer to its guests: its panoramic roof garden overlooking the Eternal City! Here, you can comfortably sit at one of the tables and plunge in the marvellous view.

View the Hotel Barberini website at
http://www.italialodging.com/est/hotelbarberini/

The Italia Lodging Staff
http://www.italialodging.com/

Exhibitions in Rome (up to Feb. 2006)

Complesso del Vittoriano, via San Pietro in Carcere. Info 066780664
Until 5 Feb 2006: Manet
An exhibition of 150 works by an artist who was a great traveller and who managed to maintain a strong individuality within the Impressionist movement. Manet was inspired by Italian, Spanish and Japanese art, Goya, Titian and the past, he allowed himself to be seduced by women and nature, transforming these elements into the main protagonists of his creations. His work marked a clear break with the previous pictorial tradition.
Mon-thu h9,30-18,30; fri-sat h9,30-22,30; sun h9,30-19,30. €9, reduced €7

Chiostro del Bramante, via della Pace. Info 0668809036
Until 5 Mar 2006: Zandomeneghi. Un veneziano tra gli impressionisti (Zandomeneghi. A Venetian among the Impressionists)
An anthology dedicated to one of the "trois Italiens de Paris (three Italians in Paris)", namely Zandomenghi, who was more rooted in the Impressionist scene in Paris than fellow Italians De Nittis and Boldini. This is a rich exhibition with paintings, pastels, drawings and sketches bearing witness to the entire compositional process and reproducing the worldly atmospheres of the City of Lights, daily and family life, women surrounded by their accessories (hats, gloves, fans), as well as still-lifes and nudes.
Tue-fri h10-20, sat h10-24, sun h10-21,30. €9, reduced €7

Scuderie del Quirinale, Via XXIV Maggio, 16. Info 0639967500
Until 16 Feb 2006: Alberto Burri
A great innovator, Alberto Burri is part of that group of artists that use material to talk, moulding it like a language, turning it into the nerve centre of their own poetic vision. Works made out of such varied materials as bags, wood, metal, plastic, combustions and cellotex are on show, as well as the creations of Italian and international artists who, like Burri, have used non-pictorial materials to change the art of our times.
Web site: http://www.scuderiequirinale.it

Rome Experience

2500 years of history have made Rome one of the most beautiful town in the world and certainly a place you can't miss! Rome is more than just a site for tourists, it is a real experience.

Thanks to its "open" nature, the city has preserved in the years a special charm. Rome welcomes its visitors with its noise, its elegant buildings, its churches, its monuments and its people. Rome is a chaotic and rich city, where buildings of today's political leadership and ruins of its past splendour are next to each other, just close by to old houses, handy-craft shops and haute coûture boutiques with latest fashions.

In Rome, if you turn round the corner, you will find a statue, an obelisk, a renaissance fountain which seems to have become a shadow of its former self. But what most impresses of Rome is the lack of care and importance given to its treasures: like an elegant old lady who makes not show of her jewels.

This is why Rome is an experience and a never ending discovery. You cannot think to see "what there is to see" simply reading a good tourist guide: relax yourself, take your time to discover its hidden charm and whatever might attract your attention wandering through it. While walking you will probably understand our deep-rooted culture: your stay has now become an unforgettable experience.

Enjoy your stay,

Italia Lodging Rome Staff

http://www.italialodgingrome.com