 | This is a legend now. Once, when the coliseum was fully accessible with no tickets, no security line, no crowds there used to be a cat colony inside the amphitheater. I was a child then. It seems a remote past, a mythological era, but the idea of the coliseum cats still persist today. Since many years the roman cats who are abandoned reside in an another archeological location, in largo Torre Argentina. It is true that we have a cat inside the coliseum, a fiery black cat I have seen in the venue in the past three years. We are fiends. |
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Some 4 years ago, I saw the first rabbit on the palatine hill and since then, while touring with my clients the remains of the imperial palaces; I always look around for them.
The palatine hill is the site of Rome origins... where our story started 28 hundreds years ago. It is where Romulus, Rome founder, created the city. Because of this symbolic value, the hill later become the residence of Octavian Augustus and of the later emperors. The site has majestic ruins and it is fascinating to immerse ourselves in this mixture of history, nature and power. I love the idea that this historical place has new inhabitants now...the bunnies. They are big... brown, grey and black colors, very calm, and not scared of people. I do not know how many rabbits are there, I’m always wondering, as the area is very extensive. I saw them first time in 2015. In 2016, I counted four, but the following year I saw none. I was worried, of course. Then I saw them again last year and few weeks ago. I just love them.
  Rome is a great city for shopping; aside for the typical souvenirs, I believe fashion and particularly shoes are a must. Wearing them at home will bring you back in vacation.
Shopping the sales in Rome is a pleasure. Every year I try to resist and finally indulge in shopping. In Italy, sales happen twice a year and the discounts vary from 20 to 70 percent. The sales start around January 6th and every shop discount the prices of the fall and winter collections. The sales last a couple of weeks. The first days the choice is wider and discounts are lower, by the end the prices are cut down more.
 An important roman tradition during Christmas time is to visit the ‘100 Cribs’ exhibition held in the enchanting Sala Bramante in piazza del Popolo. The event is held from the beginning of December (usually December 8th) till the Epiphany.
Over 150 cribs from all over the world are on display. Christmas Nativity created by artists from all over the world using all kind of materials: terracotta, clay, ceramic, cardboard and cork, mahogany, crystal, pasta, leaves and more. On December 7th at midnight the faithful gather at piazza di Porta Capena to start the night pilgrimage to the Holy Mather on the eve of Immaculate Conception day.
The pilgrimage on foot last all night long. The walk proceed along the Old Appian Way, pass the Domine Quo Vadis church, proceed by the Catacombs of San Callisto, the Mausoleum of the ‘Fosse Ardeatine’ , and continue along the via Ardeatina ending at the Sanctuary at 5.00am.  August 15, or Ferragosto, is the assumption of the Virgin Mary, one of the most important holidays on the Catholic calendar. In Italy it is a national Holiday.
The origin of the feast dates back to the reign of emperor Augustus: in 18 BC he instituted the Feriae Augusti to mark the end of summer harvest and provide a day of rest for all. As frequently happen the pagan date now coincide with a religious one. Ferragosto is one of this clue days along the year when we party and look for absolute leisure with our beloved ones. The week around August 15 is when you easily find many commercial sites closed for vacation as traditionally August is the month we select for summer vacations. On August 15 in Rome, many major sites are open except the Vatican museum.  Summer sales kick off 6 July.
In all shops the prices of the spring and summer collections are discounted from 20 to even 70 percent. Of course, the first days of sales are the ones with the largest assortment of items, but as the days pass by the discounts became even most consistent. If you’re visiting Rome during the sales season don’t miss spending few hours shopping!
 Saint John day used to be celebrated with night parties and special traditions on June 24th The event started the eve before and lasted until dawn. It was the night of the witches.
The romans believed that the ghosts of Herodias and Salome were condemn to wander on a broom at night to espy the sin of beheading St John the Baptist, and on that night, all witches met in St John’s square. The romans left their homes and gathered in the square to pray and eat snails.
 The feast of Corpus Domini dates back from the middle ages.
It was instituted by Pope Urban IV in 1264 after the famous Miracle of Bolsena. In papal Rome every year on Corpus Domini day a solemn procession was led by the pope from the Sistine chapel along the Borgo neighborhood. The pope holding the sacrament was carried on his chair and followed by cortege of about 3.000 people among cardinals, prelates, clergy, Swiss guards and noblemen. Every year this is the main athletics event in the capital.
This year it will be the 38th event. The greatest world’s athletes compete to win in the Eternal City. It’s held in the Olympic Stadium and The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is held in Rome every May. This year the 4-days events will be as usual held in the Circus Maximus, where there are all kinds of things to participate in, leading up to the race. The dates will be: May 17, 18, 19 and the race ending the event will be on Sunday 20th.
The race goes through the historic center of Rome. For moore informations check the site for the race in Rome: http://www.raceroma.it/ The website is in Italian; if you want to learn more about the events or to participate. you can try to translate with translate.google.com During this weekend you may visit many buildings, palaces and monuments in and around Rome for free.
House Rome is an annual event that in a single weekend allows the free opening of hundreds of buildings of the Capital notable for their architectural and artistic peculiarities. You may visit historic palaces, private residences not normally open to the public. It's a chance to find detailed information on the visiting programs. Check their Facebook page that is the most up to date, and their website. Links are below: https://www.facebook.com/OpenHouseRM http://www.openhouseroma.org/pagina-base/cose-openhouse-roma.html If you are in Rome and love tennis, you may already know that every May, the BNL Tennis championships are held at the Olympic Stadium (Foro Italico) in Rome. This year it starts on Monday May 7th 2018, with finals on the following Sunday, May 20 2018. It will be the case of a great world event, the season’s “Fifth Grand Slam”. The Tournament will be a “combined event”, staging both a men’s and women’s matches during 9 days, besides the pre-qualifying draw. This means that you will be able to watch both the world’s best men’s and women’s matches on the same day, plus both doubles, as during a Grand Slam tournament, You may find more details and tickets through their website below: http://www.internazionalibnlditalia.com/en/ Every year in May the ADSI (Associazione Dimore Storiche Antiche) holds its annual "Open Courtyards" event.
During the all day, on a Sunday by the end of the month, you may visit courtyards of historic palazzos and private residences normally closed to the public. Right now, when I’m scheduling the blog, the date of 2018 event is not posted yet. For information: tel. 066832774, e-mail lazio@adsi.it, and for full Rome program see the ADSI website. http://www.adsi.it/ https://www.facebook.com/www.adsi.it/  On May 1st traditionally named ’Calendimaggio’a great feast occurred in Rome.
A main happening was the ‘Cuccagna’ a tree planted in the Capitol square full of delicious foods but covered with a slippery substance. The romans were rivalling to climb the Cuccagna tree and get the prize. It was not easy and it was one of the occasions of rivalry between the bullies. The tradition continued until the middle of the seventeen century. The painting of the Cuccagna tree is by Agostino Tassi (1631-16329 and can be found in the ‘Museo di Roma’
Rome is 2.771 years old today. Happy birthday my sweetheart!
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