Yes Hotel Rome Travel Blog: The Rome travel guide

Concert at Big Mama

Rome is a fantastic city, a city that will never annoy you… Probably its beauty and eternity is exactly  in its innate capacity to entertain people. It is entertaining with its great history, its glorious past, its difficult but adorable present, and, certainly its mysterious future. Rome offers you a lot of fun. Even very banal clerk office day is brightened by Rome’s sincere sympathy towards people. Before or after work one just can drown into existential thoughts of human destiny and beauty in the heart of mythic Trastevere, in Villa Borghese, in Villa Pamphili, or in the Roman Forums (the latter are not free any more sadly)… Yes, quite a long preface… But for what?

Such a long preface is to introduce you to a very special place for music lovers in Rome, for more than 20 years the real heart of Blues of eternal city. BIG MAMA. Located in the very heart of one the most roman of Rome’s quarters – Trastevere (did you know that a real native Roman should be of the 7^th generation living in the city and born in Trastevere?) BIG MAMA is a quite small, but a unique place. It is definitely one of the best and original places to listen to live music in Rome. It offers a vast gamma of genres, originality and quality are must in this place .

Mostly known as "Home of the Blues in Roma" BIG MAMA has daily concerts of different music: jazz, rock, ethno, songwriters and, of course, blues. During the last years BIG MAMA has been not only a place for listening but also a stage for new and young talents. Many of them now are well famous, in Italy and in the rest of the world. Popular singers like Giorgia, Alex Britti, or a leader of Tiromancino Federico Zampaglione have also started in BIG MAMA and till now are quite often guests here.

International stars, that have performed here are Jeff Healey, Archie Shepp, Allan Holdsworth, Mike Stern, Joe Zawinul and many others. The place where BIG MAMA is located resembles a cave, and small corridors lead you into various rooms until you reach the small stage on which the artists perform. It is definitely a must to visit at least one the BIG MAMA’s greatest concerts( about 200 held every year). BIG MAMA is very simplistic in its style, but very cordial in its atmosphere. It is a perfect place for a romantic dinner : they do have some good pizza, and good wine, add a lot of good music, and… she will definitely say YES to your proposal.

I have enjoyed several concerts in BIG MAMA, and believe me, every time I left this place I had a feeling of pleasant joy and happiness, looking forward to my next concert at BIG MAMA.

Here is useful firsthand information on how to get to BIG MAMA, reserve a table and the just to enjoy the sound of music, which can heal our tormented souls. Many tourists and international guest of Italian capital who have visited BIG MAMA remained with an open mouth…of astonishment and just to sing along with the artists…

Concert at Big Mama

HOW TO REACH BIG MAMA

BIG MAMA – Vicolo San Francesco a Ripa 18 

-Tel.06.5812551 -Fax 06.5806497

BIG MAMA is in Trastevere, probably the most beautyful neighbourhood of Rome, surely the most romantic. The club has a cocktail bar and it’s possible to dinner (short menu).
BIG MAMA open at 9pm, show start at 10.30pm, close at 1.30 am
Nearest Car Parkings are in Piazza S.Francesco d’Assisi and Piazza Mastai, both a few meters from the club.
If you stay in a nice hotel near Termini Station, you can easily reach Big Mama by bus: Lines 75 or 170 (from Termini Railway Station); by_Tram: Line 8 (from Largo Argentina) Line 3 (from Colosseo); RadioTaxi tel. 06.5551 or 06.4994 or 06.6645
HOW YOU GET IN
A membership card is required in order to enter. But do not be scared it costs only 8 Euros for a monthly card, or a year-long one will cost you 13 Euros. With the membership card you enter free of charge to the most of the shows. For some major events (usually one/two times a month) there is also a ticket charge, and sometimes the tickets are sold in advance. To reserve a table ( at no extra charge) please call Infoline +39.06.5812551 or fill in the form online on the website. 

VISIT BIG MAMA, and then TELL WHAT YOU THINK!!!

I know, you’re coming to Rome and you are eagger to take a look at the
Colosseum and the Trevi’s fountain, the main attractions. But there’s
-yet another- extraordinary monument in Rome not known to everyone: the Pantheon.

The Pantheon was built a long time ago-125 AD, they say. But unlike
the colosseum is unbelievably well conserved. In fact, is maybe the
best preserved building of its age.
In other words, it’s definetely worth seeing.

Originally the Pantheon was built as a temple for the seven planets, that were deities in the roman religion. From the 7th century the Pantheon has been used as a christian church, and some people even marry there nowadays.

What you will see is not just a monument, but also an outstanding construction. In fact, the Pantheon holds the record for the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the history of architecture, and still today is puzzling to try to understand how this structure has been able to stand for centuries. This has been possible in part for certain tricks of architecture like the central opening you’ll surely notice in the dome, but the real secret is the roman concrete (of composition unknown to us) used to build it.

Just in case you don’t find all this that intersesting, the Pantheon houses also the tomb of the great painter Raffaello di Sanzio (Raphael, for his english-speaking friends) who besides of giving his name to one of the ninja turtles also painted some of the most celebrated works of art of the italian renaissence.

This historical wonder is very easy to find if you’re staying in the Yes Hotel. Take the buses 64 or 40 from termini to Piazza Navona (the square with two magnificent fountains, one of them with an obelisk in the middle) and once you’re there follow the signs or ask a local for the Pantheon. The streets in that area are crooked and narrow but if you keep asking you won’t get lost.

Rome has such a multitude of historical and archeaological attractions to offer, that it’s quite difficult to decide which to go see, besides the most obvious ones such as the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Pantheon and Piazza Navona… Don’t forget that the local history is more than just the ancient Roman Empire: there was a highly developed civilisation in the region of Lazio much before the Romans: the mysterious Etruscans!

What do you really know of the Etruscans? Maybe not all that much..? Well, then the place to go, when in Rome, is the Museo Etrusco of Villa Giulia, which houses many of the most significant archaeological findings on Etruscans.

Some of the most precious and interesting objects of the museum are the bilingual (Etruscan-phoenician) golden plates with an inscription dedicated to a goddess. Other main attractions are the contents of the so-called “Warrior’s tombâ€? (from the 6th century BC), the “Sarcophagus of the Spousesâ€? – a magnificent statue discovered in the Etruscan necropolis of Cerveteri and the famous statue of Apollo, the “Apollo of Veiiâ€?. This statue of the 6th century BC, representing Apollo with the tipical mysterious “Etruscan smile” on his lips used to adorn a temple in the Etruscan city of Veii and it is considered the greatest piece of Etruscan art conserved to our days.

The building itself is another object of interest: it was constructed in the 16th century for the humanist pope Julius III with the participance of for example Giorgio Vasari and Michelangelo and is a beautiful example of the manieristic architecture.

The museum of Villa Giulia is located in the area of Valle Giulia, and to get there you can take the trams 3 (from Trastevere or the metro B stops of “Colosseo� or “Piramide�) or the tram number 19 from Porta Maggiore. For additional information on the museum or to book your tickets on line, you can use the “Ticketeria�-service. At the museum you can rent an acoustic guide for an additional fee. Reduced tickets are available to European Union citicens under 25 years of age.

For more tourist information and hotel or tour reservations try this site.

If you’re just passing through Rome on your big tour of Europe, or taking a long weekend off and only have a couple of days to enjoy one of the most beautiful cities of the world, the question is: what to do, where to go, what to see and what to miss. Well, here are some suggestions!

If you’re on a really tight time schedule, I suggest you skip the Vatican Museums and just go and see the Saint Peter’s Church and the famous round Piazza in front of it. Also, while you’re in the area, walk to the river and see the round fortress Castel Sant’Angelo, constructed as the tomb of the emperor Hadrian but ended up as a hiding place of the popes in the tumultuous middle ages. From there it’s just a stones throw to the Navona Square, famous for it’s huge fountains and street artists that’ll paint your portrait in an instant.

By now, you’ll probably be tired and starving, and that’s just as well, as the surroundings of the Navona Square are a perfect spot for a nice little lunch. Better to stay a bit out of the actual square, since the prices of the restaurant go by address in the city center, and if you have the good sense to go even just around the corner from the tourist attractions, you can save a lot of money! After lunch, don’t forget that some of Rome’s more famous ice-cream bars, such as the Giolitti, are in the area, and you simply must have a go!

Now a quick look at the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain, both located at a short walking distance from Navona Square. And don’t forget to throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain to make sure you’ll get to come back one day! Then to the hotel to have a rest and change into something nice for dinner!

If you only have a couple of days, for dinner you simply must go to Trastevere, one of the oldest, and most Roman, neighbourhoods. Trastevere comes from the Latin words meaning ’on the other side of the Tiber’, and that is exactly where it is. This is where the locals go out for dinner: as a matter of fact the area is crowded with small and cosy tipical Roman restaurant, trattorias and pizzerias, just take your pick. And after dinner the custom is to have a drink in one of the small and crowded bars, so go with the flow…

Better get home early though, since the second morning you need to get up early for your Roman shopping experience: try the markets. If it happens to be a Sunday, head for the famous Porta Portese flea market, and on any other day the best address is the Via Sannio market at Porta San Giovanni, so that after shopping you can also take a look at the Rome second most famous Church, after Saint Peters that is.

Then for lunch to the Campo de’ Fiori in the heart of the historical center. After that, if you have the time and the nerves, take a walk on the Roman Forum before jumping on a bus on the Venice Square to make your way to the Gianicolo hill, where you ’can admire the entire city’, quoting an ancient epigram… The view is from the hill top awesome, and the place itself is beautiful, perfect for a romantic walk hand-in-hand. In the neighbourhood there’s also the huge and wonderful Doria Pamfili park.

By now there’s not much left of your two days, so just some suggestions for the last few hours you might have: there’s the beautiful Santa Maria in Trastevere Church at the foot of the Gianicolo hill, and just over the river the ancient church of Santa Sabina, next to the piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta, where you can see Saint Peter’s through a famous key-hole… And on your way back to your hotel, don’t forget to stop at the Colosseum, which is located conveniently on the line B of the underground.

The important thing, of course, when you have little time at your disposal, is to choose a centrally located hotel with good connections, such as the new, classy Yes Hotel at the Termini station, or the budget options Carlito’s Way or Nice Hotel. Both are located close to the Termini station, which is the main station of the city, and has a huge number of bus and metro lines crossing there, so the location is perfect to take the most out of your stay in the eternal city!