rome summer

I love spending my summers in Rome, because it is the off season for tourists and also because this is the time when many of the locals take their vacations or travel to the coast. Summer is the only time of the year, when you will get to see Rome minus all the throngs of tourists and people eager to see the Vatican, making it the most peaceful, not to mention most cost effective time to travel here.

Since the influx of tourists to Rome decreases during the summer, hotels, restaurants and tour operators tend to drop their rates in an effort to attract more customers. This gives me great accommodation at a budget price while cutting down my travel costs.

If you are looking to tour the city and understand its culture and beauty, mke it a point to visit the Coliseum, Campo de’ Fiori and the Trastevere. The Coliseum opens many of its cordoned off portions to visitors during the summer and the squares and fountains are not crowded with people milling about, giving you a great opportunity to take some fantastic pictures if you are photographer.

Another fascinating aspect about being in Rome during the summer is that you will get to attend many open air shows and entertainment events organised in the Via dei Fori Imperiali, many of which have free entry.

Music lovers will enjoy themselves in Rome as the city hosts many concerts in summer; jazz concerts and live readings take place near the Basilica di Massenzio, while the Villa Celimontana and surrounding areas host many shows.

During summer, Rome becomes a hive of activity featuring several summer special events and introducing new activities to keep tourists like me very happy. The city tends to hosts several open air concerts and events during the summer, some of which have free entry and some of which require tickets. For instance, the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma puts on an open air opera and ballet show near the Baths of Caracalla, while the Villa Massimo stages a dance festival and the Castel Sant’Angelo hosts music events in the evenings.  Other interesting events featured in Rome include outdoor movies screened in squares or parks.

Rome living

There is always something to do in Rome on a summer evening and this is what I love most about the city. During the day, you can walk around the cobbled streets while enjoying a cappuccino gelato and visit local shops, stop to rest at small cafes in the square and shop at small boutiques. Even the museums in Rome often offer discounted rates and free hours during the summer, which travellers on a budget can take advantage of.

Another great thing about Roman summers is that the city is less crowded during this time and in an effort to make up for the loss of tourist traffic, everything in Rome from the gelato to the hotel rooms are cheaper. You will also get to see to some rare monuments and attractions in Rome that are closed to the public the rest of the year. These include the Temple of Romulus and the city’s oldest house – the House of the Griffins, if you make a trip to the coliseum during the summer, you will find that most of its sections are open to the public.

Catacombs Rome

Whilst many people think of catacombs as simply ‘mass graves’ the truth is that they are much more complex than that. The Roman catacombs are located over a labyrinth-like network of tunnels and passageways, chiselled out of the soft volcanic earth underneath the Appia Way.

Although popular culture has often told us that the catacombs were used as secret burial places for persecuted Christians, it is only half the story. During the time of persecution, martyrs were buried in them, and later on Christians chose to be buried here for several reasons; One was that they wanted to be buried next the early martyrs, and another was that they disliked the idea of cremation, (which was the norm in Rome at the time) and wanted to buried underground—as Christ was. Another, and wholly more romantic theory is that early Christians had a strong sense of community, and they wanted to be together during the ‘sleep of death’.

The most famous of the catacombs along the Appia Way is the Catacombs of San Callisto. Extending some 20kms, almost 500,00 people rest here, including Santa Cecilia.

Probably the grand dame of all European squares is Venice’s San Marco, a simply divine stage surrounded by richly detailed baroque and renaissance architecture, including the basilica of the same name. Has there anyone that has not been captivated by it? I actually prefer it at night, when tourists have retired to their hotels and the resident pigeons have flown home.  To

Piazza Navona

admire its beauty you can’t beat an outdoor table at the Florian, a café seeped in the city’s history.

Also in Italy, Rome’s Piazza Navona has Bernini’s gorgeous fountain, the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi as an Italian centrepiece surrounded by sumptuous palazzi. As the foal point of the centro storico, it’s also busy most of the time. My favourite thing to do here is buy a gelato and sit of the edge the fountain to watch the passing parade.

In Barcelona, the Plaça Reial, just off Las Ramblas has a faded glory that is particularly lovely during the day, whilst Madrid’s Plaza del Sol, scene of medieval bullfights, never fails to impress with its perfect symmetry.

In Paris, the Place de la Concorde, is the largest in the French capital and of course has the famous Obelisk. But my personal favourite is the Place de l’Opera, with the beautiful opera house and the Café de Paris, one of the nicest terrace-cafes in the city.

In Rome, one of my favourite markets and one which is held every month goes by the name of La Soffitta Sotto i Portici. This excellent takes place twice a month in Piazza Augusto Imperatore with many dozens of stalls and sellers.

The market is free to visit and the next one takes place on 20 Jul 2008.