Let's Go Back to Ancient Rome!

By Paolo Pedica

Rome has so much to offer to the world, not only by the various pieces of art and its massive and intricate architecture. Its history also speaks a lot of how great Rome is even before.

Roman Art
The arts of ancient Rome can be compared to those of the Greek's. They do have their similarities. This can be attributed to the fact that when the Romans decided to conquer the Greeks, the former noticed how art was infused into the lifestyle of the latter. Out of curiosity and love for Greek art, Roman soldiers decided to bring such culture right at their own land. They also brought artists-slaves with them. Thus, if you will take a good look Ara Pacis, you will notice the fancy swirls, which are so Greek. Romans are also fond of creating portraitures and busts of famous persons. However, unlike the Greeks who love to dwell on the ideals of their artwork, the Romans were more focused on their design and technical aspects.

Roman Religion
Ancient Rome also shares almost the same beliefs and rituals practiced by the Greeks. For one, they both believed in too many gods, who had dominance over different portions of their lives, including marriage, occupation, and nature. Moreover, in Ancient Rome, their gods have their own Greek equivalent. A good example is the Zeus of Greece and Jupiter of Rome. Emperors too were being regarded as gods, especially by those who were living in eastern side of the Roman Empire. Though paganism could be the first religion of Romans, let's not forget that Roman Catholicism also found its birth in the Eternal City.

Roman Clothing
It could have just been one wool piece they used to wrap around themselves. However, when Ancient Rome saw the more advanced dressing habit of Greece, they opted to adopt linen tunics, and they became even more comfortable. Footwear of both men and women were made of leather. On special occasions, Roman men were required to wear togas; however, they have to take note of the different ways to wear them, depending on their stature. Women, on the other hand, have to wear not jut one tunic, in addition to the veil or wool scarf they have to wrap around their tunics. This gave them warmth whenever the weather gets cold or it's raining.

Roman People
People in ancient Rome enjoyed more freedom and equality than other countries and empires at that time. Even women were protected by their laws, though people who are located at the west side of the empire became more liberal than those who lived in the east. The Roman Empire was also open even to travelers; thus, there was so much interaction and increase of knowledge in ancient Rome. Nevertheless, the rise of minority groups in the empire also paved the way for cultural wars and tensions.

The disparity of men and women can be felt when it comes to education. Girls were left at home, while boys were sent to school. Those who are living in the villages, meanwhile, were illiterate, simply because they couldn't afford to get an education. The privileged ones, children who grew up in well-off families, had the opportunity to study in other cities, such as in Athens and Alexandria.

Walking around Rome is more than being inspired by its culture and history. It means reliving it, even if it's going to be just for a day.

Paolo Pedica writes articles for Rome tours. The author gives valuable information about Sistine Chapel and Rome excursions, Ancient Rome and Vatican gardens which are available at http://www.rome-tour.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paolo_Pedica

Rome Discount Hotels Booking

By Anjali Bakshi

Benevenuti La Rome (Welcome to Rome)! Yes Italy always gives a warm welcome to their guests. This beautiful small European country has their own charm of life with a beautiful people.

The capital of the country, Rome, is one of the most popular cities of the Italy and tourist destination. Rome is an important tourist hub and cultural centre of Italy. It is a destination for many tourists and pilgrims. Industries include engineering, printing, food processing, electronics, and the manufacture of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, plastics, and clothes.

The city is a centre for the film and fashion industries of the country. Called the Eternal City, Rome is one of the world's richest cities in history and art; among the remains of the ancient city. Castel Sant' Angelo, Rome Zoo, the Bioparco, Roman houses on the Celio hill, Capitoline Museums, Centrale Montemartini, Museo di Roma (Palazzo Braschi), Museo della Civiltà Romana, Museo dell'Alto Medioevo, and Galleria Spada are some very important tourist attraction of the Rome.

This is a city where you meet with a great history of Rome. Due to its historical importance and center of fashion and films it has a great value as a famous tourist destination of Italy. There are ton of good and famous hotels in the city and obviously time to time these hotels announce the discounts to attract the tourist.

There variety of good hotels who charges from 50 $ to 1000 $, select a hotel according to your pocket, you will have a choice. Internet is a best way to know about the discounts, before going to Rome, do proper inquiry about the hotels where you would like to stay, according to your budget.

Hotel Zone, Hotel Priscilla, Hotel Hermitage, Hotel Madison, Hotel Galles, Hotel Prati, Hotel Daniela and Hotel Marghera are some famous hotels in the City of Rome. These all hotels and other hotels offer an attractive discount schemes for their guest. Form room rent to dinning facilities, from meal discount to discount in laundry services.Enjoy the tons of discount during stay in the hotels of Rome and have a fun with you holyday Buon acquisto (Good Buy).

Whatever be the type of Rome hotels, the widespread network of Discount Rome Hotels covers all the accommodation options available in Rome. We provide the best choice of hotels in Rome, updated information on their facilities and room. We are also popular for providing the Cheap Hotels in Rome in Rome at best prices.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anjali_Bakshi

First Visit To Rome

By Tomas Tilver

Rome is a fantastic place! The entire downtown area is like a huge museum. Wherever you look, wherever you go there are historic buildings, fountains, statues, monuments, palaces... And history is so alive in Rome. Makes you feel privileged to visit this great city and see what has been one of the most important cities in our western history.

Streets are narrow and winding. The building plan is somewhat confusing; so many streets, and many of them change their name along the road. Even with a good map it can be quite hard to find the way.

There are tourists everywhere! The most renown sights are crowded, long lines of people waiting for admittance. And the typical tourist “traps” lots of street salesmen offering souvenirs of all sorts. We had an exciting experience at one occasion; someone shouted out the single word “Polizia” (=Police) and all street salesmen and their goods disappeared within seconds. Absolutely incredible, it happened so quickly one could almost believe they turned invisible.

A good start is to take a bus tour and get familiar with the general plan of the City. There are several tour operators that run guided tours from Stazione Termini. Buses are open-roof so bring a hat to protect from the sun! There are also bus tours that run to the outskirts of Rome, e.g. to catacombs, aqueducts and along the Via Appia which is the ancient road on which the Imperial Roman army returned in triumph after successful campaigns! Parts of Via Appia are preserved, i.e. you ride on 2000 year old pavement!!!

Walking is a very good way to see Rome, but be prepared for distances and heat. It is very easy to find nice outdoor places to sit and have a rest and get something to drink along the road. Be careful if you have a limited expense account, at some places they will charge you 5 euro for a small bottle of water or 7 euro for a small beer! Also note that there are public drinking fountains everywhere in Rome. The water is said to be of good drinking quality. Buy a bottle of mineral water when you leave the hotel in the morning and refill it from the drinking fountains as you move through Rome.

Taxi services are relatively inexpensive and easy to catch. There is also a large number of city buses that run frequently more or less everywhere. The subway is good but there are only two lines crossing each other at Stazione Termini. So far it has been impossible to expand the subway system; wherever they want to dig a new tunnel they run into some archeological finding.

Anyway, Rome is a beautiful city with a friendly atmosphere, lots of historic sights, good restaurants and a lovely climate so it is well worth a visit!

Tomas Tilver is an experienced IT engineer who is dedicated to fulfil his life vision: To live and work independent of time and place!
http://xango-t2.blogspot.com

When in Rome, Eat As The Romans Do!

By Adam Singleton

For generations, Italian food has captured the hearts of people around the world, providing a delectable gateway to the passion and romance inherent in Italy's history and literature. From the height of the Roman Empire to modern-day Italy, food has played a crucial part in cultural traditions and is a part of the Italian experience that many travellers to the country relish above all else! And where better to experience the beauty and delights of Italian cookery than in the country's vibrant and imposing capital - Rome.

During the heady days of the Roman Empire, Roman cuisine was dominated by a diversity of meats, although vegetables were still incorporated into lighter dishes. Today, however, the food you'll find in Rome is much more varied, with vegetarians and vegans being quite naturally catered for.

Typical food native to Rome includes puntarelle (chicory salad), carciofi alla romana (artichokes Roman style), abbacchio alla scottadito (lamb chops) and coda alla vaccinara (beef stew). However, as well as these local treats, anyone planning a holiday to Rome will quite naturally be anticipating an authentic taste of one of Italy's greatest exports - pizza! In Rome, the best pizza places will only open at night, as it will take the better part of the day to warm up the traditional wood ovens in which they're cooked to the right temperature - so make sure you don't get fooled by a tourist trap serving warmed up frozen pizza during the day.

If you want to enjoy a traditionally Roman dish, order baccala (battered salt cod) as a starter before your pizza arrives. Roman ice-cream is also well-known for its high taste factor and creamy texture. If you're wandering the streets of Rome looking for a 'gelateria' (ice cream parlour), make sure you find one with a large 'G' symbol on the outside - this signifies guild association, so the ice cream is guaranteed to be good quality.

And don't miss out on affogato, an Italian speciality that involves drowning a scoop of ice cream in a shot of espresso. Many gelaterias charge you extra if you eat indoors - so eat your ice cream scoop by the Trevi Fountain or another of Rome's iconic monuments, and you'll be saving money while absorbing some prime historical locations! Whatever choice of food you have your heart set on in Rome, you'll be able to find it in a variety of charming neighbourhoods, including Trastevere - one of Rome's heartlands for bars and restaurants - and the old Jewish Quarter, which traces its origins back to 1555 when Pope Paul IV restricted all Jews to a small area of Rome.
But there are other ways to enjoy and experiment with Roman cuisine: for instance, rent an apartment in Rome and you'll be able to buy local produce from street stalls and markets, and enjoy it in the comfort of your own flat. Moreover, renting a flat in Rome means that you'll be able to indulge in Rome's abundance of high quality - yet inexpensive - range of Italian wines, without having to worry about making your way back to your hotel in one piece!

Adam Singleton is an online, freelance journalist and keen amateur photographer. His portfolio, called Capquest Photography is available to view online.