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When in Rome: Treasure-Free Treasure Hunts for Tourists

October 24, 2008 at 11:39 AM | 0 Comments

If you're a jaded tourist who's seen everything in Rome already, then there's an odd game to play that's meant to get you interested again. Put together by a group called Whai Whai, you can get a bunch of clues and a book to direct you on a kind of treasure hunt.

The Ruyi is the name of this unusual activity and it's designed to get you wandering the back streets and seeing the "real Rome" while also learning a bit of history. You buy everything online and need to use a cell phone to get further clues once you've got your first few answers.

The UK Times tried it out recently but their description didn't really convince us it's that much fun. But perhaps for competitive types, it's the right way to see Rome. Other cities are coming soon, but we're not hopping on one of these tours until they promise a great prize at the end of the hunt!

Related Stories:
· Whai Whai [Official Site]
· A Mystery Tour of Rome [UK Times]
· Rome Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Giara]

When In Rome, Pay up at the Forum

March 12, 2008 at 9:20 AM | 0 Comments

The heart of commerce in ancient Rome is going back to its roots. The Roman Forum site, which has been free to enter for years, started selling tickets to visitors as of this Monday.

Some say tourists won't mind too much, because it is now covered by a joint ticket with the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill. Maybe so, but not all travelers plan to race around every single famous sight in Rome, and on top of that, many are saddened that locals won't be able to wander through spontaneously without having to pay €9.

The official reason for the introduction of a charge for the Forum is that money is needed for restoration work and to increase security. Reasons that are hard to argue with, but we don't like seeing anything get taken off the "free activities" list.

Related Stories:
· Rome: The Forum's No Longer Free [Budget Travel]
· Where to Swim Nude in Rome [Jaunted]
· Red Pompeii Pictures Turn Up In Rome [Jaunted]

[Photo: vgm8383]

Missed Connections: In Rome, It's Amore

August 17, 2007 at 11:15 AM | 0 Comments


Dreaming of a vacation romance like Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn in "Roman Holiday"? You're not alone! The lonely in this Italian city leave their declarations of love--and symbolic locks binding them to their lovers--on lampposts like this one. You could advertise there, or you could take the bull by the horns and head to one of these single-friendly outposts:

Supperclub (link NSFW) -- Your date will be impressed when you sneak him or her into this exclusive, signless club (which used to be a Roman mansion). Via de'Nari 14

Bar del Fico -- Don't let him or her pass you by; when you sit on the terrace at this low-key bar, you can watch the world pass and catch a gentle breeze. (It has heaters, too, for those chilly spring and fall nights.) Piazza del Fico

The Old Bell -- Enjoy southern Italian cuisine on "soul night" or "rock night" at this low-key pub. Via del Boccaccio 24

Related Stories:
· Missed Connections coverage [Jaunted]
· Rome Hotels [HotelChatter]

[Photo: Massimo6342]

Where To Swim Nude In Rome, Part II

June 25, 2007 at 4:59 PM | 0 Comments


Forget everything you've heard about European attitudes towards nudity: It isn't always okay -- especially when you're in the Pope's back yard. Remember the Trevi Fountain skinny dip? It is back, this time at Fontanella de Barcaccia. This past Sunday, a 22-year-old American was arrested in Rome for stripping down and bathing in a public fountain near the famed Spanish Steps. Apparently, he spotted the Fontanella de Barcaccia and -- other tourists be damned -- decided to take a quick dip in the 17th-century landmark.

Maybe the man had read the children's classic From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, in which two preteen runaways hide in New York's Metropolitan Museum and bathe in its fountains to find coins for the Automat. Or maybe he just downed a Red Bull spiked with Ecstasy. Either way, Jaunted can not endorse this hotel-shower-free method of traveling. Better to go dirty than face a public obscenity trial in Italy.

Related Stories:
· Where To Swim Nude in Rome [Jaunted]
· Hotels in Rome [HotelChatter]

[Photo: Ex-novo]

Where to Swim Nude in Rome

April 25, 2007 at 10:17 AM | 1 Comment

Summer's coming, and it's getting hot in Rome. So hot, in fact, that even one of the city's most famous tourist attractions, the Trevi Fountain, is no longer safe. Yesterday a local office worker gave tourists and their cameras something different to enjoy:

The 38-year-old identified only as Roberta stunned onlookers by stripping out of her clothes and swimming several lengths of the fountain before stretching out on the marble plinth at the base of a statue of Neptune.

While she could've been hit with a fine of nearly $150, or hit with one of the many coins constantly thrown into the fountain, police simply gave her a warning and let the embarrassment of explaining the lunchtime frolic to her boss, plus having photos plastered across the media, be punishment enough.

[Photo: cfwee]

Related Stories:
· See Loins in the Fountain [Reuters]
· Skinny Dipping in the Trevi Fountain [Metro UK]

Nicole Kidman's Roman Holiday

September 12, 2006 at 1:46 PM | 0 Comments


Newly married Nicole Kidman pissed off the locals this week in Rome-and paid for it- while filming in the city's Testaccio district.  Apparently Kidman, who jetted into town from London, was filming a tv commerical for Sky Italia, and producers assumed they could just set up shop without warning.

Residents awoke to find their narrow streets clogged with cameras and annoying PA's wearing headsets telling them to stay inside for fear of ruining the shot. They called in a local spokesperson who denied Kidman's group access to a certain picturesque street, forcing the production team to pay about $30,000 to locals before they even turned cameras on.

Watch out Nicole, Italians make better friends than enemies!

Related stories:
·   Kidman's Rome Row [SFDish!]

Basta Meier!

June 15, 2006 at 9:40 AM | 0 Comments



Whoa, the Wall Street Journal is totally harshing Richard Meier's buzz, man. Er, rather, they're covering the to-do surrounding Meier's renovation of the Ara Pacis, an ignored museum constructed during Mussolini's reign to house an altar built by Caesar in 13 B.C.

Needless to say, the selection of an American architect for the project rankled, and the Romans' opinion of the new design to house the altar did not improve much after that. Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi called it a "monstrosity", and the WSJ's reporter isn't much kinder:

A fan of Rome's aged marble and dusty yellow and rose façades, I admit my first reaction was one of horror. The enormous white, boxy glass structure rises up along the Tiber like a shopping mall in Miami...the huge glass fronting the river with its rows of sunshades looks too big and institutional for the heart of Rome--reminding me of the Munich airport.
She's kinder to the interior, where the sunshades can't be seen and the open, well-lit design is quite pleasant, even if the altar itself isn't all that interesting. In short, people will probably get used to it.

Wait a minute...we like the Munich airport!

[Image via arkfinder/Flickr]

Related Stories:
·   Meier Makeover [WSJ]

Roman Holiday

April 25, 2006 at 4:02 PM | 0 Comments



Ah, Rome. The Eternal city, and number six on Lonely Planet's list of best cities ever. It's had a good run the past few thousand years, but what about Flickr? Huh? Well, for Flickr-y photo goodness, check out Gianni D.'s photostream of Rome on Flickr. It's a little abstract at times, but most places in Rome are so recognizable, that it's probably a good thing to have a challenge in identifying them.

We're just glad there are no pictures of Vespas. We've had quite enough of those little deathtrap scooters, thank you kindly.

[Image via Gianni D./Flickr]

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