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Travel tips, Food, Lifestyle, Street Art, Events and Exhibitions in Rome and all around Italy.

Sculptures_of_dolphins_in_Fountain_of_Triton_Rome

Bees appear in the Triton Fountain. What do they represent?

The wonderful Triton fountain is another of the many Roman masterpieces by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. It was built between the end of 1642 and the first half of 1643. As in the Fountain of the Bees, several curious stylized insects also appear here. Find out why. The fountain is in fact located in the current Piazza Barberini and is fed by a branch of the Felice aqueduct, which passed in the immediate vicinity. It best expresses the new Baroque architectural and artistic conception of space. In fact, the sculptural part completely includes the same architectural structure. The four dolphins with intertwined tails, between which are placed the papal coats of arms with bees, the heraldic symbol of the Barberini family, support an enormous shell, from which the Triton rises imposing and majestic. The symbols carved in the Triton fountain recall the dynastic celebration of the Barberini, the family to which Pope Urban VIII belonged. Bees are the heraldic symbol of the family, and symbolize the triumph of Divine Providence. Dolphins, benevolent animals par excellence, represent the works of charity carried

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April 4, 2023 8:55 am
italian-pasta

The Roman dish that conquered the United States

Rigatoni alla Zozzona are one of the most famous first courses of the Roman tradition, a humble recipe full of flavors that abounds in Roman spirit. A pasta that brings together all the regional specialties that pays no attention to calories and that has also conquered the United States. If we talk about the Roman culinary tradition we cannot help but mention the Zozzona pasta, an extraordinary mix that contains within it most of the most famous first courses of the Capitoline cuisine, made of humility and abundance, of simple ingredients in generous doses, of dishes rich in flavors that pay little attention to calories. Sausage, bacon, gravy, eggs and pecorino cheese, these are the ingredients of the legendary Zozzona, a dish that has conquered not only the palates of the capital but which has also exalted the taste buds overseas, yes because this is one of the coolest recipes in the United States United States of America. A poor pasta born from an anti-waste perspective that looks a lot like a synthesis of carbonara, cacio e pepe, amatriciana and

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March 27, 2023 12:19 pm

The Testaccio Carnival has medieval origin

The memory of the Testaccio carnival is linked to the Ludus Testaccie: it was a celebration of the carnival genre, the first traces of which date back to 1256, when he was Pope Alexander IV. The games lasted until 1466 and were particularly cruel: the party participants enjoyed throwing the animals from the mountain; pigs, wild boars and bulls were sacrificed which the lusores then pierced, to kill and eat them. It was a closely contested race to be the first to get hold of the beasts’ flesh. The Testaccio district develops around Monte dei Cocci, an artificial hill born from the accumulation of discarded Roman amphorae. The hill has a perimeter of about one kilometer and is about 50 meters high. The area was then used as a real landfill for the disposal of the amphorae. As Historia Regni reports, the carnival opened on Monday with a race of young people, on Tuesday the Jews ran, on Wednesday the old ones. The runners were always all naked, when there was rain, cold or mud, and this resulted in a

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February 17, 2023 9:47 am
Pulcino_della_Minerva

Roman monuments: the obelisk of Minerva

The ancient and particular Egyptian obelisk was brought in the imperial era: it is supported by a small elephant, very dear to the Romans. Let’s discover his curious story together. The Obelisk of Minerva (Piazza della Minerva) arrived in Rome with the obelisk of the Pantheon and that of Dogali, it was found in 1665 in the convent annexed to Santa Maria sopra Minerva and raised in front of the church in 1667 at the behest of Pope Alexander VII , according to a project conceived by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, with a baby elephant in the base. It is one of the nine Egyptian obelisks in Rome, located in the Piazza della Minerva (the square of the basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva). The obelisk is positioned on the back of a marble elephant, sculpted by Ercole Ferrata based on a design by Bernini in 1667. The whole monumental complex is also popularly known as the Pulcin della Minerva: “pulcino” in the dialect of the time stood for “porcino” , “little pig”, referring to the elephant “because of its small

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February 4, 2023 2:01 pm
rome-district-jewish

The Jewish quarter of Rome is one of the oldest in the world

The ghetto of Rome, also known as the Jewish quarter, is one of the oldest in the world and was born about 40 years after that of Venice, which historically was the first. It is located in the picturesque Sant’Angelo district, where the Tiber Island also stands. The word derives from the name of the Venetian district, gheto, where there was a foundry (precisely gheto in Venetian), where the Jews of that city were forced to reside. Another possible etymology traces the origin of this word back to the Hebrew ghet, which means separation. The area that the Romans today refer to as the “ghetto” is bordered by Via Arenula, Via dei Falegnami, Via de’ Funari, Via della Tribuna di Campitelli, Via del Portico d’Ottavia and Lungotevere de’ Cenci. The historic ghetto was, on the other hand, much smaller and more or less located between the current via del Portico d’Ottavia, piazza delle Cinque Scole and the Tiber. On July 12, 1555, Pope Paul IV revoked all the rights granted to Roman Jews and ordered the establishment of the ghetto,

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February 2, 2023 12:29 pm
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Typical Roman sweets. The “Drunkards” of the Castelli

Most of the recipes of Roman cuisine originate from peasant culture. Ciambellette al vino are a dessert typical of the castles of the province of Rome in Lazio and date back to the customs of the ancient Lazio countryside. It was prepared with makeshift ingredients by very poor families, and then became very popular thanks to the lucky flavor, enriched by the pungent taste of the wine. In the Lazio region there are several variations, including the one that involves the use of the must, which returns a sweeter flavor or the use of citrus fruits, cinnamon or fennel seeds. They tend to be consumed throughout the year, generally at the end of lunch or dinner, but there are those who do not mind having them for breakfast, especially during the Christmas holidays. To prepare them you need flour, baking powder, granulated sugar for the dough and covering, seed oil (someone uses olive oil) and wine which can be either red or white. The flour and sugar are mixed with the wine and the oil and then the yeast is

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January 24, 2023 10:51 am

In Rome there is a “particular” restaurant

The place is famous for the insults, swearing and profanity (hence the name) addressed to customers by the service staff and the entertainer. The waiters, with each dish, make compliments and jokes aimed at the customers; the musical animation with guitar and accordion consists of Roman vernacular stornelli, adapted and weighted according to the audience present at the tables. It sounds like a joke and instead it’s a spectacular commercial gimmick. It’s not easy to eat in this place because you are laughing all the time. Traditional Roman cuisine, entertainment and guaranteed entertainment. Stay away from the touchy: a small, warm place, to be booked in advance otherwise it will be difficult to find a place. Must try at least once in your life. The restaurant “Cencio, La Parolaccia” is located in Rome, in Vicolo del Cinque, Trastevere area: since 1941 it has distinguished itself from all the other Roman taverns, for its particular folk entertainment. “Vulgar” entertainment has become their forte. The restaurant, initially called Osteria da Cencio, was opened in 1941 by the spouses Vincenzo “Cencio” and Renata

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January 23, 2023 4:45 pm
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The city walls of Rome: Saint Paul Door

After talking about the Porta Latina and the origin of the word Lazio associated with it, we dedicate our article to one of the most impressive and best preserved of the gates of the Aurelian Walls in Rome. The name is due to the fact that it is located near the exit for the Basilica of San Paolo outside the walls. The Gate has two huge towers with a circular base and originally two arches, it once took the name of Porta Ostiensis because the via Ostiense starts here and reaches the sea of Ostia between via Marmorata and viale Aventino. Over the years the port of Ostia lost its significant role for trade and the name of Paolo was increasingly associated with the port. The collection of the toll for the relative transit took place nearby. (In this regard, the customs scene in the film “We just have to cry” is memorable, where the transit – in another area – is repeatedly asked: “Who are you. What do you do? A Fiorino” filmed at the Castle of Rota ,

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January 20, 2023 10:56 am

Day trip from Rome to Bomarzo Park?

One of the most loved destinations by the Romans for trips out of town is the park of the Monsters of Bomarzo, in the province of Viterbo. A fabulous place, very special. But why were all these sculptures designed that made even Salvador Dali wonder? Did you know? What do the monsters of Bomarzo Park represent? The Monster Park, also called Sacro Bosco or Villa delle Meraviglie of Bomarzo, in the province of Viterbo, is an Italian monumental complex. It is a natural park adorned with numerous basalt sculptures dating back to the 16th century and portraying mythological animals, deities and monsters. The architect and antiquarian Pirro Ligorio commissioned by Prince Pier Francesco Orsini (known as Vicino Orsini) designed and supervised the construction, in 1547, of the park, elevating the grotesque genre into a system in the mythological figures represented therein. Some scholars, erroneously, traced the “direction” to Michelangelo Buonarroti (E. Guidoni), while others, in particular for the Temple, cited the name of Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola. The realization of the sculptural works was probably entrusted to Simone Moschino. Orsini

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January 17, 2023 10:22 am
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Gladiator fights were abolished in 404 AD

The gladiatorial activity was abolished in 404 by Honorius I. Already the emperor Constantine did everything possible to put an end to the barbarism of the Colosseum, however it was only in 404 that the shows ended completely. The battles were abolished following an accident in which the Greek monk Almacchio (or Telemachus) was killed, who went down to the Arena to protest against these abominable tortures. But who were the gladiators really? What really happened in the Colosseum in Rome and in the other amphitheaters of the Roman Empire and why did these shows get abolished after so many deaths? Did you know? Gladiator fights were abolished in 404 AD. after the killing of a monk. Theodoret narrates (History Eccl., V, 26) that a certain monk Telemachus would have come from the East to Rome to put an end to the cruelty of gladiator fights. One day during a show he went down in the middle of the arena among the fighters, trying to stop the massacre, but the indignant spectators stoned him. The emperor Honorius, informed of this,

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January 11, 2023 9:25 am