The Process of falling for Rome.

I never knew the minute I stepped off the train from Grosseto at Rome’s Termini station in late June 2012 that six month’s later I would be planning a move to the Eternal City.

There was a certain electricity in the air that Saturday afternoon; the afternoon heat was warming the cobbled streets of the city to almost boiling point. I had a strange connection to the city…almost like I had been there before. Why was I in Rome? It’s simple. To meet up with a Roman I had met. … Continue Reading

Bloggers, Net Business and Social Media

Do you think SEO is the essence for your blog or net business? – Think again.

Below is a link to a fascinating short talk about the rise of Social Media and how it will affect our blogs and our internet businesses starting…. IMMEDIATELY.

If you are older than 35 odd years, and been on the internet for more than 5 years, you just may get a little uncomfortable with the discussion in this short presentation of how Social Media is changing things fast. … Continue Reading

New Accommodation Tax – Hotel Tax

And for the last news of the year, we have the final agreement on the tax rates starting on the 1st January, 2011.

Here they are.

4 and 5 Star Hotels: – Tax will be 3 Euro per person per night (pppn)
1, 2 and 3 Star Hotes: – Tax will be 2 Euro pppn
B&B’s, Apartments etc: – Tax will be 2 Euro pppn.
Hostels: – no tax.

The tax rate only applies to the first 10 nights of the stay, which covers 99.99% of visitors but at least doesn’t frighten the longer term options away.

Source: Venere.com

Others Talking About Rome: Christmas, NYE And All That!

Merry Christmas! If you have any time at all to get lazy this season, you might enjoy reading these suggestions by our Twitter followers. We asked for it, and our Twitter followers sent us some of their excellent blogposts, articles, and photos to feature in our special Christmas edition of “Others Talking about Rome”. Enjoy!  … Continue Reading

Expat saves local community for Christmas

The entire financial problems in Testaccio were solved in less than 10 minutes last week when an American arrived with 100 euro bill… Here’s what happened.

The American tourist walked into a hotel in Testaccio and asked to see one of the rooms. The hotelier said, “No problem, Signore, but I would like a deposit to give you the key.” So the American placed a 100 euro note on the reception counter and took the key to the room. As soon as he was out of sight, the hotelier grabbed the note and ran down to the market. He paid his bill of 100 euros to the tomato seller who provides tomatoes for his restaurant. The tomato seller ran immediately to the local wholesaler who brings him the tomatoes and paid his debt of 100 euro. … Continue Reading

Interview with Eleonora Baldwin from Aglio, Olio & Peperoncino

Food is obviously a very important part of living in or visiting Rome, and today we bring you an interview with someone who has an intimate knowledge of Rome and the food it offers: Eleonora Baldwin, who maintains four blogs at Aglio, Olio & Peperoncino, Roma Every Day, Rome City Guide for Kids, and F O R C H E T T I N E.

We asked Eleonora some questions about food in Rome, as well as a few questions about her personal view of the city.

Here is our interview. … Continue Reading

Others Talking About Rome: Finance, Politics, Arts, Excellent Travel Writing

News, bits and pieces – and some excellent travel writing – that we found on the web. … Continue Reading

Others Talking About Rome: News & Business, Food, Travel & Photography

We scour the web for information about Rome so that you don’t have to!

News & Business, Technology: … Continue Reading

Open Thread: What Do You Pack In Your Suitcase When Visiting Rome?

Packing for a holiday can be tricky. What you need to bring with you usually depends on where you are going, obviously calling for some guesswork if you are travelling to a new destination.

We’re here to help, and hopefully the Rome-savvy among you will join us! For people planning their first trip to Rome, we’d like to start an open thread with suggestions. What do you pack into your Rome suitcase?
… Continue Reading

Others Talking About Rome: Politics, Food, and Rome on Your Desk

Here are some bits and pieces that we picked up from around the web, for your reading pleasure. … Continue Reading

Interview with Jessica Stewart from Rome Photo Blog

I had been admiring Rome Photo Blog for a while now, and wanted to find a way for the Rome Journal to feature the artist behind the blog, Jessica Stewart. A new photo of Rome – capturing the city in an innovative and unusual way – is uploaded almost daily. Her blog reads like a journal of the city, making a great resource for people who are interested in seeing the city beyond the famous buildings and monuments. … Continue Reading

Commercialising The Colosseum

Restauration sponsor advertising on monuments in Italy has sparked a debate about what kind of advertising is appropriate, and who decides. Since August, and through to the end of October, Italy is looking for a corporate sponsor willing to foot the entire 25 million euro bill to refurbish the 2000-year-old Colosseum, in return for advertising rights on the monument itself, as well as several associated perks, such as exclusive video documentation rights to the restauration. … Continue Reading

Amanda Knox case and Human Rights

The Amanda Knox frenzy hasn’t finished. There is a lot more to come.

The Italian Justice system, like all systems, has its strengths and weaknesses. But the most important aspects to consider is “does the Italian Justice system have the confidence of the 60 million people that it serves?”, and following that, “does it adhere to international human rights”? … Continue Reading

The Ultimate Italy Travel Twitter Follow List

For us, Twitter is an awesome way to access and exchange a plethora of information in real time. But who should you be following if you are interested in travel information about Italy? It can take some time to distinguish between people who are just trying to sell you something, people who send out random spam, and people who add real value to your Twitter feed. … Continue Reading

Others Talking About Rome: Antique Photos, Bruce Springsteen, Non-Boring Travel