Rainbow MagicLand  is the new attractions park situated just outside Rome. The park covers an area of ​​600,000 square meters and can compete with the major Italian amusement parks.
The park has been thought for all the family and its main theme is magic: it will be like being in a fairyland, among the fairy castles in the park you will meet fearsome Vikings, magical fairies, powerful wizards and the bravest adventurers.
Rainbow MagicLand offers more than 30 attractions for all tastes (partly powered with solar panels) Mystika, Shock and Cagliostro are only for the bravest while water games are dedicated to everyone. The amusement park is divided into several areas, each inspired to the characters of the Rainbow Group like: Winx fairies, Monster Allergy, adventurer Huntik and Pop Pixie.
Rainbow MagicLand is part of the Integrated Tourist Centre of Rome, along with the Fashion District Outlet.

Tickets: Season 2012

Full price: 35 €
Reduced ticket: 28 € (children between 100 and 150cm)
Evening ticket (after 18): 20 €
Free ticket: Children under one meter height

Times and openings: Rainbow MagicLand open March 31.
Open weekends from April to October.
Open from April 21 to September 16 from 10:00 – 18:00 (10:00 to 23:00 during July and August.)

Getting there:

BY CAR: Motorway A1 Roma-Napoli: Coming from the north exit at Valmontone; Coming from the south exit at Colleferro. Follow the signs to: Valmontone Fashion District Outlet – Rainbow MagicLand amusement park. The park has a parking fee.

The title given to the exhibition clearly refers to the ethos of the painter, where the two sides were together, impossible to divide. His life was art, he was art. Although knowing very little about his life, it is difficult to understand how much Dali felt to be different from others.

Hours: open every day. Monday to Thursday: 9.30-18.30 Friday and Saturday 9.30-22.30. Sunday 9.30-19.30
Tickets: Adult € 12.00   Reduced  € 8.50

Participating at our new contest “Your Roman Holiday” you’ll have the possibility to win a week end in Rome for two persons.

Taking part to it is very easy and it will take no more than a few minutes: just click on the following link:

http://www.facebook.com/sleepingrome/app_126923257413613

and click on “participate”. You wil be able to submit your best photo and start the competition. At the end of the contest, the picture with the biggest number of votes will win the prize.

We hope you’ll enjoy it and may the best photo win!

SleepingRome.com

You don’t need to spend a lot a money to see the masterpieces left by famous artists like Michelangelo di Buonarroti. It is true though that in order to see the Sixtine Chapel you need to pay out €15, but believe us they are totally worth it, because the painting of the Final Judgement is impressive, not to mention all the artistic heritage inside the Vatican Museum. Nevertheless throughout the city there are many things that can be enjoyed for free:

• Mosè sculpture
Inside the San Pietro in Vincoli Chruch. Via Cavour. Metro Cavour. Visiting hours: 7-12/15:30-18:00 hrs.
• Christ that carries the cross
Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. Piazza della Minerva, closet to the Pantheon Visiting hours: 7-19:00 hrs.
• Piazza del Campidoglio
The artist designed the piazza and the stairs, near Piazza Venezia.
• San Pietro’s dome
Metro: Ottaviano, inside the basilica you’ll find it (at your right when you entry) the famous sculpture “La Pietà” (The Mercy). You can also go up to the highest part of the basilica. Visiting hours: 8-17 hrs. Hold your breath because there are many stairs, but the view is a priceless reward.
Don’t forget to include this spots in your itinerary when you come to the eternal City, as you can see Rome is affordable to any kind of pocket, is just a matter to find the right information!
Paulina Ceballos

Price: € 30,00
Roma Pass, which was created thanks to the collaboration between Rome City Council, the Ministry for the Arts and Cultural activities, and ATAC, the Roman public transport company, is Rome’s tourist-cultural card that gives tourists the opportunity to benefit from various discounts while admiring the City.

• Free entry to the first 2 visited museums and / or archaeological sites of your choice. Includes the exhibitions held in the museum.
• Discounts for the tickets to all other museums and / or archaeological sites visited thereafter.
• Free use of the city’s public transport network (bus, metro and railway lines Roma -Lido, Roma Flaminio Piazza del Popolo-Viterbo, Roma-Giardinetti), within the territory of the Municipality of Rome.
  All special connections tpl Atac, the railway lines Trenitalia FR and all connections to and from Fiumicino and Ciampino Aeroporto are not included.
• Reduced charges for use of the On-call Multi-lingual Medical Service for Tourists (MET Travel Health)
• Tourist cultural service Roma Informa.

At the Coliseum a reserved turnstile is available for Roma Pass holders to get direct access to the monument

How to use it:

• Fill it with name, surname and validation date
• Valid for three days starting on the first visited site/museum and/or the first journey on the city’s public transport network
• It must be produced along with your identity papers when required by the staff in charge

Roma Pass Travel Health MET

A multilingual call center is available for tourist who need medical help: the telephone number is: (00 39) 06-43236291

Please note that most museums generally are closed on Mondays but we advise you check in advance.

Where to buy it: http://www.romapass.it/acquista.aspx?t=acquisto&l=en

The Roman popular imagination has produced several legendary figures, including that of Pope Joan, who, according to the legend seems to have served as supreme pontiff for two years before being discovered.

During the centuries many people tried to identify Pope Joan with a real character, but in no official document of the Vatican archives we can find  a  Pope with this name. Its origins might come from the imaginary medieval legend in which women were the expression of the devil, thus the High Priestess may be the symbol of satanic temptation in the Church.

Several historical and literary work mention  this character. The version that gives Boccaccio in his “De mulieribus claris” identifies the High Priestess with a young woman, Joanna Angelica, who  disguised herself  as a male and followed a monk to realise her big wish to study. When the monk died she refused to go home and resign  to the life that was dedicated to women, so she decided to take the role of the monk. She soon distinguished herself among the other monks for theological wisdom and culture, so  that during the conclave to elect a new Pope, the choice fell on her.
Like every Pope she was assigned a young priest as an assistant, who had to follow her everywhere. It didn’t took long before the priest discovered her secret, but he kept it.

Until the day when, during a procession, the High Priestess gave birth in the street, under the eyes of the indignant believers who lynched the woman and the newborn.
From that day on the Vatican ran for cover, providing that the newly elected pope had to sit  on three chairs called “stercorarie” in succession, who had the seat cut crescent-shaped. The official reason was connected to the theological idea of the “Trinity”, but in reality the purpose was different: during the ceremony  a cardinal had to touch the pope to confirm “without doubt” the gender of the successor of Peter.

Of the three chairs – which in reality were probably delivery chairs, symbolising the mother church of all believers – two are still visible: one is at the Vatican Museums, the other in the Louvre in Paris.

The Aperitivo, a tradition coming from the North of  Italy has now become very popular in Rome too. No longer just  a quick cocktail  with some snacks, but the premise to drink, sit calmly and quietly, accompanied by an appetizer buffet, is now spreading around.

The City offers various kind of Aperitivo, depending on your tastes: with food, alcoholic or cheap.

One of the most known and visited places in Rome is Double Zeroo (Doppio Zeroo, Via Ostia 68), near the University of Roma3. Former bakery, this restaurant offers aperitivoo (with two “o”) from  18.30 till  21. The buffet is abundant ( unlimited pizza is  prepared ),  It ’s perfect for youngs who prefer lively places.
If you look for a cheaper drink we would definitely recommend the bar “Celestina” (Via Ausoni 62) in San Lorenzo district, the University area in Rome.
Frequented every night by many students who will take over the sidewalk on the streetoutside, after the pub is full. The cocktails are good value for money(3.50 euros), but if you wish to eat the buffet you’ll have to hurry, otherwise you won’t find anything left … Ideal for an aperitif before a walk in San Lorenzo.
For those who prefer an economical solution could rely on any bar, where cocktails are not very expensive, but you  may have to do it with pretzels and peanuts.
What would you rather have: an abundant, economic or an alcoholic Aperitivo?

Rome offers so much culture and entertainment for the grown-ups, nevertheless the little ones would love something that would capture their attention and stimulate their eyes, if they like animals. A good option is the roman zoo called “BioParco”. Why is worth it?
There are more than 1,100 animals and 200 species, from which: elephants, apes, giraffes, reptiles, lemurs, armadillos, fishes, deers, hippopotamus and many others.
In addition the zoo counts with the word smallest apes that weigh only 100 grams.

Prices
• € 13.00 adults
• € 11.00 children up to 12 years old and/or up to 1 meter high. Over 60’s (but Wednesdays when they pay only €4) Groups of 15 persons or more.
Children up to 1 meter high go free entrance.

Skip the lines and buy your tickets in advance: http://www.listicket.it/ricerca.php
If you travel to Italy with Alitalia or Trenitalia get a €2 discount. Show your ticket of the trip that had to be done no more than 10 days before that day.

The Bioparco opens everyday from 09:30 until 17:00 hrs (after march 23rd it closes at 18:00)
From april 1st until September 30th it closes at 19:00 every Saturday, Sunday and holidays.
Last entrance is always one hour before the closing time.

How to arrive
Piazzale del Giardino Zoologico n. 1
Tram: n° 19 – stop ‘Bioparco’
Bus: 3, 52, 53, 926, 217, 360, 910
Metropolitana: Red line “A”, stops ‘Flaminio’ or ‘Spagna’

Web site: http://www.bioparco.it/index.html

Paulina Ceballos

• How to get into the city form the airports (with a bus or a train)
• How to get to the port (Civitavecchia)
• Camper Parking Sites
• Limited Traffic Zones
• Parking spots
• Public transportation (maps and fares)
• Tourist information points
• Tips and advices
• Historical and cultural itineraries
• Shopping and eating

This mini guide is called Easyrome , you can also get it for free in the Tourist Points Inofrmation, but if you want to print it in advance, open this link:

http://www.turismoroma.it/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/interno_inglese.pdf

If you want to know the list of the places to visit, open this link:

http://www.beniculturali.it/mibac/opencms/MiBAC/sito-MiBAC/MenuPrincipale/LuoghiDellaCultura/Ricerca/index.html

If you need an advise of which museums are worth to visit, we can recommend you the following: Castel Sant’ Angelo, Galleria Borghese, Foro Romano, Galleria nazionale d’arte moderna e contemporanea, Terme (thermal baths) di Caracalla and the Vittoriano at Piazza Venezia.
Want to take a daytrip to a little city outside Rome? Take the train (only 40 minutes) to Tivoli to see Villa D’Este, it’s absolutely gorgeus, full of gardens, cascades and fountains. Also for free during that week.

Paulina Ceballos