Sono un Turista
In 1919 the Italian government created the Italian State Tourist Office. Since then the country has risen to be considered the epitome of accommodation structure in Europe. Around 100,000tourists visit Rome each day which is equivalent to 36.5 million visitors every year. It is important to remember that what the visiting tourist sees is not always a flawless representation of the everyday Italian lifestyle. And yes, I do consider myself to be part of this disillusioned group.
Places of Interest
Rome Points of Interest
Not surprisingly, Rome has a lot of things to do. On the map (developed with Google Earth) above you can see the locations of churches, schools, aqueducts, amphitheaters, pharmacies, shops, bars, restaurants, hotels, parks and much more.
Last Night, A Serenade
Serenade Locale
Ever wondered how Roman men win their Italian beauties? Well apparently things haven’t changed much since the days of olde, and it is accomplished with what most americani would call dashing charm. Last night a young Roman was witnessed serenading his beloved streetside while the muse stood looking down from her balcony. It took the duration of an entire song to coax her to crack open her shutters just enough to see the man below, but by the second song she was tossing flowers down upon the growing crowd below. For the full story, read it on the eyewitness’s blog at http://www.italiannotebook.com/local-interest/la-serenata/.
Driverless Car Loose in Rome
Vislab Driverless Car
And we thought driving in Rome was crazy before…in July Vislab set loose two vehicles equipped not with a driver but with five laser scanners, seven cameras, GPS, an inertial measurement unit, three Linux PCs, and an x-by-wire driving system. The first vehicle drove autonomously in selected sections of the trip to conduct experimental tests, while the second vehicle followed the route defined by the preceding vehicle, driving 100% autonomously. VisLab has been developing driverless vehicles for more than 15 years. http://vislab.it/Projects/view/32/VisLab
Rome Film Fest is (Almost) Here!
Rome International Film Festival 2010
Debuting for the fifth time Oct. 28-Nov.5 il Festival International del Film di Roma is this year spotlighting … Japan? This emphasis follows a tradition of similarly disjunctive topics including India (2007), Brazil (2008) and the Environment (2009). French actress Fanny Ardant is coming with a short film on the Roma community, which is said to comment on the Gypsies in some way. Our Julianne Moore, Keira Knightley, Eva Mendes and Aaron Eckhart will also be in attendance. http://www.romacinemafest.it/ecm/web/fcr/en/home/fondazione-cinema-per-roma/intro http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130397754
When in Rome
What the tourists see of Rome, by international street artist ABOVE.
Urban Scrawl: Rome’s Graffiti Pits Artists Against Clean-Up Crews
“Not all Romans perceive the city as tourists do,” says Rocco, a 27-year-old who started spray-painting as a teenager and declined to give his last name. “This is my city, my home. The aim is not to deface the city but to acquire visibility, to show the city is alive.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704682604575368783057822038.html#articleTabs%3Darticle
Rome 