by Ximena Amarales | Oct 4, 2023 | Rome, Tours En Roma, vespa, Vespa tour Rome |
Discover the Magic of Rome on a Vespa with Our Unique Tours!
Have you ever dreamed of exploring the streets of Rome on a classic Italian Vespa? Let’s make that dream come true! At www.roma-bella.com, we invite you to an exciting journey through the Eternal City on a Vespa, an experience that will allow you to see Rome from a whole new perspective.
Our Vespa Adventure in Rome: More Than a Tour, an Experience
Extended Duration for Total Immersion: We’ve listened to our travelers and designed a tour that will not only take you to Rome’s iconic spots but also allow you to explore hidden treasures and immerse yourself in the city’s daily life. Our extended tour gives you more time to savor each stop and capture memorable photos.
Expert Guides: Our passionate guides, experts in the history of Rome, will take you on a captivating journey. They’ll share intriguing stories and lead you to places not found in conventional guidebooks.
Authenticity and Fun: We take pride in offering an authentic and genuinely Italian experience. You’ll navigate the streets of Rome like a true Roman, experiencing local culture and Italian hospitality at its best.
Flexible Itinerary: Do you have specific places you wish to visit? Want to stop at a local café for an authentic Italian espresso? We customize your itinerary to make your journey unique and fun!
Technical Details: Our Vespas are carefully maintained, and we ensure your safety at all times. We provide helmets and offer a brief introduction on how to ride a Vespa if needed.
Book Your Vespa Tour Now at www.roma-bella.com
Make your trip to Rome truly unforgettable with our Vespa experience. Visit our website and book your personalized tour today. Discover the Eternal City in an exciting and authentic way!
Get ready to rev up for adventure and feel the Roman breeze in your hair as you immerse yourself in the beauty and history of this iconic city!
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by Ximena Amarales | Dec 14, 2022 | Sistine Chapel, Vatican |
VATICAN CITY STATE
Many visitors coming to Rome have the idea that the Vatican is a city, with streets, shops, houses, etc. , many of them don’t even know that the Vatican is a State. The big question is : what is the Vatican city State?
The Vatican https://roma-bella.com/tours/vatican-city/
- The Vatican is a sovereign country
- The Vaticanhttps://roma-bella.com/tours/vatican-city/ is the smallest country in the world
- The Vatican is not a city, but a territory of 109 acres, the equivalent of 1/8 of Central Park in New York, closed by a wall built in the XVI century
- The population of the Vatican is of 453 people, but only 246 are citizens, amongst them the 104 Swiss guards.
- The Vatican citizens instead are 618. Of them 372 of are dwelling in Italy or other countries.
Why such a particular State?
Everything started in the year 1870 when the Pope Pius IX lost the power of Rome, that was part of the Pontifical State. The Pontifical State was a territory occupying the central part of Italy where the Pope had the political and religious power. On September of 1870 Rome was occupied by the “bersaglieri”: soldiers of the King Victor Emanuel II, and proclaimed Rome Capital of the Reign of Italy. The Pope Pius IX self-exiled in his palace, the Vatican.
In 1929 Italy was a Reign ruled by the dictator Benito Mussolini who had imposed a dictatorship. After several meetings with the Pope Pius XI he announced to the world that the Vatican territory would be recognized as a sovereign country. This territory included St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Peter’s square, the Sistine Chapel, the large Museum created since the 1506 and the Papal palace.
by Ximena Amarales | Oct 1, 2021 | Scooters in Rome, Vespa tour Rome |
The Campidoglio https://roma-bella.com/tours/rome-on-scooter/ square is Michelangelo’s masterpiece as an Architect, created just after he conclude the Last Judgement (1541) in the Sistine chapel. In the pope Paul III’s intention had to become Rome’s civic centre not only ritually but visually. The space that Michelangelo saw was informed and chaotic, still with a medieval shape.
His proposal was first to create a classic layout, symmetrical, in fact he suggested the construction of a new building, the Palazzo Nuovo,https://roma-bella.com/tours/rome-museums/ that would fulfil his purpose. This resulting new space ought to be opened as a telescope toward the “papal street” that meandering through the different neighbourhoods would arrive to the Vatican. The ramp designed was an invitation for those coming from the Rome’s XVI century centre as well as those pilgrims that from the Vatican were heading toward the civic centre.
Michelangelo’s space was conceived for the people as a dynamic space, in fact his pavement design departing from a 12 edges star would expand the space through the sequence of rhombus up to the square edges and would extol Marcus Aurelius equestrian statue.
Moreover, Michelangelo curated each detail, like the proportion of the new façades for the symmetrical buildings, recalling the ancient basilicas and the decoration of the entire space, to reinforce the architecture. Several ancient sculptures were selected accurately by Michelangelo like the two fluvial lounging figures matching with the ramps , Minerva’s sculpture as a column of the Senate entrance and the two magnificent sculptures of Castor and Polux, facing today, the Vatican, differently to Michelangelo’s conception: to flanked the people’s arrival.
by Ximena Amarales | Sep 11, 2021 | Vatican |
St. Peter’s square https://roma-bella.com/tours/vatican-city/ is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding architectural spaces in Rome. But this astonishing square, as most of the historical sites of the eternal city, “was not built in one day”. Not because its construction lasted 11 years (1656-1667) but because the square is the result of centuries of changes, additions, transformations to the original IV century basilica that in the XVI century had become a chaotic entrance to the Basilica dedicated to the first Pope of Rome: St. Peter.
In this first 1577 engrave created by the artist Lefrery you can appreciate that the Constantinian basilica (IV century) façade, after centuries of transformations had become an addition of different buildings, hights and styles. In the background is appearing a round volume: is the new St. Peter’s Basilica created by Bramante in the XVI century, conceived with a dome. 
On this second 1588-90 engrave by Cesare Nebbia, there is an Egyptian obelisk that creates a certain order in the chaotic space. This obelisk is part of wide urban plan created in Rome by Pope Sixtus V’s architect: Domenico Fontana.
With the Council of Trent (1545-1563) who produced the counter reform within the catholic church, many new rules were issued, including the artistic ones: the new churches had to transform their layout into the shape of the Latin cross. St. Peter’s basilica who have had a Greek cross layout was extended under Carlo Maderno’s new project. The new façade as a unity was inaugurated in 1612, without the 2 belfries, built some years later (1640) but then demolished.
The breakthrough arrived with the master Gian Lorenzo Bernini who crowned St. Peter’s Basilica with this brilliant creation. He was able to unify all the different inputs around the Basilica: arrival, Papal palace entrance, basilica entrance, proportion, human scale. St. Peter’s square protects and connects the devoted visitors with the Dome, symbol of the kingdom of heaven. The two colonnades are the arms of the church embracing the faithful in an endless gesture of love.
In yellow all the buildings that were demolished to create the square.
Nolli’s plan created in 1748 showing the square before the fascist government intervention to create Via della Conciliazione.
by Ximena Amarales | Dec 19, 2019 | Food in Italy |
Roman cuisine is authentic, flavorful and special. It is said that Italian food is one of the best in the world: you still haven’t tasted the street food in Rome.
Rome is a culinary stage with plenty of choice, depending on your taste and budget.
From fine dining, to food stalls in touristic spots, anything in Rome tastes delicious and I am here to prove it.
Where once people would meet to drink wine, bringing food from home, today we see the rise of osterias. Those small eateries are the ones that serve the most authentic recipes, homemade with the freshest local ingredients and at a very affordable price.
But then again the food industry keeps on changing: today we rather eat a quick meal, maybe even strolling around the streets in the Italian capital city.
That is why I have put together a list of street food you definitely cannot miss when you are in Rome.
This street food is in fact a proper pizza, not circular neither sliced. This pizza is in fact baked in a square tray and then cut in chunks, which are sold singularly. Crunchy and tasty, toppings are various: you will find a simple Margherita, with mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce, as well as more flavorful potatoes and sausages and many other different kinds.
Easy to carry, easy to eat, easy to love.
This is probably the first choice amongst locals: panino is a sandwich made with daily fresh oven baked bread. There are a big variety of fillings but the best one in Rome couldn’t be other than Porchetta. What is it? Porchetta is the name of a whole pork cooked on a spit fire, whose meat is then cured and sliced like a sort of ham.
Seasoned with a variety of local spices, Porchetta is delicious and makes for a perfect quick lunch in the busy streets of the Eternal city.
This is a very recent invention by chef Stefano Callegari, also exported in Turin and lately in New York. It is a white pizza slice (cheese only, no tomato) cut in the middle and filled with all sorts of condiments. Usually, the choices are typical recipes from the roman cuisine. Coda alla vaccinara, Pollo alla cacciatora and also a vegetarian version with Melanzane alla Parmigiana – which means veal, chicken or vegetable sauces: this is a great solution to taste both street food and authentic italian recipes.
Supplì is the most traditional street food in Rome and is great anytime of the day: it can be a snack, a lunch or an after dinner.
Imagine a nugget, made of rice and pecorino cheese, filled with gooey mozzarella and tasty meat ragout, breaded and fried. Doesn’t it sound delicious? Well, I can tell it tastes even better than it sounds.
Similar to the sicilian version called Arancini, the first appearance of this street food was in 1847. Not only a street food, but also a creative way to use leftovers from a family meal. Simple but delicious.
Many eateries in Rome serve these kinds of street food, and I am so fond of those recipes to know the best spots. Food stalls, street vendors and city markets: let me guide you through this amazing culinary journey.
How to do that?
Easy: reserve one of my private tours and let’s built the perfect customized itinerary to take you around not only the best landmarks of the city, also the greatest eateries in Rome. We will make sure you have an authentic experience!
