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November's Hot Tickets l Rome Gyms & Workouts l Getaways: The Sannio l Did You Know?
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In Rome This Month:
November in Rome is the month when the season finally rolls into full gear. The Accademia di Santa Cecilia's symphonic schedule has begun again, the opera season re-opens, the concert halls and theaters are buzzing. Rome is a city crazy for festivals. There's always at least one or two in action. In November it's the Rome Jazz Festival, celebrating its 30th anniversary with a great line up of artists. In November, all the museum spaces are open with important shows. It's an astonishing list this year, from pre-empire China to Andy Warhol. And since we're all trying to get back in shape before the holidays are upon us and all hope is lost, we've given you are list of some of the city's best fitness clubs, so you can work off those extra pounds while you've still got a chance. And November is a great month to discover the Sannio, far from the tourist routes, in the hilly farmland just north of Naples. With the grape just over, it's the time to tour Sannio wineries and taste their lovely Falenghina and Greco di Tufo.
Music
Roma Jazz Festival
Rome's 30th annual festival at the Auditorium, Parco della Musica, brings together international musicians as well as some of the best Italian jazz players.
Some highlights:The Wayne Shorter Quartet plays the Sala Sinopoli on November 7. From Mail, Dee Dee Bridgewater and her Mailan All-Stars will be on stage at the Sala Santa Cecilia November 19. While two Italian greats, trumpet player Paolo Fresu and Danilo Rea, jazz pianist, will be together for the first time at the Sala Santa Cecilia, November 26.
Click here for the complete calendar and ticket information.Andràs Schiff, continues his complete cycle of the Beethoven sonatas with numbers 30, 31 and 32 at the Sala Santa Cecilia November 10.
The Berlin Quartet, meanwhile, continues its complete cycle of the Beethoven string quartets, with Opus 18 n 1, Opus 74 and Opus 18 n 2 at the Sala Santa Cecilia, November 29.
Joshua Bell, one of the most popular violin virtuosos, plays the Bruchner concerto with the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, conducted by Iván Fischer, November 11, 13 and 14.
Lucio Dalla and the Royal Philharmonic perform a special concert to benefit FAI, which works to protect Italy's architectural heritage, at the Auditorium della Conciliazione, November 28, tickets €200-50 tel 02 467615253 or 02 467615237Orchestra of The Mariinsky Theatre of St. Petersburg, conducted by Valery Gergiev, performs several concerts at Rome's Parco della Musica Auditorium:
Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov, in a concert performance with the chorus of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia. November 22, 23.
Then, celebrating the anniversary year of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, Gergiev and the orchestra perform his short opera "The Gambler", and on the same program, violin virtuoso Nikolaj Znaider performs the Brahms violin concerto in D major. November 18. 20, 21
The Russian orchestra joins the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, celebrating the anniversary year of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich in a performance of the composer's monumental seventh symphony; while on the same program, Enrico Dindo performs Schumann's cello concerto. Sala Santa Cecilia, November 24, 25, 27.
Moscow Chamber Music Theatre comes to Rome's Teatro Olimpico (Flamino) with its production of "The Nose" by Shostakovich, November 28.Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, opens the fall season at Rome's Teatro dell'Opera with Metropolitan Opera star David Rendall as Tristan and Janice Baird, who sang a stunning Elektra in Rome in 2003, as Isolde, (14, 16, 17, 21) and (14, 16, 18, 22). The opera will be performed in the original German with Italian super titles. Conducted by Gianluigi Gelmetti with production design and direction by Pier' Alli. November 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22.
Ligabue, the Italian popular music legend, appears at the GranTeatro, November 24, 25.
RAF is at the Palaottomatica, November 25For tickets to concerts at the Auditorium, Parco della Musica, call 06 80 82 058.
For tickets to the opera, call 06 48 16 02 55
For tickets to the Teatro Olimpico call 06 32 65 991
For tickets to Ligabue and RAF, call 899 5000 55
DanceAlwin Nikolais Dance Theatre
The dance event of the month, a program of works performed by the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company: Tensile Involvement, Noumenon Mobilus and Mechanical Organ, all with choreography, music, costumes and lights by Alwin Nikolais. A production of the Nikolais/Louis Foundation. At the Teatro Valle (near Piazza Navona), Saturday-Sunday, November 25-26. Tel 06 688 03794
ArtWillem de Kooning: Late Paintings
On loan from La Fondazione de Kooning and a private American collector, an exhibition of works by the great 20th century master and pioneer of abstract expressionism (Holland 1904 – Long Island 1997). Sixteen paintings created by De Kooning at his Long Island studio during his later years from 1981 – 1988, curated by Julie Sylvester.
Museo Carlo Bilotti all’Aranciera di Villa Borghese, Viale Fiorello La Guardia
through February 11, 2007 tel 06 820 59127Paul Klee
Paul Klee’s (Switzerland, 1897-1940), an exhibition of works by the modernist artist who played an important role in the Bauhaus. Klee's work was influenced by his musical studies, and critics have often refered to the resemblance of his paintings to musical notation. His canvases also betray traces of the period when he worked as a graphic artist and with stained glass. Both influences are evidenced in the translucent color and light of his work. The exhibit concentrates on his most prolific period, while he was at the Bauhaus.
Fondazione Memmo at Palazzo Ruspoli, Via del Corso 418 (Holland 1904 – Long Island 1997)
through January 7 tel 06 687 470 46209China: Birth of an Empire The history of China’s first Empire unfolds in a stunning exhibition of ceremonial vases, jade, lacquered art works, funerary bronzes, animals in terracotta and objets d’arte, excavated from 300 archeological sites. The exhibition traces China’s complex history through more than a thousand years, from 1045 B.C. to 23 A.D. The centerpiece is a spectacular army of life-sized terracotta warriors discovered in the tombs of Lintong (Xi’an, Shaanxi)
Scuderie del Quirinale Via XXIV Maggio 16Andy Warhol – Chiostro Bramante
One of Rome’s architectural jewels, Bramante’s Cloister celebrates ten years of museum activity with an exhibition that pays homage to Andy Warhol. The show revolves around its title, taken from a biblical conversation, in which Jesus, speaking to Mary Magdalene, cautions, “Repent and Sin No More.” The aim is to explore the personal conflict between Warhol's Catholic upbringing and his eccentric lifestyle.
Chiostro Bramante adjacent to the church Santa Maria della Pace
Via della Pace (Piazza Navona)Bonnard - Matisse and the Mediterranean
Il Complesso Vittoriano opens its fall season with a blockbuster exhibition of 20th century painters Pierre Bonnard (1867 – 1947) and Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954). The show focuses on two themes: the relationship the artists nurtured and the subjects that inspired their works: nature, landscapes and people. Over 200 works in drawings, watercolors, works in oil, sculpture, gouaches, documents, letters and other correspondence.
Complesso Vittoriano Via San Pietro in Carcere (Piazza Venezia and the Via dei Fori Imperiali) Opens October 6
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November's Hot Tickets l Rome Gyms & Workouts l Getaways: The Sannio l Did You Know?
Rome Gyms: Working Out
There are vast health clubs in Rome, but because real estate in the historic center is at such a premium, you'll find them on the city's edges. In town, though, there are several nice facilities. Most of them offer a room with weights and cardio machines, and a large studio or two where classes are held, as well as dressing rooms. Pluses include sauna and steam rooms, and many also offer a small café. One surprise is that beauty services are often part of the package. Some gyms offer massage, manicure, pedicure and facials. The Italians call this "benessere," which literally translates to "well-being." Another surprise is that you may not recognize the types of classes on offer. Pilates and yoga are familiar enough, but you might not know what to expect from a class called "GAG." It has nothing to do with swallowing the wrong way, but stands for legs, belly and buns: gambe, addome e glutei. Then there's the class called "soft gym," which is a puzzle as there is no "hard gym." It's a series of exercises designed to tone the body with a little cardio thrown in. "Gym music," while offered as an alternative to "soft gym," has always struck me as more or less the same thing. Same for "corpo libero." You may also be surprised by a request for a form from your doctor certifying that you are in good health. In our relentless efforts to fend off flab, we have been members, off and on, of a number of gyms around Rome. Here are some of our favorites.Spazio Danza Fitness
Via Monte della Farina 14
tel 06 688 05454
Conveniently located just steps from the Largo Argentina tram stop, this two-story facility is slightly funky, but not at all bad. The focus is here is on classes, rather than machines and free weights, and they offer a good variety in two studios, including body sculpting, step dance, gym music, gag and interval training, all part of the monthly fee. There are also martial arts classes, in judo, ju-jitsu and karate as well as kick-boxing, mat Pilates, and all sorts of dance classes, from modern jazz, to ballet, to belly dancing to tango. The adjacent "Centro Benessere" at Via dei Chiavari 37, health and beauty treatments including Thalassotherapy.
Fees: €10,50 daily; single lessons €9; monthly €67; sauna €9 yearly membership including sauna €110
Dance, self-defense and Pilates classes are billed separately.
Open: Monday - Friday, 9 am - 9:45 pm; Saturday, 9 am - 7:45 pmLa Fitness
Via de Moro, 8
tel 06 583 35646
A new facility in the heart of Trastevere, just off Piazza Trilussa, this small gym emphasizes personal training and independent work outs. There's plenty of equipment here, both free weights and resistance machines, as well as treadmills, bikes, and step machines for cardio work. A trainer is on duty at all times to help you design a program and to supervise you, but you may not get much attention, if the gym is busy.
Fees: Annual membership €45 plus monthly payments of €70, reduced for 3 month, 6 month and yearly subscriptions.
Open: Monday-Saturday 10 am - 2 pm; 3:30 -7:30 pm; Saturday, 9 am - 8 pm; Sunday, 10 am - 1 pm
Trastevere Fitness
Via Degli Orti di Trastevere 60/66
tel 06 583 01778A few blocks from the center of Trastevere, in a street lined with newer apartment buildings, this recently opened facility offers a large, light-filled weight and cardiac room, comfortable dressing areas, a large studio for classes, sauna, steam solarium, a café and a beauty center for massages, facials and a variety of other services. The trainer on duty in the weight room will offer to make you a "libretto" with a program that he will monitor and update monthly. Among the many fitnesses classes, the mat Pilates taught by Francesca is outstanding. Gym music, tone up, hi-low step, and and gag are also offered. For an additional fee karate, tae kwon do, belly dancing, kick boxing and other classes are available.
Fees: €70 monthly with reductions for 3, 6 and 12 month subscriptions. Use of sauna and solarium included.
Open Monday-Friday, 9 am -11 pm; Saturday, till 1 pm.
Dabliu Barberini and other Dabliu locations.
Via San Nicola da Tolentino, 30
tel 06 42120 125 15 or 800 690 409
This facility is a branch of a fast-growing chain of fitness clubs. Located a short walk from Piazza Barberini, it has a spacious weight room, with cardiac machines, as well as a variety of classes, including supersculpt, stretching, gag, and spinning, using Schwinn machines. There's a sauna in the dressing area, and the beauty center offers massages and facials.
Also at Via Regina Margherita 210
Open:Monday-Friday, 8 am - 10 pm; Saturday from 9 am, Sunday from 10 am.
Fees: Annual membership fee €45 plus asic monthly fee of €90, varies with individual locations. Locker rentals, Spinning and personal trainers at additional cost.
A newly opened 2000 square meter facility in Parioli, at Viale Romania 2 near Piazza Ungheria offers a pool and "aqua spinning," Kniepp aromatherapy, and a solarium.
The Prati facility at Viale Giulio Cesare 43, also offers personal trainers, a juice bar and internet point, as well as hair styling.
Fitness First
Via Giolitti, 44 (Termini Station)
tel 06 478 26300
This is the Rome branch of a huge chain with 441 clubs throughout Europe, the UK, Asia and Australia. Pluses are convenient, extended hours and a personal tv screen with headset plug at all the cardio machines. Weight room, sauna, steam room, free bar, personal trainers. Courses include all the usual favorites plus kick boxing and sports. Memberships here can be used in other Fitness First clubs throughout Europe.
Open: Monday-Friday, 8 am - 11 pm; Saturday - Sunday, 9 am - 10 pm
Fees: On requestMoves
Via dei Coronari 46
Tel 06 686 4989
Tucked away in a tiny piazza just off Rome’s antique row, “Moves” is a comfortable space divided into two studios — one for the solitary ritual of machines and weights, the other for scheduled exercise and body awareness classes, including Pilates matwork, classic, funky and, jazz dance, aerobics, stretching, aeroboxe, yoga, tai chi, total body workout, corpo libero, gag and gym music. Classes in karate are offered for children, teenagers and adults.
Fees: €750 yearly membership; weights + classes €950
six months €540,00 3 months €340 one month € 140
Sauna and shower facilities also available.
Single lessons: dance, pilates matwork, yoga flow, karate €15
tai chi 16. monthly fee for classes range from €80 – €125
Open: Monday - Friday 9 am –9:30 pm; Pilates matwork, Tues. – Thurs. 8:30; Saturday,12 pm – 4 pm, Sunday, 10 am – 1 pm.Equilibria
Salita dei Crescenzi, 30
Tel 06 681 34415
In the hub of Rome’s historic center, Equilibria is a spacious new studio offering lessons on the Pilates reformer, Pilates matwork and gyrotonics, the latest discipline for fitness enthusiasts. This is one of the few fully equipped studios in Rome with Pilates reformer equipment. Gyrotonics places emphasis on the mind-body connection. Developed in the 1970’s by Juliu Horvath a Roumanian-born dancer, the exercises use weighted machines to work the body in the path of its natural energy flow, while using the breath to open restricted areas. It’s a three dimensional circular system based on elements of yoga, swimming, tai chi and dance..
Fee: quoted upon request.
Open: Monday – Friday 9 am – 6 pm. Reservations are necessary.
Rome Sports Center
Via Galoppatoio, 33
Tel 06 361 4226
Located in the Villa Borghese underground parking facility, the Sports Center is one of the oldest fitness clubs in Rome. The focus here has always been on machines, though gymnastic classes are also available. A variety of services are offered: sauna, swimming pool, bar-restaurant, internet point and a beauty center. Instructors are also on hand.
Fee: On request
Open: Monday – Saturday 8 am – 10 pm; Sunday, 9 am –3 pmWhite Cloud
Via G. B. Tiepolo, 13A Lungotevere-Flaminio
The 300 square meter space is run by Pietro Gagliardi, master gyrotonic trainer and ex-dancer.
Fee: Group classes approximately €15 a session, individual lessons €35 – 40
Open: Monday – Friday 9 am – 6 pmSporting Prati
Via Germanico 101/a
Tel 32 19 132
This small, well organized gym offers both machines and exercise classes. Weights, treadmills, bicyling and resistence machines are neatly packed into one spacious studio, while a smaller one is dedicated to cardio strenthening. Other studio spaces are used for a variety of exercise classes including Pilates matwork, toning and stretching, total body, gag, free movement, step, cardio tone, dance, funk, just pump and total body. Small mini-bar and dressing room facilities.
Fees: annual membership €600 - €550, monthly €75; €15 for single class or machine use; Pilates €65.
Open: Monday – Friday 10 am –10:30 pm; Saturday, 10 am –6:30 pmClick any of the links below to jump directly to that section
November's Hot Tickets l Rome Gyms & Workouts l Getaways: The Sannio l Did You Know?
Just north of Naples and inland from the popular resorts of the Amalfi coast, the Sannio is a fertile region of rolling hills, vineyards and olive groves that stretches into neighboring Molise. Roman ruins stand on distant hills, and frequent signs point out the many vineyards. It's a poor region but its appeal is that it's off the tourist trails, and unlike more affluent Umbria and Tuscany, no buses pull into the ancient piazzas. There are no "menu turistico" signs, and the only language you'll hear in the streets and vicoli is Italian. Driving through the countryside in the fall, you'll see fields covered in red. These are apples, picked early and laid out to ripen on the ground, turned every 14 days to create a hardy fruit, which will keep all winter and which makes an exceptional jam.
What to Do:
Good wines and hearty local cuisine are the main attractions of the Sannio. There are six DOC wines in the region, including Falenghina and Greco d Tufo. Campagnia is the home of the one true buffalo mozzarella and there are many other wonderful local cheeses, as well as local prosciutto and other cured meats. There are olive oils and honey to be sampled, vineyards to tour. For those with a passion for artiginal crafts there are the ceramics producing villages of San Lorenzello and Cerreto and the historic silk factory at San Leucio, closer to Caserta.
Benevento was the major center of the Samnites, a people who lived contemporaneously with the Etruscans. Today, it is the still the most important town of the area. It's rich in history, with many ancient structures, among them,
the Arch of Titus, built in 114;
a Roman amphitheater built by Hadrian, and later expanded by Caracalla;
the Rocca dei Rettori, the ancient castle of Benevento, on the site of a former Benedictine monastery, it got its current name in the Middle Ages, when it became the seat of the papal governors, the Rettori;
the church of Santa Sofia with its 12th century cloisters; and the cathedral, which was built from the 11th to the 13th centuries.
The spectacular hilltop Abbey of Montecasino should be at the top of your list. Founded by Saint Benedict in 529 on the ruins of
a Roman Temple of Apollo, it has survived sacking by the Longobards of Zoton in 577, the Saracens in 883, an earthquake in 1349, and the bombings of World War II in 1944. The grand and ornate Basilica Cathedral was rebuilt after the war according to the original 17th and 18th century design using much of the orignal marble. A cloister attributed to Bramante (which is in any case, stunning) was built in 1595. And the upper balcony of the Paradiso Loggio offers a breathtaking view of the countryside. The benefactors cloister built according to a plan by Sangallo in 1513, honors the many popes and bishops who supported the abbey throughout its history.
Geopaleontologico Park at Pietroroja Fossils of animals killed by toxic gases as long as 200 million years ago have been discovered in an area only a few meters from the center of the village. In 1993, the fossil of a baby dinosaur, was found. It's a great experience for archeology buffs.The village of Pietralcina is the home of Padre Pio, who was born there in 1887. In 1918 while praying in the choir loft of the Church he is said to have received the stigmata. After the Second World War, he established a hospital at San Giovanni Rotondo. He was beatified in 2002.
Where to Stay:
Your best bet is to chose one of the many local agriturismi. These working farms provide charming rooms and meals at bargain prices- room and board can cost as little as €60 a night. Two to consider:
La Vecchia Torre
San Nicola Manfredi
Offers seven rooms with private bath, a pool, restaurant with local cuisine prepared using ingredients grown on the farm, archery, hunting and horseback riding.
www.lavecchiatorre.comAgriturismo Tufini
San Giorgio del Sannio
Offers four mini flats, each with two rooms and a private bathroom. It's kid-friendly with a merry-go-round, swimming pool, riding school.
www.tufini.it
The Sannio Experts:
American Barbara Goldfield and her Italian husband Federico Studer, are welcoming, friendly people who live in the Sannio and know its history and its secrets. They are a vital resource to anyone who wants to visit the Sannio, and indispensible to those who don't feel comfortable speaking Italian. They will plan an itinerary tailored to your interests, take you on tours of the vineyards, olive oil presses, or hike with you through the beautiful wooded hills. They are affiliated with an important cooking school, run by chef Bernardo Lombardo at Terra Conca, one of the most prestigious restaurants in Italy, and can help you plan a cooking vacation at the school. You can even stay on the grounds of the restaurant and farm, in charming rooms decorated with antiques.
Their website is loaded with great photos and information:
www.savourthesannio.com
Getting There: Take the A1 motorway from Rome towards Naples. Get off at the Caianello exit and follow the signs towards the village of your choice. Driving time about two and a half hours.
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Film Festival l RomaEuropa Festival l October's Hot Tickets l Hidden Palaces l Getaways: Viterbo and the Chestnut Festival l Did You Know?
Noi salon in the Piazza del Popolo is the home of Massimo, Rick and , three expert stylists who formerly headed salons in Southern California. They blend California's casual sophistication with European elegance, working in partnership with their clients to create a unique personal style.
Click here for the Noi SalonDetermina is a unique Rome-based service offering life coaching, business coaching, workshops and lectures. Their skilled coaches can help you achieve your professional goals, help you learn to make better decisions, and to use your instincts.
Click here for Determina.Avis and Hertz offer special prices for InRomeNow.com subscribers.
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Bryn Jenkins can guide you off the beaten track, beyond the Coliseum and the usual tourist spots to show you a Rome you never knew existed? He'll even take you on the Dan Brown tour.
Click here for Bryn Jenkins.Artist Stephen Booth can take you on the Caravaggio Trail, showing you the great masterpieces and filling you in from the point of view of an artist and art historian?
Click here for Stephen Booth
Film Festival l RomaEuropa Festival l October's Hot Tickets l Hidden Palaces l Getaways: Viterbo and the Chestnut Festival l Did You Know?
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Copyright Joie Davidow and Vikki Ericks, 2006
Images copyright Augusto Ranocchi, 2006
