martedì 25 luglio 2017

Home decor


Hello bloggers and travelers!

This time I'd like to talk about the scheme color of the apartment.

Many hosting places have this awesome elegant style scheme, with neutral tones and small details that add a precious spark to the forniture. As much as I love this style I didn't feel like my own.

The tiles in the kitchen were originally light green and in the bathroom there was a lovely grey and gold I could not take off just yet.

I like colors, that much is certain.  So while we were renovating the apartment I was wondering what color I could use to harmonize everything.

The best way I could think of was: to each room its color.

The first one I established was the BEDROOM. I knew I wanted something fresh, even during summer, so blue was the right choice.




(As you can see, I also painted the ceiling with a blue tone called "hearth of the ocean". Don't you feel like the little mermaid?)



Next is the LIVING ROOM!

A lively color? Red of course! So this was the choice for the room where you can plan every visit in Rome.


In this room I felt painting the walls in red would be too much, so I used a more plain antique rose. Everything else is in red.

Of course I have added a touch of orange and violet to complete the gradation.

In total there are 6 colors! From the warmest to the coldest! The balcony is the only place without scheme because....flowers. 💖

Let me know what you think about this choice!




See you in Rome!

Alessandra

Book now at:
AlePh Casa Vacanze

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venerdì 21 luglio 2017

What to see in Rome

How well do you think you know Rome?


I recently realized that Rome is not well known in the world.
I mean yes, everybody knows the Colosseum and Vatican of course; Trevi's fountain is also an iconic place but beside that?

The center of Rome is part of the world heritage and to quote:


The area includes all the historic districts with the exception of a parts of the Borgo and Prati neighborhoods, while the total area of the Property is 1.469,17 hectares of which 1.430,8 relating to the Italian side (Old Town of Rome) and 38,9 of competence of the Holy See.

That's really a lot. But most of this historic buildings, as great as the are, are completely ignored by most of the visitors. Of course, to see everything one would take a lot of time. (Even myself, born and raised here, I have yet to see everything). 
You cannot expect to see so many things in just a few days. Or at least you could but you wouldn't enjoy your trip very much.

I think the best way to travel is to enjoy your visit and feel the lifestyle.

This is a list of things to see in Rome. If you wish, we have a growing pinterest board -> here <- in which you can see lots of pictures of these places.

In the old city the most known sites are:

Colosseum and Arch of Costantine,
Trevi's fountain,

Roman forum,
Barberini's fountain
Pantheon,
Vatican museums and Saint Peter,
Navona square,
Castel sant'angelo and ponte san'angelo,
Spanish steps and the church on the top of the stairs: Trinità de' monti,

Borghese gardens and the Borghese gallery,
Capitoline and palatine hills (Campidoglio e Palatino),
Capitoline museums and the nearby Ara caeli

Vittoriano,
Circus maximus,
Ara pacis

These are just in the center of the city. There are many more things in the surrounding area (for example, would you like to see some Caravaggio's paintings for free? Or take a look at a "monstrous' building?)
If you are interested in the not so touristic places just ask. I'll be posting another entry in this blog but it will take time. If you wish you can contact me and I'll be gladly help you find something interesting for your trip.


So now a question for you.
Did you ever visited something unusual here in Rome? Did anything left you with questions none could answer? 




     Take it easy and enjoy you stay!



See you in Rome!

Alessandra

Book now at:
AlePh Casa Vacanze

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mercoledì 19 luglio 2017

Why "AlePh"?



[Why did you choose the name "AlePh" for your house holiday in Rome?]


This is a question I get a lot.

Originally I wanted my apartment to have some kind of reference of Rome; but of course every cool idea was already taken.
So I decided it could be more personal because, I thought, in the end there was no need to remind my guest they were in Rome. 
This "AlePh" was a nickname I had a long time ago, and it came to me after reading
The aleph and other stories, by Borges
and
The Aleph, by Coelho

They were really inspiring books. In the first one the aleph is a point in space that contains all other spaces (and time) at once. To quote:
"I am in the aleph the point at which everything is in the same place at the same time. I am at a window, looking out at the world and its secret places, poetry lost in time and words left hanging in space...sentence that are perfectly understood, even when left unspoken."

I  discovered that aleph was the first letter of many alfabets, and that is used nowadays also for matematics.

If you consider this word fits almost perfectly my name and surname, here we are. The decision was made. 
It could seem a little bit(!) pretentious...but I loved that quote. And I love the way an apartment can be the center of so many different persons coming to visit a city full of history and other different people.

And that's it. I will leave you the always useful wikipidia page on the aleph, if you wish to know more about the semantics and other cool phonetics curiosities.



See you in Rome!

Alessandra

Book now at:
AlePh Casa Vacanze

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sabato 1 luglio 2017

Goodies!




Today we talk about a very important experience while travelling: food.
Italian food is known pretty much everywhere in the world but frauds are behind every corner in a turistic city such as Rome.

 I will give you a few suggestion on where (and what) to eat in our distict. Monte Sacro.

Choose you dish and see where you can find the best I have found! If you have suggestions, or you wish to agree or to object on something in the list, please leave a comment so it can be useful for other people.

(I am not sponsored from any of these places, they are just good. And they are at a walkable distance from our AlePh casa vacanze ;) )




Pizza.


Yes. We italians do love pizza. Or, at least most of us do.
You can find pizza everywhere, with so many toppings you won't be able to try them all (...if you are not planning to stay for a few months at least, that is)

-Pizza Tonda,
via di Valle Corteno, 31

-Pinsa del Grillo,
via val Trompia, 8

...in progress...

Local meals

Never heard of Amatriciana, Carbonara or Cacio e pepe?
What about Coda alla vaccinara, Carciofi alla romana, Carciofi alla giudia?

For a fast lesson in quality (and quantity!) I recommend you to go to:

-Hostaria Menenio Agrippa
Via Nomentana 631/ 633.


...in progress...

Gelato (Ice cream)

...in progress...

Aperitivo

...in progress*munch*...


Coffee & pastries

Luperini Pasticceria
via val d'Ossola 54

What's best than a pastry shop just outside the apartment? A great way to begin your turistic day in Rome. A sweet break with pastries, coffee and even ice cream during summer.


Wine and beer

Anchimò
Piazza Menenio Agrippa 8A 00141 Roma