That's what I've been doing...

There's a reason for my absence from this blog. A highly important one.
I have been trying to be ready, but I know I'm not, and I never will. And though this moment seemed so far away, now the countdown has started...
To all of you, who will read this article, and have children, I say that it doesn't matter where we come from, we are all in the same boat.

To my one and only.

Michael Gerson

Opinion Writer

Saying goodbye to my child, the youngster

By Michael Gerson, Published: August 20 E-mail the writer

Eventually, the cosmologists assure us, our sun and all suns will consume their fuel, violently explode and then become cold and dark. Matter itself will evaporate into the void and the universe will become desolate for the rest of time.

This was the general drift of my thoughts as my wife and I dropped off my eldest son as a freshman at college. I put on my best face. But it is the worst thing that time has done to me so far. That moment at the dorm is implied at the kindergarten door, at the gates of summer camp, at every ritual of parting and independence. But it comes as surprising as a thief, taking what you value most.

A memorable lunch at La Terrazza dell'Eden

There are different ways to celebrate a special event. Particularly if you live in Rome and if the weather forecast announces pouring rain despite the approach of summer.
The graduation ceremony is an emotional stress both for grads and their parents. The first ones are partially sad because a long period of their lives comes to an end, but they're incredibly excited since a new one is going to start pretty soon. The second ones are very proud of their children's achievements but terribly sad about having soon to wave them goodbye, since in most cases their university is located thousands of miles away from home.
It's a matter of age, I guess, that draws a clear line in the feelings of those, who still have an amount of choices ahead, and those, who have already made them and to whom little is spared.
La Terrazza of the Eden Hotel in Rome has been the perfect spot to seal the end of an era and the beginning of a new, still unknown, one.
Its atmosphere is cosy like the one at home, the service accurate like the care a parent has for his child, and the view stunning and breathtaking just like the one that both of them -children and parents-have when they look at the future to come.
Yes, we did have a MEMORABLE time at La Terrazza. And as I said, much more than that...

For culinary curious, I had a delicate amuse-gueule

Free entrance ticket!

This coming Saturday, May 18, is "La Notte dei Musei".

From 8 p.m. until 2 a.m., the entrance to 30 different exhibitions hold in the major museums of the capital -including Macro and Musei Capitolini- will be free of charge!  

For more info, check the site: http://en.museiincomuneroma.it/

COMING SOON - World Press Photo 2013

This year, the international jury of the 56th annual World Press Photo contest has awarded 54 photographers coming from 32 different countries.  The hard work of these professionals in visual journalism has been divided into nine categories: Contemporary Issues, Daily Life, General News, Nature, Observed Portraits, Sports Action, Sports Feature, Spot news, Staged Portraits.

Photo of the Year 2012 is a picture taken in Gaza City on November, 20th by Paul Hansen of the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter.

The Museo di Roma in Trastevere, will feature the awarded photographs from May, 4th until May, 26th.

Opening time: from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday. The museum is closed on Mondays and entrance is allowed until one hour before closing time.

You might also be interested in: http://roaming-in-rome.blogspot.it/2012/03/museum-of-rome-in-trastevere-on-sunday.html

Tiziano. A must see in Rome.

"Treat a work of art like a prince. Let it speak to you first." (Arthur Schopenhauer)

When we come to speak about art, nothing is more true than this quote.
Lately I have been visiting "Tiziano", a fabulous exhibition hosted at "Le Scuderie del Quirinale".
Forty paintings testimony the incredible rise and success of this amazingly gifted venetian renaissance artist and unparalleled promoter of the renewal of culture in Italy and Europe during the sixteenth century. His artworks, loaned from many leading museums, both in Europe and overseas, allow the visitor to grasp the exceptional nature of this talented artist. 
My favourite painting? All of them! But especially the portraits, such as the one of Pope Paul III

It happened today

23 April 2005
On the 15th of February 2005 Steve Chen, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim - three former PayPal employees - bought the domain www.youtube.com. 
On April, 23rd of that year it recorded the first account and uploaded the first video. It was at 8:27 p.m. and the video was called Me at the Zoo by Jawed Karim. It was just 19 seconds of recording time in front of the elephant cage at the zoo in San Diego.
By June 2006 YouTube had already collected 100 million videos, and in the month of October of that same year, it was bought by Google for $ 1.65 billion.


Chapeau...to an amazing success!!!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

(Anonymous)

1975
1985
1986
1996
2000
2005
2010
2011

Although these eight storms should have turned me into a great dancer, once in a while I still slip on the wet floor of life.

What matters is to get up again and go back dancing!
xoxo :)

COMING SOON - Bruce Springsteen back in Rome

The Boss and his E Street Band will be soon back! On July, 11 the Ippodromo delle Capannelle will host the great singer and his band for a live concert starting at 8 p.m.
In case you can't attend the roman event, the 63 years old american songwriter will hold other concerts in:
Naples on May, 23
Padova on May, 31
Milan on June, 3

For tickets: 
http://www.ticketone.it/bruce-springsteen-biglietti.html?affiliate=ITT&doc=artistPages/tickets&fun=artist&action=tickets&kuid=458554

Rendez-vous with Helmut Newton

How I missed the opening of one of my favorite photo exhibitions is still a mystery.
But as I came to know that a Helmut Newton's photo exhibition was being hosted at Palazzo delle Esposizioni, I couldn't avoid to plan a visit. Immediately!
My stubbornness did not care whether the day I chose was the ideal one. And it wasn't, of course. The new Pope was going to hold his first Mass; thousand of people were participating to the annual roman marathon; most part of the city was closed to car traffic!
I had to park quite far away, but I made it. I left my car in the area around Circo Massimo,

Sunday's walk through art

As I said, I spent a week lying in bed. I rested, no doubt, but as soon as I recovered, I needed some fresh air.
Unfortunately (or fortunately?), on Sunday no car was allowed within the green area, which practically coincides with the entire city. So I wore a comfortable pair of sneakers and...went out.
My Sunday walk included: