Discover Italy

Discover Issue 1 April 2017 discoverit.com

The 5 most underrated places in Rome that you have to visit

STARBUCKS IN MILAN All about the new opening and the disputed palms

A BLANK SPACE FOR WOMEN

How people in Milan celebrated Women’s Day

The 5 most underrated things in Rome that you have to visit

Il Vittoriano, Venezia Square, Rome.

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ith more than 25.000 places of interest, Rome is the city with more monuments in the world and it is visited by more than 5 million tourists each year. The most popular places that get visited by people are the Colosseum and the Vatican Museum, but Rome also has many pieces of art that are often forgotten. Here are 5 underrated places (even though they’re certainly much more) that are not appreciated enough and that will make your holiday in the city even more interesting.

Villa Borghese gardens are one of the nicest places you could spend a sunny Sunday morning in, as they’re full of green spaces, flowers, trees and also a little lake. Obviously, you can find there also statues of important people (mostly poets and writers) and Roman temples you can see during your walk.

You can also rent a little boat and spend a nice hour in the lake with your friends while passing by the Temple of Asclepius. Fun fact: the garden’s map has the shape of a heart!

The first one is the Campidoglio the famous square placed on the Capitoline Hill, that is currently where political offices are and where the Mayor of Rome works everyday. At the centre of the square there’s a copy of the statue of Marco Aurelio, a Roman Emperor (the original one is placed in the Capitoline Museum) and the view from there is breath-taking.

Fun fact: the English word “Capitol” derives from the name of the hill “Capitoline”.

San Luigi Dei Francesi is another beauty that usually goes unnoticed. It is a little church near Navona Square and it’s surely worth a visit as you can find three Caravaggio’s paintings in it. The entrance is free and the church is open 7 days a week and closed on Thursday evening.

Fun fact: Caravaggio’s paintings are scattered all around the world (some are in Italy, others in Malta, England, USA, Ireland and Spain) but San Luigi Dei Francesi is the only church where you can find three of his works of art all together.

Another monument that you can see totally for free is the Pantheon. It was a former Roman temple (now it’s a church) dedicated to all the existing gods and it was built almost 1900 years ago, although you can see many little holes on its façade: this is because the blocks of marble where linked by bronze clamp that were stolen making little holes using fire.

Fun fact: there’s a big hole at the centre of the ceiling and every year on Pentecost, thousands of red rose petals are let fall through it.

The Imperial Fora are something you can’t just walk by when you’re going to the Colosseum. In ancient Rome they were the place where everything happened, from the market to the political debates. You can also still visit the Basilicas, where once there were the tribunals. The Foras were build

by Julio Caesar and Augustus, and they still have their names.

Fun fact: the entrance to the Imperial Fora is free, and you can walk in the same place where Caesar and Cicero did!

STARBUCKS’ PALM TREES IN MILAN: YES OR NO? A man bikes next to the Duomo Cathedral, passing by the palms. [Above] A taxi driver in front of the Duomo, looks at the disputed palms. [Left] Stabucks is opening its first shop in Italy, in late 2018, and the city chosen to be the first one to have the famous american coffee is going to be Milan.

To announce and promote the opening, Starbucks decided to plan palm trees in the main square of the city, characterized by the gothic cathedral. Not everyone, however, seemed to have appreciated the idea. “It kind of ruins the whole picture” says Arianna, 21, student “There’s the ancient church and then the palms. This is not a tropical place”.

Other people, indeed, like the news “They bring a bit of colour, it’s cool. Milan is often cloudy, especially in winter” says Elisa, 32, teacher.

Here’s what happened in Milan for Women’s Day w

Piazza Duomo, Milan, 8th March. A huge white blanket has been put in the middle of Piazza Duomo, the main square of Milan.

To celebrate Women’s Day, everyone can leave their own message about violence against women, to spread support and awareness. Both citizens and tourists took part of this project, leaving positive messages in their own languages, making it a colorful andmultiethnic space.

“No violence” “Feminism = equality” “Respect women” “If he loves you, he doesn’t hurt you” “We’re the granddaughters of the witches you weren’t able to burn” are just a few of the many messages left in the blanket. The project was all organised by the street poem and artist Ivan Tresoldi.