If you are planning a weekend in the capital, do not miss the group exhibition 'Hot Spot - Caring For a Burning World', at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art from today until 26 February. There you will find an opportunity to reflect on our time, the importance of defending the environment and peace between peoples, and to encounter much beauty.
The National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome. Credits RODKARV / Shutterstock
The exhibition curated by Gerardo Mosquera borrows its name from the eponymous work by Mona Hatoum, Hot Spot III (2009), a large iron installation depicting our Earth lit by a red light, symbolizing the conflicts that inflame it. The artists present are countless and all of the highest profile, such as Pier Paolo Calzolari and Michelangelo Pistoletto, to remain among the Italians, although there are also numerous international personalities of the highest caliber, such as Hatoum herself.
Stallion by Daphne Wright, one of the works from the Hot Spot exhibition. Credits Stephen White
Beginning with the work that gives it its name, the exhibition invites us to reflect on the fragility of the ecosystem in which we live and prompts us to imagine a different relationship with the planet, in search of a new harmony.
Yellow Finch, 2018, work by Ida Applebroog, artist in the Hot Spot exhibition
If you feel like immersing yourself in the most harmonious greenery and distillation of beauty, continue your Roman weekend with a stroll through Villa Borghese. True, it is the most famous park in Rome, but it is so beautiful and rich in treasures that it is always worth spending time there. As a perfect counterpoint to the contemporaneity encountered at the exhibition, pay homage to the traces of a distant and luminous past at the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia which houses the finest collection of Etruscan and pre-Roman treasures in Italy.
The Borghese Gallery in Rome. Credits bombard / Shutterstock
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By now you will have got the hang of it and the step to the next experience will be short. The first day of your Roman weekend still gives you time for a foray to the Borghese Museum and Gallery. Often referred to as the 'queen' of all private aristocratic collections, Scipione Borghese's collection contains some of the city's most precious treasures, including a series of sensational sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and important paintings by Caravaggio, Titian, Raphael and Rubens.
An evening in Trastevere. Credits Catarina Belova / Shutterstock
Towards evening, cross the well-known blond river and head to Trastevere to catch the other face of Roman life, the more popular and enjoyable one. Don't run the risk of missing a hearty meal of traditional cuisine in a trattoria on a small square. Rome has enough personality to continually breathe new life into its great myths and among these is certainly the cuisine. What will you choose? The artichokes alla giudia served Da Enzo in Via dei Vascellari or the classic simplicity of a pasta cacio e pepe, for example Da Teoin Piazza dei Ponziani?
The Canopus of Villa Adriana in Tivoli. Credits Marco Rubino / Shutterstock
For your second Roman day plan to give in to a great temptation or fill a gap that sometimes characterizes visits to the capital and its surroundings. Choose whether to experience all the nuances of Capitoline shopping starting from the pop dimension of Porta Portese (Sundays only) and going up to the exclusive and stellar Via dei Condotti (many of the most famous Maisons have boutiques open seven days a week).
Or continue following the red thread of art and leave the Urbe behind to focus on the enchantment of Tivoli and its Villa Adriana. Visiting Emperor Hadrian's vast country estate is one of the greatest bargains around Rome and it is impossible to be disappointed. Built at the beginning of the 2nd century, this villa was one of the largest residences in the ancient world, covering more than 120 hectares, 40 of which are open to the public.
Admiring Hadrian's Villa is an aesthetic ecstasy and conveys a positive message. a positive message about the ability of human traces to resist the passage of centuries and to place themselves in a dimension of beauty and harmony, not far from the spirit you will have encountered at the Hot Spot exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art.
To complement this unique experience, continue your Roman weekend with a stroll through Villa Borghese. True, it is the most famous park in Rome, but it is so beautiful and rich in treasures that it is always worth spending time there. As a perfect counterpoint to the contemporaneity encountered at the exhibition, pay homage to the traces of a distant and luminous past at the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia which houses the finest collection of Etruscan and pre-Roman treasures in Italy.
To make your Roman weekend even more unforgettable, stay at Ostello Bello Roma, a hostel that offers affordable and comfortable accommodations. Located in the heart of Rome, this hostel provides easy access to some of the city's most popular attractions. Don't miss the opportunity to immerse yourself in the rich culture and history of this incredible city.