Earthquake in Rome #terremotoaroma

An earthquake of magnitude 3.5 hit Rome today. The epicentre was in the Castelli Romani but it was also felt in other areas in the south of the capital including the zones Anagnina, Cinecittà, Nomentana, San Giovanni and Fidene.

So far no damage to people or things has been reported.


Image via Google maps

6:35 PM Share:

Must see museums in Rome

Rome is home to a vast collections of museums. Here's a list of some of my favourites:

• The Capitoline Museums

The Capitoline Museums:  Bronze sculpture of She-Wolf 

• Vatican Museums

Sculptures above the entrance of the Vatican Museums. 

• Galleria Borghese 
• Galleria Nazionale d'arte moderna e contemporeanea

Image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:She-wolf_of_Rome.JPG, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lightmatter_vaticanmuseum.jpg

10:48 AM Share:

Rome: One of Europe’s oldest zoological gardens

Inaugurated in 1911 and situated in the historical park of Villa Borghese, Rome's BioParco it is today one of Europe’s oldest zoological gardens.

Map of Rome Zoo

Carl Hagenbeck’s original project led to the construction of a 12 hectare park where animals could roam freely: this was a completely new concept that turned the Rome Zoological Garden into one of the most modern zoos of its time. 

In 1935  the zoo was enlarged to its current surface area of 17 hectares. The new area, designed by architect Raffaele De Vico, includes the current reptile house and a large geodesic shaped aviary, which is still unique in its kind.

The zoo was later privatised until the current Foundation was set up: large restoration works and an entrepreneurial style of management have turned it into a modern zoo. In line with the World Zoo Conservation Strategy (a document adopted by WWF International and drawn up by the International Union for Conservation of Nature - IUCN) the Bioparco plays an active role in environmental education and the conservation of endangered species.

Rome zoo is home to a wide variety of animals from the very small 0-2kg to the very large 500kg+. You can find a list of the animals at http://www.bioparco.it/english_site/animals.html along with some interesting facts about each one.

Giraffes at Rome Zoo

How to get there:

By Tram: No. 19 - “Bioparco” stop
By Bus: No. 3 - 52 - 53 - 926 - 217 - 360 - 910
On the Underground: Piazzale Flaminio, Via Veneto, Spagna – RED LINE ‘A’
By car: G.R.A. exit “Salaria centro – Parioli”
On foot: Piazzale del Giardino Zoologico No. 1

Ticket prices:

Public events that take place on Saturdays and Sundays are included in the ticket costs.

Adults	€13.00
Children over 1 metre and under 12 years of age	€11.00
School gruop leaders and accompanying parents	€11.00
National servicemen, security forces (upon presentation of ID)	€11.00
Senior citizens (60+) everyday except Wednesdays (€ 4.00*)	€11.00
Groups of 15 or more adults	€11.00

BIOPARCO's TRAIN
€ 1.50

FREE ENTRY TICKETS FOR:

- Children under 1 metre  
- Disabled people
- Essential carers for disabled people 

The Zoo is open every day of the year except for 25 December  Christmas day.

Something extra to remind you of your visit:

A trip to Rome zoo makes for a lovely family day out. It was also the inspiration behind my children's picture book Out and About at the Zoo. 

Just one of the fantastic reviews for Out and About at the Zoo:

5 Stars 

"What is your favorite animal to see at the zoo?  Author and illustrator Jo Linsdell both describes and pictures a fun day at the zoo that a young lad has with his mum.  They get to look at colorful parrots, tall giraffes, screaming monkeys, meat-eating lions and tigers, striped zebras, scary crocodiles with big teeth, hopping kangaroos, bathing hippos, and huge elephants.   But how does the boy feel when it’s time to go home?   How would you feel?

Children love to visit the zoo.  Our two boys certainly did when they were little, and we still do even today.  Jo Linsdell is a freelance writer and artist who is originally from the United Kingdom but now lives in Rome, Italy, with her husband and their two young sons.  The rhyming text and colorful pictures in Out and About at the Zoo not only make a truly fun story for children to read or have read to them and imagine what it’s like, but will also help to familiarize them with the different kinds of creatures that they will discover at the zoo when they do go."

By Wayne Walker, Home School Book Review

Get your copy now from Amazon.com and Amazon European sites.

 

2:00 PM Share:

Famous Italian: Nina Zilli

Nina Zilli (her real name is Maria Chiara Fraschetta) is an Italian singer-song writer born in Piacenza in February 1980. Before she made her debut in 2009 with the track 50 mila, this multi talented artist presented TV shows (including a gig as VJ for MTV) and recorded a tracks with her band 'Chiara e gli Scuri'. 

She has won several awards over the years from Sanremo Music Festival, TRL Awards, Wind Music Awards and Premio VideoClip Italiano.

Nina Zilli represented Italy in this years Eurovision Song Contest and did an excellent job gaining high points during the competition.

Nina Zilli's performance at this years Eurovision Song Contest

Per sempre (recent hit from this years Sanremo)

Some other tracks by Nina Zilli

L'amore verrà

50 mila

L'Uomo Che Amava Le Donne

Bacio D'A(d)dio

Come il sole

You can find out more about Nina Zilli on her website http://www.ninazilli.com/web/

11:00 AM Share:

Northern Italy hit by earthquakes

Northern Italy was hit by another earthquake killing at least 8 and injuring many more at around 9am this morning. The quake registered 5.8. It hit the same zone in the Province of Modena (Emilia-Romagna) that was hit on 20th May 2012 killing 7 people. Sadly these figures are likely to increase as given the amount of damage caused to buildings it is feared that more bodies may be found under the rubble. 

The damage caused by the earthquakes will have a huge effect on the region. Many of the historical buildings in the area have been destroyed. A large part of the region was listed on the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) as sites of heritage. The area is also famous for it's production of cheeses and balsamic vinegar, a large quantity of which has been damaged by the earthquake.

Modena is marked in red.

The area remains on emergency alert.

Image source:   https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Map_Province_of_Modena.svg/384px-Map_Province_of_Modena.svg.png

1:37 PM Share: