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 Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 10:16 am Post subject: NIGHTLIFE IN ITALY (ROME & MILAN) |
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NIGHTLIFE IN ITALY (ROME & MILAN)
ROME
When the sun goes down, lights across the city bathe palaces, ruins, fountains, and monuments in a theatrical glow. There are few evening pursuits as pleasurable as a stroll past the solemn pillars of old temples or the cascading torrents of Renaissance fountains glimmering under the blue-black sky.
Of these fountains, the Naiads (Piazza della Repubblica), the Tortoises (Piazza Mattei), and, of course, the Trevi are particularly beautiful at night. The Capitoline Hill is magnificently lit after dark, with its measured Renaissance facades glowing like jewel boxes. The view of the Roman Forum seen from the rear of the trapezoidal Piazza del Campidoglio is the grandest in Rome, more so than even the Colosseum. Bus no. 84, 85, 87, 117, 175, 186, 271, 571, or 850 takes you here at night, or you can take a taxi. If you're across the Tiber, Piazza San Pietro (in front of St. Peter's Basilica) is particularly impressive at night, when the tour buses and crowds have departed. Illuminated architecture, Renaissance fountains, sidewalk stage shows, and art expos all enliven Piazza Navona.
Even if you don't speak Italian, you can generally follow the listings of special events and evening entertainment in La Repubblica, one of the leading Italian newspapers. The minimag Wanted in Rome (www.wantedinrome.com) has listings of jazz, rock, and such. The daily Il Messaggero lists current cultural news. Un Ospite a Roma, available free from the concierge desks of top hotels, is full of details on what's happening.
Nocturnal Outdoor Entertainment
In summer, the streets of Rome become a kind of outdoor festival. Many Romans live in hot apartments without air-conditioning, and they spill into the cooler streets at night to enjoy evening concerts and other events.
The best of these occur in the area along Via di Monte Testaccio in the Testaccio sector, which becomes a venue for pop jam sessions, jazz concerts, and other entertainment. Bars and restaurants overflow onto the streets, and there are many food stalls, markets, and shops operating until late at night. From June until August (and sometimes into Sept), the street is blocked off from 8:30pm to 2am, and it costs 10€ ($12) per person to enter.
It might not be Mexico, but music and spicy food will entertain you at Fiesta, a complex at Ippodromo delle Capannelle that opens every year from June 12 to August 15. Salsa music predominates, and major concerts sometimes feature big names such as José Feliciano. You'll find plenty of bars, shops, and food kiosks selling such south-of-the-border specialties as fajitas, burritos, and enchiladas. Tickets cost 10€ ($12). For more information, call tel. 06-71299855. Take the Metro to Colli Albani and then board bus no. 664 to the end of the line.
The Ruin to Beat All Ruins
There is no more dramatic sight in all of Rome at night than that of the Colosseum lit up. In the harsh light of day, it looks like a ruin, but at night your imagination goes into overdrive. Over the centuries, earthquakes, pollution, traffic, and pillage have taken a toll on the arena. But at night, Rome's greatest marvel emerges in its beauty.
MILAN
On Wednesdays and Thursdays, Milan's newspapers tend to devote a lot of ink to club schedules and cultural events. If you don't trust your command of Italian to plan your nightlife, check out the tourist office in Piazza Duomo -- there are usually piles of fliers lying about that announce upcoming events. The tourist office also keeps visitors up-to-date with Milano Mese, a periodical it distributes for free with schedules of events, as well as listings of bars, clubs, and restaurants.
The Performaing Arts -- On the other side of the Galleria from the Duomo is Italy's premier opera house, Teatro Alla Scala, Piazza Scala (tel. 02-887-91) known to everyone as "La Scala." The calendar of events and online ticket office can be found at www.teatroallascala.org. Tickets go on sale about 3 months before a performance, so if you want to attend, say, the Oct. 16, 2006, performances of Don Giovanni, keep an eye out for tickets to be released in late July. Purchase tickets online (all major credit cards accepted) or at about a dozen travel agencies around the city, and at various travel agencies throughout the country. For a complete list, visit the website.
The adjacent museum, Il Museo Teatrale Alla Scala (tel. 02-8879-2473), pays tribute to the leading Italian lights in opera and ballet, often hosting exhibits of costumes worn at La Scala performances long ago. Also of note for scholars is a library of more than 40,000 musical works. The museum and library are open daily from 9am to 12:30pm and from 1:30 to 5:30pm. Entrance is 5€ ($6.25).
Movies -- In Italy, English-language films are almost always dubbed into Italian, providing English speakers with an opportunity to bone up on their Italian but taking some of the fun out of a night at the movies. Fortunately, there are always a few theaters that screen English-language films in the original version 1 night a week: Anteo, Via Milazzo 9 (tel. 02-659-7732; Metro: Moscova), on Monday; Arcoboleno, Vle. Tunisia 11 (tel. 02-2940-6054; Metro: Porta Venezia), on Tuesday; and Mexico, Via Savona 57 (tel. 02-4895-1802; Metro: Porta Genova), on Thursday.
Pubs -- A publike atmosphere, induced in part by Guinness on tap and a very crowded aperitivo hour (about 6-8pm) where you can load up on free pasta and other munchies, prevails at Liberty-style Bar Magenta, Via Carducci 13 at Corso Magenta (tel. 02-805-3808), in the neighborhood from which it takes its name; it's open Tuesday to Sunday (Metro: Cadorna). One of the more popular La Brera hangouts, with a young following, is El Tombon de San Marc, Via San Marco 20 at Via Montebello (tel. 02-659-9507), which, despite its name, is an English pub-style bar and restaurant open Monday to Saturday (Metro: Moscova).
If you're not quite young and up to partying with those who are, a pleasant alternative to Milan's youth-oriented venues is Bar Margherita, where there's jazz on the sound system (and sometimes live on stage) and a nice selection of wines and grappa; they also lay out a good selection of munchies-on-toothpicks (crostini, frittata wedges, and other canapés) around dinnertime. It's in La Brera at Via Moscova 25 (tel. 02-659-0833) and is open Monday to Saturday 7am to 2am (Metro: Moscova).
Among the Navigli nightspots (growing in number all the time) is El Brellin, an intimate, canal-side piano bar (on Sat) with its own minicanal on Vicolo della Lavandaia, off Alzaia Naviglio Grande 14 (tel. 02-5810-1351), open Monday through Saturday (Metro: Genova FS). Birreria La Fontanella, Alzaia Naviglio Pavese 6 (tel. 02-837-2391), has canal-side tables outside and the oddest-shaped beer glasses around -- that half-a-barbell kind everyone seems to order is called the "Cavalliere." It's open Tuesday to Sunday 7pm to 3am (Metro: Genova FS).
Night Owls' Favorite Haunts--While Brera is always happening and the Navigli certainly packs a (mostly suburban) crowd, for a more authentic Milanese experience, check out the other (northern) end of Corso di Porta Ticinese: the San Lorenzo district. There are great bars and cafes between there and metro stop Sant'Ambrogio.
Jazz Clubs -- Since Capolinea got ousted (Warning: the club's name is still there at Via Lodovico il Moro 119, but it's not the old jazz club where the greats came to play; rather it's some pathetic mimic of it slapped together by the next-door neighbors who forced the original owners out of this space), the best venue on the jazz club scene is Le Scimmie, which has its own bar-boat moored in the canal. It's in the Navigli at Via Ascanio Sforza 49 (tel. 02-8940-2874; www.scimmie.it), and operates Wednesday to Monday (Metro: Porta Genova), with shows starting at 10:30pm.
Music & Dance Clubs -- The dance scene changes all the time in Milan, but at whatever club is popular (or in business) at the moment, expect to pay a cover of 10€ to 15€ ($13-$19) -- sometimes more for big-name live acts. Models, actors, sports stars, and the attendant fashion set favor Hollywood is an institution for the young fashion crowd and those who want to be a part of it: It's small, chic, and somewhat centrally located in La Brera at Corso Como 15 (tel. 02-655-5574 or 02-659-8996, or 02-679-8896 after 10:30pm); it closes Mondays and July 23 to September 7 (Metro: Garibaldi). Across the street, at Corso Como 14, is Casablanca, (tel. 393 846 1607) which has a nice, Moroccan-flavor lounge in the back and caters to a slightly more mature clientele. For something a little funkier, try Plastic, Viale Umbria 120 (tel. 02-733-996), where the people are a bit more colorful and the music more alternative. It's only open Friday to Sunday.
Grand Café Fashion, Corso di Porta Ticinese 60 at Via Vetere (tel. 02-8940-0709 or 0336-347-333), is a multipurpose nightspot halfway to the Navigli with a restaurant open from 9pm and a disco nightly from 11:30pm. Despite the name, it's become a sort of populist alternative for those tired of sharing the dance floor with models and wannabe's. Watch for thematic evenings like Latino Mondays and, er, lap-dance Sundays (Metro: Porta Genova).
Milan's most venerable live music club is Rolling Stone, Corso XXII Marzo 32 (tel. 02-733-172), in business since the 1950s. Most of the performers these days are of a rock bent, and the club is as immensely popular as ever. Cover charges, which vary widely depending on who's performing, are less expensive for women than for men, and more expensive on weekends than on weekdays; it's closed Sundays and Mondays (Tram: 12, 27, 45, 60, 66, 73, or 92).
Note: There are no specific club hours in Milan. Opening and closing times vary with the seasons and with the crowds, with openings anywhere from 7 to 11pm and closings anywhere from 1am to dawn, later on weekend nights.
Gay Clubs -- Milan's largest gay club is Nuovo Idea, Via de Castillia 30 (tel. 02-6900-7859; www.dinet.it/nuovaidea); it attracts a mostly male crowd of all ages and offers everything from disco to polkas, in a huge techno room. It's open Thursday to Sunday (Metro: Gioia). Recycle, Via Calabria 5 (tel. 02-376-1531), is a women-only club Friday to Sunday 9pm to 2am, sometimes later (mixed crowd welcome Wed-Thurs nights).
Via Sammartini along the train station's left flank (Metro: Central FS) is a good street to hit. Next Groove, at no. 23 (tel. 02-6698-0450), is a mixed gay and lesbian disco bar of the phone-on-the-table sort and thematic evenings; it's open daily. Next door at no. 25, After Line Disco Pub (tel. 02-669-2130) is a bar-restaurant where a giant-screen TV and strobe light are switched on after dinner to turn it into a lesbian discotheque; it's open Tuesday to Sunday. |
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