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Stay, Eat,
Shop and See the best of this cosmopolitan metropolis where
every step you take has probably been taken by Caesar himself.
The Italian capital, also the seat of the Vatican, is a destination seeped in
legend, fashion and romance.
STAY
The Ferragamos Portrait Suites.
Could anyone be better suited to offer Italian hospitality than
the Ferragamo family? Portrait Suites is Rome's new luxury townhouse with 14 studios and
suites, steps from Piazza di Spagna and the glorious shops on
Via Condetti. In fact,
the townhouse is conveniently perched above the Salvatore
Ferragamo Men's Store and has a separate entrance. The rooms are
appointed with an elegance typical of Ferragamo. The rooftop lounge offers incomparable views, and the
open fire on the terrace adds a movie set vibe. Vibrant use of
color, the eclectic boar skin tables and portraits of
celebrities makes Portrait Suites a diamond in Rome's necklace.
Via
Bocca di Leone 23, tel # 39-06-69-38-07-42.
www.lungarnohotels.com
EAT
Il Gelato Di San Crispino
You can't visit Rome and not indulge in a daily dose of gelato.
This simple, unassuming, clean, little gelateria is so superior,
it causes a traffic jam nightly. Their variety is limited
compared to a typical ice cream shop but here the quality reigns
supreme. The treat is
served at a temperature slightly lower than we are used to (they
do not use emulsifiers) and, in natural colors (their pistachio
ice cream is brown and not green). When in season, the
grapefruit and pear gelatos are exceptional.
Ice cream here, is served unadulterated, unaccompanied by
a cone, in cups or tubs.
Via Della Panetteria 42. Tel #
39-06-679-3942.
www.ilgelatodisancrispino.com
SHOP
Personal Shopper
Barbara Lessona:
Rome, famous for
its designer labels and fashion houses, is a city ripe for
retail therapy. Via
de Condotti, via del Corso and via del Babuino, in proximity to
the Spanish Steps are home to all the familiar Italian
designers. For serious
spenders, a personal shopper is suggested.
Why limit the shopping to just a few key stores?
Personalize it, and then sit back, while your shopper
wears out her heels and your credit card on those cobbled
stones.
Barbara Lessona
and her associates will provide shopping assistance, by
appointment only.
For reservations, contact:
www.PersonalShoppersInItaly.com
SEE
Vatican in the Evening, Rome by Night.
Sit on the
Piazza di Spagna,
get wooed by handsome
musicians and passersby calling, 'Amore, amore,
diami un bacio'
under a caressing night sky in the Capital of Love.
Or have a driver take you to the fabulously lit-up
monuments. Recently,
Helen Donegan, of the tour company Italy with Us, has been successful is organizing
late evening Vatican entries
for a price of $350 per person.
The tour lasts for two hours, is limited to 20 people and
has to be booked in advance.
The shadows in Raphael's Rooms and the Sistine Chapel
unveil an unimaginable escapade while whispers gently bounce off
the Vatican's ceilings. Breathing and
tears are optional.
Reservations at
www.italywithus.com.
SPOTLIGHT
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ARNOLD G The Los Angeles-based, Grammy-nominated artist
gets kudos for being a self-starter that can boast of being
wedged between the likes of Christina Aguilera and Offer Nissim
on the dance charts. Raised Arnold Garcia, in Camarillo,
California, he always exhibited a special quality, winning dance
talent contests and modeling as a school kid but it was in the
summer of ‘05 that G broke ground with smash hits from his debut
album Driven: Straight to the Dance Floor.
“I’m Not in Love” went to #3 on the House charts and "Ocean
Dreams," went to #1 on the Electronica chart for two weeks.
Arnold G’s passion for his music goes beyond entertainment
because he sees music as a tool for social change. His track
“Carry On”, tackles the difficult issue of AIDS and “I’m Free”
depicted the hardships and struggles in our daily lives. Get
ready for his upcoming second album “Drive Beyond” and in the
meantime, plug into his vibe at -
www.myspace.com/arnoldg |
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Into the Enchanted
Forest “ A Beautiful Cure"
Aids
Research Alliance Fundraiser with Marcia Cross
Santa Monica's high profile
luxelab salon
and luxehaus home
furnishings store were transformed into a swank
nightclub and enchanted forest on Sunday Oct. 7th to
raise research funds for
AIDS Research Alliance.
The whimsical theme created to highlight the potential cure's
vaccine component from a tropical plant in South America was
articulated by celebrity event planner Shay Watson.
Guests included AIDS Research
Alliance CEO Carolyn Carlburg, host
Marcia Cross and her husband Tom
Mahoney, host and Desperate
Housewives Producer John Pardee and his partner Vance Walker,
Maria Conchita Alonso,
Rebecca Herbst (General Hospital), Author Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla and
even a Pussycat Doll.
Fueling the fun was Absolut 100's Pomegranate cocktail, mini
Caprese sandwiches on pretzel bread by
Iron Chef Kerry Simon of Simon L.A.
restaurant, Caesar Salad bites in Parmesan tart cups and
signature Colossal Shrimp Cocktails by
The Palm restaurants, and
chocolates by Valerie Confections.
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| Tom Mahoney and Marcia
Cross |
Maria Conchita Alonso |
Maria Conchita Alonso &
Marcia Cross |
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