Over 10,000 runners already registered for the 41km-marathon to be held in Rome next  March the 21st. Most of them are foreigners; 5,240 (15 per cent more than in 2009), compared with 5,105 Italians (five per cent more than 2009). Given these data it is likely that registrations will reach last year’s threshold of 15,000.

Rome’s 2009 marathon was the world’s sixth fastest (according to both the finishing time of the top ten men and women runners). It ranked behind London, which was top of the list, but ahead of New York, which came 11th. Rome was 15th in terms  of  number of people who crossed the finish line of the marathon.

Registration costs: the 2010 Rome marathon costs €55 before 28 January and € 65 before 8 March.

Start: March 21st 2010 – 9am. Via dei Fori Imperiali (Colosseo).

Maximum time: the Marathon shall be finished in maximum 7:30 hours.

Circuit: the Marathon will start on Via dei Fori Imperiali and will pass through some of the most suggestive areas of the eternal city. The Ostiense and Testaccio neighbourhoods up to the Moschea, in the Parioli area. The finishing line again under the Colosseo! Have a look at the path.

After the Marathon: athletes finishing the marathon will be awarded the official medal. More info in the following link:
www.maratonadiroma.it

The ATP International World Masters and WTA tennis tours come to Rome every spring. This year, the men’s tournament begins April 27th and ends May 3rd, followed immediately by the women’s tournament from May 3rd to 9th.

The matches take place on the clay courts at Foro Italico, near the Olympic Stadium (Stadio Olimpico). During the week, the day session begins at 13.30 and goes on until 19.30, with a few matches taking place simultaneously. The matches start again at 20.30 for the evening session. Once you pay for a single “Ground” ticket (20 euros), you can wander around the various courts for the day, taking in several different matches.

The “Ground” ticket does not allow access to the central court, where many of the major games take place. However, there is something to be said for the more intimate environment on the lower courts and the opportunity to discover new talent. If you’re interested in seeing the more famous players (from Federer and Nadal to the Williams sisters and Safina) in the central court, expect to pay up to 100 euros. The price also increases for higher visibility seating.

If you’re planning on attending an entire week-long tournament it’s worth looking into the various abbonamento (weekly pass) options. As you would expect, the finals and semi-finals towards the end of the week are more expensive, but you’re guaranteed to see some first-class tennis. The women’s tournament begins the day of the men’s final.

For those planning to make a day of the tournament, there are plenty of tennis-related activities on the premises to keep children (and adults!) occupied, ranging from beach tennis to Nintendo Wii Mario tennis tournaments. These are open to the public at a small fee.

Additionally, there are a number of bars and restaurants. Among those, there are a few  upscale cocktail bars as well as some no-frills (but not necessarily cheap) family-style pizza places. It is advisable to bring your own bottled water, and even food. The tournament is sponsored by Ferrarelle water, which means it is available to buy anywhere, but as is the case at most events of this kind, they can charge extortionate amounts for basic products.

The Foro Italico is a sports complex built by Mussolini in the model of the ancient Roman forums. During the tournament, there are about five different courts, each with stadium seating, in use at any given time. The forum is a pleasant setting, with the luscious green trees behind the stadium making a pleasant backdrop. It is easily reachable from the center of Rome by taking the A line metro to the Ottaviano-San Pietro stop and then taking the 32 bus for seven stops (you will know where you are because there will be a mass exodus at the Foro Italico) or, from Lungotevere De’ Cenci (just across the bridge from Trastevere), take the 280 bus for 22 stops.

[but events start on May the 29th]

The PARADE ROUTE

We remind you that after the 1 milion 2007 Pride the march will be ended in San Giovanni in Laterano square again.
The 2008 Rome Gay Pride will be held on Saturday, next 7th June.

The Pride followed this path:
Piazza della Repubblica
Viale Luigi Einaudi
Piazza dei Cinquecento
Via Cavour
Largo Corrado Ricci
Via dei Fori Imperiali
Piazza del Colosseo
Via Labicana
Viale Manzoni
Via Emanuele Filiberto
Piazza di Porta San Giovanni

Accommodation in Rome for the Gay Pride 2008

If you are looking for a convenient apartment accommodation in Rome, you can book online on our website.

The 2008 Rome Pride anthem
The 2008 Rome Gay Pride official anthem is “Tutta mia la città” (All the city is mine), a song by an important Italian band ‘Equipe 84’ and remade with new arrangements by Giuliano Palma and the Bluebeaters.

The schedule of events in 2008 Rome Gay Pride

Thursday, 29th May
”Quali corpi quale carne”
During the Pride it will be held an art exhibition in Rialto Sant’Ambrogio. In via sant’Ambrogio n.4 the exhibition will be opened next 29th May at 7 o’clock p.m. and i twill be held until next 15th June. It opens from Monday to Friday (4-8 p.m.).

Saturday, 31th May
You cannot miss the workshop dedicated to Drag king with Julius Kaiser and Jurij Zoltan Kurgan which will be held on Saturday 31 May and on Sunday 1st June in ‘Sala Benito’ in ‘Casa internazionale delle donne’ which is placed in via san Francesco di Sales n.1/B (from 10 a.m to 6 p.m.). The cost of the workshop is 40 euro and the participants must be bring their own male clothes. For any info: roma@arcilesbica – 3335300128.

Saturday, 31th May
”Il tuo nome brucia sulle mie labbra”
A theatre piece directed by Alessandro Sena and inspired to a novel (‘The original sin’) written by the French writer Marie Victoire Rouillier. This theatre piece has already been made in Paris and it took apart to the Avignone Festival in 1989. From 31th May to 4th June in “Teatro dei contrary” in via Ostilia, 22. Tickets cost 12 euro 339.8784860, 06.45499124;and 10 euro for the volunteers of Mario Mieli association. How to book and for any info: 339.8784860, 06.45499124.

Sunday, 1st June
”Vita e cultura gay. Per una storia dell’omosessualità”.
A book about the history of homosexuality. It will be presented next 1st June at 6.30 pm by Vincenzo Patanè in the bookstore called ‘Fnac’ in via Alberto Lionello, 201, inside the ‘Centro commerciale Porta di Roma’. Sunday, 1st June.

”Eden”, a movie directed by Jonny Triviani which focus the attention to the fact that ‘certain stories demonstrate that all over the world we are equal..”. The presentation of the screen play will be held next 1st JUne at 9 o’ clock pm in the bookstore called ‘Fnac’ placed in via Alberto Lionello inside the ‘Centro commerciale Porta di Roma’.

Tuesday, 3rd June
Franco Buffoni and Porpora Marcasciano will present their last works: ‘Reperto 74’ and ‘Favolose narranti. Storie di transessuali’. The presentation of this books will be held next 3rd June at 6.00 p.m. in the bookstore ‘Feltrinelli’ in via Marconi, 190.

Wednesday, 4th June
In coincidence of the Roman edition of the Pride it will be held the “Tekfestival’ with one excellent Italian movie (‘Una giornata particolare’ by Ettore Scola – 1977) and many short films. The appointment is at 5 o’clock p.m at ‘Cinema Trevi’ in via del Puttarello 25.

The schedule of the ‘Tekfestival’.
At 5 p.m Una giornata particolare, an Italian movie directed in 1977 by Ettore Scola.
At 7 p.m.
Never ever kissed a woman before (2003) directed by Laura Ciulli (Italy – 4 min).
Ouch (2006) directed by Pier Giorgio De Pinto (Italy – 1 min)
A bear eye for the twink (2006) directed by Jonathan Robinson (UK – 4 min).
A bear where (2007) directed by Jeremy Stuart (Australia 3 min).
Gender Changer (2006) directed by Pier Giorgio De Pinto (Italy 5 min).
The terrorist she freaks of Texas (2005) directed by Bug Davidson, Holly Lewis (USA 24 min).
Dirty glitter one: Demien (2005) directed by Aron Kantor (USA 13 min).
A tale of two plushies (2003) directed by Amanda Laws (USA 17 min).
Inchiesta sulla sessualità (1999) directed by Fabio Giuffré (Italy 21 min).
At 8.30 p.m.
A meeting with the presentation of movies which tell the history of Italian Glbt associations.
At 9.30 p.m.
Improvvisamente l’inverno scorso (2007) directed by Gustav Hofer, Luca Ragazzi; (Italy 80 min).

Thursday, 5th June
For the first time in Italy Håkan Lindquist, a Swedish writer, will present their two novels written so far (‘Il collezionista di francobolli’ and ‘Mio fratello e suo fratello’) in the bookstore ‘Feltrinelli’, in via Vittorio Emanuele 84-86 at 6 o’clock p.m.

Thursday, 5th June
The afternoon dedicated to sports with the exhibitions ‘Tennis’ made by ‘Yellow club’ and ‘Swim for Pride’ made by ‘Gruppo Pesce’. And, finally, the third edition of the football competition where lesbian people will ‘fight’ against politicians. The appointment? From 7 p.m. at ‘Olimpic Club’ in Lungotevere Pietra Papa, 2.

Friday, 6th June
One of the most highly awaited live music events! The Rainbow Choir will make a new exhibition at 9 o’clock p.m. inside a church (‘Chiesa valdese’) which is placed in piazza Cavour 32.

Saturday, 7th June
The GAY PRIDE PARADE. around the streets of the city centre. The parade will be start at 4,30 p.m but people interested in taking apart to the march should be in Piazza della Repubblica 30 minutes before.

And finally, the official Pride Party at ‘Euphoria’ (art director Diego Longobardi) from 11 p.m. The location is ‘Qube’ placed in via di Portonaccio, 212. Join us, enjoy your Pride.

Sunday, 8th June
’Rete evangelica fede e omosessualità’ ‘Nuova proposta’ and ‘La sorgente’ invite you for praying. Location: ‘Comunità di base di San Paolo’ placet in via Ostiense 152/153. Time: 10,30 p.m.

Tuesday, 10th June
Vittorio Lingiardi, a doctor in psychiatry and a psychoanalyst, will present his essay about citizenship rights of gay and lesbian people. Location: the bookstore called ‘Rinascita Garbatella’, placed in via Prospero Alpino 48. Time: 6,30 p.m.

The Office of ‘Circolo Mario Mieli’ association.
The Circolo Mario Mieli since 1994 has been the gay association responsible for the organization of the Gay Pride in Rome, and the official organizer of the 2000 World Pride in Rome.
For any information about the march and the events in the schedule of the Pride don’t hesitate to keep in touch with the volunteers of the “Circolo Mario Mieli”, the association in charge of the organization of your Gay Pride.

About the event

Testardamente is the official slogan of the 2008 Rome Gay Pride. It means stubborn pride (obstinately, in other words) and that Italian gay people are determined not to change their opinion or attitude. As you may be know, the political context was deeply changed after the political elections held last 13 and 14 April.

We remind you that the Italy’s new ministry for equal opportunities has angered rights groups by refusing to back a “gay pride” march because, she said, gays no longer suffer discrimination in Italy. The ministry Mara Carfagna said that she would not back the June gay pride event in Bologna because “gay prides are pointless.”

So Italian gay people now obstinately refuse to accomply with the nowdays political requests and after the 1 milion people 2007 Gay Pride reclame again(“Parità dignità laicità”) equal opportunities, to be treated with dignity and secularism, in other word the fact that religion should not be involved in the organization of society.

The center-left government that collapsed in January failed to win legal status for same-sex unions because of opposition from Roman Catholic politicians. Anything has been changed so far, so Italian gay people request again to the political power a system of rules which allow the legally recognised civil partnership or in other words recognize the rights of the gay and lesbian couples. Gay and lesbian couples should be awarded the same rights as married couples under government plans.

Next 7th June the Pride will be simultaneously in Rome and Milan and will be the opening of one month, June, completely dedicated to marches of gay people for same-sex couple’s rights. Next 14th June it will be held the Pride in Biella and, finally, next 5th July in Catania, in Sicily. We remind you that the location for the national edition of the Pride is Bologna where the march will be held, as around the world, next 28th June.

You can also buy tickets online!

Check out the following site:

http://www.romacinemafest.org/romacinemafest/home.php?lang=en

Saturday September 8th: la Notte Bianca (the White Night)

Friday September 7th: aspettando la Notte Bianca (waiting the Notte Bianca).

For Saturday September 8th the programme includes performances, concerts, plays, dance shows, magic and circus arts, contemporary art installations, fireworks, even a concert of church bells, all characterised by tradition and experimentation, merging together for one night an ensemble of artistic capabilities, cultural scope, knowledge, techniques and ways of expressing art and entertainment, all very different one from the other, and that is both multifaceted and harmonious.

The Notte Bianca will fill the streets, the squares, the monuments, museums, private art galleries, shops, the theatres as well as places of art and culture in the entire city, from the centre to the suburbs.

Also for the day before ” waiting for the Notte Bianca”, the program is reach! For more info have a look to the site:

http://www.lanottebianca.it

http://www.estateromana.comune.roma.it

Have a look to the article written by Elisabeth Rosenthal on the Herald Tribune on July, 10, 2007.

“For much of the year, Rome is a backwater for performances. On many weekends, it is hard to find a concert, theater or even a film worth your while. But briefly each summer, Rome makes up for the 10 months of drought with Estate Romana, the Rome Summer Festival, a breathtaking six-week flood of mostly outdoor shows at more than a dozen sites around the city.

Although the emphasis is on music — from rock to opera to reggae to jazz — there is a decent selection of outdoor films and plays as well.

Many of the shows use Rome’s ancient ruins as their stage and backdrop, like plays in the Roman Forum or opera on the grounds of the Caracalla Baths. If you prefer a Renaissance setting for evening culture, there is orchestral music in Michelangelo’s breathtaking Campidoglio Square. Many of the musical performances take place in the city’s parks, which are formed from the grounds of Renaissance villas.

The acoustics are sometimes a challenge in such temporary spaces, but the interplay between art and the architectural settings as the summer sun sets usually makes up for the shortfall. And for those who associate summer tourism in Rome with two-hour lines in the scorching sun at the Vatican Museums, there is a surprise: On summer nights, Rome is usually blessed with a cool breeze

Almost every night from late June through early August, there are at least several offerings — although in a city not known for organizational skills, the challenge is often keeping track of what is where, and how to obtain tickets. is a centralized Web site in Italian (www.estateromana.comune.roma.it), but it is chaotic, an undiscriminating list of events big and small — near, and miles outside, the city. Still, even without speaking Italian, you can glean an idea of what is going on, and it contains a decent summary of the day’s events on its homepage. The site has an English page (click on the British flag), but it is also mostly in Italian and doesn’t contain some of the offerings.

For big-name performances, the best place to start looking is the wonderful Auditorium Music Park, designed by Renzo Piano. An outdoor stage is erected in the space between the three soaring clam-shape concert halls. Some concerts are inside, and some are outside.

One of the best performance experiences I have had in recent years was watching the Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour fill the outdoor space, called the Cavea, with music and dance. (He is not scheduled this summer and, like many artists who play there, seemed a bit frustrated by a sound system that inevitably takes half an hour of concert time to be adjusted.)

This summer’s artists include Patti Smith, Lou Reed, John Legend, Pink and Joe Cocker. As usual, there is also a smattering of jazz and world music, including Carlinhos Brown, from Brazil, and Rokia Traore, from Mali.

The Auditorium has an interesting Web site (www.auditorium.com), but once again a click on “English” leads to a page that is still 99 percent “in Italiano.” There is an information line (39-068-0241-281), as well as the theoretical possibility of online booking, but all are maddeningly cumbersome. I often give up in frustration and ride my bike down to the Auditorium ticket office, just a mile away from my home. But a hotel concierge might be able to help with this problem. This year, tickets range from 30 to 70 euros, about $40 to $95, at $1.35 to the euro.

For somewhat lesser-known or more out-of-the-mainstream performers, the villas (or parks) hold wonderful surprises.

For jazz fans, Villa Celimontana, on a hill near the Colosseum, has a summer-long jazz festival (www.villacelimontanajazz.com) in the center of the park surrounded by towering cypress trees. There are seats and tables and good mixed drinks on the periphery of the concert area, although it can get extremely crowded. Ticket prices vary depending on the artist, but tend to be about 20 euros, and can be bought at the gate, although the space is small and performances sometimes sell out.

The action generally doesn’t get going until 10 p.m. or so, but come early and enjoy the sky and the sunset if you want a comfortable seat. It can be wonderfully contemplative when quiet jazz is on the menu; dancing is par for the course with more boisterous offerings. (Note also that some evenings begin at 9 with hourlong segments from the documentarian Ken Burns’s “Jazz” series from PBS — this is listed on the Web site — which may not be so appealing if you’ve already seen them in your living room at home.)

One of the best places to discover artists you’ve never heard before is in Rome’s most untamed park, Villa Ada, which holds the Rome Encounters the World, or Roma Incontro Il Mondo, festival each summer(www.villaada.org). Artists from Europe, South America, Africa, Italy and the Caribbean alternate several nights a week on a small stage tucked beside the lake. It’s a great place to discover an up-and-coming Portuguese flutist, a new reggae master or Balkan Gypsy music. Tickets are cheap (6 to 15 euros) and are almost always available at the last minute, and the selection is generally fantastic.

It is also, sometimes, a place to rediscover old musical flames. Last year, Eric Burden played Villa Ada. What a thrill for us children of the ’60s, but even 17-year-old Italians were singing along with “House of the Rising Sun.” Warning: It can be hard to find cabs in this part of Rome late at night, so it’s best to try to arrange something with a hotel ahead of time, or plan for a 30-to-60-minute walk home.

For those with more money and looking for a more classical experience — both musically and architecturally — there is open-air opera and ballet amid the Roman ruins of the Terme Di Caracalla, the Caracalla Baths. This summer, there is “Turandot” and “Swan Lake,” for example. Tickets run from 25 to 110 euros. It is almost worth that much alone just to watch the sun go down in this setting. For tickets and information: www.operaroma.it or (39-06) 481-601; the ticket office is at Piazza Beniamino Gigli, 1.

Theater performances and films are far more limited for those who do not speak Italian — remember that this is a country where even Woody Allen tends to be dubbed with a deep Italian voice. But there are open-air films — some new, some classics — projected many nights on the Isola Tiburtina, an island in the middle of the Tiber River containing a beautiful church square and a 16th-century Jewish hospital.

Last but not least, for English speakers looking to combine ancient Rome, theater and the sense of humor essential for survival as a tourist in this most complicated of cities: on Friday nights there is “Caesar — More Than Just a Salad,” (www.miracleplayer.org/caesar/), a 40-minute comedy about the Emperor’s life that takes place in the Roman Forum, amid the ruined ancient temples and columns the man himself left behind.

A final important detail about the festival: It abruptly ends well before the end of summer. You can be pretty sure that nothing will be on the schedule after Aug. 15″.

Costs (fitness area, spinning, rowing, aquagym, h.e.a.t. program, martial arts, locker & shower room): – Single Lesson: 6 Euro; – Day Pass: 15 Euro; – Month Pass: 70 Euro; – Full Time Pass, valid June 12th to August 12th 2007: 110 Euro. Via Tor di Quinto 55, Info: 06 99709865).

You can find here more up to date information about the Rome 2008 Gay Pride.

This article is about the 2007 Gay Pride only.
Are you looking for the Gay Pride 2008?
Read up to date information about the Rome 2008 Gay Pride in our new blog post.

———————————

Rome, June 14 – Rome’s annual Gay Pride parade was the cause of a fresh dispute in Premier Romano Prodi’s fractious centre-left coalition on Thursday.

The storm was triggered by a decision to grant the Saturday event sponsorship by the premier’s office.

The centre-right opposition headed by former premier Silvio Berlusconi was the first to contest the decision but the row soon spread to the governing coalition.

Staunch Catholics in Prodi’s nine-party alliance, which ranges from hard-leftists to centrists, demanded that the premier’s office withdraw its sponsorship.

The so-called Teodems (theological democrats) said the Gay Pride platform contained “points which cannot be considered legitimate”, such as gay marriage and adoption and assisted fertility rights for same-sex couples.

Equal Opportunities Minister Barbara Pollastrini sought to ease the row by saying that the sponsorship had in reality been granted by her department which in turn was overseen by the premier’s office.

“And my ministry’s sponsorship is not for the parade or its platform but for the cultural and sports events connected to Gay Pride which take place in the week before the march,” she added.

She denied that she was “backpedalling”, telling reporters that it was a matter of “correct information”. But her comments failed to appease the Teodems and other centrist Catholics in the alliance who are already upset over a government bill granting certain rights to cohabiting heterosexual and gay couples, which has been repeatedly criticised by the Catholic Church.

The UDEUR, a tiny centrist, Catholic party headed by Justice Minister Clemente Mastella, said Gay Pride risked turning into an “open contestation of the Church and Catholic values”.

It said that no government sponsorship had been granted to a recent Family Day demo in Rome which was promoted by Catholic organisations in favour of family values and drew hundreds of thousands of people to Rome.

The participation in Gay Pride of government party representatives and possibly ministers including Pollastrini – who said she would first consult with Prodi – set off further feuding.

Family Policy Minister Rosy Bindi said that “I agree with the right to demonstrate but not if you’re a minister because there is a huge difference between Gay Pride’s political manifesto and the government’s positions”.

But Environment Minister and Green party chief Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio, who is openly bisexual, said that “I believe support is good for a rally which is asking for greater secularism and condemns discrimination… Ministers in countries all around the world back initiatives against discrimination”.

The opposition, meanwhile, said the governing coalition was in a “state of chaos”.

“Here we go again – they can’t agree on anything. The only sensible thing to do would be to pull the plug on this government,” said Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party.

The rightist National Alliance demanded that Prodi report to parliament on the sponsorship issue, saying that Gay Pride represented a “full-frontal attack on the Catholic Church and traditional family values”.

Rome Gay Pride video

GAY GROUPS COMPLAIN OF DISCRIMINATION.

Meanwhile, gay and lesbian rights’ groups appealed for the broadest support possible for the Gay Pride parade, which is always a colourful, carnival-like event which attracts tens of thousands of people.

Top Italian gay rights’ association Arcigay said that “we need a really strong showing (on Saturday). A new season must open of democratic, liberal reforms which ensure equal rights and dignity for all people”.

“Despite the government’s pledges, the prospect of recognition for cohabiting couples is fading and discrimination (against gays) remains,” the group said.

Under the terms of the so-called DICO bill drawn up by Pollastrini and Bindi, cohabiting couples including same-sex ones would be able to register their union, obtaining certain financial and inheritance rights and ‘next of kin’ rights if their loved one is physically or mentally incapacitated or in hospital.

Prodi promised such a bill in his election programme.

But most of the opposition has taken the Church’s side while the governing coalition is divided, with Justice Minister Mastella one of the bill’s most vocal critics.

Prodi needs the full support of his coalition if the DICO is to pass the Senate where he holds only two more seats than the opposition.

Italy is one of the few countries in the European Union which does not recognise the rights of cohabiting couples.