When in Rome...

Subject: When in Rome...
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 10 Jun 07 - 06:59 PM

I am just back home from a two-week trip to Italy. While there, I was always on the lookout for traditional music, which I admit is hard to find. (Our guide books didn't mention it at all.) I asked at the hotel desk, and the clerk, though polite, was completely flummoxed.

Then we decided to join a guide for our tour of the Vatican Museum, and it turned out she was a trained singer. We asked her where to find traditional music, and this is what she told us:

Go to a newagent's and buy a magazine called Roma Che (1 euro). Look in the calendar for world, ethnic and international music. We did this and found a wonderful harp concert that very evening. What joy it was to hear beautiful music from Ireland, South America and Italy in a friendly, uncrowded setting.

I didn't ask, but there may be a magazine like that for each major city. So for Mudcatters who are travelling, this is another method for locating that hard-to-find traditional music.

Subject: RE: When in Rome...
From: Gulliver
Date: 10 Jun 07 - 07:24 PM

There are (or used to be, a few years ago) at least 4 "Irish" pubs in Rome with traditional music. The best of these, IMHO, were the Druid's Den and the Fiddler's Elbow, both near Santa Maria Maggiore church, not far from Termini. When I was living in Naples we travelled up every Thursday for the Druid's Den session. There were on average 10-12 musicians there every week, including two harpists, playing Irish music, of which I was the only Irish person. The Rome musicians used to meet in other places in Rome, and played not only Irish but also Neapolitan and Italian folk music, but living in Naples I wasn't able to get to their other sessions. There were two restaurants on the other side of Termini that had Ethiopean or Eritrean music, which were patronised by Somalis, who in turn knew of other places with similar music.

Subject: RE: When in Rome...
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 10 Jun 07 - 11:13 PM

Thanks, Gulliver. Future travellers will thank you.