RomaPolacchi

Starting August 21st, the Colosseum will be open for night tours (9:00 pm to midnight) until October 2nd. Tickets cost 15 Euros and reservations are a must. Be sure to request an English-speaking tour. For more information (only in Italian, unfortunately) go to pierreci.it or ask your hotel concierge to call the ticket office for you. The Baths of Caracalla will have a similar program through October 23rd.

Aida and Rigoletto are on the program this summer at the Baths of Caracalla. See the New York Time s for an update on the shows and a link to the ticket website. Operas have been performed at the Baths since the 1930s-a truly Roman way to spend an evening.

Nighttime is the most romantic time in Rome. The sounds of traffic are muted, the dusk hides any debris or graffiti that the harsh sunlight illuminates, the streetlights cast a warm glow over the cobblestones, and the busloads of tourists have gone back to their hotels. So what should you and your loved one do with yourselves? Well, after you have a romantic dinner there are a myriad of options. For music lovers, in summer you can head to the Baths of Caracalla for an outdoor opera performance. Aida is always a favorite! In other seasons, the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma always has something spectacular going on. If opera is not your preference, head to the Theater of Marcellus for classical music in the ruins of the ancient theater (through the end of September). While you are in the vicinity of the theater, be sure to take a stroll through the Jewish Ghetto -at night it is so charming. Don't miss the Fontana della Tartarughe in Piazza Mattei. Also near the theater is the...

Slightly removed from the hustle and bustle of the historic center are a group of four hotels, The Aventino San Anselmo Hotels on the Aventine Hill. All four hotels, Hotel San Anselmo , Hotel Villa San Pio , Hotel Aventino (pictured), and Hotel Villa San Lorenzo Maria (located close to Termini, Rome's train station) were once private residences and have all been redecorated and refurbished in a modern baroque style within the last ten years. Rates start at 120 Euros for a double room (low season) and each room has a private bath. The hotels all have beautiful gardens and public areas and are located within walking distance of the Colosseum, Baths of Caracalla, and the Circus Maximus. These properties are a bit off the beaten path, but in quiet surroundings that will make you forget that you are in the middle of the one of Europe's most hectic cities.

If you are interested in visting the Roman National Museum sites (Palazzo Massimo Museum and the Octagonal Room of the Baths of Diocletian), the Colosseum , the Palatine Hill , the Baths of Caracalla , the Tomb of Cecilia Metella and the Villa of the Quintilii, perhaps you should consider purchasing the Roma Archaeologia Card . The card will get you into all of the above-mentioned sites for 20 Euros. It saves you a few Euros and it will save you waiting in line at the Colosseum , which is worth paying any price! Buy the card at the entrance to the Palatine Hill (near the Forum Romanum ). If you don't plan on visiting all of the sites that the card covers, you can still avoid the long line at the Colosseum without purchasing the card. As luck would have it, the regular entrance fee to the Palatine Hill also includes entrance to the Colosseum .

Even the ancient Romans had trouble with the heat of Rome in summer. Part of their everyday routine was a visit to the baths to exercise, relax and socialize. There were several very prominent bath complexes located throughout the city, but none are as well-preserved as the Baths of Caracalla . The Baths were completed in 216 CE by 9,000 people working for 5 years under the emperor Caracalla. The grand scale of the arches and communal rooms inspired the architects of the New York firm McKim, Mead and White in their design of the original Penn Station. Today you can visit the Baths from 9:00 am until 1 hour before sunset (on Mondays 9:00 am until 2:00 pm). In the summertime, be sure to catch an outdoor opera performance. In June of 2008 the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma summer season will include George Bizet's Carmen.