Roma by Night

Roma by Night meet RomaDiscoNight in AKAB

2006-01-18T14:27:00.000+01:00

The first time we went to AKAB was in early December and since then one of the best posts about one of the best discos in Roma was missing. On Friday 13th January we went there again. The place was crowded and (as usual) loads of men at the entrance, including us. Hero had the great idea to ask to get in together with the next female couple that appeared. Against all odds, the girls (Francesca and Claudia) were very nice, educated and had already been to Portugal :) Furthermore, they belong to a group of friends who organize all kinds of party events in Roma. We waited for the whole team to arrive before getting in.

The group is called RomaDiscoNight and I remember to read about it when I was preparing to move into Roma. Contrary to posh event-organising groups they all are simply fun, relaxed and naturally behaving people. Today I saw the photos on RomaDiscoNight and Claudio (the photographer) got to shot everyone that was in the lower floor in a representative way. The beautiful women are all in the photos. Nice work Claudio, next time check also the upper floor ;)

About AKAB, I think it is one of the best discos where I've been in Roma. There you find good DJs, good music, good balance between the number of men and women. People seem to be always partying hard. The disco has two floors plus a big tent in front of the house. Last Friday only the tent and the first floor were open. In December everything was open but the upper floor was reserved for VIP. The music is mainly commercial house/dance and it's divided by age. We heard the latest from Madonna, Mylo and Martin Solveig on the upper floor. We heard Praise Cats and older songs at the tent. The only turn-off, from my point of view, is to have an animator speaking on top of the songs that are playing as if you were listening to the Radio. If I wanted to listen to the Radio I would have stayed in the car. Please, can somebody stop this in Discos?

AKAB - Via di Monte Testaccio 69 (nice number :P)

Roma by Night - Not just about the penguin

2006-01-05T01:20:00.000+01:00

Now here comes a novelty: we are writing this at the place it's about. That's right, we are at the very famous Linux Club Italia in Roma. Earlier in the evening we attended a session of some of the worst karaoke ever at another place called Funnel Pub (via Ostiense 137), with Italian songs that probably were contestants at one time or another in the Eurovision Song Contest. All this while enjoying our meal and trying to talk, which proved very difficult given the quality and loudness of the singing. Crying our hearts out because we didn't get a chance to speak to the awesome waitress (a very well preserved 30+), we then decided to go to Via Libetta, 15 to experience our second new concept of the night.

At the entrance we were asked for a member card which we didn't have. It cost 5 Euro and since you can't do anything in this city for less than that, we went for it and we are now proud members of the Linux Club Italia.

Inside, well, it looks like a mixture between the Matrix ship - including movable screens hanging down from the ceiling -, our University computer room, your average bar and a central round DJ area surrounded by sofas and, of course, the dance floor. Or at least, a place where people dance.

95% of the people are dressing in black, they have leather pants, leather jackets and probably leather underwear. In the t-shirts passing by you can find bands like Alien Sex Fiend and Joy Division. We know many friends who would love this place. The sound reminds the alternative avant-garde goth scene of the 80's and 90's. Somewhere near us was someone similar to Robert Smith (from The Cure) and another one from a band which could be Moonspell.

Throughout the place there are 5 machines one can use to access the Internet and apparently they all have different Linux distros. We have found RedHat, Gentoo and Debian so far. Other than the several small hanging screens, there is also a projector constantly showing some kind of hardcore concert.

Now about girls...herein we find italian punk and gothic girls. Most of them so far have a pretty face and one reminds us Kate Moss (punk version). I personally enjoyed the girl at the entrance and the one at the bar. There was also a blond who danced a bit but we lost the trace on her after a spontaneous idea of approaching a RedHat 4.0 Linux to do a telnet to towel.blinkenlights.nl and watch Star Wars ASCII version.
Looks like we're geeks after all %-) !!

We have to go now... they're playing Ministry :P

Abbey Theatre, Via del Governo Vecchio 51

2005-11-21T10:52:00.000+01:00

Hello man (I'm talking to the guy that reads this)!

The Abbey Theatre is my favorite Roman (Irish) Pub. It is the other place where I usually go for Pub Quizzes, but I have also been there just for a beer or a quick meal followed by some chit-chatting.

It is a very cozy place. Yes, this means that it is not huge, but you would be amazed to see the amount of people you can fit in there. I have seen it very, very crowded, and not only in Pub Quiz night. It is mostly frequented by international crowds, although lots of Italians go there too, especially on football nights, for a Juve-Milan derby or something.

Some of my biggest and best friendships have either started or developed there. A pack of 4+ people around a tiny round or sturdy square, big and diner-like table drinking their Lagers or Blacks is definitely my preferred social gathering :) Either with long-time friends or people you have just met (and this is as literal as it comes), the Abbey Theatre offers you a somewhat dark but very comfortable atmosphere, emphasized by the Irish National Theatre inspired or even copied decorations.

Offering a wide array of food choices, you can easily dine or lunch there if you want a quicker, convenient and relatively cheap meal. It can be accompanied by one of a huge selection of beers, with Guinness at the top of the list. In the end, be it in one of the tables at the back, or in one of the narrow corridors by the counter, you can also go for an Irish or not-so-Irish spirit.

Oh, and if you are into sports, they show Rugby, English and Italian soccer and most American sports. It's one of the top places to be if anything's happening in the sporting world!

In between Piazza Navona and the Vatican, find their web-page at http://www.abbey-rome.com

Better than Halloween pumpkins

2005-11-04T11:54:00.000+01:00

Ciao a tutti!

A bit later this week but finally the so expected post of my Halloween evening....I went to a Disco called Distillerie Clandestine. I had to wait a lot to get in because the Gorillas at the door said so. I'm not used to waiting for getting into a disco. I really believe that these security services with intercomm apparel are bullshit and don't do a good job. They look professional but they're not simply because if 50 friend guys show up they all get in. Doesn't follow any particular order besides what goes inside the Gorillas brain. But hey, who follows patterns in the void?

Anyway, the disco is divided in two rooms. The main one has a more reserved space with tables and the other one is simply dark and with music pumping. The purpose of the disco is to resemble a Gangster's bar in the 30's but I couldn't check that out with all the Halloween decoration. The main room offers commercial music like Madonna and other pop icons. The other room has House/R&B/Hip-Hop music. One curious thing (and this is probably the clandestine part of the distillery) is that in the dark room everybody is smoking, although is forbidden here in Italy. Probably there is some other room for drugs but is pure speculation.

The female environment is above average and I really recommend it. But just in front of the disco there is a wooden bar where I went first for a beer and is very nice also. I think it is a much better place to meet girls than inside the disco, but we still have to develop a proof of concept for that.

I met two people from the bar as well as some other people in a group (4 blonds is a group, right?). The night ended at 6:30 in some cafe near via Aurelia, drinking white milk and eating chocolate croissants. That was fun!

Distillerie Clandestine di Roma - Via Libetta,13 Roma ( Zona Ostiense)

Druid's Den, Via San Martino Ai Monti, 28

2005-10-27T15:02:00.000+02:00

Hi there! This is my first post and it is to tell you about an Irish Pub called "Druid's Den", in Via San Martino Ai Monti, 28, near Santa Maria Maggiore.

I've been there a few times now, some to see football matches and others to participate in one of my favourite Roman night activities: Pub Quizzes!!!

I love the ever-international atmosphere and especially the friendliness of the management and waiters. You can't eat anything substantial there, but drinking is another story altogether. They have a wide array of choices, with emphasis on beer, especially of course, Guiness and Kilkenny.

The Pub Quizzes held there are usually so thanks to Julius and Richard, two Irishmen living in Rome, and the sponsorship by the Irish embassy in Rome and/or the Irish Club of Rome (incidentally, the Irish Club was my entrance door to this world, via an Irish friend at work). There are spot prizes (e.g. for best team name, for best dressed team)and prizes for the first few placed teams (and also for those coming in last :)). If you like trivia, spending time drinking and having fun with friends or people you've just known, understand English and like widely international crowds, Pub Quizzes are definitely your thing. Questions vary somewhat, but you can usually count on 8 to 10 rounds, each with a theme. They go from sports, history, geography, science, technology, nature or stuff currently in the news to special rounds like the music or movie round where you have to identify a work by listening, watching or reading a small part of it. Sometimes you will have to identify somebody through their picture, other times you will even have wine tasting or cheese tasting rounds!

Pub Quizzes are played in teams of 5 and you pay 15 Euros per team. At the Druid's Den, they usually hold them in the back part of the pub, leaving the main entrance to the "normal" pub activity. In this area they have two TV screens always in one or another sports channel. On Champions League night you can always catch two matches while having a pint!

They have a webpage at http://www.druidspubrome.com/druids_den_rome_welcome.htm

Happy Feet on Roman Discos

2005-10-24T14:27:00.000+02:00

After several attempts to find accurate and useful information about the city of Roma and it's nightlife, we've decided to create this blog. We hope to include complete information about Roman discos and bars based on our experience and perception.