Gifts and Pressies

Several people have asked us what to do about the gift registry for our wedding. Apparently we were supposed to put something discreet in with the invitations, but didn't. A rookie mistake!

Therefore, here is some information. Please don't take it as a hint or a prompt!

As we have people coming from around the world, we've set up several different options for our international guests:

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1) For people coming from the UK:

- John Lewis vouchers
(Nice and simple, and light to carry on the plane - though I wouldn't trust international post with them. As you may know, we're moving to the UK next year, so these would be invaluable in helping us to set up home.)

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2) For anybody in the world:

- Kitchen Items gift registry at Leone Limentani in Rome
- view here: http://www.limentani.com/liste/form-eng.php
- It's possible to purchase items on this list by credit card online, and they'll be delivered directly to us.

You'll need the following details: Bridegroom surname: REDMAN; Bride surname: MELIDEO; Date: September 18, 2010.

This list covers the plates, cutlery, frying pans and pepper grinders that form the bedrock on which (I'm told) a happy marriage is built.

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3) For anybody in the world:

- Registry for our Sicilian honeymoon.
We've arranged with Tiuk travel to handle our honeymoon in Sicily. They've broken it down into bitesize pieces, so that people can buy us one night in a hotel in Siracusa, or the cost of a dinner in Palermo.

Petulia will be forwarding the breakdown and payment information for this shortly.

Contact details for Tiuk Travel are:

Contact: Giuliano
Tel (+39) 064815464
email: giuliano@tiuktravel.it

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If you have any problems or questions about any of these, just ask!

Place and Time

Here are details for the location of the ceremony and the party:

At 9:30AM we will get married with a brief ceremony at one of the locations of city hall.

The ceremony will be quite short, so if you cannot make it don't worry! We don't expect everyone to be up and about at 9AM. Anyway, if you want to come, we will be excited to share this moment with you, so here is the details:

9:15 Via di Valle Delle Camene c/o Santa Maria in Tempulo (Complesso Vignola Mattei)

This is just in front of the Baths of Caracalla. Here is a picture of the place, so you can recognize it!

The party will take place starting at 6PM. This will be at Casale Torre Sant'Anastasia. The casale is located just off via Ardeatina. We are going to organize a taxi service for those of you without a ride, but in the meantime, if you want to take a look at the location, I am including a map and link to the site.

Cannot wait to see you all!

Where to Stay

Rome offers a wide variety of accommodations, from luxury hotels to B&B and apartment rentals. I have included a couple below, based on the places I know and like. Some have been very kind and have offered a special 10% discount for guests attending the wedding. So just mention the wedding when booking, or contact me.


Dolce Roma Apartments
Natalia rents out some really lovely apartment scattered in the center of Rome. I would suggest staying in any of them, except for the 04 which is in the Vatican area, a little out of the way.
You are entitled to a 10% discount.

Hotel Duca D'Alba
Located in the lovely Monti neighborhood, this 4 star hotel is very quaint and very reasonably priced for a 4 star hotel. This hotel is literally 3 minutes away from my office, from lots of cafes and from the colosseum.
You are entitled to a special rate of 185 Euro/ night

Antica Locanda
Same area as the Duca D'Alba, this is more of a B&B than a hotel. The owners of this hotel also own a cafe where we always go, so we know them well.
They offered us a special rate of 120 euro/night for you.

Unfortunately the Nicolas Inn booked up in the last 48 hours, I hope you had not set your heart on it!





Below is a list of other hotels I like. If you have questions of want to personalized suggestion, drop me a line or a comment:

Grand Hotel La Minerve: expensive and beautiful, with a great location right behind the Pantheon. This hotel also has a great roof terrace bar

Casa Howard: I had the chance to meet the owners once, and immediately I realized the genius behind the place. Each room is different, and each one is beautiful. Here you will feel like a noble living in your own Roman palazzo.

Hotel Locarno: hip and at the same time quietly old school. Right by Piazza del popolo. I like the fact that they have bycicles available for guests to use.

Ferragamo Portrait Suites: only 14 rooms (or a few more) but each one "dressed to the nines" in full Ferragamo syle. This boutique (literally) hotel is right by the shop in via Condotti: shop and sleep. The concierce service here is incredible and so is the rooftop with American bar.

Hotel Il Grifo: In the heart of Monti, small old school hotel. The location is great, the staff friendly and in general the feel of it is good.

The Beehive: perfect if you are on a budget. It reinvents the whole concept of hostel and budget hotel making you forget of all you bad back packing experience. The owners are Americans living in Rome and they have made their budget hotel a little oasis in the area around the station.

Getting here- Flights and Airports

If you are flying into Rome, your best best will be to fly into Fiumicino- Leonardo Da Vinci Airport. This is the main airport in Rome, the best connected and the one where the main airlines come in.
The other airport is Ciampino. This is where some of the low cost airlines come in (Ryan Air, Easy Jet, Wizz Air).
Alternatively, if you are coming from other parts of Italy, you can take a train into Rome and arrive at the central station called Termini.

If you are looking for flights into Rome, you can take a look at Kayak and Opodo, Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline
For trains, the official website for the National Rail is: trenitalia.
Trenitalia does not accept US credit cards, so if you have an American card, you may need to go to a travel agent or use other agent like sites.

From the airport (Fiumicino), you can come into the city using a taxi, a hired car with chauffeur or the local train. Taxis can be a bit tricky, so I would recommend using this taxi company as they are reliable and friendly. Once you get out of customs,you can book their car by calling +39 0655282892. Their car will pick you up by the departure gate of Terminal B.

If you want a chauffeured car, you can book one of our car services here. If you have problems with the website, just send me an email and I will book the car for you

Finally the train option is very easy. Tickets are Euro 8.50 per person or 11 per person depending on weather you get the faster train (Leonardo Express) or the slow train. Just follow directions for rail and you will find yourself at the airport train station. Here you can purchase the ticket for the train and just hop on whichever train you prefer (slow or fast). The fast train goes directly to the Termini Station. The Slow train does NOT go to Termini but stops at the Ostiense Station. From either one of these stations you can take a cab to your hotel or walk. Depending on where you are staying.

For more resources:
Rome File (tourist information)
Context Travel (for tours and cars)
City of Rome Tourist Board

Useful Information

Dear All,

Since many of you will be coming from abroad, we thought you would enjoy some useful information on how to get to Rome, how to get from the airport to the city, where to stay, what to do, etc etc..
So here we go below