This Weekend in Rome: May 11-13

Friday: Based on the bright blue sky I can see from my office window right now, I’m gonna go ahead and affirm my belief that this is going to be a pretty photogenic weekend.  For some inspiration from the masters, check out two awesome photography exhibits opening today. MEMORANDUM, at the Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione in Trastevere, is the Roman installment of a traveling show sponsored by our friends at MiBAC to highlight historical photos drawn from both personal and public archives, and featuring a look at Italy from the mid-18th Century through the 1970’s.  No ticket price is listed, so I’ll go ahead and assume it’s free. The ICCD is open daily from 10-6.   Fotografia in Collezione at MACRO (main location on Via Nizza) is a collection of 35 commissioned works of Rome – it’s an annual exhibition intended to connect modern artists with the vast history of Rome. MACRO is open Tuesday-Sunday, and tickets are 8.50.

Saturday: This is it. The day you’ve been waiting for all year. You probably even traveled from halfway across the globe to be here for it. That’s right. Saturday afternoon, starting at 4, at the Teatro Italia, it’s the WORLD HIP-HOP DANCE CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!! For just 15 euro you can Italy’s best dance crews battle it out.  Or you can go up to the Foro Italico and check out the start of one of professional tennis’s main events – the BNL Internazionali (aka the Italian Open).  I’ll probably try and squeeze in both.  Oh, and friend of Young in Rome, Pietro the Aspiring Notary, and his band TESTAINTASCA are rocking it hardcore tomorrow night at Big Bang in Testaccio.  Check it.

Sunday: Sundays are market days here in Rome. If you’ve never been to the famous Porta Portese, head down there on Sunday morning to check out street after street of vendors.  You can either enter at the Porta Portese gate on the Lungotevere, or inland at Piazza Ippolito Nievo, off of Viale Trastevere. Either way, keep your eyes peeled for vintage clothing and household finds, and keep your wallet close to avoid pickpockets. If you like your shopping with a soundtrack, Circolo degli Artisti is hosting a vintage market and DJ set on Sunday evening, starting at 5pm.  Also, the National Geographic photography show “The Meaning of Life. Love, Work, Peace and Health” closes today after a two month run at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni.  It’s a rather small show in the basement of the building, but is an excellent collection of some stunning and moving photographs from the pages of National Geographic, centered around the ideas of love, work, peace, and health as they pertain to some of the major historical events of the late 20th and early 21st century.