Rome : Nightlife in Rome

Gilda is the place to spot famous Italian actors and politicians. The sophisticated nightspot near the Spanish Steps has a piano bar as well as a restaurant and dance floors with live and disco music. Showbiz and sports personalities have no trouble getting past the doorman at Jackie O', but common mortals are advised to call in advance; this glamorous place is often taken over for PR events. There's a restaurant, piano bar, and disco, all dressy. The piano bar is open daily. The disco is closed from Sunday and Monday. In the Trieste district and one of Rome's first discos, Piper is still happening, and draws a young clientele. It has dance music, live groups, pop videos, and a dance floor surrounded by many intimate seating areas. Suite is an amazing reproduction of a luxurious, futuristic hotel suite decorated in neutral tones with warm lighting effects. Wednesday is Studio 54 night - and has a '70s and '80s theme. Sushi is available in the private lounge. Caffe Latino attracts a thirty-ish crowd. Dancing, an occasional live music performance, and a separate music-video room and baifEdoaixio II - a former gay music-bar turned gay-and-lesbian restaurant and cabaret. Different tiSeme nights include a Spanish night on Wednesday, and striptease night on Friday. Live music is also offered .

Music Bars

Alexanderplatz near the Vatican, is Rome's most important live jazz and blues club. It has both a bar and a restaurant. Big Mama is a small club with bar and is a Roman institution for live music, including jazz, blues, rhythm and blues, African, and rock. Classico Village is a multicultural space in a converted factory near the Ostiense train station, hosts an eclectic mix of theatre and performance art as well as live electronic and ethnic dance music. II Locale - this little club is normally jammed with a lively, young, genuinely music-loving crowd that likes to listen to what's new in rock from both sides of the Atlantic, live or recorded. La Palma -this out of the way club is synonymous with quality, the newest and most interesting in jazz and ethnic sounds.

Theatre, Dance And Opera

Theatrical performances are popular. The English Theatre of Rome mounts original plays in English once a week at Arte del Teatro. English productions can also be seen at the India theatre. Rome is regularly visited by ballet and contemporary dance companies from all over the world; performances are at Teatro dell'Opera, Teatro Olimpico, or at one of the open-air venues in summer such as the gardens of the Museo Nazionale degli Strumenti Musicali. Rome's opera season runs from November or December to May, and most performances are staged in the Teatro dell'Opera. The city's Olympic Stadium has also been summer opera's home in recent years, and temporary venues such as the Piazza del Popolo have also been used.