Not far from the apartment is Piazza Barberini, where you’ll be treated to not one, but two fountains by Bernini. In the center of the piazza is the Tritone (which gives its name to the major street running down from the piazza).

We recently headed there for a good, old fashioned blockbuster movie. To see movies in English, look for a movie in “V.O.,” meaning original version (versione originale) — the local language will be in subtitles. Cinema Barberini usually has a decent number of V.O. movies, I assume because of its location. Since we were in Rome, we felt compelled to choose Gladiator II, which had just come out in Europe. We booked our tickets for an evening show online for €10 each. The only difficulty was the system needed an Italian credit card — it rejected our U.S. credit card. But you can buy tickets in person at the theater. We also reserved our seats — a loveseat built for two. Later that evening, we went to the movies.

On the far right sits a little cafe bar.

We picked up a small soda (€3) and a water (€2.50). Prices for all concessions reasonable, at least as compared to U.S. theaters.

 

We showed our tickets on our phone, and were directed up the stairs to our theater. Along the way we caught a glimpse of the restaurant. It had white tablecloths and a massive chandelier.

The theater was attractive and very clean. The front row seats had cute little matching footrests. We easily found our loveseat and settled in comfortably.

The only real difference in going to the movies in Rome, versus the U.S., was the commercials. Here, it’s much more like watching television with ads for things like shaving cream.  Also in contrast to what I’ve see in the U.S., I have never witnessed a rowdy or loud movie-goer in Rome. The Italian movie-going culture is a polite one.

The movie started right on time. The picture quality was great, as well as the sound — well balanced with clear talk. Gladiator II was fun on the big screen. The historical inaccuracies were bad enough to be funny: Ancient Romans reading the daily paper! Sharks swimming in the Colosseum! Nevertheless, the evening was all fun, and we were happy to be supporting our local theater.

Rome has reportedly lost over 100 movie theaters in the last few years. When I was a kid, we typically went to the most incredible movie theater in Rome, the Cinema Pasquino, in Trastevere. It showed English-language films, and they split every movie with an intermission. Pasquino had a retractable ceiling that opened up during the intermission, I assumed to let the cigarette smoke clear out. After that, it was movies under the stars! I’m showing my age, but I clearly remember, for the longest time, they had a poster of A Star is Born and one of Gone with the Wind. I saw Star Wars, Piranha, and The Spy Who Loved Me there when they opened. It broke my heart (and the hearts of many others) when it closed in the 1990’s. But the fond memories of going to the movies in Rome remain.

 UPDATE: Another Roman cinema is being saved, and will re-open in a few years! https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/romes-fiamma-cinema-to-reopen-after-8-years.html