Rome, Italy
Rome, the “Eternal City”, capital of Italy and the Catholic Church, is a modern, lively and fashionable city. According to legend, Romulus and Remus, twin sons of the War God – Mars and Rhea, a Vestal Virgin – were abandoned as babies and brought up by a She-Wolf. They grew up to lead a band of outlaws and adventurers before Romulus killed his brother and founded Rome in 753 B.C.
Rome’s history spans more than 2,700 years. It was the capital city of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, which was the dominant power in Western Europe and the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea for over seven hundred years from the 1st century BC until the 7th century AD. Since the 1st century AD Rome has been the seat of the Papacy and, after the end of Byzantine domination, in the 8th century it became the capital of the Papal States, which lasted until 1870. In 1871 Rome became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, and in 1946 that of the Italian Republic.
Roman expansion began in the days of the Republic, but the empire reached its greatest extent under Emperor Trajan: during his reign the Roman Empire controlled approximately 6.5 million km2 of land surface (~25.1 million square miles). Because of the Empire’s vast extent and long endurance, the institutions and culture of Rome had a profound and lasting influence on the development of language, religion, architecture, philosophy, law, and forms of government in the territory it governed, particularly Europe, and by means of European expansionism throughout the modern world.
For almost a thousand years, Rome was the most politically important, richest, and largest city in the Western world. After the Empire started to decline and was split, it lost its capital status to Milan and then to Ravenna, and was surpassed in prestige by the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, Constantinople (now Istanbul), whose Greek inhabitants continued through the centuries to call themselves Roman.
Romans were great builders. Many historical sites all over Europe, not just in Italy, were built by the Romans. They built many roads too, hence the saying “All roads lead to Rome.”
They were extremely smart. Their language served as the basis for many western languages later on. They built central heating system (proofs can be seen in Ephesus). They designed and constructed aqueduct and drainage systems. They brought clean water to their people, which in turn prevented many diseases caused by consuming contaminated water. That was one of the main reasons why they were such a successful empire. They believed in the balance of Body, Mind and Spirit. Hence, they exercised, they took good care of themselves, they bathed regularly, they read, they came up with many games and forms of entertainment; they really knew how to enjoy life. In fact, they were the one who invented the saunas. Bath houses during Roman time could accommodate hundreds of people, and had cold and hot water. Until today, the citizens of Rome enjoy a relaxed way of life, and live and love life to the fullest. It is believed locally that on the last day of the world, the Romans will throw a great farewell party, a gastronomic feast with wine flowing from the city’s many fountains – “La Dolce Vita!”
Feel free to drop your comments about your own experience in Rome or ask me any question. I’ll try my best to answer them. And like always, we took tons of pictures. We can send them to you if you like.
To read about some of the main attractions Rome has to offer, such as the Pantheon, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona & the Spanish Steps, visit http://iventurous.com/rottieto2001/2011/08/30/28/. The article on the famous Colosseum and the tour to its underground as well as third level can be found here, http://iventurous.com/rottieto2001/2012/02/10/the-colosseum-underground-and-third-tier-tour/
Comments
Got something to say?