ROME

It is a city, it is a dream, it is a memory of seemingly limitless and endless power. It is the story itself. Define the word “empire.” The Eternal City. Rome. Rome.

One of the guides claims that one can turn any corner of Rome and come across “something beautiful and unexpected that was placed there centuries ago, apparently in the most casual way.” This is not hyperbole, it is literally true.

Legend has it that if you throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain, in the heart of the city, one day you will return. The fact that the bottom of the fountain is covered every day with coins shows that visitors hope to return to this place that represents much of the past of civilization. Only the countries of the New World have a history that was not directly shaped by the people of this city. But even most of the inhabitants of the Americas came from countries that, themselves, bore the indelible stamp of the Roman Empire, which for centuries ruled most of the then-known world.

Early Rome was a republic ruled by Gaius Julius Caesar, who was assassinated in 44 BC. After ten years of civil war and political chaos, his heir, who came to be known as Caesar Augustus, established the monarchy, which brought the Empire two hundred years of prosperity and the Pax Romana (Roman Peace). Rome ruled supreme over most of what we now know as Europe and it was said that a Roman citizen could travel anywhere without being in danger; no one would dare to harm him. Because of this, people from the outlying provinces converged on the city to become politicians, military men, and artisans, but mostly to simply become Roman citizens. Rome quickly became the center of art, culture and economy for the entire Mediterranean world. Although the empire collapsed centuries ago, the mystique of Rome has hardly diminished today. Built on the famous seven hills, the city has lived up to the legend that “all roads lead to Rome”. As the guides state, it is impossible to turn a corner without finding a building, a ruin or a monument, which is like a living postcard.

Then, of course, there is Vatican City, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Vatican Museum, which houses the Sistine Chapel in its interior complex. Although it is clearly a separate entity and not part of city life, that alone would attract thousands of visitors no matter where you are. Michelangelo’s Pietà, the famous statue of Mary holding the body of Jesus, just inside the entrance of Saint Peter, is one of thousands of works of art in the city that make it hard to believe that these timeless masterpieces are actually there , in flesh and blood, so to speak, for ordinary people to see, if not touch.

Besides the Vatican, three of the most visited places in the city are the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain and the ruins of the Forum.

Stroll down Corso, one of the busiest streets in the city, pass dozens of clothing and art stores, follow the crowd to what feels like the heart of Rome, and you will come across the magnificent statues of the Fontana di Trevi. Bernini started the work, it was continued by Pietro de Cortona and finished a hundred years later, by Nicola Salvi. The fountain depicts Neptune as the King of the Sea looking at his subjects from a chariot pulled by galloping and plummeting seahorses.

At 85 feet high and 65 feet wide, Trevi is the largest of Rome’s many fountains. Most of these fountains were built to mark the end of the aqueducts, which carried pure water to Rome. Today the fountain has modern pumps and the water is oxidized to keep it cool.

Although some of today’s Romans will disdain the Trevi because it was made famous by an American movie (Three Coins in the Fountain), most are proud of it, as groups of schoolchildren gathered around the teachers giving can attest. conferences at the base. from the fountain on any spring day.

Perhaps an even more famous and familiar site to people from all over the world is the Colosseum. This magnificent ruin has been reproduced so frequently and in so many different mediums that it is surprising to find it while strolling along Via Imperiali, the wide avenue that runs through the city and leads to most of the main attractions. Suddenly there it is, just as you have seen it hundreds of times. Despite its ruined state, there is a strange thrill to standing where so many fought and died, where the lives of Christians and gladiators were saved or extinguished at the whim of an emperor or an audience.

During the day there are always many tourists waiting to enter the Colosseum and use the audio tour equipment. But return at night and it is possible to feel the ghosts of those who witnessed, or experienced, glory or violent death, strolling through the ruined hallways.

Between the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain, on the Via Imperiali, it is impossible to walk through what remains of the Roman Forum without entering the “grounds” and invoking the memory of the feet that walked there so long ago and the events that took place. place that still impacts many cultures.

The Forum, if not the geographical center of Rome, was the center of art, religion, politics and economics. In other words, all the things that made Rome whatever it was. He held this position since at least the year 7 a. Until the year 4 d. C.

The Roman hills, especially the Palantine and the Capitoline, surround the small valley that contains the remains of the Forum. There the Senate met and all the important public meetings were held there. Because of this, it was once filled with countless statues and monuments honoring public officials. The temples and the basilica honoring the gods were everywhere.

Naturally, the importance of the Forum as a symbolic and real seat of Roman power meant that when there were political struggles, they took place and, as a result, many buildings and monuments suffered damage over the years. It was not until the 20th century that full and systematic excavation of the area took place and it is now possible to see enough ancient structures, whether original or restored, to appreciate the glory that was once the Roman Forum.

These are just some of the sights that can be enjoyed in Rome. We have not talked about the beautiful Spanish Steps, the perfect architecture of the Pantheon, the Church of the Holy Cross with the tombs of Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Donatello, Macchievelli, Dante, Marconi, Fermi and Galileo and so on. The churches that are not even mentioned in the guides contain incredible frescoes and of course, everywhere is the work of Michelangelo.

It would be impossible to see it all in one trip, so if you go to Rome be sure to toss a coin in the Trevi, thus ensuring your return. The Eternal City will be waiting for you.