Roman Portraits
By the 3rd Century (AD), the were two populations in Rome, the living and the immortalized statue. Glorified bodies were created in advance and heads were added when a patron …
April in Rome
Aprilis (April) was originally the second month. The calendar (from the ancient Latin Kalendae), supposedly introduced by Romulus when he founded Rome in 753 BC, consisted of 10 months in …
Athens in the Roman Empire
The statue of Athena upon the Acropolis suddenly turned to the west and spit blood. – Cassius Dio (AD155-235) In 87 BC, during the 1st of the Mithridatic Wars of Rome vs …
Ancient water and the Park of the Aqueducts
Rome was founded in 753 BC along the banks of the Tiber River. 400 years later the Tiber was so polluted, the city needed to find a new water supply. …
The most beautiful Piazza in Rome
Architects of the Renaissance created the concept of the Piazza in the 15th century, a redesign of the urban landscape into marketplaces and public spaces surrounded by buildings. Piazze (or …
Vicus Scelerata and the Evil Steps
A foreign visitor stopped me on the via Cavour and with two words he asked one of the most frequent tourist questions in Rome’s Monti District. “Saint Peters?” He phrased …
The Walls and Gates of Rome
The Walls of Rome The Servian Walls If you’re arriving to Rome’s 1930’s Termini Train Station, look to the right as you walk out the front of the station into …
The (not so Spanish) Spanish Steps
Oh the streets of Rome are filled with rubble Ancient footprints are everywhere You can almost think you’re seeing double On a cold, dark night on the Spanish Stairs …
Mussolini’s Architectural Legacy in Rome
Rome is a very old city, by most estimates, over 2800 years old. You can literally wander from the 8th century BC to the 21st century in a day’s walk. The …
Christmas in Rome
Christmas or Saturnalia? In 336, the Roman Emperor Constantine inserted a celebration of Jesus Christ into the fun and frolic of the Saturnalia, a festival dedicated to Saturn held annually …
September in Rome – 2015
When the ancient Roman year began in March, at the time of the Vernal Equinox, September was the 7th month. Septum is Latin for 7. A lot has changed over …
Secrets of the Castel Sant’Angelo
At age 59, the Emperor Hadrian returned to Rome and began work on his legacy. He spent most of his life traveling to the extents of the Empire, through Africa, …
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