Author: Misty Jones
ROME
It is a city, it is a dream, it is a memory of seemingly
unlimited and unending power. It is history itself. It defines
the word "empire." The Eternal City. Roma. Rome.
One of the guidebooks claims that one can turn any corner in
Rome and run into "something beautiful and unexpected that was
placed there centuries ago, apparently in the most casual
fashion." This is not hyperbole, it is literally true.
The legend is that if you throw a coin into the Trevi fountain,
in the heart of the city, you will someday return. The fact that
the bottom of the fountain is each day covered anew with coins
demonstrates that visitors hope to come back to this place that
represents so much of civilization's past. Only the New World
countries 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, which, 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 over by Gaius Julius Caesar, who
was assassinated in 44 B.C.E. After ten years of civil war and
political chaos his heir, who came to be known as Caesar
Augustus, established the monarchy, which brought in 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 harm him.
Because of this, people from the outlying provinces converged on
the city to become politicians, military personnel and artisans
- but mostly to become simply Roman citizens. Rome quickly
became the center of art, culture and economy in the entire
Mediterranean world. Although the empire crumbled 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 guidebooks claim, it is
impossible to turn a corner without encountering a building or
ruin or monument, which is like a living postcard.
Then, of course, there is Vatican City, St. Peter's Basilica and
the Vatican Museum, which houses in its complex interior the
Sistine Chapel. Although it is clearly a separate entity and not
part of the city life, that alone would attract thousands of
visitors no matter where it was located. Michelangelo's Pieta,
the famous statue of Mary holding the body of Jesus, right
inside the entrance to St. Peter's, is one of the thousands of
works of art in the city that make it hard to believe that these
eternal masterpieces are really there, in flesh and blood so to
speak, for ordinary people to see, if not touch.
Besides the Vatican, three of the most-visited landmarks in the
city are the Coliseum, the Trevi Fountain and the ruins of the
Forum.
Take a walk down the Corso, one of the busiest streets in the
city, past dozens of clothing and art shops, follow the crowd to
what feels like the very heart of Rome and you will come across
the magnificent statuary of the Trevi Fountain. Bernini began
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 down on his subjects from
a chariot pulled by galloping and plummeting sea horses.
At 85 feet high and 65 feet wide, Trevi is the largest of the
many fountains of Rome. Most of these fountains were built to
mark the terminus of the aqueducts, which carried pure water to
Rome. Today the fountain has modern pumps and the water is
oxidized to keep it fresh.
Although some of today's Romans will outwardly scorn the Trevi
because it was made famous by an American movie (Three Coins in
the Fountain) most are proud of it, as can be attested to by the
groups of school children gathered around teachers lecturing at
the base of the fountain on any spring day.
Perhaps even more famous and familiar a site to people all over
the world is the Coliseum. This magnificent ruin has been
reproduced so often and in so many different media that it is
startling to come upon it while strolling down the Via
Imperiali, the wide avenue that cuts through the city and takes
one to most of the major attractions. Suddenly there it is, just
as you have seen it hundreds of times. In spite of its ruined
condition there is a strange thrill in standing where so many
fought and died - where the lives of Christians and gladiators
were saved or snuffed out at the whim of an emperor or an
audience.
During the day there are always many tourists waiting to get
inside the Coliseum and use the audio tour equipment. But come
back at night and it is possible to feel the ghosts of those who
witnessed, or experienced, either glory or violent death,
strolling the ruined aisles.
Between the Coliseum and the Trevi Fountain, on the Via
Imperiali, it is impossible to walk by what is left of the Roman
Forum without going onto the "grounds" and invoking the memories
of the feet that walked there so long ago and the events that
took place which still impact many cultures.
The Forum, if not the geographic center of Rome, was the center
of art, religion, politics and economics. In other words, all of
the things that made Rome was it was. It held this position from
at least 7 BCE to 4 CE.
The hills of Roman - most notably the Palantine and the
Capitoline-surround the small valley that contains the remains
of the Forum. The Senate met there and all important public
meetings were held there. Because of this it was once crowded
with innumerable statues and monuments honoring public
officials. Temples and basilica honoring the gods were
everywhere.
Quite naturally, the importance of the Forum as the symbolic,
and actual, seat of Roman power meant that when there were
political fights this is where they took place and as a result
many buildings and monuments were damaged 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 view enough of
the ancient structures, whether original or restored, to
appreciate the glory that once was the Roman Forum.
These are only a few of the sights to be taken in around the
Rome. We have not spoken of the lovely 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 on and on.
Churches not even mentioned in guidebooks contain amazing
frescoes and, of course, everywhere is the work of Michelangelo.
It would be impossible to see everything in one trip, so if you
go to Rome be sure to throw a coin into the Trevi, thereby
assuring your return. The Eternal City will be waiting for you.
About the author:
Misty is a member of the writing team at
http://futuretravelplans.blogspot.com
Our goal is to write travel articles on the top 1000 travel
destinations around the word.
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