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Dates: February 16th and December 18th
Location: Zoom on your couch!
Details: See your weekly e-mail!
If this is a repeated reading for you, scroll down to review what we covered on our last virtual tour!!
RSD - Rome Part 2.pptxlet's go on a holiday!
let's go on a holiday!
Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn were certainly on to something when they decided to explore Rome. The capital of Italy, Rome has a long and storied history stretching back centuries. This week we will explore some of its more famous landmarks and learn just some of the history of the ancient city. Before we embark on our virtual tour, let’s take a quick look at Rome’s background!
It All Started With A Legend
Tracing the roots of ancient cities always presents a challenge, especially when they predate written histories. But the beginning of Rome, a city that would at one point be the center of the known European world, are enshrined as legend. The story begins with brothers, Romulus and Remus, said to be the twin sons of Mars, the ancient god of war. They were left in a basket to drown (similar to the story of Moses), but were rescued and raised by a she-wolf. The legend holds that the brothers grew up to defeat the king who had abandoned them and established their own city on the banks of the Tiber River in 753 BC. The stories vary about why the brothers fought over the city (some say they couldn’t agree on what hill to build upon, others say they disagreed on who would rule), but in the end, Romulus killed his brother Remus and ruled Rome.
While the story of Romulus and Remus is the most famous legend, there are others! Another legend holds that a woman named Roma, traveling with Aeneas and other survivors from the fall of Troy founded the city. According to this legend, the refugees of Troy landed on the banks of the Tiber and the women of the party objected to going further. Roma led the women in burning the Trojan ships, stranding the party on the site that would eventually become Rome. Still other stories hold that the name Rome comes from the name Rumon, the ancient name for the Tiber River and the small trading town along the banks took the name.
No matter its true origin story, Rome proved to be a prime location to grow from a small village to a major port of trade and power. Rome was influenced by passing Greek culture, from which early Romans borrowed ideas of literacy, religion, and architecture. Over the span of 12 centuries (yes, twelve!!), Rome has been ruled as a monarchy, an oligarchic republic, and an empire. It contains the seat of Catholic papal power.
Let’s take a look at a very brief, very simple timeline:
753 BC - Rome is established
509 BC - Creation of the Roman Republic
338 BC - Settlement of the Latin War
264 - 146 BC - The Punic Wars
200 - 100 BC - Hellenistic Period
31 BC - AD 14 - Augustus reintroduces monarchy to Rome
AD 312 - Constantine converts to Christianity
AD 410 - The fall of Rome
AD 410 - AD 1500 - The Middle Ages
1805 - Napoleon declares the Kingdom of Italy
1815 - Reunification of Italy begins
1861 - The Kingdom of Italy is established.
1871 - Rome is made the capital of Italy.
Italian wonders
Italian wonders
We could spend entire semesters learning about all Rome has to offer! Before we embark on a short class exploration of some of its wonders, here are some fast facts about this amazing city:
Modern Rome has 280 fountains and more than 900 churches!
Each year, people toss almost $1.7 million into the Trevi fountain. The money is collected and donated to Caritas, a Catholic charity devoted to helping the poor and homeless.
Ancient Romans built a road network of 53,000 miles by the 4th century. Each Roman mile was approximately 4,800 feet and marked with a milestone that pointed towards Rome. This vast network, radiating from the city, led to the saying ‘All roads lead to Rome’.
In ancient Rome, only free-born men were allowed to wear togas, the sign of Roman citizenship. Free-born women wore stolas, the female version of a toga, made of linen.
Ancient Rome is credited with building the first shopping mall, built between AD 107 and 110. Emperor Trajan had the mall constructed and it offered a variety of goods, ranging from art to grocery items.
Along with roads, Romans built an extensive network of aqueducts to provide fresh, running water to homes, fountains, and fields. The Trevi Fountain is still fed by aqueduct water. The aqueduct pictured was built by ancient Romans and still waters crops today after crossing the Gard River in France. This portion is a UNESCO World Heritage Site!
Many of those fountains you see are drinkable! Ancient Romans built many nasoni, big nose-fountains throughout the city. They are part of Rome’s water system to this day and they carry fresh, clean drinking water! In fact, Roman tap and fountain water is known for its quality.
Romans even made their fountains easy to drink from! If you aren’t refilling a water bottle, simply put your finger on the spout and a stream appears from the top of the spout out for easy drinking! But be careful - putting your mouth on the pipe is illegal, which helps keep the water clean and safe for drinking. All told, there are more than 3,000 of these free drinking fountains around the city. You can even download an app to help direct you to the nearest source for a free, fresh drink of water!
Have you visited Rome? What was your favorite sight or location in the city? Join me this week as we explore this fascinating city and learn more about its treasures!
where have we been?
where have we been?
Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano
This basilica is actually the official seat of the Pope in Rome (not the Vatican, as most of us would think). Located just a 2.5 miles away from The Vatican, this is the highest ranking church among Catholic churches and is the oldest public church in Rome.
To explore this basilica closely, click here:
As you click through, you may notice a large obelisk outside the church. That is actually the largest standing ancient Egyptian obelisk in the world! It was meant to be sent to Constantinople with its twin in the 4th century, but a shipping mix up put it in Rome! It was erected on the Circus Maximus, where it remained even after it fell in place and eventually was buried. Pope Sixtus V excavated it in 1587 and had it put in front of the church, where it stands at approximately 150 ft tall (13 ft shorter than its original height, due to repairs).
St. Peter’s Basilica
Another rather famous basilica in Rome, St. Peter’s is the heart of the Holy City of the Vatican.
The Vatican is the smallest country in the world, at just .2 square miles, making 120 times smaller than Manhattan! It took 120 years to finish the basilica; the last fountain was built by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1675. Though San Giovanni is the oldest church, St. Peter’s holds the record for the largest church on earth.
Explore on your own here: https://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_pietro/vr_tour/index-en.html
Or try a fantastic video tour, with narration, here: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/07/150720-Vatican-360-Degree-Tour-Saint-Peters-Basilica/
As you explore, note that the gold coffered ceiling is 150 feet high! The statues are meant to trick your eye - the statues at ground level are around 6ft high, but the statues at the tops of the wall are 24ft high! The bronze Baldacchino in the center marks the tomb of St. Peter. Though it seems rather small in comparison to the dome, it is actually 95 feet tall!
La Pieta is to your right as you enter the church, safely ensconced behind bulletproof glass. This famous work was carved from a single block of carrara marble by Michelangelo when he was just 24 years old in 1499.
The statue is actually the only piece he ever signed; he had overheard someone crediting another sculptor for the work and he became so mad, he chiseled his name into the piece. He was later so ashamed of his rash action, he vowed to never sign his work again.
The Pantheon
The Pantheon was originally built in 27 BC, but after burning down a few times, the current iteration was built sometime around 128 AD.
Originally erected as a temple to all the Roman gods, it was gifted to Pope Boniface IV and he removed all pagan symbols and made it a church. In fact, it is still an active church to this day and couples can get married there!
The oculus is the only source of light, other than the door, and has a 30 ft diameter. It lets in light and rain, so there are 22 well camouflaged holes in the ground to drain the water. The Pantheon is the largest unreinforced concrete dome, making it a true engineering marvel.
The base of the dome is 21 feet thick, while the top is only 4 feet thick. Additionally, builders used concrete of varying densities to distribute the weight properly.
To see a video overview of the Parthenon, click here:
The Trevi Fountain
The last stop on our tour is the Fontana di Trevi, or ‘three street fountain’.
This centuries old spot is the terminus of one of the most famous aqueducts in Rome. The Acqua Vergine was considered to be some of Rome’s softest and best tasting water - for centuries, barrels of water were taken from it and taken to the Vatican. Of course, the water is not drinkable now, as it is recycled!
In 1732, there was a contest to design a new fountain for the spot. Nicola Salvi won and worked on the construction for 30 years. It was finally completed in 1751 after his death. The fountain is 85 feet high and 160 feet wide, and pumps 2.8 million cubic feet of water every day.
To get an up close view of the fountain, click here: https://www.il-colosseo.it/en/visita_virtuale_fontana_trevi.php
works cited
works cited
https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-rome/ancient-rome
https://www.ducksters.com/geography/country/italy_history_timeline.php
https://www.rome.info/ancient/history/
https://worldstrides.com/blog/2016/10/12-interesting-facts-about-rome/
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/roman-aqueducts/
https://www.livitaly.com/rome-drinking-fountains/
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