Ever since I was a kid ancient Rome has fascinated me so when I was planning my trip I knew it had to be a stop, and a significant one. I spent the better part of my undergrad taking courses on the ancient world, and you can only read about it for so long before you venture out to explore the physical remains.
It’s no wonder that the Roman Empire captures the imagination so easily. It stretched from the shores of England to the Middle East, from Germany to Africa, essentially the “known world” at the time. Its fall spawned the dark ages, thus named for the decline of culture, economics and technology left in its wake. While some historians argue this gives the dark ages an unfair reputation many maintain that things didn’t start to recover until the Italian renaissance of the 14th century.
Rome started out as a city-state, entering into conflict with other city-states of the region in the 8th century B.C. At this point we know they were ruled by a series of kings but written records are basically non-existent from the period. The generally agreed date for Rome transitioning to a Republic is 509 B.C. During this period Rome exerted control over the Mediterranean and eliminated a major rival in Carthage. The Roman Empire is generally dated to 27 B.C when Augustus officially took power although it certainly wasn’t a Republic when Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon in 49 B.C. Caesar’s death in 44 B.C set off the chain of events that saw his adopted son Octavian become Augustus and in so doing changed the way Rome was ruled. Through civil war Rome eventually split into two Empires, East and West. The Western empire fell in 476 B.C while the Eastern one existed as a shadow of its former glory (run out of Istanbul) till falling to the Turks in 1453. The period of Empire was filled with many emperors in possession of a life time supply of crazy pills (which some blame on the lead pipes of the day) and many often shortened their own lives considerably by taking the top job. While Emperor Gordian holds the record at 21 days in power I prefer Emperor Pertinax who was killed by his own bodyguards who then offered the throne to whoever had the deepest pockets.
My own trip to Rome started with a really nice flight over the Alps, an incredible view from the air! I landed on Christmas Eve and after dropping my bag it was off to explore. First stop was the Coliseum, which will be getting its own post but suffice to say that it was incredible. A top item on my bucket list and I was so content to just stare and walk around it several times. This proved tiring and delicious gelato was needed to refuel.
Near the Coliseum is the Arch of Constantine, which commemorates his victory over Maxentius at the battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 B.C. When a Roman delivered a particularly impressive thumping to an enemy they were awarded a public triumph (parade) through the city. The route they followed took them through the arches, of which this one is the largest.
It’s a very short walk from there alongside the length of the Roman forum towards Trajan’s column. There is just so much to look at and take in that it’s a bit overwhelming. You can guess who erected the column which tells the story of Rome’s war with the Dacians. It features spiralling panels that tell the story (as the Romans saw things) of how the conflict unfolded. While historians think there was a statue of Trajan at the top the one currently there dates to the mid 1500’s and was placed by the Pope (it’s actually a statue of St. Peter). After visiting Rome and learning how so many monuments became run down I have a bone to pick with the Catholic Church but more on that later.
From there it was about a five minute walk to the Trevi Fountain for an essential tourist stop. Then it was off to the Vatican for a Christmas Eve stop at the world’s smallest country.
Of course the Vatican was packed and decked out with an awesome Nativity scene as well as a massive Christmas tree. Being there on that night, of all the nights was pretty special. Certainly a once in a lifetime experience.
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