Curiosities of Rome

Undoubtedly one of the most popular cities in the world is Rome. We can give it many more adjectives, of course: important, cultural, interesting, historical, impressive… The list is long.

Does the adjective "curious" also apply to you? It may be, as every ancient city has some striking issues. Today, curiosities of Rome

Roma

The city It was founded on April 21, 753 BC. It's in the west central Italy, in the Lazio region, and is the capital of the country. It has been since 1871, and before that Turin and Florence were. It is also the city with the largest number of inhabitants, reaching a population of 2.8 million people in the 2020.

Rome is near the Tyrrhenian Sea and its beach is Ostia. You can get to this beach from anywhere in the city by car or by metro in just half an hour. Fantastic! UNESCO has declared the city center World Heritage in 1980 and some other places were added in the following decade.

The city was originally built on seven hills, the Aventino, Quirinale, Viminale, Esquilino, Celio, Campidoglio and Palatino. Some of them have the most popular places to visit in Rome.

What is the symbol of Rome? a wolf and this relief or statue can be seen all over the city, for example at the Capitolini Museum and even at the local football team. According to legend, it was this she-wolf who rescued the brothers Romulus and Remus, the former being the founder of the city.

The city also has two Christian patron saints: Saint Paul and Saint Peter. The patron saint festivities are celebrated on July 29, a holiday around here, and the day on which the old statue of Saint Peter in the main nave of the homonymous basilica is elegantly dressed. It's a great day to be in the Italian capital because there are fireworks at Castel Sant'Angelo.

Curiosities of Rome

Having officially presented Rome, now the trivia about it. Although Rome is the city of the ancient Romans, the truth is that it can be considered "the city of churches". It is said that there are about 900 churches in total…

Not all the churches in Rome are open to the public or popular, but they are there and many are very beautiful. When you walk around the city you will find them and my advice is that, if they are open, take a look. They are of different sizes and styles.

For example, round churches are rare but there are at least three here: the Pantheon, an old Roman temple converted into a church, the Basilica of Costanza, part of a complex dating from the time of Constantine the Great, and the Santo Stefano Rotondo, a beautiful old church on the Caelian Hill.

Like other European cities, but in a special way, it must be remembered that Rome is a city that has been inhabited since ancient times. That makes one of the characteristics of Rome precisely its mixed architecture where Roman ruins coexist with the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, baroque art, art deco, fascist architecture and contemporary art. All together.

Another curiosity of Rome revolves around the Colosseum. The Colosseum is one of the most visited sites in the world and receives about 6 million visitors each year. There are people who buy tickets in advance, but I never had a problem buying them on the same day. A single ticket is sold for three attractions and on a sunny day you do everything together.

On the other hand Rome has the largest ancient thermal baths in the world. We already know that the Romans loved the baths, so there are two important structures here: the Baths of Caracalla and the Baths of Dioclesan, The biggest in the world. In the first I have spent a pleasant morning and at the door I have eaten a very tasty ice cream. I recommend it!

Did you know that many of popular places in Rome bear the signature of a single architect? Although it is a city with centuries of history and many architects, artists and engineers have shaped it, the current postcard can be attributed to Bernini. Bernini worked in Rome in the XNUMXth century and Piazza Navona or Saint Peter's Square bear his signature.

La Navona Square It is one of the most beautiful in the country and one of the most famous. It was originally a Roman stadium and its original form can still be seen from above, for example from the second floor of the Palazzo Braschi. This place was even flooded for communal games, which happened regularly between 1652 and 1865. It was later remodelled. You can see this process of change in the Museum of Rome that overlooks the famous square.

Another curiosity is that Rome has about two thousand fountains and many are huge and others are small but all provide fresh and drinkable water. The truth is, I spent my time filling my bottle because the first time I went it was a very hot October. Rome thus has about 60 monumental fountains and hundreds of much smaller fountains, so in total they add up to around two thousand.

The most famous is Trevi's Fountain who seems to collect about 3 thousand euros every day. Everyone throws coins, it is the tradition, because according to the legend if you throw one you will come back to visit. Where does the money go? to charity

On the other hand, there is an old saying in the world that goes “all roads lead to Rome”. This saying originated from the fact that Rome was an empire in Europe so there are ancient roads that linked it to her domain. For example, the Via Appia that connects Rome with Brindisei or the Via Aurelia that connects it with France. If the weather is good, cycling along the Via Appia is a beautiful ride.

Did you know that Rome has a pyramid? Yes, there is one and it dates back to the XNUMXst century. It was built by Cestius, a merchant absolutely in love with Egyptian culture. The pyramid can be seen and can be visited on certain days with a guide. And before we go, we can't forget the Catacombs of Rome They are something impressive, with more than 20 kilometers long. The Christians built them to bury their dead and today they can be visited.

To finish, although surely other curiosities will remain in the pipeline: Rome is older than Italy, the Pantheon has been in continuous use for almost two thousand years, stray cats have special rightsyes, they are absolutely free, nearly 90% of the ancient city has yet to be excavatedoh maybe it can never be because it has fallen below the level of the current street and finally, Rome is the only city in the world that it has within it an independent state: the Vatican.


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