MEMORIES:
It has been said that the history of Rome is history itself. For Western Civilization, no statement could be truer. No single city has had a greater or longer lasting impact on our history, and as such, arguably, our future. For it's impact on the spread of Greco/Roman culture througout the world, it has been called The Capital of the World. For its reach throughout the ages, it has been deemed The Eternal City. Mythologically, it is the City of the Seven Hills while religiously, it is the Threshold of the Apostles. Perhaps most fitting of all, Rome is often referred to as l'Urbe... the City.
Archaeological evidence points to the eighth century BC as the earliest traces of settlement in the area. This holds with popular legend which states that brothers Romulus and Remus founded the city in 753 BC. Nearly three millienia of history reside practically unscathed inside Rome. Built within pastoral hills that would eventually house the Roman forum, Rome endured a succession of kingdoms, republics, and empires. Even when Rome fell, the rise of Catholicism gave it new significance as the Vatican City became a sovereign enclave within the city. The Renaissance brought the city back to life after long years of struggle and abandonment, and its influence -- as well as that of subsequent movements -- can still be seen to this day.
The Seven Hills of Rome characterize the city's center, with the Tiber river flowing south. Ancient defensive structures, such as the Servian Wall and the Aurelian Walls still stand. But while this "old city" is home to the President, the houses of Parliment, eight major parks, several monuments, 200 palaces, and 900 churches, it still only comprises four percent of the glory that is Rome.
The history of Rome is bookmarked with dozens of spectacles that have survived and thrived under the watchful eyes of millions of tourists annually. The Colisseum of Rome, home to the storied Gladiators, still looms at the heart of the city. Other wonders, as diverse as they are numerous, dot the city scape: The Roman Forum, the Domus Aurea, the Pantheon, the Trajan's Column, the Catacombs of Rome, the Circus Maximus, the Baths of Caracalla, the Arch of Constantine, and the Pyramid of Cestius give just a taste of the seemingly innumerable offerings that attend on hungry eyes.
The Vatican City -- the enclave of the Holy See -- is also found within Rome. The site of St. Peter's Square and St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican also houses the Vatican Library and Vatican Museums, complete with Sistine Chapel, Raphael Rooms, and other works of incalculable historical magnitude.
But not to be outdone are the cities contributions to Renaissance and Baroque history. Rome is home to the Piazza del Campidoglio, created by the architectural mastermind Michelangelo. Several large and equally famous squares reside within Rome, including Piazza del Popolo, Piazza di Spagna, Piazza Minerva, and Campo de' Fiori, just to name a few. Like other countries who fought in the first World War, Italy has immortalized the grave of the Unknown Soldier at the Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II, a neoclassical masterpiece also known as the "Altar of the Fatherland."
Villas and gardens, museums and galleries, one cannot be sure whether Rome has it all or it all has Rome. And while time certainly preceded Rome, the history to which we cling didn't. Our fathers and mothers may have come from some other country geographically, but historically we all come from "the City."
