Rome, known as the Eternal City for its history, legend and culture, is a city impossible not to love. The legend of its birth dates back to 753 B.C. Romulus and Remus were twins fathered by Mars, god of war, through a vestal virgin, Rhea Silvia, daughter of the king of Alba Longa overthrown by his tyrant brother. The latter ordered his minions to drown the infants in River Tiber but the men took pity, put them in a basket and floated them down the river. Washed ashore, the infants were nursed by a she-wolf, fed by a woodpecker and later, brought up by shepherds. Growing into adults, the young men restored their grandfather to the throne and decided to build a new city. Following a fight, Romulus killed Remus and founded the city of Rome or Roma as Italians call it.
The city became the centre of the Roman Empire and the capital of Catholics and continues to grow embracing vibrant modernity.
Its global recognition has inspired a number of popular sayings such as "Rome wasn't built in a day" and "All roads lead to Rome". A proverb of 4th century says, "In Rome do as the Romans do". That inspired the Spanish writer, Miguel Cervantes, to write, "When thou art at Rome, do as they do at Rome."
Well, I don't really know what Romans do but some lines of the 1954 song, "Veni Vidi Vici" say, "Down by the shore of sunny Italy....we kissed and then, we kissed and kissed again, exactly like the Romans used to do!"
A few other quotes, "A fool is one who admires other cities without visiting Rome"- Fracesco Petrarca; "We can watch the sun in Rome, sparkling on a palace dome"- Dean Martin; "Rome will exist as long as the Coliseum does; when the Coliseum falls, so will Rome; when Rome falls, so will the world"- St. Venerable Bede, English Benedictine monk. Eternal City indeed!
A large number of epic movies such as Ben Hur, Cleopatra, Gladiator and its sequel have been made about the Roman Empire. For showing monuments in their original shape and for the sake of preservation, replicas were made for structures like the Colosseum. Modern movies with stories set in Rome have freely used actual locations popular with tourists. The Colosseum itself featured prominently in “When in Rome” in which the lead characters of twins stay in a nearby house and ride all over the city on their Vespa scooter.
Then there was “Roman Holiday” which brought Rome live to us in 1953. Audrey Hepburn played the part of a princess who escapes from her security guards and goes around Rome with a journalist, Gregory Peck, again on a Vespa. With them we were taken on a sightseeing tour of the city including slurping a gelato on the Spanish Steps.
If you wish to emulate them, Vespas are available on rent near Piazza Venezia in Rome. Here, I wish to disclose that I have been a proud owner of Vespa in my younger days and driven around many cities but mostly with an unoccupied pillion.
Trevi Fountain, one of Rome's chief attractions, has featured prominently in many movies. The belief is that if you throw a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder, you will return to Rome; two coins will bring a new romance and three coins guarantee a wedding in Rome."Three Coins in the Fountain" with the theme song by Frank Sinatra was a popular movie of 1954 with its story of three friends making their wishes and throwing coins in the Fountain.
Another film where the Fountain was in the spotlight was Federico Fellini's 1960 award winning "La Dolce Vita" with its iconic scene of handsome Marcello Mastroianni and voluptuous Anita Ekberg frolicking and splashing water in the Fountain.
A recent movie with one third of it belonging to Rome was "Eat Pray Love". Julia Roberts played the part of Elizabeth Gilbert who after a divorce travelled to Italy, India and Bali to rediscover herself. In Rome, she gets hooked on Italian cuisine and the movie has lovely scenes of Castel Sant'Angelo and Piazza Navona and this time it is Julia slurping gelato in front of a church at Navona.
More of Spanish Steps in "The Talented Mr. Ripley", Piazza del Popolo, churches and St. Peter's Square in Tom Hanks starrer "Angels and Demons", but what is forever embedded in my heart is the deeply sentimental scene in "Lovers Must Learn" later renamed as "Rome Adventure" : the lead characters Troy Donahue and Suzanne Pleshette walk into a nightclub and as they sit down on their table, Emilio Pericoli launches into his unforgettable song, "Al Di La." Dazed, the two stare into each other's eyes, Suzanne asks Troy what does "Al Di La" mean, Troy searches for the right translation and whispers, "Beyond the Beyond." The scene and the song could melt the stoniest of hearts.
There must have been something there for Suzanne and Troy to fall in love and marry in real life.
Some other popular songs are Lou Monte's "Roman Guitar", Elvis Presley's "Heart of Rome" and Madonna's "Justify My Love" in which she sings, "I want to hold your hand in Rome". Of course, the list would never be complete without Dean Martin and his "On An Evening In Roma".
Throwing a coin in Trevi Fountain on each visit has worked and I just completed my fifth trip to Rome. This time, at my age, I was hesitant to throw a coin but did so on Akhila’s insistence. Well, perhaps a return in my next life if not this one! So here is a quote to end this post-
"If we could be reborn wherever we chose, how crowded would Rome be"- Francine Prose.
And Nat King Cole sang, "Arrivederci Roma."
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