Rome city guide

City Guide

DISCOVER WITH US THE PAST AND PRESENT OF AN AMAZING VIBRANT LIVING CITY: ROME , THE PLACE WHERE ANCIENT TIME, MEDIEVAL AGE, RENAISSANCE, MODERN AGE, PRESENT AND FUTURE, SHAKE TOGETHER TO GIVE YOU THE BEST "HOLIDAY COCKTAIL" OF A LIFETIME! WELCOME TO THE ETERNAL CITY!

HISTORY IN PILLS
Everyone have had the chance to study at school, the glorious days of one of the greatest world powers ever known: the Roman Empire. People from all over the world reach the Eternal city to discover the remains of that incredible society of poets, philosophers, politicians architects and warriors that ruled the world.
The history of the city begins with the Etruscans, who dominated the centre of the peninsula from the 7 th to the 6 th century B.C. Greeks form the 8 th B.C established their settlements and created a series of independent city-states connected to the original land by a fervent commercial activity. Both cultures deeply influenced the area.
The History of Rome has been deeply influenced by legends and stories that , mouth by mouth, gave a special power to the conscience of the citizens, since history and legend lived together for many centuries.
The legend goes with two twins, Romulus and Remus , sons of a god and a Virgin vestal, left in the wood to be killed, then rescued and feed by a she-wolf. Rome was founded in 753 B.C from Romulus who killed Remus on the Palatine hill.
Romulus , the first king of Rome was a descendent of Aeneas, a refugee from Troy. The strength of the roman myth lays on the values of blood, goodness, fate and power. Seven kings are said to have followed Romulus an three of them where Etruscans. In 396 B.C Rome conquered the Etruscans absorbing their culture and traditions, recognizing them the right to be roman citizens. Rome grew and gave itself a Republic . The power was in the hands of two consuls (military leaders) who ruled only for one year, controlled by The Senate. Members of the Senate were appointed for life.
THE RAISE UP OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

In 246 BC Rome begun to fight against Carthage . The bone of the contention was Sicily and the naval route for commerce.

The first Punic war was won by the Romans in 241 BC. Then Romans conquered all the peninsula. Between 218 – 202 BC Carthage and Rome found themselves at war again. Rome won the war for the second time and Carthage was destroyed.

After the struggle with northern Germanic tribes moving across Italy , the power of generals increased in Rome , culminated with the dictatorship (Silla).

Gauls were defeated by Caius Julius Caesar in 58-51 BC. This military victory gave fame and power to Caesar who was considered a "God" alike and acclaimed by the Romans. Ultimately he proclaimed himself dictator for life , breaking up with the common laws.

For this he was assassinated in 44 BC. His lieutenant and heir Marcus Antonio and Caesar's grand Nephew, Octaviano, plunged into civil war against the assassins of Caesar (Brutus and Cassius).

After the civil war Marcus Antonio ruled the western half of the empire and Octaviano the eastern one. The love affair between Antonio and Cleopatra was the reason for a struggle that leads to war . Octavian claimed victory over Anthony and Cleopatra who committed suicide. In 27 BC Octavianus surrender the power to the Senate and held the title of Augustus.

 

THE IMPERIAL AGE.

The new era of political stability and peace followed. Poetry, arts, buildings and new constructions flourished. Augustus ruled for 40 years while Rome become a city covered with marble, peaceful and powerful. Augustus successors were Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero and Vespasian . In all Roman Emperors who followed improved the power and richness of the City. By the time of Diocletian (284-305) the empire started its decline. A new element was destined to change the face of the world, a monotheistic religion: The Christianity.


THE CHRISTIANITY.

After the persecutions of Christians, Constantine granted them full freedom in 313 DC.

Constantine 's successors were then involved in defensive wars against the attack of barbarian people. The empire was split in twice and get into a irreversible decline.

 
THE END OF ROMAN EMPIRE.

The decline of Roman Empire led to the raise to power of the Popes culminated with the crowning ceremony of Charlemagne (800 DC) . This act proclaimed the birth of the Holy Roman Empire .

In 1200 Normans conquered the South of Italy and Federico Barbarossa become Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. After Germans, French held the power.

While south Italy tended to centralised rule, the north went to opposite way. Port cities of the north became more and more independent, rich and powerful. Florence, Pisa, Livorno, Venice, Genoa, Amalfi , become centres of culture, arts and commerce.

The Renaissance period left a huge number of buildings, paintings and churches. After the French revolution and the raise of Napoleon Rome was occupied by French army and the Pope kept in exile.


THE BORN OF A NEW KINGDOM. 

In the following century , an intellectual movement lead by Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi started to work to an ambitious project: unify the Italian peninsula and population against the strangers rule. In 1870 Rome was conquered from the army of the red shirts lead by Garibaldi under the rule of Casa Savoy and after 10 years Rome was proclaimed Capital of Italy . Vittorio Emanuele I was the first king of Italy . With the first world war (1914-18) Italy obtains the territories considered “Italians”.

 
THE FASCIST ERA.

In 1920 the raise of Benito Mussolini to power lead to a dictatorship period. Mussolini, made lots of changes in every field of social and economic life of the country introducing new economic concepts and starting huge public works, but also embarked the country into an alliance with Hitler's Germany culminated in the Iron Pact and the second world war (1940).

As attempt to exit from the war, in 1943, the council of Fascism and the King, arrested Mussolini and surrendered to the Allies. Suddenly Germans occupied Italy . Rome was bombarded. In 1945 Mussolini was killed in Milan and Italy.

 
THE MODERN STATE.

In 1946 Italy become a Democratic Republic being proclaimed Republic after a referendum that abrogated monarchy.

By the early 1950s the country ‘s economy had begun to start development projects especially dedicated to the southern part of the Country. The differences in social, cultural and economic lifestyle between northern and southern Italy still remained significant. Northern regions knew a quick industrial development while the south still rural saw a massive migration of locals from their cities to the north.

During the 1968, influenced by similar events in Paris, Rome and the major cities of the country experienced the students raising up in protest against the political system. In this period disorders, sometimes violence episodes, assassinations and incidents contributed to create a particular mood and atmosphere still known as “ Anni di Piombo” , “Years of Lead”.

The 70s and the 80s had been bloody by the terrorism, but the country knew also many positive changes. In the 90s the Country experienced a deep crisis about political and economic situation. The corruption of the political class and high unemployment and inflation combined with a huge national debt and political instability lead to the raising of new political parties, the collapsing of the centre-left coalition who had ruled Italy since the post world war.

Today Italy is one of the most important country joining the EU, anyway, economic situation is still complicated, especially after the introduction of the euro replacing the old currency (lira) This change caused a raising up of the prices which damaged especially the final consumers but this is not the only one reason; the lack of political convergence in modifying the policies that inhibits re-structuring of Italy’s economy, have its part in this stagnation.

However Rome and Italy are still symbols of elegance and lifestyle, two of the best preferred destinations by travellers from all over the world.