Rome: 7 Culture Facts and Why It’s my Favourite City in Italy

Learn more about the Eternal City through my “Seven Facts of the Week” and discover which are the characteristics that make it my favourite city.

When the ladies of the #Dolcevitabloggers’ group – the amazing Kelly, Kristie and Jasmine – shared the topic of this month’s linkup – “Favorite city in Italy” – I admit I internally cursed, since asking something like that to an Italian is almost like forcing a man to give up one of his limbs or asking him to choose between his mother and father. Was I supposed to say my hometown? The places related to my childhood? After much consideration, I’ve come to realize that all these doubts were pointless, as, let’s be honest, one can have personal preferences, but the winner is always going to be one and one only: Rome.

At this point, there was another issue: exactly today I was supposed to write an article about Rome as it’s part of a project I’m carrying out on Instagram + WordPress called “12 Weeks in Italy”. So, was I supposed to write about Rome twice in a day? I came to a conclusion that it was better to “prendere due piccioni con una fava” or “kill two birds with one stone”, as you people say in English, and I hope our lovely hosts will forgive me if I took the liberty of joining the two things.

So, why Rome?

It’s overwhelmingly beautiful

Saying “because it’s unfairly beautiful” sounds like stating the obvious, but eh, can you blame someone for saying it out aloud? It’s so packed with beautiful art that you often are under the impression that it’s all “too much” and you can’t handle it.

If you’ve seen La Grande Bellezza you probably remember the Japanese man looking down on Rome from the Gianicolo Hill and having an heart-attack as a result of the Stendhal’s Syndrome. When roaming around Rome, you don’t see cases as extreme, but you do actually witness to the weirdest reactions by tourists.

During my last stay in Rome, for example, as I was walking inside the historical complex of the Trajan’s Market – basically the first shopping mall in history – I saw a man crouching down, almost weeping, and softly caressing the bricks of a low wall.

As I approached him, slightly alarmed and considering if it was the case to call the Mental Health Services, I heard him quietly whispering: “The red brick of Rome…in Australia we don’t have the red brick!” So yeah guys, when you say that we Italians are overdramatic, please reconsider it as it must be something in the air, haha.

Jokes aside, even if we are Italian and it’s our own Capital city, Rome’s beauty never ceases to amaze us. It’s almost too much for a single city.

It’s authentic (even painfully so)

I don’t know about you, guys, but when talking about relationships and people in general, I have always craved for authenticity my whole life. I hardly stand liars and people that feel the need to act in order to be validated in a social environment. For this reason, I always feel quite at home among Romans who, even if can be rather brazen at times, they are not fake for sure and have not problems in sharing what they really think about you. As a person who has always liked to express her own views and that can handle other people’s opinions even if different, it’s always refreshing having a conversation with these people and not having to worry about them judging you for not being “proper” or compliant.

This level of authenticity is also reflected in the city itself, which is all but perfect, but that does not feel the need to lie about it. Rome can indeed be really frustrating and, as Severgnini likes to state “It’s the kind of place that can have you fuming and then purring in the space of a hundred meters”. You have to prepare yourself for a rollercoaster of emotions when in Rome as, yes, one moment you’ll be almost crying for the absolute beauty of it all, the next second you will scream in frustration for the utter disorganization in every aspect of the city life.

This does not mean that Romans lie about it, though, as I said. Even if sometimes they are a bit too stuck in their own ways and not very prone to change, they are well aware of the problems of living in such a city and they do not sugar-coat the reality of their everyday life. They tell you how it is to live in such a metropolis and won’t depict Rome as an Eden on Earth.

So, even if as normal citizens it must be really hard to live in Rome, I think that as tourists we are allowed to appreciate the frankness of its local culture and  its ability to show itself as a real city with merits and flaws, and not as a model of perfection.

It’s the whole world in one city

“Caput mundi”, the Capital of the world, this is how Rome is nicknamed. Even if nowadays Italy has basically no relevance on an International level in terms of politics, when you set foot in Rome you do have the impression to be at the centre of the world.

There is no event, crises or struggle that Rome hasn’t seen and survived and it does seem that the Old Lady has a lot to teach to the new Superpowers of the world that nowadays are facing certain issues for the first time in their history. Rome and Romans have literally seen it all and their living history can be a teacher to all those who care to listen. It’s all written in the city’s ruins.

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Before leaving you with my “7 facts of the week” about Rome, let me suggest to you to watch Oliver Astrologo’s video called “Roma” if you haven’t already. It’s the best video about the Eternal City out there, hands down.

on youtube

on vimeo

Here you are the first 7 entries of my project “12 Weeks in Italy”. If you want to learn more about Italy and Italian culture, consider to follow me on Instagram where I share daily info and stay tuned in here. Grazie, a presto!

 

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#12WeeksInItaly 📍 Week nr.1 – #Rome [entry 1/84] ✏ When I asked you to choose between Rome and Milan in the poll, I stated that the two cities are big enemies. Whereas Rome is the political centre of Italy, Milan is its financial core. Being Milan so fundamental for the economy of the country, it kind of blames Rome for ignoring the Northern part of the country and for not involving it in the Italian political scene. On the other hand, Rome envies the efficiency of the Milanese public services like transportation, but states that it's a city without "soul" and with arrogant people. As a result Milanese and Roman inhabitants do not love each other. At all. Do not tell a Roman that you like Milan and viceversa 😂 . . . #italy_photolovers #italy_ig #italy #milan #duomodimilano #vittoriano #altaredellapatria #italian_places #italylovers #discoveritaly #exploreitaly #italia365 #browsingitaly #whatitalyis #ladolcevita #onholidayinitaly #italy_vacations #prettylittleitaly #italianmonuments #travel #travelgram #instatrip #travelbloggers #italianbloggers #learn #learnmore

A post shared by SaRA { My Dear Italia } (@mydearitalia) on Jan 1, 2018 at 5:41am PST

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#12WeeksInItaly 📍 Week nr.1 – #Rome [entry 2/84] Foreign essayists have tried many times to describe Italians' "National character", but Italian intellectuals prefer to point out the profound fracture between the different regions asserting that, being #Italy a young country, the National character is still something "under construction" 🔩🏗 As a consequence it's easier to identify "local characters" rather than a unique Italian one. So, what about the #Romans?! 👉 #Rome, despite being a Capital city and having a high flux of tourists, is not particularly subjected to the phenomenon of the citizens' alienation typical of cities like Venice and the central part of Florence. The "Romaness" is very much alive and the reason is that Romans do not feel the need to gentrify and are quite fond of being part of the "lower class" and of their "popular culture". 👉 Characteristics: ⚪ Romans simply ARE, they are very straightforward and do not need to "act" or "fake" in a social environment; ⚪ They are realist, skeptical and not moralistic; ⚪ They are disillusioned, they sometimes tend to use a mocking tone and are a bit too stuck in the "old ways". . And what's your experience with Romans? 🤔🤗 . . . #roma #giardinodegliaranci #sunset_pics #sunsetinrome #italy_ig #italians #italianbloggers #italianblogger #italy_photolovers #onholidayinitaly #prettylittleitaly #browsingitaly #whatitalyis #italia365 #roma_pics #italian_places #italian_trips #tourism #italianpeople #ladolcevita #exploreitaly #discoveritaly #italy_vacations #travel #travelitaly

A post shared by SaRA { My Dear Italia } (@mydearitalia) on Jan 2, 2018 at 7:26am PST

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#12WeeksInItaly 📍 Week nr. 1 – #Rome [entry 3/84] It might sound weird, but Rome is actually the city with the highest number of #obelisks in the world 😯 Romans were quite fond of them! The one in the picture was the first to be "imported" in Rome. At first it was placed inside Circo Massimo, now it's in Piazza del Popolo. . #roma #obelisk #art #italy #italy_ig #onholidayinitaly #italy_photolovers #italian_places #italy_vacations #romeandme #visitrome #visititaly #exploreitaly #discoveritaly #italianbloggers #italianblogger #travel #travelbook #travelgram #instatrip #travelbug #tourism #browsingitaly #prettylittleitaly #whatitalyis

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#12WeeksInItaly 📍 Week nr.1 – #Rome [entry 4/84] The Jewish Ghetto of Rome is one of the most fascinating areas of the Eternal City (and one of the most expensive where to live I've heard) and it's not to be missed 📷 . The presence of Jews in Rome has allowed the development of a peculiar "fusion cuisine" (who said Italians don't do fusion!?), which is the "Roman Jewish" or "giudaico romanesca" 🌯🌮 Jews were actually the ones who introduced Romans to the use of "quinto quarto"/"frattaglie" (offal), which is now so typical of the Roman cuisine. The most famous dishes of the Roman Jewish cuisine are probably "Carciofi alla Giudia" (they're basically fried artichokes), "stracotto di manzo" and their desserts. Truly recommended! . Jews in Rome have suffered throughout all their history and of course also during the Fascist-Nazis era. In the ghetto you can find the Stolpersteine you can see in the pic, which are typical of all the ghettos in Europe. . . . #romeandme #roma_pics #rome_italy #italy #italylovers #italylover #jewishghettorome #jewishghetto #italia365 #italy_photolovers #whatitalyis #browsingitaly #italy_hidden_gems #italyiloveyou #framesofitaly #travelbloggers #bloggervibes #blogging #travelbook #loves_united_italia #shotz_of_italia #tourism #walkingtour #italian_places #travel #travelbug #travelbucketlist

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#12WeeksInItaly 📍 Week nr. 1 – #Rome [entry 5/84] According to the tradition, Jesus had 12 Apostles and the one he chose to guide Christians after his death was Shimon said Chefa and best known as St.Peter. He is considered the first official Pope. The last city he stayed in during his "Evangelical mission" was Rome, where he was also executed. 📷 ⛪ Here you are a list of places that, according to the tradition, are related to St.Peter : ⚫ CHIESA DI S.PUDENZIANA+CHIESA DI S.PRISCA+BASILICA DI S.SEBASTIANO. These churches were built on the ruins of the houses where St.Peter stayed. St.Prisca is located near the famous keyhole on the Aventine hill; ⚫ CHURCH OF S.PIETRO IN CARCERE, built upon the former Mamertine Prison, where St.Peter was allegedly imprisoned; ⚫ THE APPIAN WAY that Peter traversed after he escaped from said prison. According to the legend at a certain point Jesus appeared and said to him he had to go back and face martyrdom; ⚫ ST.PETER'S BASILICA. Under its famous Baldachin there's St.Peter's burial site. . . . #romeandme #charmingitaly #italy_photolovers #italy_ig #rome_italy #postcardsfromitaly #whatitalyis #browsingitaly #vaticancity #italy #visititaly #exploreitaly #discoveritaly #roma_pics #lovelettertoitaly #shotz_of_italia #travel #travelbook #travelbug #travelbloggers #italia365 #prettylittleitaly #onholidayinitaly #italian_vacations #italy_vacations #italian_places

A post shared by SaRA { My Dear Italia } (@mydearitalia) on Jan 5, 2018 at 1:12am PST

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#12WeeksInItaly 📍 Week nr.1 – #Rome [entry 6/84] Several popes have been collectors and it's thanks to them if we are still able to see Roman antiquities nowadays. 📷 In the pic The Pine Cone (II century AD) located in the courtyard of the Vatican Museums. . . #romeandme #love_united_italia #postcardsfromitaly #charmingitaly #vaticancity #italy #pignone #whatitalyis #whatitalywas #browsingitaly #exploreitaly #discoveritaly #vaticanmuseums #ladolcevita #art #romanart #visititaly #rome_italy #travel #travelgram #travelbook #travelbloggers #traveltrip #travelphotography #travel_pics #tourism

A post shared by SaRA { My Dear Italia } (@mydearitalia) on Jan 6, 2018 at 1:56am PST

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#12WeeksInItaly 📍 Week nr.1 – #Rome [entry 7/84] Via della Conciliazione, the long avenue heading toward Piazza San Pietro, is actually a Fascist architectural work. Before that, you could reach the piazza through a series of small alleys and side-streets that, according to several people, allowed the pilgrim to have a much more "emotional" experience. The sudden appearance of the Basilica, after having walked through this maze of streets, was reported to be overwhelming. 😵😍 The building of Via della Conciliazione was subject of much ire by the local community. . . . #romeandme #roma #piazzasanpietro #viewfromthetop #viadellaconciliazione #italy #italylovers #italylover #italophile #italophiles #italia365 #onholidayinitaly #postcardsfromitaly #charmingitaly #love_united_italia #rome_city_pictures #rome_italy #travel #travelbook #travelbloggers #vaticancity #shotz_of_italia #travelgram #tourism #ladolcevita #exploreitaly

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