Rome - Impressions

From the 14. to the 20. of June I was in the city of Rome. The city of Rome is one of the old and great cities of the ancient mediterranean world. This tiny settlement on the Tiber would swell in both size and importance, until the borders of the land under its control would stretch from England to Egypt, from Iran to Spain. And the city is now the capital of one of the more important members of the European Union, a city with both a past and a present, and perhaps even more importantly, a city that continues to have a future. It's not the shining future of flying cars and magic pills that cure all ailments, but the future of continuing to exist as an eternal city, one that has seen ups and downs, booms and busts, with its experiences ranging from the Triumphs of the Emperors to being sacked by the Goths, this city has been the heart of one of the greatest empires in history, the heart of one of the most significant and long-standing faiths in the world, a backwater provincial town in a splintered Italy, the focal point of reunifying Italy, and at the same time, even with so much history, so many rises and falls, Rome remains truly unique, and totally aware of its own singular identity. While the city positively crawls with tourists, and the tourist industries are all operating at capacity during this peak tourist season, lying just below the surface for anyone who cares to look (and many don't) lies the eternal Rome- a city that has escaped being defined by its past, but neither neglects nor rejects it.

This strikes a stark contrast with Egypt, where the past is delicately balanced between a flood of history to overwhelm the present and a callous rejection of a backward time. The Palatine and Aventine Hills, two of the five hills that comprised the original Rome before the draining of the forum still lie largely in the same state as they were in almost two thousand years ago. The remains of Nero's excessive palace, built over many times by emperors seeking to dissociate themselves from the infamous ruler can still be seen on parts of the Palatine, along with a wide variety of truly ancient structures. The Southern reaches of the Palatine hill overlook the Circo Massimo (Latin Circus Maximus)- now little more than a depression between hills with a track on it- and from there the Aventine Hill can be seen. The juxtaposition of the ancient chariot track with the busy street just above speaks to the cohabitation, or perhaps even symbiotic relationship between the past and the present in Rome.

More on the topic of Rome to come soon.