Walking to the Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Join me in this narrated walking tour of Rome in 4k. From the most important Italian station to the the incredible virtual Colosseum walking tour.
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Good morning, today we’re going to walk to the Colosseum in this Walking Tour.
We will start from one of the most essential Stations of all Europe, we’re going to talk about the Italian unification of the 19th century; I’ll show you the home of a criminal Roman noble family of the 16th century, quickly we’ll visit the Suburra, the area where Julius Caesar was born, and the finish line will be the Colosseum, built something like 2000 years ago.
I’m really excited to show you how much history there’s in Rome.
Source for this book: SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome
All the gear used to film is here: My Gear / Audiobooks / Books
This is Rome’s real heart: Termini Station.
Daily over 500 thousand citizens and tourists gather in this place, about 150 Mil people every year.
Termini it’s also a cultural symbol.
Cinecittà (the most important film studio in Italy) frequently used as a location this very place, which appears real and magic at the same time, it’s made of steel and emotions, full of encounters and goodbyes.
The connection between cinema and railway has always been strong: one of the first short movies by the Lumiere brothers (Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat, 1896, recently reconstructed in 4k) was a train entering the local station. From that, how many times we watched a movie scene on a train or in a station?
The Termini Railway Station’s name refers to the Thermæ, or Baths, of Diocletian nearby. The station was renovated in 1999, is considered a masterpiece of modern Roman architecture. Unfortunately, the decline of its early 20th-century district, the crowds, the suspicious dealings, partly connected to illegal immigration, and the trivial crime for which the station is notorious, cast a shadow over its proven æsthetic qualities.
In 1938 the city began the renewal of the station. The II World War stopped the project until it was picked up again ten years later.
The conclusion of the project in 1954 was celebrated in the Italian-American film Indiscretion of an American Wife by the great director Vittorio De Sica, starring Montgomery Clift and Jennifer Jones.
(The Palazzo Massimo is a late 19th-century palace, one of the central parts of the National Roman Museum of Archæology. The other significant sections of the museum are: across the square within the ruins of the Baths of Diocletian, in the former planetarium nearby, and at some distance from here in Palazzo Altemps. )
Via Cavour it’s a beautiful and large street, a modern boulevard, was made in the 19th century.
The 19th century was a time of meaningful change for Italy. The modern world emerged, so it’s natural to question how Italy lived during the 19th century. The most notable events of this time revolve around the rise of the Italian unification movement. Known as the Risorgimento, the process that eventually succeeded in unifying many different states into Italy’s modern nation.
Scholars believe it began at the end of the Napoleonic era, with Vienna’s Congress, in 1815. And ended with the Franco–Prussian War in 1871.
The Beginnings of Unification
In the late eighteenth century, Liberal ideas from other countries, mostly Britain and France, spread rapidly through the land.
The First War for the Italian Independence began with protests in Lombardy and revolts in Sicily. Pope Pius IX fled Rome, and the Roman Republic was then proclaimed upon the arrival of Garibaldi. When Mazzini arrived in Rome in March 1849, he was appointed Chief Minister of the new Republic.
Meanwhile, King Charles Albert of Piedmont-Sardinia joined the War and attempted to drive the Austrians out of the country. It looked like independence for Italy was near. Still, the Austrians eventually managed to successfully defeat Charles Albert in the battle of Novara in 1849, slowing the country’s run towards independence. King Victor Emmanuel II would succeed his father after the War and later become the first King of Italy.
But We still walking on the Via Cavour. The Via Cavour is one of the city’s most important streets, connecting the main railway station Termini to the Roman Forum and the walking tour of the Colosseum’s archeological area. At this point, you might wonder, who was Cavour?
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Camillo Benso di Cavour
Count Camillo Benso di Cavour was to become the prime minister of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia in 1852. It was only because of the count’s leadership and policies that the unification of Italy was possible.
Cavour persuaded Napoleon III of France to plan a secret war against Austria. Soon, a war on Italian soil against Austria began. The French troops helped Piedmont defeat Austria in two critical battles at Solferino and Magenta. Austria was quickly forced to surrender the region of Lombardy, along with the city of Milan, to Napoleon III. In 1859, Napoleon III then transferred the region of Lombardy to King Victor Emmanuel II.
Two years later, thanks to Giuseppe Garibaldi’s troops, the peninsula was unified under the Savoy crown. Turin became the first capital of Italy’s Kingdom; Rome did not become part of it until 1870.
You can subscribe to the Podcast Rome 101 on Spotify or Apple Podcast. The link is in the description. Weekly in each episode, I’m talking about the different moments of Roman and Italian history.
Santa Maria Maggiore Church
The grand 5th-century church dedicated to Mary was called Maggiore (‘the Great’) because its builders wanted to make it the greatest of all churches dedicated to the Virgin.
The builders kept the promise of the name. To this day, no other Marian church – and few others for that matter – are comparable to it for grandeur and beauty. Its historical importance is that it is part of the Vatican state territory even if it’s here.
Nowadays, the Via Cavour is a bustling street lined with restaurants, beds and breakfasts, and hotels.
The creation of Via Cavour dates back to the late nineteenth century. The new capital’s urban expansion involved the reconstruction of many streets and districts, and Via Cavour was one of them. The building permission was given in a city council session in May 1880. The road was planned as a communication axis between the Termini station and the Fori Imperiali. It was built during the period from 1880 to 1910.
The Suburra Tour, Rome
Suburra became a part of Ancient Rome’s urban area when the king of Etruscan origin, Servio Tullio, chose it for his residence.
It is the most authentic and popular area of the city.
The Suburra is the name of a very famous area in Rome.
The name “Suburra” comes from the Latin “sub urbe,” meaning “under the city. ” The fact is that at the dawn of the history of Rome, this part of the city was located at the foot of the Palatine Hill, on which, actually, the city itself was situated.
In ancient times the street level was much lower than the current one. Therefore the prefix “sub” described the location of the area very accurately.
Virgil, Horace, Julius Caesar, and the poet Martial also lived in this area.
Recently was produced an important movie, and after the movie came the tv Show produced by Netflix. Both called Suburra.
So if you want to see modern-day Rome, it feels like being in Rome and Ostia in the middle of an Italian crime drama.
You know, It’s crude, it doesn’t seem to offer any insights into the human condition except that being rotten is pretty much universal. But its depiction of a modern-day Rome with all the evil that men do is a raw and compelling. This could be your Netflix’s next big foreign addiction.
Borgias in Rome
Now, if you want to reach the church of st peter’s in the chain, you should use these steps, and the beautiful Moses of Michelangelo will be waiting you at the end. I made a tour of the upper area, so you can check it after this video.
During the day, the staircase is filled with watercolorists selling paintings of Rome’s most famous landmarks.
In ancient Rome, this was the site of an alley called vicus sceleratus (“wicked lane”) because traditionally believed to be the place where in 535 BC, Tullia, daughter of Servius Tullius (sixth king of Rome) and wife of Tarquinius the Proud (seventh king), drove her chariot over the body of her own father, upthrown by Tarquinius, killing him.
This scandal marked the beginning of the end of the Kings of Rome. Tarquinius the Proud would rule for 26 years before he was defeated by what became the Romes Republic.
The vicus was renamed the vicus Sceleratus, the evil street. The exact location of the death of King Servius Tullius isn’t known. However, the vicus Sceleratus still runs under the top steps.
The sad memories of this place probably inspired another popular belief concerning the building above the flight of steps: it is said that the famous Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia), used to poison her lovers in this house. The complex is, in fact, still popularly known as ‘the house of the Borgias.’ There is no historical evidence, though, that any member of the family really lived here. The house belonged to the Cesarini family, who in time donated it to the local convent.
These vast walls were built after the unification of Italy. This was made necessary for the opening of the Via Cavour and restrain the hill on the top of the Palazzo Borgia the Tower of Annibaldi, the Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli.
Tour outside the Colosseum
Via Degli Annibaldi is part of the District Monti. Its name derives from the powerful Roman family established in this area in 1240, when Frederick II, their protector, forced the Frangipane to give a part of the Colosseum to them.
Today, as you can see, we still don’t have the thousands of tourists who would fill the square each day. Nonetheless, this is a great moment to enjoy Rome more intimately.
If you enjoyed the tour, you can subscribe right now.
New videos about the Colosseum, the Roman forum, the palatine hill are coming. And muuuch more! So don’t miss it and right now you can watch another walk.
Colosseum Walking Tour
There was also a time BEFORE the Colosseum.
Nero was ruling in the year 64 AD. During a hot night of July a fire started some meters from this area.
At that same time
Christianity was now 30 years old, and it began in Judea and Galilee. According to tradition, Peter and Paul were among the persecution victims who followed the Great Fire. But it cannot be proven. Nero persecuted the Christians because they were unpopular, an easy target.
He took the chance and Build in 4 years, 80 hectares of his private residence. Buckingham Palace is ten times smaller.
He thought of renaming the city of Rome in Neropolis (Nero City in Greek)
Nero was cruel, immoral. But In other ways, he was a success: a builder, entertainer of the people. He Loved singing, practiced wrestling, competed in chariot races, and was also an actor.
So he was both: a mad dictator and a brilliant populist. He broke all the rules, this made him immortal.
Other men were Emperors: he was a star.
The father died when he was 3.
He Started rule at 17!! He was young.
At 21, he get rid of his mother.
Senate understood that it was impossible to cooperate with Nero and tried to regain control.
In June of 68 AD, he was declared a Public enemy by the Senate. A praetorian guard deserted him, and he committed suicide on June 9.
The following year, the 69 was the year of the four emperors. Three were killed. The fourth was Vespasian. A victorious general, with two children and a man of humble origins. He restored peace to Rome and became emperor.
After Nero, the economy was really, really weak, but Vespasian anyway needed to invest in an expensive project. The Victory in Judea ensured great booty.
Imagine
5000 workers in 6 months removed 30,000 tons of land from the Nero’s residence.
they laid 50 feet of foundations made of cement
12miles of roads were built
200 wagons every day for five years moved the 300,000 tons of travertine From Tivoli, a city near Rome
Travertine is perfect: easy to wash, durable, does not crush under significant weight.
In total, the Colosseum was made with 750,000T of stone.
Thousands of slaves but also citizens: masons, blacksmiths, Carpenters, marble or bronze workers, brick builders worked here.
Inaugurated a year after the death of Vespasian, it contains
50,000 sitting people or around
73,000 if the higher tiers would stand up
The Colosseum is 170 feet (52m) high without counting the 6m of underground, as a building of five floors, so be prepared with good shoes for the Colosseum walking tour: you’re going to walk a lot!
Today This is the top destination in Europe. Seven million sweaty tourists visited this place in 2019 (MET, Metropolitan Museum of Art).
Is among the Seven wonders of the new world. You have heard about the Great Wall of China, Petra, Taj Mahal, but THIS was the bloodiest.
The activity of this place is impressive: shows went on for more than 440 years. Hundreds of thousands of animals and men were killed here.
You know, For the Emperors, this was the best way to achieve political obedience.
For the festivities, the parties, the Romans dedicated 170 days of every year of their calendar.
The emperors also imported wheat from Sicily and Egypt, imposed affordable prices on wine, donated oil and pork once per year. The name of the policy was pretty simple: Bread and Games.
I hope you enjoyed this Colosseum walking tour.
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