These are our roots - the Roman culture.

The ancient history reveals Roman modus vivendi attractive and interesting to learn. For example, the Romans counted the hours of a day dividing time into twelve parts and not twenty-four, as we do now. The purpose was to consider the parts of the sun and distinguish them from those of the dark, thus the duration of the different sections of time was not the same during the whole year. 

Moving on to marriages, the custom to take the bride in arms comes from the ancient Romans, as well as to throw handfuls of rice well-wishing to the newly married couple. Also brides were dressed in white but in Rome they had a red veil. The toast: the Romans drank as many glasses of wine as there were letters that made up the name of the person chosen.  To cure diseases, the most popular was cabbage. The number 17 was bringing bad luck, this comes from  the Roman numeral system. It represents 17 as XVII witch is similar to the word Vixi, which means "I lived", "I don't live anymore".

These are our roots - the Roman culture.

If you are curious how the Ancient Rome looked like and you would like to feel the atmosphere of that time I truly recommend the video below.

Mother of the churches

Christian Rome is not only the Vatican but also includes other stops. A very important place is the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

The Church is called the "mother of the churches of Rome and of all the churches in the world" to indicate how much history and faith are enclosed inside the imposing building and the area around.

The area belonged to the old noble family of the Lateran. Because of the confiscation by the country it came under the imperial treasury, and then became repeatedly barracks and military custody. In 313 the Emperor Constantine erected this magnificent church in Rome, in order to offer to the emerging Church a place for a spiritual exercise.

The Basilica was consecrated in 324 by Pope Sylvester I. The Basilica was the first seat of pope until 1377. The pope moved to Vatican because Lateran had been damaged by fire. Over the centuries, the Basilica of Saint John has been repeatedly plundered, ruined, renovated and changed, also enhanced thanks to the great artists.

The Basilica has always maintained a five naves and a magnificent cloister. Also today the Basilica of St. John offers a museum with important liturgical artefacts and things which belonged to the noble families that once inhabited the area. On the occasion of the Jubilee of 2000 was inaugurated the new Holy Door made by the architect Floriano Bodini.

Do you have 8 minutes? Let's have a quick visit in this important and beautiful place!

 

Vatican stories: The Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums are one of the richest in the world. Here we can find a lot of precious exhibits. There are a lot of different rooms and corridors. It is worth seeing also a huge garden. 

The most famous is the Sistine Chapel designed and painted by Michelangelo in 15th century. Everybody knows more or less this brilliant masterpiece but I have for you some interesting facts:

Source

• The Sistine Chapel, dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, is one of the most famous cultural and artistic treasures of the Vatican City. Welcomes over 25,000 visitors a day. 
• The name refers to the Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere who had requested the construction of this chapel in 1477.
  
• When the work was commissioned to Michelangelo, he was not enthusiastic, because his main artistic activity was the sculpture, with real regret he accepted the job.
•  Many believe that Michelangelo painted the ceiling lying on his back, he actually built a scaffolding, so he could paint with accuracy and control
  
• The whole area of ​​the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel measures 1/6 of a football field
•  The naked figures present in the fresco were considered inappropriate by the Council of Trent, which in 1564 ordered to change it. Daniele da Volterra covered the some parts with fig leaves, clothes, or other items.
•  In the Sistine Chapel, the College of Cardinals meet to elect the Pope from 1492
  
•  The biggest damage that visitors can do to the Sistine Chapel is invisible for a naked eye: sweat and heat from the skin of 5,000 visitors a day are a threat to the conservation of the masterpiece. In fact, the temperature and humidity are always under control.

Instead of the photos I propose you an interactive trip which is possible thanks to the students of Villanova University in Pennsylvania. They worked for 2 years with a special, advanced camera and now we can see the result. You can walk around the Sistine Chapel and zoom whatever you want. Enjoy!

VIRTUAL TRIP