ROAMN

On October 28, 1932, Mussolini inaugurated the Via dell’Impero (Road of the Empire) as a stage for a military parade that could be broadcast in the new media of film. Built in just 11 months the road came at a steep cost: systematic demolition of one of the most densely populated areas of Rome, obliterating medieval and Renaissance structures and tenements that housed 746 of Rome’s poorest families. Mussolini called it a “return to greatness”—a modern empire built atop the ruins of the old.

In Republican Rome, a military procession was the highest honor—granted only by the Senate to celebrate a general’s extraordinary victory. The triumphator, hailed as a "man of triumph," paraded in a four-horse chariot through the city to the temple of Jupiter. Some of Rome’s triumphs were further memorialized by large architectural monuments called Triumphal Arches. Though lavish and partly funded by war spoils, triumphs demanded humility; generals were expected to honor Rome, not themselves. Every gesture was scrutinized by the Senate and citizens of Rome, les he aspire toward kingship. #

What’s on the menu? Local bread, regional cheese, salami and fruit, and good company. Feeds the stomach and the soul.

Under the Italian sun…nice to getaway from the hustle and bustle of Rome.