The endurance of the Roman Empire is visible all over Italy, even though it may not be as evident as you may imagine.
Of course, you will notice the Coliseum and the old forum ruins, but in many cases you will need much more attention to realise how the old Roman monuments, buildings and work of arts survived for centuries until today, after being re-used, absorbed in other buildings, or just forgot.
I hope you will enjoy a taste of Old Roman Empire with this weekly photo challenge.
Ancient family tomb, via Appia Antica, Rome
Many roman tombs still dot the Old Appian Way, today a very popular park where Romans spend their Sunday mornings, often without even realizing teh archeological fascination of the old remains.
Find out more in my post: Cycling on history: discover Rome Appian Way and its catacombs
The Roman arena in Gubbio, Umbria
It’s the first monument you see when entering Gubbio, but the majority of Tourists skip it and only visit the Medieval city center.
Find out more in my post: Gubbio, medieval perfection in Umbria
The Pantheon, Rome
It’s one of the few Roman temples that survived unchanged until today, after being converted in a church after Christianism was adopted as the “official” empire religion.
Find out more in my post: Night walk in Rome
Porta Borsieri, Verona
It’s a monumental Roman door, extremely well preserved and perfectly integrated in the “newer” city structure.
Find out more in my post: Verona in one day
The theater and the Volcano, Taormina, Sicily
An symbol of Sicily, what else should I say?
Find out more in my post:
Classical Roman bas relief, decorating Villa Medici inner facade, Rome
Cardinal Ferdinando de Medici created an open air museum by enriching the inner facade of his new palace with Roman works of art discovered when digging his new villa groundwork.
Find out more in my post: Discovering the Spanish Steps
San Vitale church and its amazing mosaics, Ravenna
Ravenna has been one of the last capitals of the Western Roman empire (V century). Its byzantine churches are an incredible hence little known legacy.
Find out more in my post: Byzanthium in Italy: mysterious Ravenna
Remains of a Roman temple absorbed in a medieval building, Rome, old Jewish ghetto
As it was often the case, roman remains were either recycled (the stones, the colomns, the decorations) or used as the baseground for new buildings.
Find out more in my post: The most charming fountain of Rome
Remains of an old Roman street, Celio hill, Rome
Close to the Palatino, where Emperors used to build their palaces, this hidden small street is 100% Roman. You can actually visit an authentic large underground Roman house from there (the entrance is among the arches)
Find out more in my post: A dive in medieval Rome
Emperor Adrian’s mausoleum, now Castel sant’Angelo, Rome
Yes, Rome castle used to be a Roman Emperors tomb…
Find out more in my post: Night walk in Rome
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Delightfullyitaly.com: Italy top destinations and travel itineraries, off the beaten path
Delightfullyitaly.com is the blog for all the ones in love with Italian culture, Italian sights, Italian monuments .. and with Italian food! If you wish to visit Italy for the first time, or if you already discovered Venice, Rome, Florence, the Amalfi coast, but still want more, delightfullyitaly.com is here to disclose to you Italian Must See as well as Italian hidden treasures. And if you like what you read, why not follow delightfullyitaly.com and get free updates
