All Roads Lead to Rome

Origin of this phrase . . .

Modern wording of medieval sentiment; apparently originally a reference toRoman roads generally and the Milliarium Aureum (Golden Milestone) specifically.

Appears in the form Mille viae ducunt homines per saecula Romam (A thousand roads lead men forever to Rome) in Liber Parabolarum, 591 (1175), by Alain de Lille.

The earliest English form appears to be "Right as diverse pathes leden the folk the rightewey to Rome." in Treatise on the Astrolabe (Prologue, ll. 39-40), 1391, by Geoffrey Chaucer.

Although we were unable to drive to Rome as originally planned, we did finally make it there spending 5 full days and enjoying every minute of it. It is unlike any other city we've visited thus far and full of true Old World charm.

Rome is the capital of Italy and has nearly 3 million residents. The Tiber River runs through the city and there's archeological evidence of humans in Rome from at least 14,000 years ago.

This map shows the areas most visited. It's about 3 miles east to west and 3 miles north to south. Our hotel was near the Piazza di Spagna (top center). It was nice and most importantly, it was an excellent location.

This is a safe area, close to a metro stop, lots of restaurants and shops. We felt very comfortable and safe in this area. Thanks, Jim, for picking this hotel.

Upon arrival, we checked out the closest landmark to our hotel - the Piazza di Spagna.

There are piazzas all over Rome - huge squares, usually with a large column signifying something important to Roman culture. The one pictured above was erected in 1856 to commemorate the Immaculate Conception, found in the basement of a monastery in 1777, it is topped by a statue of the Virgin Mary.

These are the Spanish Steps (Scalinata della Trinita' dei Monti). It is the widest staircase in Europe and the 138 steps are a very popular place to sit.

At the top of the stairs is the church of Santissima Trinita' dei Monti. Louis XII of France, began construction of the church in 1502 to celebrate his successful invasion of Naples.

When you climb to the top, there's a really nice view of the surrounding area.

At the base of the steps is the Fountain of the Old Boat (Fontana della Barcaccia), a fresh-water fountain, completed in 1627 by Pietro Bernini.

We saw several people standing on these ledges that jut out into the water appearing to drink the water coming from the fountain.

All over Rome there are fountains like the one pictured below with fresh water to drink.

We didn't try any, but we often saw people drinking it and filling water bottles so I assume it is safe to drink.

Our next stop was this huge landmark which stands 85 feet high and 65 feet wide. The fountain marks the junction of three roads (tre vie). With the Roman custom of building a fountain at the endpoint of an aqueduct, work began in 1732 by Nicola Salvi, but he died before it was completed in 1762 by Giuseppe Pannini.

The theme for the fountain is Taming of the Waters. The triumphal arch houses the Greek Oceanus/Roman Neptune (by Pietro Bracci). Neptune was god of water and sea (all water) in Roman mythology similar to the Greek god Poseidon. The Greek Oceanus was titan of the oceans.

We stopped back by the fountain that evening and it is just as beautiful at night.

Legend holds that throwing a coin in the fountain will ensure a return visit to Rome. It is estimated that 3,000 Euros are thrown in each day. The money is used to subsidize a market for the needy. Of course, we did our part to help the needy.