Musings on Rome

Our final stop in Italy was to the eternal city, Rome.  We hopped a train from Florence and made our way down the coast to experience city life.   First we walked down the wide avenues until we reached the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and colossal Coliseum.  For this important phase of Roman history we decided to join a tour with a versed guide.  Strolling through the ancient ruins, I was impressed by the sheer height of the Basilica, the width of the columns at the Forum  and the enormity of the Imperial Palace with the remains of its gargantuan rooms.

I wondered how the early Romans at the beginning of the first century had the knowledge and ability to construct such structures as these.  I learned that a system of pulleys and slave labor accomplished these feats.  At the Coliseum I was horrified to hear that 9000 animals were killed in 100 days for sport.  Exotic animals would be displayed in a natural looking habitat and then trapped and killed for fun.  Our guide explained that since there was no television in 80 A.D., this is how the people would entertain themselves.  Then to add to the enjoyment, gladiators would fight each other to the death.  Our current football stadiums ressemble the Coliseum and I guess we continue the tradition of attacking for sport as entertainment when we watch our favorite teams tackle each other on the playing field.

Since I am a cultural Jew, I wanted to pay a visit to the Great Synagogue of Rome, built in 1870.  In 1986, Pope John Paul II visited the building, making it the first time a pope had ever entered a synagogue.  We listened attentively as the docent described the Nazis ultimatum to the Jews of Rome in World War II.  They were to gather all of their gold and present it the next day and their lives would be spared.  The Jewish community along with their Christian friends scoured the area to come up with as much gold as they could.  After presenting it to the Nazis, they were told they would be saved.  Three days later the Germans gathered up all the Jews and sent them to Auschwitz to be exterminated.  I was relieved to hear that some of them were hidden and saved by their Italian neighbors.  In 1982, armed Palestinian militants bombed the building as worshipers were finishing services.  A two year old toddler was killed and many injured.   Italy has been the home of many Jews from the diaspora. When Queen Isabella of Spain expelled the Jews during the Inquisition, many of them found refuge in Italy.  The Jewish community in Rome goes back to the second century B.C. when the Roman Empire had an alliance with Judea under the leadership of Judah Maccabias.  Then  many Jews were brought to Rome as slaves after the Jewish Roman Wars in Judea from 63-135 C.E.  I guess the Romans have the Jewish slaves to thank for some of those monuments that they enjoyed and that we enjoy to this day.

Before we leave Italy and Rome, we must discuss the culinary experience there.  I ate more pasta in Rome than I have eaten in my whole life.  Pasta is served al dente in Rome with a scant amount of sauce that is chunkier than what we are used to.  Since we try to avoid nightshades(potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers), dried baked flour such as bread, and dairy, it was difficult to find macrobiotic quality food there.  I ended up eating some eggplant, tomatoes, bread, wonderful gelato and lots of salad.  Even the Vegetarian restaurant we went to, Il Margutta, near the Spanish Steps, where we had risotto, salad and quinoa, was really not too good.  Thankfully, our wonderful cooking class in Tuscany made up for our Rome meals.

In concluding the Rome chapter of our trip, I will treasure my memories of spending time in a Tuscan villa, seeing how the Romans live up close and personal and taking home some lovely Italian Vegan recipes.  I will revel in awe at the accomplishments of the Roman architects, painters and inventors of the aqueducts.  To be able to accomplish all they did without computers, and technology is truly miraculous.  We were very fortunate to be able to visit this beautiful land and experience its treasures firsthand.