A few rounds of ‘Happy Birthday’ to Rome, please

Eternal it may be, but Rome is not ageless. In fact, it will celebrate its 2,762nd  birthday Tuesday. Whew, what a cake that would have to be.

The precise date of the city’s founding is actually shrouded in mystery (and mythology), but 753 BC, calculated by the Roman historian Marcus Terentius Varro (116-27 BC), is traditionally accepted.

Anniversary celebrations were a big deal during imperial times, with plenty of “bread and circus” for the plebeians, a custom revived by Benito Mussolini, who modeled his fascist regime on the Rome of the Caesars.

Rome’s birthday is going to be a big deal this year too. Events during the April 19-21 celebration (which is not a public holiday) will include:

* The opening of a refurbished garden at the historic Castel St. Angelo on the banks of the Tiber River.

* The launching of a project to restore the terrace on the Pincio, overlooking Piazza del Popolo, including exploration of an archaeological site recently discovered there.

* Exhibitions on painters Giotto and Fra Angelico at Vittoriano complex and up the hill at the Capitoline Museum, respectively.

* Cin Cin Cinema, a program offering reduced-price tickets — about $5 in the afternoon and $6.50 in the evening — at movie theaters in and around Rome.

Better still, proceeds from many of the birthday events and activities will go to aid victims of the Abruzzo earthquake.

Website: Comune di Roma (in Italian)

— Susan Spano, Los Angeles Times staff writer

[Photo: Comune di Roma]

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This entry was posted on Thursday, April 16, 2009 at 1:48 pm by Susan Spano and is filed under Europe, Festival, Italy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.