Il Natale di Roma, or the Birth of Rome, is a special time of year. It’s when celebrations are held to celebrate the city’s glorious history. Rome is a city where ancient and modern coexist harmoniously, but on April 21st, the city’s rich ancient past comes to life with historical parades and reenactments of key scenes from the history of the Roman Empire, and celebrations that take place throughout the city.
Few cities can boast a history like the legendary Rome, founded on April 21st, 753 BC. The date comes to us from the ancient Roman historian Marcus Terentius Varro, who wrote in the first century AD about the birth of Rome. But the real story begins long before 753, when a beautiful vestal virgin (priestess of Vesta, the goddess of the hearth) named Rhea Silvia caught the eye of the pagan god of war, Mars. After being seduced by Mars, Rhea soon gave birth to two beautiful twin sons, Romulus and Remus. Rejected by the king, Rhea’s two disgraced sons were abandoned in a basket on the banks of the Tiber River.
But the story of the two sons of Mars could never end there. The basket with the two babies drifted down the Tiber River and reached the shore, near what is now the Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome. There, the two babies were rescued by a she-wolf, who nursed the two babies until they were found by the shepherd Faustulus. When they grew up, the two brothers wanted to found a city on the banks of the Tiber River near the place where the basket they were in as babies had stopped.
A city ruled by the two brothers was not created, and after an intense rivalry, Romulus killed Remus and founded the city of Rome on April 21, 753 BC.
If we should be ashamed of our age, Rome should be proud, because it is already over 2760 years old!
The ancient city always celebrates in grand style! Gladiator spectacles, parades, historical reenactments, gastronomic events that highlight traditional Italian foods and concerts are held in the days surrounding Rome's birthday.
The historical parade is the event where you can catch a glimpse of all levels of Roman life from goddesses and Vestal Virgins, priestesses of Vesta, the goddess of the hearth, to gladiators and prisoners of war. As an added bonus, many of Rome's museums and archaeological sites are open to the public free of charge on April 21. And, of course, birthday celebrations wouldn't be complete without fireworks.
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