It is a well known fact that in Rome, undiscovered treasures and artifacts may lie a mere 30 feet below the surface. Therefore, building an underground subway in the city of Rome is no easy feat. The dilemma is how to build without disturbing any antiquities that may lie buried and undiscovered below its spectacular roads and streets.
Compared to other European capitals, Rome’s subway is far less developed. For years, Rome’s 2.8 million citizens relied solely on two scant subway lines that fell short of meeting the city’s transportation needs. The two lines don’t even connect and they do not come near to the historical city centre. Being one of the oldest cities in the world, the construction of a subway poses many difficulties. Rome is built upon a labyrinth of tunnels, catacombs, vaults, and ancient sewer systems.
During the construction of the first two subway lines in the 1950’s, each excavation exposed archaeological remains and the construction had to be stopped to allow the local archaeologists to check their significance. Alternate routes had to be thought-out and determined if the discovery proved valuable to the history of the Romans.
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Winners of the recent World Cup, Italy is once again in the news. The fact Italy won the cup while also suffering the shame of a soccer corruption scandal is typical of this complex country.
An Overview of the Past of Italy
When you think of Italy, it’s nearly impossible to not think of the past. It is rich and complex starting from before ancient Roman times, continuing on through the turbulence of fascism, and finally ending with today’s modern country. Italy has it all – mystery, intrigue, religion, beauty and character, and studying the past of this impressive country can help us all to understand the current culture of Italy.
The earliest recorded mention Italy comes from the Paleolithic era, which occurred over 200,000 years ago. Italy didn’t really become a fully formed area, however, until the first Greek settlers arrived in the country in the eighth century BC. The name Italy is said to have either come from the name Italus, who was one of the kings of the area, or the Homeric word that meant “bull”. By the third century BC, the Romans had taken over the entire area of the Mediterranean, which included Italy, and this boot-shaped land became part of the Roman Empire. This Roman era led to prosperity and peace for the land of Italy, and this was continued until around 400 AD.
The Germanic people became the rulers of Italy around 400 AD. They ruled for roughly 135 years until, in 535, Justinian reclaimed the area for Rome. For the next 1000 years, Italy became a fragmented group of city states, and the paths of the southern and northern parts of Italy differed greatly. In the northern area, the city states of Genoa, Florence, Milan and especially Venice prospered, both in areas of commerce and those of politics. The southern part of Italy, in areas such as Sicily, were taken over first by Muslims in the ninth century and then by the Normans in the 1050’s. The areas of Sicily and Naples were filled with turmoil, but they also produced the climate that fed the Italian Renaissance movement where artists such as Michelangelo produced stunning works.
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