Climbing Mount Campidoglio or Capitoline, a city that has attracted tourists to Rome since Caesar's time, is still the best and most inspiring introduction to this vibrant city. This is the most sacred of the seven ancient mountains. During the imperial era (27 BC-476 AD), the temple of Jupiter added luster to its peak. For centuries, young Edward Gibbon has been one of the pilgrims here. On an autumn night trip in 1764, he was shocked that the Roman Empire hardly survived. In the melancholy ruins of "singing evening prayers in a frying pan with bare feet", he was encouraged and wrote down his immortal history, that is, the decline of the Roman Empire.

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Mount Campidoglio, one of the seven mountains in Rome, was crowned by the Temple of Jupiter in ancient times and is the religious and political center of the city. Today, it is home to the Capitolin Museum, the oldest public museum in the world. The city sought sponsors to repair the facade of the arena. (Massimo Siragusa/Constrasto/Redux) Visitors can still overlook the arena and walk through the nearby ruins of Emperor Nero's Golden Temple. (Massimo Siragusa/Constrasto/Redux)1764, the scenery of Campidoglio inspired the Englishman edward gibbon to write down his immortal Roman history. (Massimo Siragusa/Constrasto/Redux) Today, Romans are as likely as foreign tourists to visit the city's classical venues (an industrial architectural sculpture in the Montemartini Museum). (Massimo Siragusa /Constrasto/Redux) Photo Gallery

In his masterpiece, Gibbon took Rome as the starting point of his glory. In the second century AD, the Capital Mountain was a symbol of the eternal power of the city, and the Temple of Jupiter was an amazing landscape. Under the gilded roof of the temple, a huge gold and ivory statue of the king of Roman gods presided over works of art from all over the world. But the spectacular scenery hypnotized me. From the highlands of Campidoglio, ancient travelers stared at the rich tapestries of the city below. Rome is the largest metropolis in the history of the world, and its marble structure, namely the Greek orator Aelius Aristides around 160, covers the horizon like snow. Today, Campidoglio is mainly controlled by the renovated Capitoli Museum, which is a Renaissance twin palace and a square designed for Michelangelo. The world's oldest museum, its glittering corridors are lined with classical masterpieces, such as romulus and Ram, bronze women in Etruscan feeding twins, which is the symbol of the city, and marble dying Gaul and Venus in Capitolin. When the Temple of Jupiter was razed to the ground by looters in the 5th and 6th centuries, its ruins once again became the only destination for Italians and the most spectacular outdoor cafe in the Eternal City. Standing on the roof terrace and looking at the legendary red tile roof in Rome at sunset, foreigners and locals are glad that they can come to the most beautiful metropolis on earth as they did 2,000 years ago. "Rome is great! Propertius, a poet in Augustus Caesar's time, wrote, stranger, look at your belly!

A new spirit is active in all the classical venues in Rome, which were notorious for their indifferent staff, unstable schedules and lack of display labels. Some of the most popular pavilions have been closed for decades; Even in Capitolin, tourists don't know which rooms will be opened and which exhibits will be buried in the warehouse. At present, Rome Museum is one of the most elegant museums in the world, with the most convenient archaeological sites. "Compared with Rome in the mid-1980s, this progress is incredible," said 35-year-old archaeologist Nicholas Laneri. "There is also a huge change: it is not just foreign tourists who are taking advantage of cultural progress. Now many Italians come to visit them.

In fact, Rome is enjoying a new era. Archaeology is the third time in the modern history of this city. The first time happened in the 1970s in 19, when Rome became the capital of newly unified Italy, and King VictorEmmanuelII ordered the removal of rubble from the Colosseum and the square. Then, in the 1920s and 1930s, Mussolini tore up most of the center of Rome and exposed ostia Harbor, the city's main ancient seaport, as part of his campaign to win public support for his misleading adventures (although he destroyed almost as much as he saved). At present, more scientific research began in the 1990s, and was funded to renovate the city for the grand Millennium celebration in 2000. Jubilee not only invested unprecedented millions of dollars in renovation, but also caused controversy among city, state and Vatican bureaucracies to complete several long-dormant projects. "Celebration Day is a great catalyst for Rome's transformation," said Diane Favro, an architecture professor at UCLA, who is working with Bernard Frischer, a professor at the University of Virginia, to create an interactive digital model of the Rome Forum so that people can browse the website virtually. "With the advent of the digital revolution, our understanding of the ancient city has made a huge leap."

Although there are more and more arguments about the funds of this site, people's interest in ancient history shows no signs of abating. Last month, Italian officials unveiled a 28-foot-high grand altar, which was built by Emperor Augustus in 9 BC to celebrate the arrival of the Rome Peace Conference. This famous monument, called "Ara Pacis", was first excavated in the early 20th century and later restored by Mussolini's archaeologists. It has been protected for six years, and a new museum exhibition hall designed by American architect richard meier is under construction. This exhibition hall has exhibits, a library and an auditorium. It is planned to open next year. In order to meet the needs of the public, Rome's once mysterious archaeological supervision agency now publishes the latest findings online. Italian media pay close attention to the new excavations and have a heated discussion in cafes.

All these new passions have historical symmetry: Fafroude said that the ancient Romans were also fanatics in their own cities, and they joined the tourists from other provinces from one monument to another.

In fact, in order to impress citizens and tourists, the Roman Empire began an ambitious beautification plan from the first emperor Augustus (27 BC-AD 14), which led to the rise of one brilliant building after another around puzzling houses. It was during the reign of Augustus that Rome began to look like a world capital: its splendid monuments were carved from colored marble, and Pliny Sr wrote in 70 AD, "This is the most beautiful building in the world." The Colosseum was completed in 80 AD, and the Grand Plaza of Emperor Trajan was completed in 1 13 AD. The image of Rome we see today is actually complete. /kloc-a metropolis with more than 0/10,000 residents has become the greatest miracle in ancient times: "The goddess of the mainland and the people, oh, Rome, nothing can be compared with it, even close! At the beginning of 1930, the poet sigmund freud argued in KDSP and KDSP that the famous Rome compared the brains of modern people with those of human beings, and could store many levels of memories in the same physical space. This is a concept that classical tourists should understand: the ancient Romans had a subtle feeling about the land of genius or local spirit. They regard the streets of Rome as a huge treasure house of history, and the past and present are blurred. Today, we can feel the same vivid sense of historical continuity, because the revival site of this city uses all imaginable means to reproduce the past.

The connection with historical imagination is everywhere. The ancient Apia Road, the queen of roads in southern Rome, has become a 10-mile-long archaeological park, the best bicycle reconnaissance. The roadside scenery has hardly changed since ancient times. There are sheep in the farmland here, and there are tombs of Roman nobles. These graves say "I suggest you enjoy life more than I do" and "Beware of doctors: they killed me."

Back in the historical center of the city, the Colosseum is still a symbol of the imperial era. Some of its remaining external walls have been cleaned up, and many underground passages used by gladiators and beasts have been shown to the public. For ancient tourists, this is a must-see place. In the morning, criminals are torn to pieces or crucified. Then, after lunch break, men kill each other in the afternoon. The carriage race in the circus revolves around entertainment. ) This once the largest building in Western Europe, with a height of 142 feet, is under maintenance. After ten years of renovation, Aurelia Palace, the golden palace of Emperor Nero, was reopened with great fanfare in 1999. Visitors can now rent a "video guide"-a PDA that shows close-ups of ceiling murals and computer reconstruction of several rooms. Thanks to this, standing in the dark interior of the palace buried in the first century A.D., people can imagine the walls that Nero saw. These walls are inlaid with jewels and mother-of-pearl, surrounded by fountains, and the gardens are full of tame wild animals.

In ancient times, the most magnificent monument in Rome was a part of the city structure, and even the flanks of the sacred Campidoglio were crowded with houses; It was Mussolini who separated the ancient ruins from the surrounding communities. Today, urban planners hope to restore congestion. "Rome is not a museum," said archaeologist Nicolas Laranelli. "Florence is more like this. It was the people who created Rome. This is the historical depth of personal life.

Rome Square has been opened to the public free of charge, restoring its ancient role as the original square of the city: today, Romans and tourists once again stroll on its ancient stones, have a picnic on Italian cheese near the building site of the Senate, or daydream beside the temple once cared for by Miss Privet. Trajan Markets, a few blocks away, is a multi-storey shopping center built in the 2nd century, and now it has become a contemporary art gallery ... In a labyrinth of arcades, vendors used to sell condiments and pearls from the Red Sea. Fish swim in the sea ten miles away to keep fresh. The shop is full of metal sculptures, video equipment and mannequins showing the latest designer's fashion. This strategic route to the Colosseum in Rome is Via dei Fori Imperiali, which is side by side with the Empire Square. No motor vehicles are allowed to pass, so pedestrians don't have to avoid buses and duels. This modern avenue has always been a problem because it was blown through the center of Rome by fascists in the 1930s, leveling a hill and destroying the whole Renaissance block. Mussolini considered himself a "new Augustus" and revived the glory of the ancient empire. He hoped to see the great imperial idol directly from the Venice Square where he gave a speech. In July 2004, the Archaeological Supervision Bureau issued a proposal to build a sidewalk on the Imperial Square, allowing the Romans to reclaim the area. Although the vague sci-fi design has its critics and the project has not developed further, many city residents think that some measures must be taken to repair Mussolini's world-weariness

"This is really an ancient challenge in Rome: how do you balance the needs of a modern city with its historical identity? Paul Rivani, director of the Vatican Museum, said. We can't destroy the remains of ancient Rome, but we can't mummify modern cities. Balanced action may be impossible, but we must work hard! We have no choice.

An effective balance takes place in the Montematinim Museum, with sentimental marble statues in an abandoned19th century power plant, with E juxtaposed with towering metal turbines. The exhibition opened on 1997. It was temporary at first, but it proved to be very popular, so it became permanent. Other attempts to combine modernity with classicism are less common. Museums in richard meier are the most controversial. This is the first new building in the historical center of Rome since Mussolini's time. It was severely criticized for its angular travertine and glass design, which many Romans thought violated the atmosphere of the old city. In a notorious attack, Vittorio Sgarbi, vice minister of culture, compared the box shape of the museum to "a gas station in Dallas" and set fire to the building in the statue. Other critics lament that "Los Angeles in Rome", "KDSP" and "KDSP" are certainly not mixed architects of the past and present. For example, the ancient Roman historical organization Gruppo Storico Romano attracted people from bank employees to

The truck driver went to the Gladiator School on Appian Road. Even a visit to the school headquarters will test a person's nerves. In the dark yard, behind the corrugated iron fence, half of Adocen students wear tunics and helmets and carry dangerous-looking props, such as tridents and daggers. The 36-year-old teacher named carmelo Kanzaro runs a clothing store during the day, but when the sun goes down, she becomes a needle. "There is nothing in the ancient literature to describe the training skills of gladiators," he admitted, "so we must improvise," Spi Kurrus added. "When the students are all men and start waving at wood blade, you must concentrate. A mistake, you may lose your balance. " He sat outside at night, recovering from his ankle fracture in a recent exhibition game. )

During the break, Massimo Carnevali, a 26-year-old young computer programmer, explained the attraction of the school. He said: "It combines history with physical exercise. Ryan Andis, another 26-year-old opera singer from Philadelphia, said, "It's a dream come true to come here and cut people with swords. "

Edward gibbon knows this. Although he doesn't like gladiators, he thinks this practice is "inhuman" and "terrible"-he will always remember the impression left by his first visit to Rome on his young imagination. As he wrote in his autobiography: "In these 25 years, I can neither forget nor express the exciting and strong feelings when I first approached and entered the eternal city. After a sleepless night, I walked high on the ruins of the forum; Every place where romulus stood, Tully spoke and Caesar fell immediately appeared in front of my eyes. In a few days, the drunkenness disappeared, and I didn't have time to do a calm and meticulous investigation. " Although there are magnificent historical sites in Rome KDSPEK KDSPEK KDSPEK KDSPEK KDSPEK KDSPEK, most imperial Rome is a dirty maze, with collapsed houses everywhere. 10 foot long alleys are crowded with businessmen, vendors and pedestrians, and occasionally there are falling bricks or cans. There are several cans of wine hanging on the door of the pub. The noise in the street is deafening. ("Show me the room where you can sleep! The satirist Juvenalis said that insomnia caused most people to die here. " ) The rich and the poor crowded together, as well as immigrants from all corners of the empire, Greek professors, prostitutes in Parthia (present-day Iraq), slaves in Dacia (Romania) and boxers in Ethiopia. Animal trainers, acrobats, fire eaters, actors and storytellers crowded the forum. Give me a coin, said a choir, and I will tell you a golden story. " )

On my last day in Rome, I explored the depths of the city: I hobbled through the dark Subura, a slum inhabited by Romans, which was small and had no windows or running water. I stared at one of their unisex toilets, where they sponged themselves. Aaron was in a corner, and I happened to find a temporary arena, where a battle was going on: 400 Romans in shabby and dirty coats were thrown into the carriage, lying on their limbs in a pool of blood and crying. A dog rushed in and caught a broken hand.

Soon, in a chaotic pause, a slim Gucci Italian woman hobbled across the bloody beach in stilettos to make up for an extra. This is Cinecitta, a large film studio located in the suburb of Rome. Some people call it the world's greatest ancient life video factory. Vardis, Ben Hull, Cleopatra and other classic films were shot here, and Ferini's Satiricon was also shot here.

HBO is shooting a series of "Rome" with a 5-acre film (which will be aired on August 28th) at a cost of $ 1 billion, thus rebuilding the city in the last days of * * * and China. Bruno Heller, the co-creator of this program, hopes that this series can make an ancient west for the 2004 Rotten Wood: Deconstructing It by ancient HBO. Marcel Heller said, "Sometimes, it is hard for us to believe that the ancient Romans really existed in our daily life. We strolled back and found uniforms and props of the times everywhere. "But they are real, sincere and full of people." This series of films tries to show the Romans instead of judging them by modern Christian morality. Heller added: "In our own culture, certain things are suppressed, such as openly enjoying the suffering of others, eager to make people obey your wishes, and using slaves without guilt." . "This is normal for the Romans." -T.P .“