Got sport?

Rome is famous all over the world thanks to its monument and historical treasures. Actually, most of the physical activities the tourists are usually involved in are walking in the sunny streets, wowing in the museums' corridors and flexing their neck muscles up and down to stare at the taller buildings. But in Rome there is more going on when it comes to sport.

Soccer: being the national sport, you can't miss a soccer game at the Stadio Olimpico. There are 2 teams in Rome: Roma and Lazio, and of course their rivalry is neverending. If you want to try it yourself, just go at the park: it will be easy to find a bunch of people playing soccer on the grass anytime.

Run: running is healthy and relaxing. But it's even better when you can run by majestic monuments. In Rome you can. And if you don't want to wait for the Marathon, just set the alarm a bit early and go for a run by the Fori Imperiali.

Athletics: Rome has great athletics facitilites. And last week on the 26th during the athletic Golden Gala was a day of sport with international stars with a very special guest: the olympic champion Usain Bolt!

Ancient romans used to say "mens sana in corpore sano,",meaning "a healthy mind in a healthy body" and the city still sticks to this saying.

Rome runs for the cure..

Every year Rome turns pink. It's not because of the romantic twilights you can behold in late Spring. It's not because of the old fashioned buildings that takes you centuries back. This time Rome is pink because of the 12th edition of Race For The Cure, a great event that every year helps the research for breast cancer.

Houndreds of people gathered in the city center this weekend and applied for a fun run around the most important areas of Rome. Last Friday to Sunday you could see men, women, children and even a few dogs running at Piazza Venezia, rushing all the way thru the Forums heading to the Colosseum, and then Circo Massimo to the Caracalla Therms. All the fund raised are going to support our scientists in their own race. A very important run to find a cure for the most common cancer for the women.

Some people contributed with money, others took part in the race. Everyone ran with a smile and with the fullfilling feeling that the winner would anyway be the women's health.

Mamma Roma

Let's see, we had Mother's Day last Sunday and May which is the Mother Mary month. This is an opportunity to tell our moms how much we love them and also to remember that Rome is a mother itself! According to the myth, the twin Romulus and Remus were demigods born from the god of war Mars and a priestess.

Their mother's uncle ordered to kill the babies by throwing them in the Tiber river. There, a wolf found and raised them in its den by the Palatine hill...kinda like Mowgli from the Jungle Book! The children were breast-fed by the wolf and eventually Romulus founded the city of Rome, and became its first king.

No wonder the wolf is now the symbol of Rome. You can see many statues of the Capitoline Wolf, some of them as old as the city, the oldest being almost 2000 years old. The logo of Rome's soccer team is also a wolf head. Romans have a special link with this animal. They all feel like they're sons of Rome as well as the sons of a wolf. Quite an unusual mom to have, but as lovely as all the moms!

Visit the Capitoline hill with Walks Inside Rome to learn more about its fascinating history in the following tours:

• Ancient & Christian Rome
• Rome for Kids
• Underground Rome
• Classic Ancient Rome
• Small Group Ancient Rome

Sunday busy Sunday

Last Sunday has been a pretty busy one, due to the beatification of John Paul II and the Labor Day concert. Just as we expected in our previous post! Starting from Friday afternoon, pilgrims from all over the world gathered in Rome.

Saturday was a nice evening to walk the streets by Saint Peter to witness thousands of people arranging for the night. Yes, most of them slept outdoor, assisted by a huge organization of professionals and young volunteers helping the visitors with water and fresh fruits.

If Saturday night was one of a kind sight, Sunday was just crazy. Over 1.5 million people came to celebrate the former Pope John Paul II. One of the biggest event for the Catholic Church thus far!
Meanwhile, in Piazza San Giovanni, the traditional Labor Day concert took place. As every year, the first day of May is the opportunity for workers and students to get together and participate at this amazing festival.

Many famous Italian singers showed up on the stage, including Ennio Morricone and Gino Paoli. Good thing the audience was way lower than last year: "only" 500,000 people! This made a total of over 2 million people gathered in the center of Rome in less than 24 hours. Can you think about something more amazing?