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