Rome’s Myths are Still Alive

Rome is still one of the old lands. One of the places where myth meets man , living side by side they influence each other. Going from site to site it may be easy to see the beauty, arts and religion that has been a part of this city’s history, for eternity. It is also easy to miss some of the obvious myths that still live in the city today.

Some of the locals will tell you that it isn’t true, others will tell you it is just a way of pulling the legs of new tourists, but all the same the myth has stood the tests of time and the statues have taken on a life of their own. Pasquino is one of the most famous of these. Now it is just a fraction of what it was in the 3rd century but at the time it was a great sculpture of a famous hero. The legend says that this sculpture as well as others around the city speak to the leaders for the people of Rome. It is not uncommon to see little pieces of paper with small poems mocking the politicians and the rich hung around the neck of this sculpture. Various politicians have tried to stop the speaking sculptures, one Pope went as far as to threaten to throw the statue in the ocean and another one issued an order that anyone caught putting one of these notes around the sculpture’s neck would be punished with death. It hasn’t just been leaders living in Rome that this sculpture has spoken out against either. The sculptures had been mostly quiet for a period until Hitler stayed in a Rome hotel and suddenly there were a number of items hung around the necks of the sculptures to show the people’s displeasure with him and his actions.

Even now if you walk down the streets search out these popular speaking sculptures. You may find something out about the politicians that even the local gossip magazines are not willing to publish.

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