Rome celebrates 2,777th birthday with parade, events

Source: Xinhua| 2024-04-22 03:19:30|Editor: huaxia

People participate in the gladiator tournament at Circus Maximus in Rome, April 20, 2024. The city of Rome celebrated its 2,777th birthday on Sunday with a weekend of historical re-enactments of ancient Roman rituals. (Xinhua/Li Jing)

ROME, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Italy's capital celebrated the city's 2,777th birthday Sunday, the annual retrospective of the city's long history that in recent years has grown increasingly popular with tourists.

On Sunday, the city erupted with concerts, exhibits, ceremonies and a parade of more than 2,000 people marching as legionaries, centurions, Senators, gladiators, vestals, priestesses, and nobles, all dressed in full Roman-era costumes.

"It's a way to pay tribute to our city's history while enjoying ourselves and showing off to visitors and students," Marco Contarini, a 29-year-old coffee bar worker who participated in Sunday's parade dressed as a centurion, told Xinhua.

According to tradition, Rome was founded on April 21, 753 B.C.

Sunday's celebration was held in Circus Maximus, a former Roman-era racetrack that lies in a low area between the Palatine and the Aventine, the hills with a deep connection to the city's history.

Preston Juan Loria, a 49-year-old project manager from Florida, the United States, said that discovering the day's festivities was a happy coincidence while on vacation in the city.

"We didn't plan to come to Rome for the city's birthday but seeing all this is a great way to spend part of a day, taking it all in," Loria told Xinhua. "I especially enjoyed seeing the contrasts, the period costumes in a modern city."

Though the origins of Sunday's celebrations date back centuries, the events have caught on with travelers as tourism in Italy has recovered from the setbacks of the coronavirus pandemic.

There are no official estimates for the number of people who participated in Sunday's activities, media reports said the city had deployed extra police for security and traffic control. Hotel bookings were higher than usual for the weekend, media reports said. ■

People take part in a parade to celebrate the 2,777th birthday of Rome in Rome, capital of Italy, April 21, 2024. The city of Rome celebrated its 2,777th birthday on Sunday with a weekend of historical re-enactments of ancient Roman rituals. (Xinhua/Li Jing)

A couple watches the Imperial fora in Rome, Italy, April. 21, 2024. Italy's capital celebrated the city's 2,777th birthday Sunday, the annual retrospective of the city's long history that in recent years has grown increasingly popular with tourists. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

A seagull stands on the head of the statue of Marcus Aurelius at the Capitoline Hill in Rome, Italy, April. 21, 2024. Italy's capital celebrated the city's 2,777th birthday Sunday, the annual retrospective of the city's long history that in recent years has grown increasingly popular with tourists. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

This photo taken on April 21, 2024 shows the moon above Piazza Venezia in Rome, Italy. Italy's capital celebrated the city's 2,777th birthday Sunday, the annual retrospective of the city's long history that in recent years has grown increasingly popular with tourists. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

Tourists visit the Imperial fora in Rome, Italy, April. 21, 2024. Italy's capital celebrated the city's 2,777th birthday Sunday, the annual retrospective of the city's long history that in recent years has grown increasingly popular with tourists. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

A tourist watches the Imperial fora in Rome, Italy, April. 21, 2024. Italy's capital celebrated the city's 2,777th birthday Sunday, the annual retrospective of the city's long history that in recent years has grown increasingly popular with tourists. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)