Who were the Italians before Rome?

When we think about Italy, we automatically think of Rome. However, Rome wasn’t the only ancient civilization in Italy. There were actually quite a few. However, none influenced Rome like Etruscan. Hopefully, this post will spread some light on a civilization often living in the shadows of rome.

493px-Etruscan_civilization_map
The Etruscan civilization map brought to you by google

The Etruscans dominated Italy before the rise of rome. In fact, rome was once under the rule of the Etruscans as shown in the picture above. Not much is known of their history because they spoke a language that was not indo-European. The Etruscans were from what is now known as turkey. Which is why thier language was different than their neighbours.

Italy_400bC_en.svg
Map of Italy in 400 B.C. brought to you by google

Italy was divided by many civilizations before rome eventually unified them all. However, the Etruscans were one of the first pre-rome Italians to unify mulitple Italian states. Plus, they are probably the one few in history that can say they conquered Rome’s capital.

An Etruscan Tomb brought to you by Google

As mentioned before, most of the Etruscans’ language and culture died out when Rome conquered. Since, most just adopted Latin and Roman customs. Eventually, the Etruscan simulated into Roman society and were forgotten. Within generations, you couldn’t tell the difference from an Etruscan and a Roman.

An Etruscan an pot brought to you by Google

What we know about the Etruscans’ culture is through tombs, art and what they left behind. A lot of their pottery was heavy influenced by Greece. They even had gods similar to the greek. The Etruscan religion had some influence to the Roman gods as well. Romans learned how to build arches from the Etruscans. The Etruscans even laid a foundation for the roman sewers. The city of Roman and the Roman architecture are imprints left behind by the Etruscans.

Thank you so much for reading!!! Much love and safe travels!!

Check out our eBook “How to Travel for Dirt Cheap” by Hugo Morel for ways to make your dreams of traveling come true without breaking the bank. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M848M47?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420&fbclid=IwAR0_mRF-eE9tODIshljVr7CQ8h6vKT6hHn_8gZfJ94DySY1ylPO2Itu2Qe
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lasciando Roma-on the outskirts

Leaving Rome is always a hard task. A city as historic and classic like this makes you think twice. Leaving the center of the Roman Empire is an action usually ending with a heartbreak . Especially, if you love history, arts and food.

A stereotypical Italian car photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Even though my time in Rome was short-lived, there was a bright side. We would be doing an Italian road trip. So, we would see the countryside of Italy again. Something, I was excited to experience once more. For this country, I do not mind experiencing it twice and possibly a third time.

Views of the hills in the background photo courtesy Hugo Morel

As we left to the outskirts of the city, our group got to see the nature usually overlooked by tourists. Our starting point was in a suburb of Rome. The part I love about going to the suburbs is the open space. It’s not too remote like the countryside; yet, not too congested like the city.

A quite neighborhood outside of rome photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

As the calm warm breeze hit my face, I felt so relaxed. This looks like California during the winter time. The hills mixed with green and gold, it’s hard not to enjoy the moment. Falling in love with Italy is not diffcult. The food, music, views and the people make it difficult to ever want to leave this country.

Red flower photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

It was time to start the road trip. We all got on our tour bus. Expect me, of course. Got lost looking at this flower. Lost in my thoughts, all I could think about how different Italian honey would taste like compared to back home. Even at this time, I was thinking about food. Eventually got on the bus and my Italian adventures were just starting. If my face at that moment could be an emjoi, it would be the heart eyes smile one. Italy has a vibe that is hard to match.

Safe travels everyone and much love!

Check out our eBook “How to Travel for Dirt Cheap” by Hugo Morel for ways to make your dreams of traveling come true without breaking the bank. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M848M47?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420&fbclid=IwAR0_mRF-eE9tODIshljVr7CQ8h6vKT6hHn_8gZfJ94DySY1ylPO2Itu2Qe
For videos about cultures of the world and to see our travels, subscribe to our youtube channel!
For my underwater photos, I use the gopro hero 7 white.
We have partnered up with booking.com and working on TripAdvisor. Here are some links for each hope you all enjoy!

Here are links to hotels and other deals.

For Hotels, make sure to click here. For apartments make sure to click here. For Resorts click here. For villas click here. For bed and breakfast and for Guest houses, make sure to click the links!

Entering the smallest country in the world

Vatican city, the home base of the Catholic Church. A country of about 1000 people and the place where the Pope lives. Do not let the name confuse you, it’s actually a country.

St. Peter’s square taken by Hugo Morel

Although, it’s not recognized by the United Nations as an actual country; Vatican city is self-governed. Besides speaking Italian, the Pope’s home is not apart of Italy nor Rome; even if it’s in the middle of Italy’s capital.

St. Peter’s square at sun rise taken by Hugo Morel

Entering this country feels more like an airport than immigration. You have to go through a metal detector. If someone acts up, they will have to deal with these guys.

The guards of Vatican City taken by Hugo Morel

To be honest, these guards I think are just for show. They aren’t really frightening nor to be taken seriously. Just look at those colors!

The entrance to Vatican City taken by Hugo Morel

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Much love!! Have an awesome weekend and stay healthy! Next time we will be exploring more of Vatican city.

The Catacombs of Rome

When we think of Catacombs, we think of the one’s in Paris; however, Rome has a few as well. Although, they are not as dark as the ones in Paris, but they are still creepy.

Photo taken by Hugo Morel

As we were going down the steps, I truly had no idea what I was getting into. The further we went, the darker it got. I looked back and the image I saw, was something out of a horror painting.

Taken by Hugo Morel

A little history of Rome’s catacombs. The catacombs were built for the Christian and Jewish population. Since most of them were too poor to afford a proper grave, the ancient Romans just stuffed them in the catacombs. Also, the Romans back then did not believe in burying the dead. They preferred cremations.

Taken by Hugo Morel

Back to our story, the Catacombs were always at a cool temperature. As the group kept going, I somehow got lost. Being lost in a place like this was not a fun experience. You can sense something is always around the corner looking at you.

Taken by Hugo Morel

Every corner I turned, there were more graves with Latin written on them. My fight against anxiety was becoming a hopeless cause.

Taken by Hugo Morel

Eventually after running around in the dark for what felt like an hour, I found a tour guide. The guide looked at me twice, as if she was making sure I wasn’t some sprit haha. She lead me to the exit and there I found freedom from this nightmarish event.

Thank you for reading our post. Much love!! Safe travels and have an awesome weekend!

The ruins of rome

The more we explored Rome, the older the man-made structures got.

Taken by Hugo Morel edited on Instagram

Rome is such a beautiful city. However, there’s a part of Rome that makes the human life span feel inferior. To see these thousands of years old structures is something everybody should experience.

Taken by Hugo Morel

The energy of the Colosseum was out of this world and slightly dark. To know that many people and animals had died for entertainment, left me with a sour taste.

taken by Hugo Morel

We eventually went to where the battles for survival took place. It really made you think as to how far we came as people and a society. These battles to the death were truly barbaric and savage. Gladly, we replaced this violent entertainment with sports (Pun intended).

taken by Hugo Morel

Regardless of what I felt, I really enjoyed my time. Experiencing Roman history first hand, is a memory I’m proud to leave with.

Taken by Hugo Morel

Thank you for reading our post! We love you all! Stay healthy!!

Finalmente Roma!

After all this time, we are finally in Rome!

Taken by Hugo Morel

The one thing that stood out to me was all the relics from Egypt. Like, how did they get them here? What ship can carry a pyramid? These are questions the world may never know.

Pyramid taken by Hugo Morel

The history running in this city is strong. You can feel the fall of the Egyptian empire and the others Rome conquered. Below is an Egyptian obelisk. The Roman empire really interested me as a kid. To be in it’s capital was a feeling hard to put in words.

Taken by Hugo Morel

Walking around the city was relaxing and interesting. I expected Rome for some reason to be made of gold and have fashion shows on every corner. Of course, I was wrong. It seemed like a typical historical city. It’s hard to be impressed, when you been to Prague. That was my mind set.

Trevi fountain taken by Hugo Morel

Eventually, we started to get to the tourist parts of rome. The Trevi fountain was truly beautiful. I didn’t expect Rome to be so charming after being disappointed with it’s appearance at first. This city is truly like a book. You can not judge it by it’s cover.

“Angels bridge” ponte sant’Angelo taken by Hugo Morel

Thank you for taking your time to read. Next week we will be exploring more of Rome.

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