February 8, 1998, Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome – What is it that makes Rome "The Eternal City?" Asked for three thousand years, it is a question answered by each person who visits the seven hills that make up the old city. As I wait for British Airways to take me home, I search for my answer.

On a historical level, it has been the center of western civilization. Founded by Romulus 700 years before Christ, it laid the foundation for all of the western civilizations that have followed. Romulus and his brother Remus, you will remember from your high school history class, were orphans raised by a she-wolf. See Virgil’s "The Aeneid" should you have questions.

Its armies and navies ruled the known world bringing enlightenment, law, and culture to the conquered. Not until the rise of the British Empire 1100 years after the fall of Rome would a civilization of such majesty thrive. With all due respect to Ghengis Khan, Attila the Hun, and various Chinese warlords, establishment of an enlightened civilization requires more than the occasional plundering of farming villages.

The Roman Empire fell in 476 AD and Italy remained a collection of city-states until it was unified in 1870.

Through it all Rome has always been about, well, Rome. It has been about the legacy of the Empire. It has been about the establishment of the Christian Church. It has been the art of the soul. It has been about beauty. It has been about the highest achievement of man. It has been about man’s love affair with himself. About life.

New This Week:
A couple of Jokes, a bunch of new Photos, and a page in the Archives.

It is about life, and that is the lure of Rome: Rome is loud, Rome is serene; Rome is chaotic, Rome is ordered; Rome is confusing, Rome makes perfect sense; Rome is dirty, Rome is the most beautiful city in the world; Rome is about the towering achievement of man; Rome is about the frailty of man and the compassion of God; Rome can be harsh, Romans are warm and hospitable.

Each visitor to Rome learns this about the city during their visit. In each day of discovery, in each small event, he learns of life through the movements of the city. Each narrow street that bursts into the blinding sunlight of a piazza teaches him patience in the search for fulfillment. Each child playing in the fountain of a renaissance master shows the beauty of wonder and simplicity. Entry into San Pietro (Saint Peter’s Basilica) teaches humility in presence of a higher order. Through each Roman soccer fan he learns of the passions that can stir in the human soul. And through each Roman friend, he learns of friendship.

It is not a city for the dispassionate. The timid need not apply. The rule-bound will not cope well. It is a city for lovers of life. It is for those love the full splendor of life in all of its messy glory. Rome is for those who’s overriding desire is to live. Those who wish to view life should seek entertainment elsewhere.

There are several new photos of Rome on the website. While they show the picture of Rome, they cannot show the soul of Rome. Only through a visit (bus tours do not count) will you learn of the "Eternal City." And while you are learning about the "Eternal City" you may learn something about yourself.