Festivals Celebrated in Rome

Rome (Photo credit: tejvanphotos)

Piazza di Spagna, Roma, Italy. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: The River Tiber in winter with St Peter's and Castel Sant'Angelo Rome (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Spanish Steps, seen from Piazza di Spagna (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rome (Photo credit: Elescir)

[Piazza Navona, Rome, Italy] (LOC) (Photo credit: The Library of Congress)

By []M. Patrick Quinn

The Romans have been a festive lot since ancient times, when the Eternal City's marble-lined streets played stage to triumphant processions, colorful religious rituals and ceremonial feasts, held by a people whose sacred calendar was heavily dotted with celebratory occasions. In fact, the very word festival comes to us from the Latin word "festum", meaning holiday or banquet. The Romans of today continue the revelries with a vibrant variety of festivals, some unquestionably modern and others still very much rooted in tradition. For those studying abroad in Italy, Roma offers festivals of all kinds, not to be missed by students sojourning in the city.

Festa di Primavera -- The Spring Festival

From the end of March through the beginning of April, Romans welcome the arrival of spring with a range of cultural events. Guided tours of many of Rome's seemingly countless historical sites, including monuments and churches, are organized and made available for free, and a series of concerts take place on the famous Spanish Steps, an enormous staircase which surmounts the steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna and the Piazza Trinit� dei Monti, and which once linked the Bourbon Spanish Embassy with a church under the Bourbon family's patronage. It is this stairway which makes the centerpiece of the Festa di Primavera, for which it is adorned with a pink sea of azalea-filled vases. No springtime study abroad experience would be complete without witnessing this legendary sight.

Natale di Roma -- Birth of Rome

If you're spending a semester at a university in Rome, chances are you're interested in the city's incomparable history. This makes the Natale di Roma, or Birth of Rome festival, a must-do for the visiting student. Held on the 21st of April, Natale di Roma celebrates the birth of a little city-state on the Tiber River that would grow up to rule the known world. On this date in the year 753 B.C., Romulus founded the city of Rome. The occasion was marked in ancient times and is celebrated nowadays with fireworks, dancing and parades around Rome's ancient historical sites, while the city hall as well as many of the city's palazzi, or palaces, are illuminated during the night.

Festival Internazionale del Film di Roma -- Rome International Film Festival

So many iconic films have been shot against the one-of-a-kind backdrop of Rome -- think Roman Holiday or The Bicycle Thief -- that the fairly recent creation of the Rome International Film Festival seemed long overdue. Held in October, the high-profile festival now plays host to international films in several different categories. The award statue is shaped like the famous mounted sculpture of the ancient philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius.

Roma Europa

There would be no Europe as we know it today were it not for the Roman Empire, so it's only fitting that the City of the Seven Hills play cultural capitol with a preeminent festival titled "Roma Europa" through the months of October and November. Attracting artists, dancers, writers, filmmakers and digital innovators from across the world, Roma Europa was named one of the top four festivals in Europe by the Wall Street Journal. If you happen to be enrolled at a   rel=nofollow [http://www.johncabot.edu/about_jcu/default.aspx]university in Rome for the fall, give the books a rest for a bit and learn the arts at the Roma Europa festival instead.

Visit [http://www.johncabot.edu/]John Cabot University for more information about study abroad opportunities in Rome.

Patrick Quinn is a Copywriter at Higher Education Marketing, a leading web marketing firm specializing in Google Analytics, Education Lead Generation, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media Marketing, and Pay Per Click Marketing, among other web marketing services and tools.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Festivals-Celebrated-in-Rome&id=8182097] Festivals Celebrated in Rome

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