Blog Post 1: Street View Walk Through Rome

Rome, the Eternal City, has many important ruins to see.  In this brief discussion, I will tour Rome virtually using Google Earth and Frommer’s Tour Guides.  The purpose will be to observe space, place, and culture while analyzing the method in which the content is presented.  Tourism is a large industry, and the way in which content is presented can play a large role in how people form conceptual ideas about it.  This virtual tour aims to determine what these fictional or conceptual ideas are and how they affect our judgment of other cultures, societies, and architecture.

            Before starting the tour I examined the introduction to Rome provided by Frommer, which quickly sets the tone.  It suggests that seeing all of the ruins would be difficult, due to the vast amount of them. However, it highlights the romantic feel by suggesting travellers should have a glass of Chianti wine to experience the ‘true flavour of Rome’ or nightly walks.  This tone has likely been set to attract foreign visitors to visit the area.  However, inherently the tone gives visitors a falsified “romantic” feel of Rome and the sights they see.  During my first visit to Western University, my friends and family’s first reaction to the old stone buildings was how beautiful they were.  This is likely a subconscious link to the similarities of Roman architecture and the associated romantic theme (or at least some form of ancient architecture), created by the tourism industry.

            I started my tour in Via Sacra in the Roman Forum and ended in Circus Maximus, although for our discussion I will only examine a couple of sites that had the most applicable content.  Rostra, the first structure I analyzed, was a podium used by dictators and Caesars to address the Forum below.  The elevated structure put the ruler or the speaker above everyone else, signifying dominance and power.  Furthermore, it offered protection and limited accessibility by segregating the dictator from the people.  The columns surrounding it and the elevation are two signature tools used in architecture to display Roman power.  Interestingly, we still use elevated stages today!  

            The Colosseum, also know as Flavian Amphitheatre, is a well known Roman artifact worldwide.   It was designed to appeal to the masses attracting approximately 50,000 people. Seating was done by class, which signified power and control of the rulers over their people.  The circular shape was largely enabled by the ‘mortar’ that the Romans had created, which was lost after Rome fell.  The sheer size and extravagance that was created for entertainment, shows the wealth and power than the rulers and upper class had.

            These architectural traits are often used today to represent historical constructs and ideologies.  We still use the same structural premise for sporting arenas as was use for the Colosseum.  Furthermore, we see the use of columns in banking buildings to symbolize power and a less involvement/restrictive government.  The information from Frommer’s website was informative, however it appears the tourism industry has added the romantic aspect to the association of Rome.