From myths to modernity, a journey through the Eternal City
This series explores the history of Rome from its legendary beginnings to its place in the modern imagination. Each short, focused episode traces a key moment, theme, or transformation in the city’s long life: from Romulus and Remus and the struggles of the early Republic, through Hannibal’s shock and Caesar’s rise, to Augustus’s new order, Nero’s burning Rome, and the grandeur of papal and Baroque splendour. Later episodes follow Rome into the age of the Grand Tour, the upheavals of revolution and unification, and Mussolini’s attempt to remake the city in fascist marble. The series closes by reflecting on Rome as a palimpsest of memory, faith, and power—a city that continues to ask questions rather than provide simple answers.
Narrated by Darius von Güttner.
Episode 19: Why Rome? A City That Asks, Not Answers
Why Rome? What is it about the Eternal City that continues to captivate, challenge, and inspire us?
In the final episode, let us reflect on the enduring significance of a city shaped by centuries of empire, faith, art, and contradiction. Drawing on the insights of Robert Hughes, Mary Beard, and Scott Samuelson, we explore Rome not as a monument to the past, but as a living city that invites us to question history, humanity, and ourselves.
From its ancient ruins and sacred spaces to its bustling streets and everyday encounters, Rome reminds us that history is never truly behind us. It is layered into the present, revealing the beauty, complexity, and contradictions of human civilisation.
As our journey comes to an end, we return to one final thought: perhaps Rome's greatest gift is not the answers it provides, but the questions it leaves us asking.
29 Sept 2026
Episode 18: Rome as Palimpsest – Layers of Memory
Rome is not a city with a single past. It is a city where many pasts exist at once.
In this episode of Foundations of Rome, we explore Rome as a palimpsest—a living landscape where ancient ruins, Christian churches, Renaissance palaces, Fascist monuments, and modern life occupy the same streets.
From the symbolic theatre of Piazza Venezia to the quiet continuity of Tiber Island, we examine how Rome has repeatedly reused, reshaped, and reinterpreted its past. But preserving so many layers creates tensions of its own: between archaeology and infrastructure, tourism and everyday life, and the desire to protect history without freezing the city in time.
Rome's story, ultimately, is not about uncovering one original past. It is about learning to read all its layers together.
17 Sept 2026
Episode 17: Mussolini’s Rome – Fascism and the Legacy of Empire
Rome has always been a city built upon its past. But under Benito Mussolini, that past became something to be reshaped, weaponised, and placed at the service of a modern dictatorship. In this episode, we explore how Mussolini transformed the Eternal City into a stage for Fascist ideology—from the cult of Romanità and the construction of the Via dei Fori Imperiali, to the monumental architecture of EUR and the political appropriation of figures like Julius Caesar and Augustus.Behind the marble, monuments, and grand avenues lies a more complicated story: one of demolition, displacement, propaganda, and the deliberate simplification of history.
What happens when a regime tries to turn the past into a political script? And what remains when that regime is gone?
11 Sept 2026
Episode 16: Revolution and Reaction – Rome Between Republics
What happens when a city shaped by centuries of papal power suddenly finds itself caught in the currents of revolution? In this episode, we follow Rome through the upheavals of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries—from Napoleon’s invasion and the short-lived Roman Republic of 1798 to restoration, Romanticism, and the revolutionary struggles of 1849.
We meet figures such as Mazzini and Garibaldi, and explore how the ruins of ancient Rome became symbols of liberty, resistance, and national identity. As the papal city finally becomes the capital of a united Italy in 1870, Rome stands at the crossroads of two worlds: the weight of its sacred past and the promise of a modern nation.
19 May 2026
Episode 15: Enlightenment to Empire – The Grand Tour and Rome’s Ruins
Why did Europe’s elite travel to Rome—not to witness power, but to contemplate its remains? In this episode, we enter the eighteenth century, where ruins replaced relics and reflection replaced reverence. From the Grand Tour’s young aristocrats to Piranesi’s haunting visions of decay, and from the rediscovery of Pompeii to the philosophical weight of fallen empires, we explore how Rome became a stage for Enlightenment thought and Romantic imagination. These were not just stones—they were warnings, mirrors, and meditations on the rise and fall of civilisation.
10 Mar 2026
Episode 14: Baroque Rome – Art, Ecstasy, and Absolutism
In this episode, I will guide you into the heart of Baroque Rome—a city transformed into a theatre of faith. From Bernini’s sweeping embrace at St Peter’s Square to the ecstatic vision of Saint Teresa and the illusionistic wonders of Jesuit churches, this episode unpacks how art, architecture, and spectacle became tools of the Counter‑Reformation. Discover how seventeenth‑century Rome proclaimed Catholic triumph not through armies, but through light, movement, and emotion carved in stone.
17 Feb 2026
Episode 13: Renaissance Rebirth – From Ruins to Raphael
How does a city rise again—not from fire or conquest, but from memory? In this episode of Foundations of Rome, we trace the Renaissance transformation of Rome from a city of ruins and relics into a capital of art, architecture, and humanist ambition. From Pope Nicholas V’s grand vision to Bramante’s bold designs for Saint Peter’s, and from the revival of Vitruvius to Raphael’s luminous School of Athens, we explore how marble, manuscript, and imagination reshaped the Eternal City. This was not nostalgia—it was reinvention. Rome did not abandon its past. It assembled it, reinterpreted it, and crowned it with frescoes, domes, and classical dreams.
8 Feb 2026
Episode 12 - The Popes, the Borgo, and the Building of Papal Rome
In this episode, we trace the rise of the Vatican from a modest medieval suburb to the spiritual and political heart of Catholicism. Journey through the Borgo—home to Saint Peter’s tomb, fortified by popes, and transformed by pilgrims, relics, and Jubilee years. Discover how centuries of devotion, architecture, and ambition reshaped Rome itself, turning sacred space into papal power and laying the foundations of the Renaissance city to come.
24 Dec 2025
Episode 11: From Pagan Statues to Papal Thrones – Sacred Space Reclaimed
How does a pagan capital become the spiritual centre of Christendom—without tearing itself apart? In this episode, we explore the Christianisation of Rome through its buildings, images, and sacred spaces. From Constantine’s conversion and the Edict of Milan to the transformation of temples into churches, Rome remade itself by layering new faith onto ancient stone. We trace the rise of pilgrimage, relics, mosaics, and martyrs—and discover how Rome did not erase its past, but absorbed it, turning imperial space into sacred geography and giving the Eternal City a second life.
19 Dec 2025
Episode 10: Fire, Frenzy, and the Domus Aurea – Nero’s Rome
Rome burned—and an emperor’s legend was forged in the flames. In this episode, we step into the reign of Nero: artist, autocrat, and Rome’s most infamous ruler. From the Great Fire of 64 CE to the golden excess of the Domus Aurea, we explore how spectacle became a tool of power, cruelty became performance, and the city itself became a stage. Was Nero a mad tyrant, a misunderstood artist, or the embodiment of imperial excess? As his world collapses into revolt and ruin, we trace the fall of a dynasty—and the echoes of a legend that still smoulders.
2 Dec 2025
Episode 9: The Eternal City in Marble and Mud
Ancient Rome wasn’t just a city of gleaming marble—it was also a city of mud, noise, and crowded tenements. In this episode, we explore the stark contrasts of urban life: grand monuments alongside slums, ingenious aqueducts and sewers battling poor sanitation, and the chaos of traffic and night-time noise. From insulae apartments to the Cloaca Maxima, discover how Rome’s brilliance and grime coexisted to create the most complex city of the ancient world.
11 Nov 2025
Episode 8: Augustus – The First Emperor and the Art of Power
How did a sickly teenager become Rome’s first emperor and redefine power for centuries? In this episode of Foundations of Rome, we explore the rise of Augustus—from his calculated moves after Caesar’s assassination to his mastery of propaganda, marble, and myth. Discover how he transformed a crumbling Republic into a principate, blending politics, religion, and image to create an empire that would endure for millennia.
21 Oct 2025
Episode 7: Caesar, the Republic, and the March to Empire
In this episode, we trace the rise and fall of the Roman Republic through the life of Julius Caesar—from his early ambitions and conquest of Gaul to his fateful crossing of the Rubicon and assassination on the Ides of March. Discover how one man’s power reshaped Rome and paved the way for an empire that would change the world.
30 Sept 2025
Episode 6: The Hannibal Shock – Crisis, War, and Religious Upheaval
When Hannibal crossed the Alps, he didn’t just bring war—he brought existential crisis. This episode dives into the Second Punic War and the catastrophic Roman defeat at Cannae, exploring how military disaster triggered religious panic, cultural transformation, and the rise of new gods and philosophies. From battlefield brilliance to spiritual reckoning, discover how Rome rebuilt itself—and redefined itself—in the face of annihilation.
26 Sept 2025
Episode 5: Law, Order, and Roman Virtue
In this episode of Foundations of Rome, we explore one of the most enduring legacies of the Roman world: Law. From the brutal clarity of the Twelve Tables to the refined principles of Roman jurisprudence, this is the story of how Rome turned justice into a civic virtue—and a system that would shape the Western world for millennia.
19 Sept 2025
Episode 4: The Etruscan Legacy – Architecture, Religion, and Identity
Before Rome rose to power, Etruria laid the groundwork. In this episode, we explore the Etruscan legacy—from their city planning and temple architecture to their religious rituals and cultural influence. Discover how this mysterious civilization shaped Rome’s identity, and why their shadow still lingers in the foundations of the Eternal City.
9 Sept 2025
Episode 3: From Kings to Consuls – Early Republic and Class Struggle
What happens when a city banishes its kings and bets everything on a new political experiment? In this episode, we trace the birth of the Roman Republic—where power was split between consuls, contested by patricians and plebeians, and written into law with the Twelve Tables. From class conflict to conquests, discover how tension became Rome’s engine of survival—and the blueprint for a system that lasted centuries.
28 Aug 2025
Episode 2: Founding of a People – Asylum, Sabines, and the First Kings
Rome had walls—but no people. In this episode, uncover how Romulus filled his city with outcasts, how the abduction of the Sabine women turned conflict into unity, and how a line of legendary kings shaped Rome’s destiny—until monarchy collapsed and the Republic was born. Along the way, discover the surprising Roman origin of the ‘Tall Poppy Syndrome’—a metaphor still prevalent today.
15 Aug 2025
Episode 1: Myths and Mud – Rome’s Legendary Beginnings
Rome wasn’t born in a day—it was born in myth. From twins raised by a wolf to a brother’s fatal strike, discover how Rome’s legendary beginnings shaped the identity of the Eternal City.
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