--- title: Author Crystal King's Blog - Tasting Life Twice | When in Rome description: When in Rome | Author Crystal King muses on life, history, writing and food. --- # Tasting Life Twice Author Crystal King muses on life, history, writing and food. Browse by All Blog Books italy ancient rome Italian History Recipe Writing When in Rome food Feast of Sorrow fun historical fiction Bartolomeo Scappi Viva Italia! The Chef's Secret reading history Apicius Italian Language Renaissance 52 books Boston Cinquecento Publishing italian recipes grub street renaissance recipe roman video Ancient Roman Food Colosseum Culinary Delights books set in italy renaissance italy Ancient history YouTube authors cooking fiction music 52 books in a year Author Book Christmas Language Learning Maine Poetry Pope Roman Forum Scappi The Renaissance Venice Writer Writers Resources fantasy learning Italian travel writers Anne Rice Art Book Clubs Christmas carol Christopher Castellani Circus Maximus Florence Gillian Flynn Greek Harry Potter Honey Italiano Italo Calvino Latin Literary agent Marcus Aurelius Marcus Gavius Apicius Muse and the Marketplace Pantheon Papal conclave Pope Benedict XVI Research Roman Empire Sardinia Sistine Chapel Turkey Ursula K- Le Guin Vestal Virgin Wine ancient recipes architecture baking beauty blogging book recommendation book review christmas gift cibo cookies crystal king gelato giveaway holiday ice cream interview italian cooking literary literature middle ages new year's resolution rejection renaissance Italian food recipe roma rome sci-fi shopping social media special event summer television xmas 100 favorite books 1950s 1960s 1970s 2016 2017 320 AD 3D Achilles Aelia Agostino Chigi Alice Alina Reyes All This Talk of Love Amanda Palmer Amaryah Orenstein Anais Nin Ancient Greece Ancient Roman architecture Andrea Bocelli Anita Shreve Anjali Mitter Duva Anne Carson Anne Rampling Antonio Latini Arch of Constantine Arts Artusi Astrology Augustus Author Life BBC BDSM Baldassare Peruzzi Baroque Bell-ringer Bells Benvenuto Cellini Black tea BlogHer Bloggers Bologna Boodles Byki Cake Catholic Church Cellini Charles Dicken Chuck Palahniuk Clark Frasier Colleen McCullough Cologne Colum McCann Concord Cook Cookbook Corsica Cosimo de Medici Critical & Creative Thinking Dante Dante Alighieri David Bowie David Wishart De Re Coquinaria Doge's Palace Dormouse Durham Cathedral E-L- James Earth Egypt Eleonora Galasso Emily Browning England English language Ernest Hemingway Erotic literature Etsy Faint Promise of Rain Fifty Shades of Grey Fight Club Flamingo tongue snail Forum Forvo France Francesa Michielin GO Literary George Orwell Germany Gone Girl Gone Girl (novel) Google Translate Got Milk Grasso Grub Grub Street Muse Gunter Grass Hairstyle Harvard Harvard University Henry David Thoreau Henry VII of England Hunger Games Independence Day International Space Station Isabella Dalla Ragione Italian American Italian food J-R-R- Tolkien James Wood Jane Austen Janet Fitch Julius III July Justin Rowe Karl Lagerfeld Katie Caldesi Kennebunkport Maine Kessler Twins Keurig Kindle Deal Kit Harington Kurt Vonnegut L'Amore Esiste La Cucina Leicester Leonardo Da Vinci Linguistics Livia Lucca ## Posts about When in Rome: ![Hidden Rome - Villa Medici](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/IMG_1930.jpg) [architecture](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/architecture) [Medici](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/medici) [Spanish Steps](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/spanish-steps) [Villa Medici](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/villa-medici) [Viva Italia!](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/viva-italia) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [Cinquecento](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/cinquecento) [Italian History](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italian-history) [Renaissance](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/renaissance) [When in Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/when-in-rome) ![52 books in 2015: A reading list for Jul-Oct](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/offscreen-magazine-260704.jpg) [Books](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/books) [foodie](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/foodie) [italy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italy) [Pope Alexander VI](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/pope-alexander-vi) [Venice](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/venice) [52 books](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/52-books) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [books set in italy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/books-set-in-italy) [Dante](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/dante) [Dante Alighieri](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/dante-alighieri) [fantasy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/fantasy) [food](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/food) [gourmand](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/gourmand) [historical fiction](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/historical-fiction) [Italian History](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italian-history) [Italo Calvino](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italo-calvino) [reading](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/reading) [When in Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/when-in-rome) I have been rather remiss, I fear, in keeping my book list updated here on my blog. I've been reading far more than I had hoped, but certainly not as much as I would like. I am happy to have passed the 50 book barrier with more than a month to spare! Let's see if I can get close to 60 books this year. I'm confident I'll finish at least 2-3 more this month, and hopefully another 3-4 in December. **October** ![Incredible Infographic on the Impact of Ancient Rome, a City of Firsts](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/rome.png) [ancient rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/ancient-rome) [italy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italy) [Ancient Roman architecture](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/ancient-roman-architecture) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [Circus Maximus](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/circus-maximus) [Colosseum](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/colosseum) [insulae](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/insulae) [Italian History](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italian-history) [Pantheon](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/pantheon) [When in Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/when-in-rome) As a result of my research a knew a lot of this great information already but it's great to see how [History.com ](http://www.history.com/)and the design firm [Column 5](http://www.columnfivemedia.com/) put it all into such an easily digestible visual. Allow me a tiny bit of commentary before you dig in below. [italy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italy) [travel](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/travel) [Venice](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/venice) [Viva Italia!](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/viva-italia) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [Colosseum](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/colosseum) [Doge's Palace](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/doges-palace) [drone](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/drone) [video](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/video) [When in Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/when-in-rome) I'm not entirely sure what I think about drone technology. It has incredible possibilities and on the flip side, terrifying possibilities. On the incredible side of things, I love that you can be an armchair traveler and have a birdseye view of beautiful places in the world. One of my favorite videos of this sort is this wonderful view of Rome by drone. It makes me feel desperate to be there again, walking the streets where my novel's characters once walked.  httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTw-kvXS9Sk ![Rome Aerial Views Are Breathtaking](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/157404246_80_80.jpg) [ancient rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/ancient-rome) [italia](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italia) [italy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italy) [Viva Italia!](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/viva-italia) [aerial view](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/aerial-view) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [Colosseum](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/colosseum) [roma](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/roma) [When in Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/when-in-rome) ![Adorable Italian Ad: Armando's Dream](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/ArmandoDream.jpg) [advertising](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/advertising) [italy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italy) [Viva Italia!](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/viva-italia) [amando's dream](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/amandos-dream) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [cibo](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/cibo) [food](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/food) [fun](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/fun) [pasta](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/pasta) [Short film](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/short-film) [When in Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/when-in-rome) I stumbled across this fantastic advertisement for [Grano Armando](http://www.granoarmando.it/en/) pasta and I had to share. It's an adorable, beautiful mini-film of sorts, about a young Italian boy with a special dream. The cinematography is wonderful and I love the characters in the film. I think it does the trick--if I saw Grano Armando pasta, I think I'd be pretty inclined to think about buying it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfLzvxnazsA ![Mustard Beets](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/DSCF3282.jpg) [Recipe](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/recipe) [ancient rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/ancient-rome) [Apicius](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/apicius) [italy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italy) [roman](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/roman) [beets](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/beets) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [cooking](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/cooking) [Culinary Delights](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/culinary-delights) [food](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/food) [When in Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/when-in-rome) This is a very good and easy ancient recipe, included in [Apicius](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apicius)' cookbook. We make this often as a side dish. It goes particularly well with the recipe for[ Parthian Chicken](https://blog.crystalking.com/crystal-king/blog/2013/02/11/parthian-chicken-delish)! You may have been making [beets](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beet) this way and not even known that the recipe was at least 2,000 years old! The original recipe: ![Learning Italian - La Bella Lingua](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/4755213392_25ddce1a60.jpg) [ancient rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/ancient-rome) [italian](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italian) [Italian Language](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italian-language) [italy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italy) [Language](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/language) [Latin](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/latin) [learning Italian](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/learning-italian) [Monte Sant'Angelo](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/monte-santangelo) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [English language](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/english-language) [France](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/france) [When in Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/when-in-rome) Learning Italian isn't something that I decided to do when I was young, but I wish I had! Instead, when I was in high school, many many years ago, I thought it would be great to learn French. Other kids in the high school in Boise, Idaho were learning Spanish, or perhaps German. I don't even recall if they offered other languages at my school at the time. French seemed elegant, refined, literary and Spanish, while beautiful and I can appreciate it more now, seemed oh so utilitarian back then. Boring. I was never overly dedicated to the learning the language, but I did ok. The problem was that coming from a family with no money and no passports, the thought of going to France seemed like such a pipe dream (I"ve still not been!). And living in Boise there wasn't a soul with whom I could practice. Still, I persisted even into college, minoring in the language. ![White Smoke and a New Pope](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/creationman.jpg) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/pope-benedict-xvi) [Vatican City](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/vatican-city) [Viva Italia!](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/viva-italia) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [Pabili](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/pabili) [Papal conclave](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/papal-conclave) [Pope](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/pope) [Pope Francesco](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/pope-francesco) [Pope Francis](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/pope-francis) [Pope Francis I](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/pope-francis-i) [Sistine Chapel](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/sistine-chapel) [Vatican Museums](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/vatican-museums) [When in Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/when-in-rome) Unless you've been living under a rock, they chose a new [Pope](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope) yesterday, Pope Francis I.  I watched this particular conclave with interest, not because I'm Catholic, but because the book I'm currently writing takes place in [Renaissance Italy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Renaissance), about a cook who was responsible for feeding several conclaves that had to choose a Pope.  I wrote more about that in a [previous blog post](https://blog.crystalking.com/crystal-king/blog/2013/03/01/the-renaissance-papal-conclave-what-did-they-eat). ![Glykinai - Sweet Wine Cakes (Crackers)](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/spring-08-004.jpg) [Recipe](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/recipe) [ancient rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/ancient-rome) [italy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italy) [roman](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/roman) [athaeneus](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/athaeneus) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [cooking](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/cooking) [crackers](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/crackers) [Culinary Delights](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/culinary-delights) [food](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/food) [glykinai](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/glykinai) [When in Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/when-in-rome) [Wine](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/wine) This is an ancient cracker recipe from [Athenaeus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenaeus), a rhetorician and grammarian who lived in Rome in the 3rd century AD. This recipe is a delightful, snacky interpretation of a cracker that was most likely served at taverns in ancient Greece and Rome. The original recipe doesn't give us much direction, but they were likely somewhat similar to the recipe below. *Glykinai*: "The cakes from Crete made with sweet wine and olive oil.”  - Athenaeus in The [Deipnosophistae](http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Athenaeus/home.html) ![A Bird's Eye View of the Roman Forum - 3D Video](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Italy-March-2010-185.jpg) [ancient rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/ancient-rome) [Arch of Constantine](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/arch-of-constantine) [roman](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/roman) [3D](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/3d) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [Colosseum](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/colosseum) [Forum](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/forum) [history](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/history) [Italian History](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italian-history) [Marcus Aurelius](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/marcus-aurelius) [Roman Empire](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/roman-empire) [Roman Forum](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/roman-forum) [When in Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/when-in-rome) A little while ago [I showed you some photos](http://home.surewest.net/fifi/index50.html) of an incredible miniature of the ancient [Roman Forum](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Forum). Here's an amazing 3D rendered video of the Forum. Talk about sparking your imagination for times gone by! It's such a shame that so much of the Forum fell into disrepair and that eventually medieval and [Rennaissance](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance) nobility and the Papacy pulled them down for their metals and marble. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4PACYJKxic ![A Tiny Tiny Roman Forum](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/forumov.jpg) [ancient rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/ancient-rome) [roman](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/roman) [Augustus](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/augustus) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [history](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/history) [Italian History](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italian-history) [Marcus Aurelius](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/marcus-aurelius) [miniature](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/miniature) [Roman Empire](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/roman-empire) [Roman Forum](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/roman-forum) [Temple](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/temple) [Vestal Virgin](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/vestal-virgin) [When in Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/when-in-rome) A few months ago I stumbled upon [a site](http://home.surewest.net/fifi/index50.html) that showcases some photos of an incredible miniature of the [Roman Forum](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Forum) made by a Robert Garbisch in 1982. Apparently it "took two and half years to complete. 95% of the 350 statues in the model were made by Robert Garbisch out of clay. There are over 720 Roman citizens living in this model and carrying on with their lives. This particular day in the Forum is the last visit by the good Emperor [Marcus Aurelius](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Aurelius) to [Rome](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome) during the summer of [179 AD](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/179)." Here are some of the photos of this amazing miniature. Apparently it's on view at the Brandeis library in Waltham and that's a stone's throw from me so I may have to call and see if they still have it on display. ![The Vestal Virgin Hairstyle, Recreated](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/vestal_v.jpg) [ancient rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/ancient-rome) [roman](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/roman) [Vestal](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/vestal) [Ancient history](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/ancient-history) [beauty](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/beauty) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [Greek](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/greek) [hair](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/hair) [hair styles](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/hair-styles) [Hairstyle](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/hairstyle) [Italian History](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italian-history) [Vesta](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/vesta) [Vestal Virgin](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/vestal-virgin) [When in Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/when-in-rome) The [Vestal Virgins](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestal_Virgin) were among the most important individuals in [ancient Rome](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Rome). They were priestesses of the [goddess Vesta](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesta_%28mythology%29), whose hearth was always lit. Their privileges among women of the day were many. They were able to own property and did not have to bear children, they had the best box seats to any event, they had the right of way in the streets, they had personal bodyguards and they had the ability to free slaves and prisoners with a mere touch or command. We know a lot about the Vestals but we don't know much about what their hair looked like under the elaborate headdresses they wore. Janet Stephens, a Baltimore hairdresser and amateur archaeologist became fascinated with a statue she saw of a Vestal and decided she would find out. It took her seven years of research and now she believes she's figured it out. Take a look: ![The Fun Side of Research](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/IMG_2814.jpg) [Writing](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/writing) [Astrology](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/astrology) [Trastevere](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/trastevere) [Villa Farnesina](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/villa-farnesina) [Agostino Chigi](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/agostino-chigi) [Baldassare Peruzzi](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/baldassare-peruzzi) [Bartolomeo Scappi](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/bartolomeo-scappi) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [Cinquecento](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/cinquecento) [horoscope](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/horoscope) [Italian History](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italian-history) [Renaissance](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/renaissance) [Research](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/research) [When in Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/when-in-rome) I'm working on research for my next book, on Renaissance chef, [Bartolomeo Scappi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartolomeo_Scappi). I find the whole research side of historical fiction fascinating. It's like peeling back layers of paint on an elaborate painting to discover the essence of the people who inspired and created such masterpieces. One of my characters is related to [Agostino Chigi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agostino_Chigi), one of Rome's wealthiest bankers in the early 16th century. Some tourists may be more familiar with him as the man who built the Villa Farnesina on the banks of the [Trastevere](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trastevere). It sports paintings by Raphael, [Baldassare Peruzzi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldassare_Peruzzi), and [Sebastiano del Piombo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastiano_del_Piombo). But for the most part, it is often left off of itineraries of busy travelers who head straight for the Forum or the [Trevi Fountain](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevi_Fountain). This is a good thing, in my opinion, because it makes the visit so much more pleasant for those who want to bask in the sumptuous frescoes without being jostled by too many others. ![Italia in Primavera](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/gelato.jpg) [firenze](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/firenze) [italy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italy) [la musica](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/la-musica) [Lucca](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/lucca) [travel](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/travel) [Vanessa Peters](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/vanessa-peters) [Vatican museum](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/vatican-museum) [Venice](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/venice) [Viva Italia!](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/viva-italia) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [Bologna](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/bologna) [Florence](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/florence) [primavera](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/primavera) [roma](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/roma) [spring](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/spring) [When in Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/when-in-rome) The planning has begun! For our tenth anniversary (and for research!!), my husband and I have decided that Italy is definitely in our future for a week or so in the spring. We'll spend some time in Rome for sure, because it is where our heart of hearts reside, but [Florence](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence) is also on the agenda, with perhaps a stint in [Siena](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siena) for a night. ![Can You Imagine What Ancient Rome Was Like?](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Map_of_downtown_Rome_during_the_Roman_Empire_large.png) [ancient rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/ancient-rome) [Apicius](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/apicius) [320 AD](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/320-ad) [Ancient history](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/ancient-history) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [Circus Maximus](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/circus-maximus) [Colosseum](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/colosseum) [history](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/history) [Italian History](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italian-history) [Pantheon](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/pantheon) [Pantheon Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/pantheon-rome) [Roman Forum](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/roman-forum) [When in Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/when-in-rome) If not, now you can! This video was set about 200 years after my novel's central character lived, but it still gives a great flavor of what [Rome](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome) would have been like in ancient times. While the [Colosseum](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colosseum) wasn't there, nor the [Circus Maximus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus_Maximus), most of the other major buildings were there in the time that [Apicius](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apicius) lived. He would have walked on the stones of the [Roman Forum](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Forum), visited the [Temple of Jupiter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Jupiter_Optimus_Maximus), looked up through the oculus of [The Pantheon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheon%2C_Rome). Such power there is in history! http://vimeo.com/32038695 ![](https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=1481231558851356&ev=PageView&noscript=1)