I, GLADIATOR
Bored of Rome’s regular sightseeing tours? Grab your sword and sandals, and head back in time to gladiator school. By Sudi Pigott
AVE, CAESAR, MORITURI TE SALUTANT,” my 12-year-old son, Theo, declared with fearsome conviction, as he and I raised our swords poised to attack. Dressed in crimson tunics, rope belts and the kind of strappy sandals that were the height of fashion in 1 AD, it seemed wholly appropriate to greet our lanistra (trainer), Nero, in the style of a gladiator entering the Colosseum (“Hail, Caesar, those who are about to die salute you.”) Even if we did look like mere extras from the set of the successful TV series Rome, we were determined to live up to the glamour of that bygone era.
Fortunately, we were not undertaking this fitness maximus as a fast-track to freedom, should we survive an afternoon of fighting. Unlike the real slaves of ancient Rome, who could purchase their freedom if they were successful in the arena, Theo and I had enrolled in gladiator boot camp at the Rome Cavalieri Hilton to gain beyond-the-textbook insight into the realities of Roman life, prior to Theo’s first visit to the awesome Colosseum. The Scuola Gladiatori Roma is taught by chief trainer Nero, whose real name is Sergio Lacomoni (day job: printing euro notes for the Bank of Rome). The collaboration with Nero, whose historical group runs a gladiator training academy for Roman citizens in the Eternal City, came about because the hotel wanted to offer a memorable workout beyond its gym, tennis courts and pool for guests eager to live the experience of ancient life.
After a couple of hours of intensive combat induction with Nero, Theo and I had a pretty good idea of what it must have been like to be a gladiator-in-the-making. Even though we were in a private hall with priceless Renaissance tapestries on the walls (in warm weather, classes are held in the lush grounds of the hotel’s 15-acre private hill-top park) and marble rather than live lions guarding our escape routes on the terrace, we still had the aches – and short tunics – to prove it. For decency’s sake, it’s advisable to bring along shorts or leggings, unless you have either shapely calves or a low shame threshold. The rope sandals are also true to life and made with historical versimilitude. The Cavalieri Hilton, sticklers for the finest detail, have the footwear handmade by a shoemaker based just outside Rome.
We took a quick whizz through some contextual history – Theo’s Latin came in useful for bridging the gap where Nero’s English was shaky – followed by some warm-up exercises to strengthen our wrists. The impressively authentic looking replica weapons – iron gladius (sword), scutum (shield) and fascina (trident), hand-crafted at the gladiatorial academy – are heavy duty in the extreme. We practised the four key attack and defence movements (rather akin to fencing) for head, shoulder, stomach and leg, which required some agile footwork too. Then we moved onto mortal combat (donning three kilos’ worth of visored helmet, or galea) which is where we were called on to shout the foreboding Latin salute. It didn’t take long for me to retreat, sore-wristed and exhausted. Fortunately, there was no audience to shout ‘Habet, hoc habet!’ or ‘She has had it!’ Theo was made of sterner stuff. He held his own in some simulated savagery, throwing tridents javelin-style and hooking Nero’s helmet with a menacing net (a sharp tug and one’s opponent would lose their head, but reassuringly the school does not sanction real bloodletting). Only then did he raise his left hand with one finger extended in an authentic request for mercy. He was duly honoured with a certificate, a medal for his valour and the title ‘tiro’ – or novice gladiator.
Meanwhile, I was more than happy to console myself with the sybaritic side of ancient Roman traditions, soothing my aching muscles in the Cavalieri’s Grand Spa’s marble and mosaic steam rooms. Then we dined like emperors at La Pergola, the hotel’s rooftop restaurant (and the only one in Rome’s with three Michelin stars). It has exhilarating views across the whole of Rome: the Pantheon, St Peter’s Basilica and, of course, the Colosseum, where the last recorded gladiatorial fight took place in 404 AD. We indulged in chef Heinz Beck’s memorably delectable and creatively modern degustation menu including carpaccio of scallops on amaranth grain and black corn with ginger oil; scampi with extraordinary olive oil powder; and ‘Fagottelli La Pergola’, a delicious pasta filled with pecorino and topped with bacon. That was followed by our choices of exquisite pastries from a multi-drawed silver box. I was truly thankful that the tradition of the Roman empire giving special treatment to its finest gladiators (and their mums) lives on.
One-day gladiator courses at the Rome Cavalieri Hilton (+39 06 3509 2031; www.cavalieri-hilton.com) cost €500 (£350) for up to eight people. Suitable for 12-year-olds and over, and also extremely popular for management team-building.
The Scuola Gladiatori Roma (+39 06 5160 7951; www.gsr-roma.com) also has courses; €200 for three to five people.
ROME FOR CHILDREN
SIGHTSEEING: Book ahead for the Colosseum. It saves prolonged queuing for tickets and security, and the ticket covers the huge Forum, which is great fun for scrambling around. Really, there’s no need for conventional museums as the whole city is a living museum. Read Rome Past and Present by R.A. Staccioli before you go rather than hiring a pricey guide. It has overlays which show how the city’s key sites might have looked originally before time took its toll. It truly brings the ruins alive.
The Time Elevator’s multi-sensory experience sounds tacky, but is great four dimensional fun – complete with rocking seats, whizzing close-ups, real rain and plenty more surprises. It tells the story of Rome in 40 minutes from Romulus and Remus through to Michelangelo’s painting of the Sistine Chapel. The accompanying Evolution of Life movie, starring a wacky Italian version of David Attenborough, is equally enlightening (Via Dei SS Apolstoli 20, two minutes from Piazza Venezia). Theo loved hanging out by the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain too, though I’d advise visiting in the early evening when the crowds have subsided and it’s possible to get close-up for the obligatory photo opportunity. Children are intrigued too by Bocca della Verità, the legendary ‘Mouth of Truth’. Visitors stick their hand in the mouth of the gaping stone face on the wall of the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin: any liars’ hands will be gobbled up immediately (on Piazza Bocca della Verità, near the north end of Circus Maximus).
PLAYTIME: For younger children, there’s Explora, the hands-on children’s museum (Via Flaminia 82, near Piazza del Popolo). Exhibits are in Italian but are self-explanatory. Also close by is the zoo, Bioparco Piazzale del Giardino Zoologico. The Villa Borghese park has playgrounds and bikes to rent near Porta Pinciana.
FOOD: Restaurants are very happy for younger diners to have a bowl of pasta while grown-ups are doing the full splurge, and will happily replenish grissini supplies. Matricianella (Via del Leone 4, +39 06 683 2100) is a fabulous authentic trattoria. Roman-style pizzas, thinner crusted than the Neapolitan, are excellent too. Try Ai Marmi (Viale Trastevere 53, +39 06 580 0919) with marble slab tables serving excellent pizza and suppli al telefono – mozzarella-filled rice balls so called because, when warm and melting, they can be stretched apart to resemble two ends of a telephone connected by a line of cheese. Most essential (and good bribes for bouts of shopping or art gallery visits) are frequent stops to sample gelato, Rome’s quintessential sweet. Stop at Il Gelato di San Crispino (Via Acaia 56, +39 06 704 50412) for the city’s finest banana, honey, chocolate and meringue ice-cream.
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