In this episode we explore the legendary tales that shaped Roman identity, beginning with the Trojan prince Aeneas and culminating in the fratricidal founding of Rome by Romulus and Remus. These myths, though historically dubious, reveal the values and aspirations Romans cherished most deeply.

Long before Rome rose to power, the Italian peninsula was already home to sophisticated civilizations. This episode explores how the Etruscans, Greeks, and Latins shaped the land, culture, and destiny of the city that would one day rule the Mediterranean.

Geography set the stage for Rome long before any king or legion marched across it. In this opening episode we trace the Italian peninsula’s boot-shaped silhouette, its towering Alps and Apennines, and the broad Po Valley that fed its first cities, then step back to see how Italy’s central position in the Mediterranean turned a land of farmers into future masters of “our sea.”