Divina Roma - Stories and Legends from the Eternal City

Livia Alcalde Patanè

A bilingual ITA/ENG narrative podcast about the most haunting, moving, and unexpected stories of Rome. From ancient myths to modern events, each episode takes you inside the shadows of the Eternal City, where power, memory, and mystery have been intertwined for millennia. Written and narrated by Rome-born filmmaker Livia Alcalde Patanè.

Episodes

  1. 16h ago

    1. ITA — La tomba maledetta del primo re

    Chi ha ucciso il primo re di Roma? E dove fu sepolto? Nel 1899, l’archeologo Giacomo Boni riportò alla luce il misterioso Lapis Niger — in latino, “Pietra Nera” — nel cuore del Foro Romano. Era davvero il luogo maledetto che le fonti antiche collegavano alla morte di Romolo? In questo primo episodio di Divina Roma, scendiamo sotto le pietre del Foro, dentro una storia di potere, violenza e fratellanza. Questa è la versione italiana dell’episodio 1. Divina Roma è un podcast narrativo bilingue: gli episodi narrativi vengono pubblicati in italiano e in inglese. Gli episodi con ospiti saranno pubblicati nella lingua dell’ospite. Questo episodio è un adattamento narrativo basato su fonti storiche. Alcune scene, dialoghi e transizioni sono stati drammatizzati per esigenze di racconto, pur restando radicati nel contesto storico e nelle fonti indicate qui sotto. Fonti Tito Livio, Ab Urbe Condita, Libro I Sesto Pompeo Festo, frammento sul lapis niger nel Comizio Giacomo Boni, resoconti degli scavi del Foro Romano e del Comizio Ricerche aggiuntive presso l’Archivio Storico Capitolino e studi moderni sul Lapis Niger

    23 min

  2. Apr 30

    1. ENG — The Cursed Tomb of the First King

    Who killed Rome’s first king, and where was he buried? When archaeologist Giacomo Boni uncovered the mysterious Lapis Niger — Latin for “Black Stone” — in the Roman Forum in 1899, some believed he had found the cursed place that ancient sources linked to the death of Romulus himself. In this first episode of Divina Roma, we descend beneath the stones of the Forum into a story of kingship, violence, brotherhood, and myth. 

Was this truly the tomb of Romulus? Or something even stranger? This is the English version of Episode 1. Divina Roma is a bilingual narrative podcast: narrative episodes are released in both English and Italian. Guest episodes will be released in the language of the guest. This episode is a narrative adaptation based on historical sources. Some scenes, dialogue, and transitions have been dramatized for storytelling purposes, while remaining grounded in the historical record and the sources listed below. Sources Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, Book I Sextus Pompeius Festus, fragment on the lapis niger in the Comitium Giacomo Boni, excavation reports on the Roman Forum and the Comitium Additional research from the Capitoline Historical Archive and modern scholarship on the Lapis Niger

    23 min

  3. Season 1 Trailer

    Divina Roma — Official Trailer

    Rome is a city of light. But beneath it… there are shadows. Divina Roma is a cinematic, narrative podcast exploring the most haunting, moving, and unexpected stories from the Eternal City: from ancient legends to modern history, to the present. Written and narrated by filmmaker Livia Alcalde Patanè.

    1 min

Trailer

About

A bilingual ITA/ENG narrative podcast about the most haunting, moving, and unexpected stories of Rome. From ancient myths to modern events, each episode takes you inside the shadows of the Eternal City, where power, memory, and mystery have been intertwined for millennia. Written and narrated by Rome-born filmmaker Livia Alcalde Patanè.

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