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want to meet at fmd_good The Donut Shop
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Servian Wall Mystery
honestly i think that polished section might be from the medieval era, not the 1800s. there's a spot near the Colosseum where the wall was reinforced during the 12th century and they reused marble from older buildings, which gives it that weird smooth feel. the vibe you got is real though, locals call it "the whispering wall" because the stone there holds heat differently and makes a faint crackling sound at dusk. if you go back around sunset you'll hear it yourself
oh yeah that spot near porta maggiore? i think i know which one you mean. there's a theory some local archaeologists had that it's actually part of an earlier republican-era wall that got incorporated into the servian one by accident, way older than the rest. weirdly smooth cos it was never meant to be exposed like that. no legend really, just a construction mistake that freaks people out
That smoother section you found is almost certainly a later repair, probably from the late 1800s when Rome was doing a lot of "restoration" that was more about making things look nice than being historically accurate. The stretch near the Termini train station, around Piazza dei Cinquecento, has a few of those patches where they used different stone and actually polished it. Locals don't really have a legend about it, but some of the older guidebooks from the 1920s mention it was part of a failed attempt to turn the wall into a decorative promenade.
What are current tobacco prices for LM Blue or Chesterfield Blue?
tbh duty free at Riga is only worth it if you're buying cartons, single packs at the airport arent that much cheaper than teh tabaccai in Rome. also remember you can only bring a limited amount into the EU anyway so stockpiling has its limits
Chesterfield Blue usually runs around 5.50 to 6 euros a pack in Rome these days, though tabaccai prices are fixed by the state so it won't vary much shop to shop. Riga is generally cheaper for cigarettes but your layover time matters, if it's tight you might not have time to clear security and find a shop.
LM Blue in Rome is roughly the same ballpark, around 5.50 to 6 euros. One thing to keep in mind at Riga airport, the duty free selection isn't always great for specific brands like these, so if you're set on LM or Chesterfield you might strike out. I'd check what the actual duty free has before counting on it.