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Ancient Roman Mystery
He was a 12 year old boy, died around 94 AD. His dad put up the tomb and the poem on it, which is why we know anything at all. The inscription says he was a chariot racer for the factio russata, the Reds, and that he'd just started winning when he died. It sits right by the Porta Portese area near via di Porta Portese, easy to miss if you're not looking.
worth knowing the poem is in senarii, which is why it reads so direct compared to the flowery stuff you see on a lot of imperial tombs. there's a line where he basically says he was learning his letters and just starting to get good at racing when he got cut down, and his father set this up so people passing by would stop. that last bit is the whole point of a Roman tomb by the road, they wanted the passerby to pause. which is kinda exactly what you did, two thousand years later.
if you go back, read it out loud once. the meter only really clicks when you hear it.
The fact that you found it by accident says something about how Rome treats its own past. There's no ticket booth, no signage worth mentioning, just a monument sitting in a residential pocket near the river. I've walked via di Porta Portese dozens of times and only clocked it because a friend who lives on the street pointed it out.
What I'd push back on slightly is the "isolated" feeling. Go on a weekday morning and you'll see locals walking dogs right past it, kids on scooters, someone hanging laundry two buildings over. It's not a secret to the neighborhood, it's just furniture to them. That contrast between your awe and their indifference is the real Roman experience, more than the tomb itself.
If you want more of that feeling, skip the obvious sites and walk the Testaccio or Ostiense side instead, where the modern city is literally built on top of the old one.
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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.