I Romani che non ti aspetti | Mario Lentano

How well do we really know the Romans? We feel close to them, almost familiar, part of our history and cultural identity. Yet, when we look more closely at their daily lives, their beliefs, and their rituals, surprising, strange, and sometimes even disturbing aspects emerge. In this lecture at the Umbria Antica Festival 2026, Mario Lentano recounts some "bizarre stories" of Roman culture to show how what seems most distant can become a precious key to understanding the ancient world. From the so-called right of the kiss, with which male relatives checked that women had not drunk wine, to the omina, the sonorous omens hidden in everyday speech; from Crassus's tragic expedition against the Parthians to the ritual protecting mother and newborn from the god Silvanus, Lentano takes us into a Rome far removed from the reassuring one depicted in textbooks. A lecture on fears, controls, divine signs, family, the female body, and the fragility of life in the Roman world. Because the ancients are interesting not only when they resemble us, but above all when they force us to look at what is different for us.