Team Marco Polo

History Schmistory: When In Rome

Friday, June 28, 2019 by teammarcopolo

“When in Rome do as the Romans do” is a commonly used idiom. An example of its use in a conversation would go something like this:

Person #1: “I refuse to try that sushi!”
Person #2: “C’mon, try it! When in Rome do as the Romans do.” which means, when in a new place behave like they do.

We may understand the meaning of the saying but do we know the origin of it? Well, it all started back in the 16th century when Saint Ambrose, bishop of Milan gave some good advice to Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo. Saint Augustine had asked Saint Ambrose if they should fast on Saturdays, like the Romans did. Ambrose replied by saying, “When I am here, I do not fast on Saturday; when I am in Rome, I fast on Saturday.” Of course he said this in Latin but that’s beside the point. Eventually this turned into the phrase that we know today. So when in Rome, fare come i romani!