Sono Pazzi Questi Romani

Curious Roman customs from Zadok the Roman:

Romans leave votive offerings at the foot of the statue of Julius Caesar of Julius Caesar on the Via Fori Imperiali on the Ides of March. Flowers, candles, prayers in graffiti.

Marian Graffiti: The one on the right is simple enough - 'Our Lady, we love you!'. The one on the left is more dubious. 'Long live the Madonna. God doesn't have a gender, but if she did it would be feminine.'

Romans have always been an eccentric people who have had peculiar customs and practices (yep, since the days of the Empire or even the Republic). This often makes their actions regarding the running of the Church rather inexplicable...