Climb the stairs like you're Rocky Balboa

BarcelonaIt's probably one of the movie scenes that people have imitated the most. Just a few days ago we talked about people jumping around an Austrian meadow, imitating Julie Andrews in Smiles and tears, Today we're going to talk about someone who climbs an ordinary staircase and celebrates by pumping his fists. Every year, thousands of people run up a Philadelphia staircase to imitate Sylvester Stallone in a legendary scene from RockyIn fact, there are people who come all the way to the city just to climb these stairs.

Philadelphia has been the setting for many films. And it's one of the most historic cities in the United States, playing a key role in the War for Independence. But many people know it for these steps. In fact, the steps are now officially called Rocky Steps in honor of the film. And almost no one knows that the building at the top is the Philadelphia Museum of Art. That's the power of cinema. You have a museum, statues, a lot of history... but people want to imitate a fictional boxer. In fact, in 1980, a Rocky statue was installed to promote the films being made. The original idea was for the statue to be temporary, but it's still there, welcoming tourists. The most visited statue in Philadelphia is dedicated to a person who never existed.

The film's director, John Guilbert Avildsen, set the film in Philadelphia because it's a city with many immigrants with Italian roots, like Rocky Balboa, which allowed for a connection with the lives of Italian-born boxers like Rocky Marciano and Rocky Graziano. In fact, one of the film's settings is theItalian marketConsidered the oldest open-air market in the United States, it's a vibrant area filled with food stalls that has evolved over time. It's more sophisticated now, unlike in 1976, when the scene of Rocky training among the vendors, who cheer him on, was filmed. But it's still a good place to discover the legacy of the Italians who sought a new life in the United States. Nearby, at 1818 Tusculum Street, is Rocky's apartment from the first 1976 film. Today, people challenge him to take pictures, and some annoy the current owner to try to get in, because a man now lives there, loudly proclaiming that he doesn't want to be disturbed.

Incidentally, the film's most passionate fans also visit Laurel Hill Cemetery, where they installed the fictional gravestones of Rocky's wife, Adrian, and his brother-in-law. The fake graves remained. In a cemetery where vice presidents, inventors, generals, and key businessmen in American history are buried, the two most visited graves are those of fictional characters. The power of cinema.

Recommendation for traveling to Philadelphia

Film: Rocky

Director: John Guilbert Avildsen

Year: 1976