it has been a few days since ETHRome, the first web3 hackathon in italy. i am (and we are) at a loss for words for everything that happened. personally, i had no expectations regarding the event we organized because, no matter how it went, we would have gone from 0 to <something>. if that <something> had been 1, 20, or 100, it didn't matter to me; we would have still made history.

we truly made history.

i'm not the only one saying this, or it would be too easy. it's everyone who shared this experience with us, from the most experienced hackers to the newcomers who found themselves in such a context for the first time. the same goes for the sponsors and partners, who never missed an opportunity to compliment the organization and the quality of the projects developed during those famous 40 hours, which began on friday, october 6th at 6:00 pm and ended on sunday, october 8th at 10:00 am.

i truly struggle to read the messages of appreciation and feedback we are receiving online on twitter or linkedin (not sharing here my telegram dms ofc). every single word moves me and makes me proud of everything we've done this year, along with my second family: urbe.eth. during the closing ceremony, where we announced the winners and told the story of ETHRome, i had the feeling that everyone in the room perceived the heart and passion that we all put into it. it was a truly emotional moment for all of us.

what we organized was not just a hackathon. it was a weekend among friends, technology and innovation enthusiasts. we came together to test our skills and creativity but also to learn and grow together. we witnessed amazing ideas and promising projects that could truly shape the future. for a weekend, rome became the home of web3.

the common feeling was one of peace, of feeling at home. after all, our motto from the beginning was to organize a hackathon "for builders, by builders." putting the hacker at the center of everything: mission accomplished. the commitment and sweat (literally) that the entire team put into it during the year and the event itself were incredible. setups, water jugs, moving tables and chairs endlessly, redbull refills like never before, and midnight snacks (pangoccioli and maritozzi - appreciated by all, of course).

it's hard to describe with clarity the support we received from all our friends and partners. i can't fail to mention CryptoCanal: our friendship is truly something special. having you by our side during the event was amazing. alina, thank you for helping us with the organization. nicoletta, the hacker speed dating was crazy. fede, your judging skills were essential. last but not least, ellie, your experience in the industry and your values are an inspiration for all of us. we are proud to share this journey with you. an honorable mention also goes to TalentLayer, frens we've known for a long time now, and whose support before, during, and after the hackathon was sensational.

shall we talk numbers?

132 hackers from all over the world who brought 40 projects to life. an average of $1600 won per team. more than 600 redbulls and energy drinks consumed. kilograms of food eaten: undefined. lastly, more than 800 branded ETHRome beers were consumed. of the 6 winning teams, 4 had italian team members.

yes, 4 of them had italian team members. what does this show? that in our country, skills are not lacking, but opportunities are. we, urbe.eth, are currently the only people in italy who can create these kinds of opportunities. for the past year and a half, we've been working to make rome a more livable place for ourselves and for people like us who believe in their ideas and want to make a difference.

many might think that ETHRome is a culmination after a year and a half of work with urbe.eth. they are mistaken. ETHRome is just the beginning. ETHRome is the catalyst that will drive urbe.eth even harder. after ETHRome, one thing must be clear to everyone: urbe.eth no longer aspires to be just an italian community for web3 builders; urbe.eth wants to become an international web3 hub based in rome. urbe.eth will strive to involve more and more international projects, partners, and people in the bel paese because we have shown that opportunities like these are valued like never before.

gloria ad urbe 🐺