Legal Notice: The Nature of this Gift

We want this to be perfectly clear, so that the fun rests on honesty rather than on any misunderstanding. This notice sets out plainly what our product is, and, just as importantly, what it is not.

It is not military service, and it is not a rank

The Roman legions no longer exist. The western empire that raised them ended in 476, the eastern armies that inherited their traditions were gone by the fifteenth century, and there has been no authority anywhere since with the power to enroll a single person in Legio X or in any other legion. The "Legionarius" or "Centurio" style on your certificate is an honorific and a keepsake. It confers no rank, no service record, no veteran status, no precedence, no privilege, and no legal standing, in Italy or anywhere else, and it should never be represented to anyone as if it did. It has nothing whatever to do with any modern armed force, and it must never be presented to any government, employer, or veterans' body as though it were service of any kind.

It is not land, and it is not a deed

The "souvenir plot" is an honorific dedication. It does not transfer ownership or any other legal interest in real property; it is not a sale of land; it is not a deed; and it is not registered with the Italian land registry (the Catasto) or with any other authority. You will not become the legal owner of any part of the Roman Campagna or of anywhere else, and you acquire no right to enter, use, occupy, build on, sell, or bequeath any physical land. The accompanying map marks the theme of the dedication, not a parcel you own.

It confers no legal rights, and no citizenship

Your certificate has no legal force. It is not identification, it grants no citizenship of Italy or of anywhere else, no residency, and no right of entry, it changes no official record, and it cannot be used to alter your name on any legal document, passport, licence, bank account, or public register. Rome did grant citizenship to soldiers on discharge, and our copy plays with that history; we are not granting it, because we could not, and nobody could. It is a decorative keepsake intended purely for entertainment and as a gift.

We make no charitable or conservation claim

We do not represent that your purchase funds any third party, charity, conservation project, archaeological excavation, or restoration work. Any description of the Campagna's pines, aqueducts, tombs, or paved roads on this site is offered as evocation and imagery, the romance of the country behind the gift, and not as a promise that your money is directed to any such activity. Should that ever change, we will say so plainly and truthfully at the point of sale.

About the name "Aquila Romana"

The aquila was the eagle standard carried at the head of a Roman legion, and our name and our mark are drawn from it. We are an independent gift company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Italian state, the city of Rome, any museum, any archaeological authority, or any modern military unit that has since taken up the eagle as an emblem. References to Roman history, to Legio X, and to the classical authors we quote are made for literary and descriptive purposes.

In short

Buy it for the charm, the craftsmanship, and the story. Wear the name at dinner and enjoy it. Just don't mistake it, or let anyone else mistake it, for something with legal weight, because it has none. If anything here is unclear, write to us at hello@romanlegionary.com before you buy.