'Rome' () is the
capital city of
Italy and of the
Lazio region, as well as the country's largest and most populous ''
comune'', with more than 2.7 million residents (December 2006, demo.
istat.it). The metropolitan area has a population of about 4 million. It is located in the central-western portion of the
Italian peninsula, where the river
Aniene joins the
Tiber. The
Mayor of Rome is
Walter Veltroni.
An
enclave of Rome is the State of the
Vatican City, the
sovereign territory of the
Holy See, the smallest
nation in the world, and the capital of the only religion to have representation in the
United Nations (as a non-member observer state).
Rome, ''Caput mundi'' ("capital of the world"), ''la Città Eterna'' ("the Eternal City"), ''Limen Apostolorum'' ("threshold of the Apostles"), ''la città dei sette colli'' ("the city of the
seven hills") or simply ''l'Urbe'' ("the City"),
[2] is thoroughly modern and cosmopolitan. As one of the few major European cities that escaped
World War II relatively unscathed, central Rome remains essentially
Renaissance and
Baroque in character. The Historic Centre of Rome is listed by
UNESCO as a
World Heritage Site.
[3]
History
Main articles: History of Rome
From founding to Empire
According to
legend, the city of Rome was founded by the
twins Romulus and Remus on
April 21,
753 BC, but archaeological evidence supports the theory that Rome grew from
pastoral settlements on the
Palatine Hill and in the area of the future
Roman Forum,
coalescing into a city in the
8th century BC. That city developed into the
capital of the
Roman Kingdom (ruled by a succession of
seven kings, according to tradition),
Roman Republic (from 510 BC, governed by the
Senate), and finally the
Roman Empire (from 31 BC, ruled by an
Emperor); this success depended on military conquest, commercial predominance, as well as selective assimilation of neighboring civilizations, most notably the
Etruscans and
Greeks. Roman dominance expanded over most of
Europe and the shores of the
Mediterranean sea, while its
population surpassed one million inhabitants. For almost a thousand years, Rome was the most politically important, richest and largest city in the
Western world, and remained so after the Empire started to
decline and was split, even if it ultimately lost its capital status to
Milan and then
Ravenna, and was surpassed in prestige by the
Eastern capital
Constantinople.
Fall of the Empire and Middle Ages
With the reign of
Constantine I, the
Bishop of Rome gained political as well as religious importance, eventually becoming known as the
Pope and establishing Rome as the centre of the Catholic Church. After the
Sack of Rome (410) by
Alaric I and the
fall of the Western Roman Empire in
476 AD, Rome alternated between
Byzantine rule and plundering by
Germanic barbarians. Its population declined to a mere 20,000 during the
Early Middle Ages, reducing the sprawling city to groups of inhabited buildings interspersed among large areas of ruins and vegetation. Rome remained nominally part of the
Byzantine Empire until
751 AD when the
Lombards finally abolished the
Exarchate of Ravenna. In
756,
Pepin the Short gave the pope temporal jurisdiction over Rome and surrounding areas, thus creating the
Papal States.
Rome remained the capital of the
Papal States until its annexation into the
Kingdom of Italy in
1870; the city became a major
pilgrimage site during the
Middle Ages and the focus of struggles between the
Papacy and the
Holy Roman Empire starting with
Charlemagne, who was crowned its first emperor in Rome on
Christmas 800 AD by
Pope Leo III. Apart from brief periods as an independent city during the
Middle Ages, Rome kept its status of
Papal capital and "holy city" for centuries, even when the Pope briefly relocated to
Avignon (1309–1337). While no longer politically powerful, as tragically shown by the brutal
sack of 1527, the city flourished as a hub of cultural and artistic activity during the
Renaissance and the
Baroque, under the patronage of the
Papal court.
17–19th century
Population rose again and reached 100,000 during the
17th century, but Rome ultimately lagged behind the rest of the European capitals over the subsequent centuries, being largely busy in the
Counter-Reformation process.
Caught up in the
nationalistic turmoils of the
19th century and having twice gained and lost a short-lived independence, Rome became the focus of the hopes for Italian unification, as propelled by the
Kingdom of Italy ruled by King
Vittorio Emanuele II; after the
French protection was lifted in
1870, royal troops stormed the city, and Rome was declared capital of the newly unified Italy in
1871.
20th century
After a victorious
World War I, Rome witnessed the rise to power of
Italian fascism guided by
Benito Mussolini, who
marched on the city in
1922, eventually declared a new
Empire and allied
Italy with
Nazi Germany. This was a period of rapid growth in population, from the 212,000 people at the time of unification to more than 1,000,000, but this trend was halted by
World War II, during which Rome was damaged by both
Allied forces bombing and Nazi occupation; after the execution of
Mussolini and the end of the war, a
1946 referendum abolished the monarchy in favor of the
Italian Republic.
Rome grew momentously after the war, as one of the driving forces behind the "
Italian economic miracle" of post-war
reconstruction and
modernization. It became a
fashionable city in the 1950s and early 1960s, the years of ''
la dolce vita'' ("the sweet life"), and a new rising trend in population continued till the mid-1980s, when the ''comune'' had more than 2,800,000 residents; after that, population started to slowly decline as more residents moved to nearby ''comuni''; this has been attributed to their perceiving a decrease in the quality of life, especially because of the continuously
jammed traffic and the worsening
pollution it brings about.
In recent years the trend has changed again and the population is increasing again, thanks also to the cultural and economic dynamism of the city and immigration from many different countries.
Geography and climate
Satellite image of Rome, showing natural and built environment in the city
Location
Rome is in the
Lazio region of
central Italy, at the confluence of the
Aniene and
Tiber (Italian: ''Tevere'') rivers. Although the city center is about 24 kilometers inland from the
Tyrrhenian Sea, the city territory extends to the very shore, where the south-western
Ostia district is located. The
altitude of Rome ranges from
13 meters
above sea level (in
Piazza del Popolo) to 120 meters above sea level (the peak of
Monte Mario). The ''comune'' of Rome covers an overall
area of about 1,285 square kilometers, including many green areas.
Climate
Rome enjoys a typical
Mediterranean climate which characterizes the
Mediterranean coasts of Italy. It is at its most comfortable from April through June, and from mid-September to October; in particular, the Roman ''ottobrate'' (''ottobrata'' can roughly be translated as "beautiful October day") are famously known as sunny and warm days. By August, the
temperature during the heat of the day often exceeds 32 °C (90 °F); traditionally, many businesses would close during August, and Romans would abandon the city for holiday resorts, but this trend is weakening, and the city is increasingly remaining fully functional during the whole summer, in response to growing tourism as well as change in the population's work habits. The average high temperature in December is about 14 °C (57 °F).
Architecture
Ancient Rome
Main articles: Roman architecture
One of the symbols of Rome is the
Colosseum (70-80), the largest
amphitheatre ever built in the
Roman Empire. Originally capable of seating 50,000 spectators, it was used for
gladiatorial
combat. The list of the very important monuments of ancient Rome includes the
Roman Forum, the
Domus Aurea, the
Pantheon, the
Trajan's Column, the
Trajan's Market, the
Catacombs of Rome, the
Circus Maximus, the
Baths of Caracalla, the
Arch of Constantine, the
Pyramid of Cestius, the
Bocca della Verità.
Renaissance and Baroque
Main articles: RenaissanceMain articles: Baroque
Rome was a major world center of the
Renaissance, second only to
Florence, and was profoundly affected by the movement. The most impressive masterpiece of
Renaissance architecture in Rome is the
Piazza del Campidoglio by
Michelangelo, along with the Palazzo Senatorio, seat of the city government. During this period, the great
aristocratic families of Rome used to build opulent dwellings as the
Palazzo del Quirinale (now seat of the
President of the Republic), the
Palazzo Venezia, the
Palazzo Farnese, the
Palazzo Barberini, the
Palazzo Chigi (now seat of the
Prime Minister), the
Palazzo Spada, the
Palazzo della Cancelleria, and the
Villa Farnesina.
Rome is also famous for her huge and majestic squares, often adorned with
obelisks, many of which were built in the
XVII century. The principal squares are
Piazza Navona,
Piazza di Spagna,
Campo de' Fiori,
Piazza Venezia,
Piazza Farnese, and
Piazza della Minerva. One of the most emblematic examples of the baroque art is the
Fontana di Trevi by
Nicola Salvi. Other notable
baroque palaces of
XVII century are the
Palazzo Madama, now seat of the
Italian Senate and the
Palazzo Montecitorio, now seat of the
Chamber of Deputies of Italy.
Neoclassicism
Main articles: Neoclassicism
In
1870, Rome became capital city of the new
Kingdom of Italy. During this time,
neoclassicism, a building style influenced by architecture during
Antiquity, became a predominant style in Roman buildings. In this period many great palaces in neoclassical styles were built to host ministries, embassies and other governing agencies. One of the best-known symbol of Roman
neoclassicism is the
Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II or "Altar of Fatherland", where the
grave of the Unknown Soldier, that represents the 650,000 Italians that fell in
World War I, is located.
Fascist architecture
The
Fascist regime that ruled in Italy between 1922 and 1943 developed an original architectural style, characterized by feast and the research of a link with ancient Rome architecture. The most important fascist style site in Rome is the
E.U.R. district, built in
1935. It was originally conceived for the
1942 world exhibition, and was called
"E.42" (''"Esposizione 42"''). However, the world exhibition never took place due to
Italy entering the
Second World War in 1940. The most representative building of the Fascist style at E.U.R. is the ''Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana'' (1938-1943), the iconic design of which has been labeled the
cubic or Square
Colosseum.
After World War II, the Roman authorities found that they already had a gem of an off-centre
business district that other capitals were still planning (
London Docklands and
La Defense in Paris). Also the
Palazzo della Farnesina, the actual seat of
Italian Foreign Ministry, was designed in
1935 in fascist style.
Villas and gardens
The center of Rome is surrounded by some large green areas and
opulent ancient villas, which are the remains of the crowns of villas which encircled the papal city. Most of them were largely destroyed by real estate speculation at the end of the
19th century. The most important among the surviving ones are:
★
Villa Borghese, with a large landscape garden in the naturalistic
19th century English style, containing a number of buildings, museums (see
Galleria Borghese) and attractions;
★
Villa Ada, the largest public landscaped park of Rome;
★
Villa Doria Pamphili, the second largest with an area of 1.8 km²;
★
Villa Torlonia, a splendid example of
Art Nouveau mansion that was the Roman residence of
Benito Mussolini;
★
Villa Albani, commissioned by
Alessandro Cardinal Albani to house his collection of antiquities and Roman sculpture, which soon filled the casino that faced the Villa down a series of formal parterres.
Government
Capital status
Rome is the national capital of Italy and is the seat of
President of the Italian Republic, whose official residence is
Quirinale Palace. Rome hosts also Italian Parliament, Italian Prime Minister and all the ministries.
The
Mayor of Rome is
Walter Veltroni of
The Union,
[4] elected in 2001 and again for a second term in 2006. A political
debate in Italy focuses on the opportunity of providing the city with "special powers" of local jurisdiction (the "Roma Capitale" directives),
[5] and possibly of turning either the ''comune'' or the
Province of Rome into a "capital district"
[6] separate from the
Lazio region, modelled after other European capital cities.
Subdivisions
:''Main articte:
Administrative subdivision of Rome''
The territory of the commune of Rome is divided into 19 ''Municipi'' (area subdivisions).
[7] Originally, the city was divided into 20 sub-municipalities, but the
XIV, what is now the
Comune di Fiumicino, voted some years ago to become a full municipality itself and eventually detached from Rome.
Map of Rome's nineteen boroughs.
Other sovereign entities
Rome is unique in its containing two other
sovereign entities. One is the
Holy See, the political and religious entity that governs the territory of the
Vatican City (a ''
de facto''
enclave since 1870, officially recognised as such in 1929), as well as claiming
extraterritorial rights over a few other palaces and churches, mostly in the city centre; indeed, Rome hosts foreign
embassies to ''both'' Italy and the Holy See. The other entity is the
Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), which took refuge in Rome in
1834 after having lost
Malta to
Napoleon in
1798, and thus claims no territory (leading to disputes over its actual sovereign status);
SMOM too owns
extraterritorial palaces in central Rome.
International involvement
Rome has traditionally been heavily involved in the process of European political integration. In
1957, the
city hosted the signing of the
treaty of Rome, which established the
European Economic Community (predecessor to the
European Union), and also played host to the official signing of the proposed
European constitution in July 2004. Rome is also the seat of significant international organizations, such as the
Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations, and is the place where the
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court was formulated.
Demographics
At the time of Emperor
Augustus, Rome was the largest city in the world, and probably the largest ever built until the nineteenth century. Estimates of its peak population range from 450,000 to over 3.5 million people with 1 to 2 million being most popular with historians. After the
fall of the Roman Empire, the city's population may have been less than 50,000, and continued to stagnate (or shrink) until the
Renaissance. When the
Kingdom of Italy annexed Rome in 1870, it had a population of about 200,000, which rapidly increased to 600,000 by the end of the 19th century.
The fascist regime of Mussolini tried to block an excessive demographic rise of the city, but failed to prevent it from reaching one million people by 1931.
After
World War II, Rome continued to expand, with the creation of new
quartieri and suburbs in '50s and '60s. Today the official population stands at 2.7 million; the Urban Area of Rome is home to about 4 million in an area of 5,352 km² (2,066 sq mi). 156,833 residents in the
comune are of foreign nationality, representing 6.2% of total residents.
[8]
Economy
The
ENI palace at EUR neighbour
Modern day Rome has a dynamic and diverse economy with thriving
technologies,
communications, and
service sectors. It produces 6.7% of the national
GDP (more than any other city in Italy). Rome grows +4,4% annually and continues to grow at a higher rate in comparison to any other city in the rest of the country. Following
World War II Rome's economic growth began to overtake its rivals,
Naples and
Milan, although a traditional rivalry persists with Milan today.
Tourism is inevitably one of Rome's chief industries, with numerous notable museums including the
Vatican Museum, the
Borghese Gallery, and the
Musei Capitolini. Rome is also the hub of the
Italian film industry, thanks to the
Cinecittà studios. The city is also a center for
banking as well as
electronics and
aerospace industries. Numerous international headquarters, government ministries, conference centres, sports venues and museums are located in Rome's principal business districts: the
Esposizione Universale Roma (EUR); the ''Torrino'' (further south from the EUR); the ''Magliana''; the ''Parco de' Medici-Laurentina'' and the so-called ''Tiburtina-valley'' along the ancient Via Tiburtina.
Culture and society
Religion
The ''
Religio Romana'' constituted the major religion of the city in
antiquity. However, several other religions and imported
mystery cults remained represented within its ever-expanding boundaries, including
Judaism, whose presence in the city dates back from the
Roman Republic and was sometimes forcibly confined to the
Roman Ghetto, as well as
Christianity. Despite initial persecutions, by the early 4th century, Christianity had become so widespread that it was legalized in
313 by
Emperor Constantine I, and later made
official religion of the
Roman Empire in 380 by Emperor
Theodosius I, allowing it to spread further and eventually wholly replace the declining ''Religio Romana''.
Rome became the pre-eminent
Christian city (vis-a-vis
Antioch and
Alexandria, and later
Constantinople and
Jerusalem) based on the tradition that
Saint Peter and
Saint Paul were
martyred in the city during the 1st century, coupled with the city's political importance. The
Bishop of Rome, later known as the
Pope, claimed primacy over all Bishops and therefore all Christians on the basis that he is the successor of
Saint Peter, upon whom
Jesus built his Church; his prestige had been enhanced since
313 through donations by Roman emperors and patricians, including the
Lateran Palace and patriarchal basilicas, as well as the obviously growing influence of the Church over the failing civil imperial authority. Papal authority has been exercised over the centuries with varying degrees of success, at times triggering divisions among Christians, until the present.
St. Peter's Square in the early morning.
With the increasing chaos and disorder leading to the collapse of the Roman Empire in
476, the popes assumed more and more civil authority first in Rome and in the surrounding territories. Rome became the center of the
Catholic Church and the
capital city of the
Papal States; consequently, a great number of churches, convents and other religious buildings were erected in the city, sometimes above the ruins of older pre-Christian sites of worship.
Churches proliferated during the Renaissance, when the Rome's most notable churches were built (this includes
St. Peter's basilica on the
Vatican Hill (the largest church in the world) and the city
cathedral of
St. John at the
Lateran. The
Papacy established its residence first in the
Lateran Palace, then in the
Quirinal Palace. When Rome was annexed by force to the newly unified
Kingdom of Italy In
1870,
Pope Pius IX retired to the
Vatican, proclaiming himself a prisoner of the
Savoy monarchy and leading to decades of conflict between the neonate state and the Catholic Church. This was resolved in
1929, when the
Lateran Treaty were signed in Rome, establishing the right for the
Holy See to govern the
Vatican City as an independent,
sovereign state. The
patron saints of Rome remain
Saint Peter and
Saint Paul (or, as they are collectively referred to in this context, "the most holy Saints Peter and Paul"), both celebrated on
June 29.
In recent years, the
Islamic community has grown significantly, in great part due to
immigration from
North African and
Middle Eastern countries into the city. As a consequence of this trend, the ''comune'' promoted the building of the largest
mosque in
Europe, which was designed by
architect Paolo Portoghesi and inaugurated on
June 21,
1995.
Language
The original language of Rome was
Latin, which evolved during the
Middle Ages into
Italian. The latter emerged as the confluence of various regional dialects, among which the
Tuscan dialect predominated, but the population of Rome also developed its own dialect, the
Romanesco. The ancient ''romanesco'', used during the
Middle Ages, was a southern Italian dialect, very close to the
Neapolitan. The influence of the
Florentine culture during the
renaissance, and, above all, the immigration to Rome of many florentines who were among the two
Medici Popes' (
Leo X and
Clement VII) suite, caused a strong change of the dialect, which became much closer to the Tuscan varieties. This remained largely confined to Rome until the
19th century, but then expanded other zones of
Lazio (
Civitavecchia,
Latina), from the beginning of the
20th century, thanks to the rising population of Rome and to better transportation systems. As a consequence,
Romanesco abandoned its traditional forms to
mutate into the dialect spoken within the city, which is more similar to standard
Italian, although remaining distinct from other Romanesco-influenced local dialects of Lazio.
Dialectal literature in the traditional form
Romanesco includes the works of such authors as
Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli,
Trilussa, and
Cesare Pascarella. Contemporary
Romanesco is mainly represented by popular actors such as
Aldo Fabrizi,
Alberto Sordi,
Nino Manfredi,
Anna Magnani,
Gigi Proietti,
Enrico Montesano, and
Carlo Verdone.
Universities
Rome is a nation-wide center for
higher education. Its first
university,
La Sapienza (founded in 1303), is the largest in
Europe and the second largest in the World, with more than 150,000 students attending. Two new public universities were founded:
Tor Vergata in 1982, and
Roma Tre in
1992, although the latter has now become larger than the former. Rome also contains a large number of
pontifical universities and institutes, including the
Pontifical Gregorian University (The oldest
Jesuit university in the world, founded in
1551), the
Angelicum university, and many others. The city also hosts various private universities, such as the
LUMSA, the
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Roman centre), the
LUISS,
Istituto Europeo di Design the
John Cabot University, the
IUSM, the
American University of Rome,the Link
Campus of Malta, the
S. Pio V University of Rome, and the
Università Campus Bio-Medico. Rome is also the location of the
John Felice Rome Center, a campus of
Loyola University Chicago.
Music
Rome is an important center for music. It hosts the
Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (founded in 1585), for which new concert halls were recently built in the new
Parco della Musica, one of the largest musical venues in the world. Rome also has an
opera house, the
Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, as well as several minor musical institutions. The city also played host to the
Eurovision Song Contest 1991 and the
MTV Europe Music Awards 2004.
Cinema
Set of ''Gangs of New York'' in
Cinecittà studios, Rome
Rome hosts the
Cinecittà Studios, the largest film and television production facility in continental Europe and the center of the
Italian cinema, where a large number of today's
biggest box office hits are filmed. The 99 acre (40 ha) studio complex is just 5.6 miles (9 km) from the centre of Rome and is part of one of the biggest production communities in the world, second only to Hollywood, with well over 5,000 experienced, multilingual professionals - from period costume makers to visual effects specialists. With more than 3,000 productions which have been made on its lot, from recent features like
The Passion of Christ,
Gangs of New York,
HBO’S
Rome,
The Life Aquatic and
Dino de Laurentiis’
Decameron, to such cinema classics as
Ben Hur,
Cleopatraand the films of
Federico Fellini, many consider it synonymous with Italian cinema and moviemaking in general.
Founded in
1937 by
Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, the studios were bombed by the
Western Allies during
World War II. In the 1950s, Cinecittà was the filming location for several large
American film productions, and subsequently became the studio most closely associated with
Federico Fellini. Today Cinecittà is the only studio in the world with pre-production, production and full post-production facilities on one lot, allowing directors and producers to walk in with their script and walk out with a completed film.
Media
Sports
Rome hosted the
1960 Summer Olympics and is an official candidate to hosting the
2016 Summer Olympics.
Football is the most popular
sport in Rome, as in the rest of the country. The
Stadio Olimpico hosted the final game of the
1990 FIFA World Cup; it is also the home stadium for local
Serie A clubs
A.S. Roma and
S.S. Lazio, whose rivalry has become a staple of Roman sports culture. Indeed, famous footballers who play for these teams and are also born in the city tend to become especially popular, as has been the case with players such as
Francesco Totti and
Giuseppe Giannini (both for A.S. Roma);
Paolo Di Canio and
Alessandro Nesta (both for Lazio).
While far from being as popular as football,
rugby is gaining wider acceptance. The
Stadio Flaminio is the home stadium for the
Italy national rugby union team, which has been playing in the
Six Nations Championship since
2000, albeit with less than satisfactory performances, as they have never won the championship so far. Rome is home to local rugby teams, such as
Unione Rugby Capitolina,
Rugby Roma, and
S.S. Lazio.
Every May, Rome hosts the
ATP Masters Series tennis tournament on the clay courts of the
Foro Italico.
Cycling was immensely popular in the post-
WWII period, although its popularity has faded in the last decades; Rome has hosted the final portion of the
Giro d'Italia twice, in 1989 and 2000. Every spring, the annual
Rome marathon is considered to be the most widely attended sports event in Italy. Rome is also home to many other sports teams, including
basketball (
Pallacanestro Virtus Roma),
handball (
S.S. Lazio),
volleyball (male:
M. Roma Volley, female:
Virtus Roma and
Linea Medica Siram Roma), and
waterpolo (
A.S. Roma,
S.S. Lazio).
City layout and sites of interest
City centre
A typical Rome view – Piazza Aracoeli from the
Cordonata up to Piazza Campidoglio.
The historical centre ville is dominated by the traditional "
Seven hills of Rome": the
Capitoline,
Palatine,
Viminal,
Quirinal,
Esquiline,
Caelian, and
Aventine hills. The Tiber flows south through Rome, with the city centre located where the midstream
Tiber Island facilitated crossing.
Large parts of the ancient city walls remain. The
Servian Wall was built twelve years after
Gauls' sack of the city in 390 BC; it contained most of the Esquiline and Caelian hills, as well as the whole of the other five. Rome grew out of the
Servian Wall, but no more walls were constructed until 270 AD, when
Aurelian began building the
Aurelian Walls. These were almost twelve miles (19 km) long, and was still the wall the troops of the
Kingdom of Italy had to breach to enter the city in
1870.
Though relatively small, the old city center contains about 300 hotels and 300 ''
pensioni'',
[9] over 200 palaces,
[9] 900 churches,
[9] eight of Rome's major parks, the
residence of the President of the Italian Republic, the houses of the
Parliament, offices of the city and city government, and many great and well-known monuments. The old city also contains thousands of workshops, offices, bars, and restaurants. Millions of tourists visit Rome annually, making it one of the most visited cities in the world.
Peripheral layout
The ancient city within the walls covers about four percent of the modern municipality's . The old city is the smallest of Rome's nineteen administrative zones. The walled city center is made up of 22 ''
rioni'' (districts),
[12] surrounding it are 35 ''quartieri urbani'' (urban sectors), and within the city limits are six large ''suburbi'' (
suburbs). The ''comune'' of Rome located outside the municipal boundaries about doubles the area of the actual city.
The belt
Highway known as
Grande Raccordo Anulare (G.R.A.) describes a huge circle around the capital, about six miles (10 km) out from the city centre; unlike most Italian highways, the G.R.A. is toll-free. The circle ties together the antique roads that led to Rome: the
Via Flaminia,
Via Aurelia,
Via Salaria,
Via Tiburtina,
Via Casilina and
Via Appia. Large amounts of modern apartment buildings are located in the districts outside the centre, where contemporary architecture has not gone unnoticed. Many street frontages and show windows often change to keep up with the times and the Romans have succeeded in blending the old and the new.
Vatican City
Main articles: Vatican City
The city of Rome surrounds the Vatican City, the
enclave of the
Holy See, which is a separate sovereign state. It hosts
Saint Peter's Square with the
Saint Peter's Basilica. The open space before the basilica was redesigned by
Gian Lorenzo Bernini, from 1656 to 1667, under the direction of
Pope Alexander VII, as an appropriate forecourt, designed "so that the greatest number of people could see the Pope give his blessing, either from the middle of the façade of the church or from a window in the Vatican Palace" (Norwich 1975 p 175). In Vatican City there are also the prestigious
Vatican Library,
Vatican Museums with the
Sistine Chapel, the
Raphael Rooms and other important works of
Leonardo Da Vinci,
Raphael,
Giotto, and
Botticelli.
Museums and galleries
The list of most important museums and galleries of Rome includes: the
National Museum of Rome, the
Museum of Roman Civilization, the
Villa Giulia National Etruscan Museum, the
Capitoline Museums, the
Borghese Gallery, the Museum of
Castel Sant'Angelo, and the
National Gallery of Modern Art.
Transportation
Airports
Rome is served by three
airports, of which the main two are owned by
Aeroporti di Roma. The intercontinental
Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport is Italy's chief airport; it is more commonly known as
"Fiumicino airport", as it is located within the territory of the nearby ''
comune'' of
Fiumicino, south-west of Rome. The older
Rome Ciampino Airport is a joint civilian and military airport; it is more commonly referred to as "Ciampino Airport", as it is located within Roman territory near the border with the ''comune'' of
Ciampino, south-east of Rome.
A third airport, the
Aeroporto dell'Urbe, is a small, low-traffic airport located about 6 km north of the city centre, which handles most
helicopter and private flights. A fourth airport in the eastern part of the city, the
Aeroporto di Centocelle (dedicated to
Francesco Baracca), is no longer open to flights; it hosts the
Comando di Squadra Aerea (which coordinates the activities of the
Aeronautica Militare Italiana) and the
Comando Operative di Vertice Interforze[13] (which coordinates all Italian military activities), although large parts of the airport are being redeveloped as a public park.
Railways
Roma Termini, one of the largest railway stations in Europe.
Rome is the hub of the Italian railways.
'History of Rome railroad'
★ The first railroad built in Rome (and the second railway built in Italy) the
Rome and Frascati Rail Road, was opened for service on July 14, 1856.
★ On April 16, 1859 the
Rome and Civitavecchia Rail Road was opened for service.
★ On January 27, 1862 the
Rome and Ceprano Rail Road was opened for service.
★ On April 28, 1864 the
Rome and Monterotondo Rail Road was opened for service.
★ On June 12, 1916 the
Rome and Fiuggi Rail Road was opened for service.
'Stations in the city'
Located on the
Esquiline Hill, Rome's central station, called
Roma Termini, was opened in
1863, then demolished and completely rebuilt between 1939 and 1951; it is operated by
Grandi Stazioni and mainly served by
Trenitalia. It is the single largest station in
Europe and is visited by 600,000 passengers daily; it has twenty-nine railway platforms, and also serves as a
shopping centre and
art gallery. The second largest station in the city is
Roma Tiburtina, which is being redeveloped for
high-speed rail service.
[14] Other notable stations include
Roma Ostiense,
Roma Trastevere,
Roma Tuscolana,
Roma San Pietro,
Roma Nomentana and
Roma Casilina.
Urban transportation
Underground
Map of Rome Metro.
A 2-line
subway system operates in Rome, called the "Metropolitana" or
Rome Metro. Construction on the first branch started in the 1930s. The line had been planned to quickly connect the main train station (
Termini) with the newly planned E42 area in the southern suburbs, where the 1942
World Fair was supposed to be held. The event never took place because of war. The area was later partly redesigned and renamed
EUR (Esposizione Universale di Roma: Rome Universal Exhibition) in the 1950s to serve as a modern business district. The line was finally opened in 1955 and it is now part of the B Line. The A line opened in 1980 from Ottaviano to Anagnina stations, later extended in stages (1999 - 2000) to Battistini. In the 1990s, an extension of the B line was opened from Termini to Rebibbia. This underground network is generally reliable (although it may become very congested at peak times and during events, especially the A line) as it is relatively short. As of 2005, its total length is 38 km. The two existing lines, A & B, only intersect at
Roma Termini station.
A new branch of the B line (B1) is under construction with an estimated cost of 482.900.000 Euro. It is scheduled to open in
2010. B1 will connect to line B at Piazza Bologna and will have 4 stations over a distance of 3.9 km.
A third line, line C, is under construction with an estimated cost of 3.000.000.000 Euro and will have 30 stations over a distance of 25.5 km. It will partly replace the existing tram line, Termini-Pantano. It will feature full automated, driverless trains. The first section will open in
2011 and the final sections in
2015.
Archaeological findings frequently delay underground construction work.
A fourth line, line D, is under development. It will have 22 stations over a distance of 20 km. The first section will open in
2015 and the final sections before
2035.
Overground
Roman tram in Largo di Torre Argentina
The
Rome Metro is part of an extensive transport network made of a tramway network, suburban and urban lines in and around the city of Rome, plus an "express line" to Fiumicino Airport. Whereas most
FS-Regionale lines (Regional State Railways) do provide mostly a suburban service with more than 20 stations scattered throughout the city, the Roma-Lido (starting at Ostiense station), the Roma-Pantano (starting nearby Termini) and the Roma-Nord (starting at Flaminio station) lines offer a metro-like service. There is also an overground rail system with seven lines which link the hinterland of the Roman Area. One of this leads to the second Airport of the city,
Ciampino.
Rome also has a comprehensive
bus and light rail system. The English web site of the ATAC public transportation company allows a route to be calculated using the buses, light rail and subways.
[1] The Metrebus integrated fare system allows holders of tickets and integrated passes to travel on all companies vehicles, within the validity time of the ticket purchased.
[2]
Map of Rome Tramway
Motor Traffic Limited Zone (ZTL)
Chronic congestion caused by cars during the 1970s and 1980s led to the banning of unauthorized traffic from the central part of city during workdays from 6 a.m. to 6 pm. This area is officially called (Italian) ''Zona a Traffico Limitato'' (ZTL). Heavy traffic due to night-life crowds during weekends led in recent years to the creation of other ZTLs in the Trastevere and S. Lorenzo districts during the night, and to experimentation with a new night ZTL also in the city center (plans to create a night ZTL in the Testaccio district as well are underway). In recent years, parking spaces along the streets in wide areas of the city have been converted to pay parking, as new underground parking spread throughout the city. In spite of all these measures, traffic remains an unsolved problem, as in many of the world's cities.
International relations
The following places are
sister cities to Rome:
'Twin city:'
★
Paris,
France is Rome's only sister city
[15](''Seule Paris est digne de Rome; seule Rome est digne de Paris / Solo Parigi è degna di Roma; solo Roma è degna di Parigi'' / Only Paris is worthy of Rome; only Rome is worthy of Paris).
'Partner cities:'
★
Achacachi,
Bolivia[16]
★
Algiers,
Algeria
★
Beijing,
People's Republic of China
★
Belgrade,
Serbia
★
Brasília,
Brazil
★
Cairo,
Egypt
★
Cincinnati,
USA
★
London,
United Kingdom
★
Montreal,
Canada
★
New York City,
USA
★
Plovdiv,
Bulgaria
★
Seoul,
South Korea
★
Sydney,
Australia
★
Tokyo,
Japan
★
Tongeren,
Belgium
See also
★
Popular Shopping Areas and Markets in Rome
★
Large Cities Climate Leadership Group
★ The
Glocal Forum, International on-governmental organization with main office located in Rome.
Events
Main articles: Events in Rome
Notes
1. http://demo.istat.it/bilmens2006/index.html- ISTAT demographics
2. s.v. "Urbe", De Mauro Paravia.
3. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/91 - Entry about Rome on the official website of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre
4. Personal profile on the official website of the Comune di Roma
5. http://www.infrastrutturetrasporti.it/page/standard/site.php?p=cm&o=vh&id=146 - Roma Capitale on the official website of the Italian Ministry for Infrastructures and Transportation
6. http://www.camera.it/_dati/leg14/lavori/stampati/sk4000/articola/3885.htm - Proposal of Constitutional Law on the official website of the Camera dei Deputati
7. http://www.comune.roma.it/was/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_21L?menuPage=/Area_di_navigazione/Sezioni_del_portale/Municipi/ - List of Municipi and definition of their territories on the official website of the Comune di Roma
8. populationhttp://demo.istat.it/strasa2006/index.html
9. Italian in Florence - Links - Information on Rome
10. Italian in Florence - Links - Information on Rome
11. Italian in Florence - Links - Information on Rome
12. One of them ( Prati) actually lies out of the walled area
13. http://www.difesa.it/SMD/COI/La+sede.htm - Entry about the Centocelle Airport in the official website of the Italian Ministero della Difesa
14. http://eurostar-av.trenitalia.com/it/progetto/stazioni_rinnovate/roma_tiburtina.html - Entry on Roma Tiburtina station on the official website of the Italian high-speed rail service (in Italian)
15. www.v1.paris.fr/EN/city_government/international/special_partners.asp
16. http://www.liberazione.it/giornale/051129/LB12D6D0.asp - Short newspaper article on the Rome / Achacachi twinning
References
:''Further references and bibliography can be found in the more detailed articles linked to in this article.''
★
La Grande Guida di Roma, , Mario, Lucentini, Newton & Compton Editori, 2002, ISBN 88-8289-053-8
★
Roma Esoterica, , Salvatore, Spoto, Newton & Compton Editori, 1999, ISBN 88-8289-265-4
★
Roman Art. An American's View, , , Richard Brilliant, Di Renzo Editore, 2006, ISBN 888323085X
Documentaries
★ ''The Holy Cities: Rome'' produced by Danae Film Production, distributed by HDH Communications; 2006.
External links
Official websites
★
Official site of the City of Rome
★
APT (official Tourist Office) of the City of Rome
★
Rome Museums - Official site
★
Vatican Museums
★
Capitoline Museums
Travel guides, maps, and models
★
★
★
WikiSatellite view of Rome at WikiMapia
★
Google Maps satellite images of Rome
★
Clickable map of Rome in year 100
★
High Resolution Virtual Tour
★
City models of Ancient Rome
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