All about Rome!

• Rome is the capital city of Italy, located in the Lazio region.
• It is the center of the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital and a special municipality called Comune di Roma Capitale.
• As of 2019, Rome has a population of 2,860,009 within its city limits, making it Italy's most populated "comune" and the third most populous city in the European Union.
• The Metropolitan City of Rome has 4,355,725 residents, making it the most populous metropolitan city in Italy.
• Rome is situated in the central-western part of the Italian Peninsula, along the Tiber River.
• Vatican City, the smallest country in the world and the headquarters of the Catholic Church, is an independent country located within Rome's city boundaries.
• Rome is known as the "City of Seven Hills" and the "Eternal City".
• It is considered the cradle of Western civilization, Western Christian culture, and the center of the Catholic Church.
• Rome's history spans 28 centuries, with evidence of habitation dating back much longer than its legendary founding in 753 BC.
• The city's early population consisted of Latins, Etruscans, and Sabines.
• Rome successively became the capital of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire.
• The Roman poet Tibullus first called Rome "The Eternal City" in the 1st century BC.
• Rome is also called "Caput Mundi" (Capital of the World).
• After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Rome gradually came under the political control of the Papacy.
• In the 8th century, it became the capital of the Papal States, which lasted until 1870.
• During the Renaissance, popes aimed to make Rome the artistic and cultural center of the world.
• Rome became a major center of the Renaissance and the birthplace of the Baroque and Neoclassical styles.
• In 1871, Rome became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, which later became the Italian Republic in 1946.
• In 2019, Rome was the 14th most visited city in the world, with 8.6 million tourists.
• Rome's historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Rome hosted the 1960 Summer Olympics.
• Several United Nations agencies are headquartered in Rome, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
• The city also hosts the European Union (EU) Delegation to the United Nations (UN) and the Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).
• Several Italian multinational companies, such as Eni, Enel, TIM, and Leonardo, are headquartered in Rome.
• The luxury fashion house Fendi is based in Rome's EUR business district.
• The Cinecittà Studios in Rome have been the filming location for many Academy Award-winning movies.

Name and Etymology

• According to Roman mythology, the name "Roma" comes from the city's founder, Romulus.
• Alternative theories suggest that the name "Romulus" was derived from Rome itself.
• The origin of the name "Roma" remains uncertain, with several linguistic hypotheses.
• One theory suggests the name comes from "Rumon" or "Rumen", an archaic name for the Tiber River.
• Another theory proposes the name is derived from the Etruscan word "ruma", meaning "teat".
• A third theory suggests the name comes from the Greek word "rhṓmē", meaning "strength".

Other Names and Symbols

• Rome has been called "Urbs" (central city) or identified by its ancient Roman initialism, SPQR.
• Rome has also been called "Urbs Aeterna" (The Eternal City), "Caput Mundi" (The Capital of the world), Throne of St. Peter, and Roma Capitale.

Earliest History

• Archaeological evidence suggests human occupation of the Rome area dating back approximately 14,000 years.
• Stone tools, pottery, and stone weapons indicate about 10,000 years of human presence.
• Excavations suggest that Rome grew from pastoral settlements on the Palatine Hill.
• Villages topped each hill between the sea and the Capitoline Hill during the Bronze and Iron Ages.
• The city developed gradually through the aggregation of several villages around the Palatine Hill.
• Increased agricultural productivity and trade with Greek colonies facilitated this aggregation.
• Archaeological evidence places the "birth" of the city in the mid-eighth century BC.

Legend of the Founding of Rome

• According to Roman legend, Romulus and Remus, twins who were raised by a she-wolf, founded Rome.
• Romulus killed Remus after an argument, and the city was named after Romulus.
• Roman annalists place the founding of Rome on 21 April 753 BC.
• Virgil connected this legend to the story of Aeneas, a Trojan refugee who founded the line of Romans.
• Strabo mentions an older story that Rome was an Arcadian colony founded by Evander.
• Lucius Coelius Antipater believed Rome was founded by Greeks.

Monarchy and Republic

• After its legendary founding, Rome was ruled by a monarchical system for 244 years.
• The tradition names seven kings: Romulus, Numa Pompilius, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Marcius, Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius, and Lucius Tarquinius Superbus.
• In 509 BC, the Romans expelled the last king and established an oligarchic republic led by two annually-elected consuls.
• Rome then experienced internal struggles between patricians and plebeians, and constant warfare against neighboring populations.
• After gaining control of Latium, Rome conquered the Italian peninsula through wars against the Gauls, Samnites, and Greek colonies.
• Through the Punic Wars (264–146 BC) against Carthage and the Macedonian Wars (212–168 BC) against Macedonia, Rome established hegemony over the Mediterranean and the Balkans.
• The first Roman provinces were established during this time: Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica, Hispania, Macedonia, Achaea, and Africa.

Power Struggles and Civil Wars

• From the beginning of the 2nd century BC, power was contested between the optimates (conservative aristocrats) and the populares (those who relied on the plebs for power).
• The bankruptcy of small farmers and the establishment of large slave estates caused large-scale migration to the city.
• Continuous warfare led to a professional army that was more loyal to its generals than to the republic.
• The populares Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus attempted social reforms but failed and a civil war occurred where Sulla emerged victorious.
• A major slave revolt occurred under Spartacus after this.
• The first Triumvirate was established with Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus.
• Caesar's conquest of Gaul made him powerful, leading to a civil war against the Senate and Pompey.
• Caesar established himself as dictator for life after his victory, but his assassination in 44 BC led to the second Triumvirate.
• The second Triumvirate consisted of Octavian, Mark Antony, and Lepidus and this was followed by a final civil war between Octavian and Antony.

Empire

• In 27 BC, Octavian was named Augustus and princeps, founding the principate, a diarchy between the princeps and the senate.
• The monarch came to be known as the imperator (emperor), meaning "commander".
• During Nero's reign, two-thirds of the city was ruined by the Great Fire of Rome, and the persecution of Christians began.
• Rome's empire reached its peak in the second century under Emperor Trajan.
• Rome was known as "caput Mundi" (capital of the known world).
• The Julio-Claudian, Flavian, and Antonine dynasties ruled the empire during its first two centuries.
• The Christian religion spread during this time, preached by Jesus Christ in Judea and popularized by his apostles.
• The Antonine age is considered the zenith of the Empire, whose territory ranged from the Atlantic Ocean to the Euphrates and from Britain to Egypt.

Crisis and Division

• After the end of the Severan dynasty in AD 235, the Empire entered a 50-year period known as the Crisis of the Third Century.
• Numerous generals fought for power, and central authority weakened dramatically.
• The Plague of Cyprian (c. 250–270) afflicted the Mediterranean, causing economic deterioration and inflation.
• Germanic tribes made incursions along the Rhine and north of the Balkans, and the Persian Empire invaded from the east.
• Civil wars ended in 285 with Diocletian's victory, who restored the State and introduced the Dominate.
• The State intervened heavily at the city level, imposing price controls that did not last.
• Diocletian divided the empire in 286, ruling the eastern half from Nicomedia, while Maximian ruled the western half from Mediolanum.
• The empire was further divided in 293, with two "caesars" appointed for each "augustus" (emperor).
• Diocletian attempted to create a system of non-dynastic succession.
• Constantine the Great reunified the empire in 324 after a series of civil wars.
• Constantine reformed the bureaucracy and granted freedom of worship to all, including Christians, through the Edict of Milan in 313.
• He funded the building of churches and allowed clergy to act as arbitrators in civil suits.
• In 330, he transformed Byzantium into Constantinople, which became his new capital.
• Constantine regionalized the administration, separating civilian administration and military command.

Decline and Fall of the Western Roman Empire

• Christianity became the official religion of the empire in 380 via the Edict of Thessalonica.
• Theodosius I was the last emperor of a unified empire; after his death in 395, the empire was divided between his sons, Honorius and Arcadius.
• The seat of government in the Western Roman Empire was transferred to Ravenna in 408.
• Rome was sacked in 410 by the Visigoths led by Alaric I, but physical damage was limited.
• Popes embellished the city with large basilicas, such as Santa Maria Maggiore.
• The population of the city fell from 800,000 to 450-500,000.
• Rome was sacked again in 455 by Genseric, king of the Vandals.
• Romulus Augustus was deposed on 4 September 476, marking the end of the Western Roman Empire and the beginning of the Middle Ages.
• The city's population declined due to the loss of grain shipments from North Africa and the senate class not donating to support the population.
• Efforts were made to maintain the monumental center, but the city appeared shabby due to abandoned areas.
• After the Gothic siege of 537, the population dropped to 30,000 but had risen to 90,000 by the papacy of Gregory the Great.
• Subsidized state grain distributions continued through the sixth century, preventing further population decline.
• The population was estimated at 450,000-500,000 based on pork distribution to poorer Romans.
• Grain distribution to 80,000 ticket holders at the same time suggests 400,000 (Augustus set the number at 200,000 or one-fifth of the population).

Middle Ages

• After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476, Rome was controlled by Odoacer and then the Ostrogothic Kingdom.
• It later returned to East Roman control after the Gothic War, which devastated the city in 546 and 550.
• Its population declined from over a million in AD 210 to 500,000 in AD 273, then to 35,000 after the Gothic War (535–554).
• The sprawling city was reduced to small inhabited buildings surrounded by vegetation, ruins and gardens.
• Until AD 300, the population was 1 million (estimates range from 2 million to 750,000), declining to 750–800,000 in AD 400, 450–500,000 in AD 450, and 80–100,000 in AD 500.
• The Bishop of Rome, called the Pope, was important since the early days of Christianity because of the martyrdom of both the apostles Peter and Paul.
• The Bishops of Rome were also seen as the successors of Peter, further increasing the city's importance as the center of the Catholic Church.
• After the Lombard invasion of Italy (569–572), the popes established a policy of equilibrium between the Byzantines, the Franks, and the Lombards.
• In 729, the Lombard king Liutprand donated the town of Sutri to the Church, starting its temporal power.
• In 756, Pepin the Short gave the Pope jurisdiction over the Roman Duchy and the Exarchate of Ravenna, creating the Papal States.
• Three powers tried to rule the city: the pope, the nobility, and the Frankish king, with the struggle between them a characteristic of Roman life during the Middle Ages.
• On Christmas night of 800, Charlemagne was crowned Emperor in Rome by Pope Leo III, marking the beginning of the Carolingian Empire (the first phase of the Holy Roman Empire).
• In 846, Muslim Arabs stormed and looted St. Peter's and St. Paul's basilica outside the city wall.
• After the decay of Carolingian power, Rome fell prey to feudal chaos, with noble families fighting against the pope, the emperor, and each other.
• The scandals of this period forced the papacy to reform itself, reserving the election of the pope to the cardinals and attempting to reform the clergy.
• The driving force behind this renewal was the monk Ildebrando da Soana, who became Pope Gregory VII and was involved in the Investiture Controversy against Emperor Henry IV.
• Rome was sacked and burned by the Normans under Robert Guiscard, who had entered the city in support of the Pope.
• During this period, the city was autonomously ruled by a senatore or patrizio, with this administration evolving into the commune in the 12th century controlled by the new wealthy classes.
• Pope Lucius II and his successor Pope Eugenius III fought against the Roman commune. By then, the commune was allied with the aristocracy, and supported by Arnaldo da Brescia, a religious and social reformer.
• Under Pope Innocent III, the commune liquidated the senate and replaced it with a Senatore, who was subject to the pope.

Role of the Papacy

• The papacy played a role of secular importance in Western Europe, often acting as an arbitrator between Christian monarchs and exercising additional political powers.
• In 1266, Charles of Anjou was appointed Senator.
• Charles founded the Sapienza, the university of Rome.
• The city was shattered by fights between the aristocratic families, nested in their fortresses built above ancient Roman edifices.
• Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed a crusade against the Colonna family and called for the first Jubilee of Christianity in 1300, which brought millions of pilgrims to Rome.
• However, he was taken prisoner by the French king Philip the Fair, and a new pope faithful to the French was elected, relocating the papacy to Avignon (1309–1377).
• Cola di Rienzo dreamed about a rebirth of the Roman Empire. After assuming power with the title of Tribuno, his reforms were rejected by the populace.
• In 1377, Rome became the seat of the papacy again under Gregory XI, unleashing the Western Schism (1377–1418), and for the next forty years, the city was affected by the divisions which rocked the Church.

Early Modern History

• In 1418, the Council of Constance settled the Western Schism, and a Roman pope, Martin V, was elected, bringing a century of internal peace, which marked the beginning of the Renaissance.
• The ruling popes until the first half of the 16th century, from Nicholas V to Leo X, all devoted their energy to the greatness and the beauty of the Eternal City and to the patronage of the arts.
• During those years, the center of the Italian Renaissance moved to Rome from Florence because the Popes engaged the best artists of the time, including Michelangelo, Perugino, and Raphael.
• This period was also infamous for papal corruption, with many Popes fathering children, and engaging in nepotism and simony which led to the Reformation and, in turn, the Counter-Reformation.
• Under extravagant and rich popes, Rome was transformed into a centre of art, poetry, music, literature, education and culture.
• Rome became able to compete with other major European cities of the time in terms of wealth, grandeur, the arts, learning and architecture.
• The Renaissance period changed the face of Rome dramatically, with works like the Pietà by Michelangelo and the frescoes of the Borgia Apartments.
• Rome reached the highest point of splendor under Pope Julius II (1503–1513) and his successors Leo X and Clement VII, both members of the Medici family.
• In this twenty-year period, Rome became one of the greatest centres of art in the world and old St. Peter's Basilica was demolished and a new one was begun.
• The War of the League of Cognac caused the first plunder of the city in more than five hundred years; in 1527, the Landsknechts of Emperor Charles V sacked the city, bringing an abrupt end to the golden age of the Renaissance in Rome.
• Beginning with the Council of Trent in 1545, the Church began the Counter-Reformation in response to the Reformation, a large-scale questioning of the Church's authority on spiritual matters and governmental affairs.
• Under the popes from Pius IV to Sixtus V, Rome became the centre of a reformed Catholicism and saw the building of new monuments which celebrated the papacy.
• The seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries continued the movement by having the city's landscape enriched with baroque buildings through more nepotism.
• During the Age of Enlightenment, new ideas reached the Eternal City, where the papacy supported archaeological studies and improved the people's welfare.
• During the Counter-Reformation, Pope Clement XIV was forced by secular powers to have the Jesuit order suppressed in 1773.

Late Modern and Contemporary

• The rule of the Popes was interrupted by the short-lived Roman Republic (1798–1800), which was established under the influence of the French Revolution.
• The Papal States were restored in June 1800, but during Napoleon's reign, Rome was annexed as a Département of the French Empire: first as Département du Tibre (1808–1810) and then as Département Rome (1810–1814).
• After the fall of Napoleon, the Papal States were reconstituted by a decision of the Congress of Vienna of 1814.
• In 1849, a second Roman Republic was proclaimed during a year of revolutions in 1848.
• Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi, fought for the short-lived republic.
• Rome became the focus of hopes of Italian reunification after the rest of Italy was united as the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 with the temporary capital in Florence.
• That year Rome was declared the capital of Italy even though it was still under the Pope's control.
• French troops protected the last vestiges of the Papal States, but In 1870 the French troops were withdrawn due to the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War and Italian troops were able to capture Rome.
• In 1871 the capital of Italy was moved from Florence to Rome, with the population of the city being 212,000 in 1870.
• Soon after World War I in late 1922 Rome witnessed the rise of Italian Fascism led by Benito Mussolini.
• Mussolini demolished fairly large parts of the city centre in order to build wide avenues and squares which were supposed to celebrate the fascist regime and the resurgence and glorification of classical Rome.
• The interwar period saw a rapid growth in the city's population which surpassed one million inhabitants soon after 1930.
• During World War II, Rome largely escaped the tragic destiny of a lot of other European cities due to the art treasuries and the presence of the Vatican.
• On 19 July 1943, the San Lorenzo district was subject to Allied bombing raids, resulting in about 3,000 fatalities and 11,000 injuries, of whom another 1,500 died.
• Mussolini was arrested on 25 July 1943 and Rome was occupied by the Germans after the the Italian Armistice 8 September 1943
• Rome was liberated on 4 June 1944.
• Rome developed greatly after the war as part of the "Italian economic miracle" of post-war reconstruction and modernisation in the 1950s and early 1960s.
• During this period, the years of la dolce vita ("the sweet life"), Rome became a fashionable city, with popular classic films filmed in the city's iconic Cinecittà Studios.
• The rising trend in population growth continued until the mid-1980s when the comune had more than 2.8 million residents.

Geography

• Rome is located in the Lazio region of central Italy, along the Tiber River.
• The original settlement was built on hills facing a ford beside the Tiber Island.
• The Rome of the Kings was built on seven hills: Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Esquiline, Palatine, Quirinal, and Viminal.
• Modern Rome is also crossed by the Aniene River, which flows into the Tiber north of the historic center.
• Although the city center is inland, the city territory extends to the Tyrrhenian Sea, where the district of Ostia is located.
• The altitude of central Rome ranges from 13 m (43 ft) to 139 m (456 ft) above sea level.
• Rome covers an area of about 1,285 km2 (496 sq mi), including many green areas.

Parks and Gardens

• Public parks and nature reserves cover a large area in Rome.
• The city boasts one of the largest areas of green space among European capitals.
• Notable elements include the villas and landscaped gardens left by the Italian aristocracy.
• The most notable are Villa Borghese, Villa Ada, and Villa Doria Pamphili.
• Villa Sciarra has playgrounds and shaded walking areas.
• The Orto Botanico (Botanical Garden) is a cool and shady green space.
• The Circus Maximus is another large green space.
• Nearby is the lush Villa Celimontana close to the gardens surrounding the Baths of Caracalla.
• The Villa Borghese garden is the best known large green space.
• Overlooking Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps are the gardens of Pincio and Villa Medici.
• There is also a notable pine wood at Castelfusano, near Ostia.
• Rome also has regional parks of more recent origin, including the Pineto Regional Park and the Appian Way Regional Park.
• There are also nature reserves at Marcigliana and at Tenuta di Castelporziano.

Climate

• Rome has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa), with hot, dry summers and mild, humid winters.
• Its average annual temperature is above 21 °C (70 °F) during the day and 9 °C (48 °F) at night.
• In January, the average temperature is 12.6 °C (54.7 °F) during the day and 2.1 °C (35.8 °F) at night.
• In August, the average temperature is 31.7 °C (89.1 °F) during the day and 17.3 °C (63.1 °F) at night.
• December, January, and February are the coldest months, with an average temperature of approximately 8 °C (46 °F).
• Temperatures during these months generally vary between 10 and 15 °C (50 and 59 °F) during the day and between 3 and 5 °C (37 and 41 °F) at night.
• Snowfall is rare but does occur.
• The highest temperature ever recorded in Rome was 42.9 °C (109.2 °F) on 18 July 2023.

Demographics

• By 550 BC, Rome was the second largest city in Italy after Taras (modern Taranto).
• It had an area of about 285 ha (700 acres) and an estimated population of 35,000.
• Other sources suggest the population was just under 100,000 from 600 to 500 BC.
• When the Republic was founded in 509 BC the census recorded a population of 130,000.
• Other sources suggest a population of 150,000 in 500 BC.
• It surpassed 300,000 by 150 BC.
• Glenn Storey estimates 450,000 people, Whitney Oates estimates 1.2 million, Neville Morely provides a rough estimate of 800,000 and excludes earlier suggestions of 2 million at the time of Emperor Augustus.
• A.H.M. Jones estimated the population at 650,000 in the mid-fifth century.
• According to Krautheimer it was still close to 800,000 in 400 AD; had declined to 500,000 by 452, and dwindled to perhaps 100,000 in 500 AD.
• After the Gothic Wars, 535–552, the population may have dwindled temporarily to 30,000, and during the pontificate of Pope Gregory I (590–604), it may have reached 90,000, augmented by refugees.
• Novel 36 of Emperor Valentinian III records 3.629 million pounds of pork to be distributed to the needy at 5 lbs. per month for the five winter months, sufficient for 145,000 recipients, which has then been used to suggest a population of just under 500,000.
• The city's population declined to less than 50,000 people in the Early Middle Ages from 700 AD onward.
• When the Kingdom of Italy annexed Rome in 1870, the city had a population of about 225,000.
• By World War I this had increased to 600,000 and by the early 1930s 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.
• In mid-2010, there were 2,754,440 residents in the city proper, while some 4.2 million people lived in the greater Rome area.
• Minors (children ages 18 and younger) totalled 17.00% of the population compared to pensioners who number 20.76%.
• The average age of a Roman resident is 43.
• In the five years between 2002 and 2007, the population of Rome grew by 6.54%, while Italy as a whole grew by 3.56%.
• The Rome metropolitan area has a population of between 3.2 and 4.2 million.

Origin Groups

• Approximately 9.5% of the population consists of non-Italians (2011 data)
• 4.7% are of European origins (chiefly Romanian, Polish, Ukrainian, and Albanian).
• The remaining 4.8% are people with non-European origins, chiefly Filipinos, Bangladeshis, and Chinese.
• The Esquilino rione has evolved into an immigrant neighborhood, perceived as Rome's Chinatown.

Language

• Through the process of Romanization, the peoples of Italy, Gallia, the Iberian Peninsula and Dacia developed languages which derive directly from Latin.
• Also modern English, because of the Norman Conquest, borrowed a large percentage of its vocabulary from the Latin language.
• The Roman or Latin alphabet is the most widely used writing system in the world used by the greatest number of languages.
• Starting with the 16th century, the Roman dialect underwent a stronger and stronger influence from the Tuscan dialect (from which modern Italian derives).
• Current Romanesco has grammar and roots that are rather different from other dialects in Central Italy.

Religion

• Rome is predominantly Christian, and has been a center of religion and pilgrimage for centuries.
• Before Christianity, the Religio Romana was the major religion of the city in classical antiquity.
• The first gods held sacred by the Romans were Jupiter and Mars, and Other deities such as Vesta and Minerva were honoured.
• Rome was also the base of several mystery cults, such as Mithraism.
• After being martyred in the city, St Peter and St Paul, including the first Christians, arrived, and Rome became Christian.
• The Old St. Peter's Basilica was constructed in 313 AD.
• Rome has for centuries been the home of the Roman Catholic Church and the Bishop of Rome, otherwise known as the Pope.
• The Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran is Rome's cathedral and the second most important church to Catholics.
• There are around 900 churches in Rome in total, along with ancient catacombs.
• Numerous important religious educational institutions are also in Rome, such as the Pontifical Lateran University.
• Since the end of the Roman Republic, Rome has been the center of a Jewish community, and also houses the major synagogue in Rome, the Tempio Maggiore.
• The territory of Vatican City is part of the Mons Vaticanus (Vatican Hill), where St. Peter's Basilica, the Apostolic Palace, the Sistine Chapel, and museums were built.
• Rome has been a major Christian pilgrimage site since the Middle Ages and Catholics believe that the Vatican is the last resting place of St. Peter.
• In addition, Rome hosts multiple Buddhist temples, a Taoist temple, and a variety of Roman modern pagan temples.
• Every year, according to legend, Romulus founded the city of Rome on 21 April, 753 BC. From this date, the Roman chronology derived its system, known by the Latin phrase Ab Urbe condita.

Government

• Rome constitutes a "comune speciale", named "Roma Capitale", and is the largest in terms of land area and population among the comuni of Italy.
• It is governed by a mayor and a city council, with the seat of the comune being the Palazzo Senatorio on the Capitoline Hill, the historic seat of the city government.
• Since 1972, the city has been divided into administrative areas, called municipi, each governed by a president and a council of twenty-five members who are elected by its residents every five years.
• The municipi frequently cross the boundaries of the traditional, non-administrative divisions of the city.
• Rome is also divided into differing types of non-administrative units. The historic centre is divided into 22 rioni, all of which are located within the Aurelian Walls except Prati and Borgo.
• Rome is the principal town of the Metropolitan City of Rome, operative since 1 January 2015.
• The Metropolitan City replaced the old provincia di Roma, which included the city's metropolitan area and extends further north until Civitavecchia.
• Rome is the national capital of Italy and is the seat of the Italian Government.
• International Relations.
• Rome is unique in having two sovereign entities located entirely within its city limits, the Holy See, represented by the Vatican City State, and the territorially smaller Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Role of the Vatican

• The Vatican is an enclave of the Italian capital city and a sovereign possession of the Holy See, which is the Diocese of Rome and the supreme government of the Roman Catholic Church.
• For this reason, Rome has sometimes been described as the capital of two states.
• Rome is the seat of the so-called "Polo Romano" made up by three main international agencies of the United Nations: the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
• The Treaties of the EU are located in Palazzo della Farnesina and In 1957 the city hosted the signing of the Treaty of Rome, which established the European Economic Community (predecessor to the European Union).
• In July 2004 Rome also played host to the official signing of the proposed European Constitution.
• Rome is the seat of the European Olympic Committee and of the NATO Defense College.

Twin Towns and Sister Cities

• Rome has a sole, exclusive and reciprocal twinning with Paris, France
• In addition, Rome also has partner cities

Economy

• As the capital of Italy, Rome hosts all the principal institutions of the nation.
• Many international institutions are located in Rome, notably cultural and scientific ones, and UN agencies.
• According to the GaWC study of world cities, Rome is a "Beta +" city.
• The city produces 6.7% of the national GDP, more than any other single city in Italy.
• The unemployment rate is now one of the lowest rates of all the European Union capital cities (6.5% as of 2005).
• Rome had a 2003 GDP per capita of €29,153 (US$37,412), which was second in Italy (after Milan), and is more than 134.1% of the EU average GDP per capita.
• Rome, on the whole, has the highest total earnings in Italy, reaching €47,076,890,463 in 2008.
• The Rome area had a GDP amounting to $167.8 billion, and $38,765 per capita.
• The economy of Rome is largely dominated by services, high-technology companies (IT, aerospace, defence, telecommunications), research, construction and commercial activities (especially banking), and the huge development of tourism.
• Universities, national radio and television, and the movie industry in Rome are also important parts of the economy.
• Universities, national radio and television and the movie industry in Rome are also important parts of the economy: Rome is also the hub of the Italian film industry, thanks to the Cinecittà studios, working since the 1930s.
• The city is also a center for banking and insurance, as well as electronics, energy, transport, and aerospace industries.

Tourism

• Rome today is one of the most important tourist destinations of the world.
• Resources include museums, aqueducts, fountains, churches, palaces, historical buildings, the monuments and ruins of the Roman Forum, and the Catacombs.
• Rome is the third most visited city in the EU and receives an average of 7–10 million tourists a year, which sometimes doubles on holy years.
• The Colosseum (4 million tourists) and the Vatican Museums (4.2 million tourists) are the 39th and 37th (respectively) most visited places in the world, according to a recent study.
• Rome is a major archaeological hub, and one of the world's main centers of archaeological research.

Art

• Rome contains numerous ancient sites, including the Forum Romanum, Trajan's Market, and Trajan's Forum.
• Rome contains a vast collection of art, sculpture, fountains, mosaics, frescos, and paintings from all different periods.
• The National Gallery of Modern Art has works by Balla, Pirandello, Carrà, and Kandisky on permanent exhibition.
• In 2010 saw the opening of Rome's newest arts foundation, a contemporary art and architecture gallery designed by Zaha Hadid.
• Maxxi features a campus dedicated to culture, experimental research laboratories, international exchange and study and research.

Education

• Rome is a nationwide and major international centre for higher education, containing numerous academies, colleges and universities.
• According to the City Brands Index, Rome is considered the world's second most historically,