All About Rome

• Rome is the capital city of Italy, Lazio region, and Rome Capital metropolitan area.
• The city's legendary founding was on April 21, 753 BC by Romulus.
• Rome is nicknamed the "City of Seven Hills" and the "Eternal City."
• The city's government is a Strong Mayor-Council type, with Roberto Gualtieri (PD) as mayor.
• Rome's population is 2,860,009 within the comune and 4,342,212 in the metropolitan city (2019).
• Rome is the most populated comune in Italy and the third most populous city in the EU.
• The demonym for Rome is "Roman(s)" in English and "romano(i)" (masculine), "romana(e)" (feminine) in Italian.
• Rome's metro GDP was €153.507 billion in 2020.
• The city's official UNESCO name is "Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura".
• Rome is considered the cradle of Western civilization, Western Christian culture, and the center of the Catholic Church.
• Vatican City, the smallest country in the world and headquarters of the Catholic Church, is located within Rome's city boundaries.
• Rome's history spans 28 centuries, with evidence of human settlement for over three millennia.
• The city successively became the capital of the Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic, and Roman Empire.
• The name "Eternal City" was first used by the Roman poet Tibullus in the 1st century BC.
• After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Rome fell under Papal control and became the capital of the Papal States until 1870.
• During the Renaissance, popes aimed to make Rome the world's artistic and cultural center.
• 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 and the top tourist destination in Italy.
• Rome's historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• The city hosted the 1960 Summer Olympics and is the seat of several UN agencies.
• Rome hosts headquarters of Italian multinational companies like Eni, Enel, TIM, and Leonardo, and also banks such as BNL.
• The Cinecittà Studios in Rome have been the set of many Academy Award-winning movies.

Name and Symbol

• The name "Roma" is traditionally attributed to the city's founder and first king, Romulus.
• Alternative theories suggest the name may derive from Rumon (the Tiber's archaic name), the Etruscan word "ruma" (teat), or the Greek word "rhṓmē" (strength).
• Other names for Rome include "Urbs" (central city), SPQR (symbol of Rome's republican government), "Urbs Aeterna" (The Eternal City), "Caput Mundi" (The Capital of the world), Throne of St. Peter and Roma Capitale.

History

• Archaeological evidence indicates human occupation of the Rome area dating back approximately 14,000 years.
• Rome grew from pastoral settlements on the Palatine Hill, with villages aggregating around the largest one by the mid-eighth century BC.
• The traditional story of Rome's founding involves Romulus and Remus, twins suckled by a she-wolf, with Romulus killing Remus and founding the city in 753 BC.
• Virgil connected this legend to Aeneas, a Trojan refugee who founded the line of Romans.
• For 244 years, Rome was ruled by a monarchical system with Latin, Sabine, and Etruscan kings.
• In 509 BC, the Romans expelled the last king and established an oligarchic republic led by two consuls.
• Rome conquered the Italian peninsula through wars against various populations, including Etruscans, Latins, and Samnites.
• Through the Punic Wars and Macedonian Wars, Rome established hegemony over the Mediterranean and the Balkans, forming its first provinces.
• Power struggles between the optimates and populares led to civil unrest and the rise of generals like Sulla and Caesar.
• Caesar's assassination led to the Second Triumvirate and a final civil war between Octavian and Antony.
• In 27 BC, Octavian became Augustus, founding the principate and the Roman Empire.
• During Nero's reign, the Great Fire of Rome occurred, and persecution of Christians began.
• Rome's empire reached its peak under Emperor Trajan in the 2nd century AD, becoming known as "caput Mundi".
• 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.
• Instability, economic problems, and Germanic incursions marked the Crisis of the Third Century.
• Diocletian divided the empire in 286, introducing the Dominate, and undertook reforms but faced challenges controlling inflation.
• Constantine the Great reunified the empire in 324, granting religious freedom to Christians and establishing Constantinople as his new capital in 330.
• Christianity became the official religion of the empire in 380.
• The Western Roman Empire's seat of government moved to Ravenna in 408.
• Rome was sacked by the Visigoths in 410 and by the Vandals in 455, leading to population decline and the end of the Western Roman Empire in 476.
• Efforts were made to maintain the monumental center, but the city declined due to loss of resources and population decline.
• After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, Rome was under the control of Odoacer and the Ostrogothic Kingdom before returning to East Roman control after the Gothic War.
• The population declined dramatically, leading to inhabited buildings interspersed among ruins and vegetation.
• The Bishop of Rome, the Pope, gained importance due to the martyrdom of Peter and Paul and the belief they were successors of Peter.
• After the Lombard invasion, the popes pursued a policy of equilibrium between the Byzantines, the Franks, and the Lombards.
• The Lombard king Liutprand donated Sutri to the Church in 729, starting its temporal power.
• Pepin the Short's donation in 756 created the Papal States.
• Three powers vied for control of the city: the pope, the nobility, and the Frankish king.
• Charlemagne was crowned emperor in Rome in 800 by Pope Leo III, marking the beginning of the Carolingian Empire.
• Muslim Arabs raided the city in 846.
• Rome fell into feudal chaos after the decay of Carolingian power, with noble families fighting for control.
• The papacy reformed itself, reserving pope elections to cardinals and attempting clergy reform.
• Gregory VII clashed with Emperor Henry IV in the Investiture Controversy.
• The Normans sacked and burned Rome under Robert Guiscard.
• The city was autonomously ruled by a senatore or patrizio, evolving into the commune in the 12th century.
• Pope Lucius II and Pope Eugenius III fought against the Roman commune, which was supported by Arnaldo da Brescia.
• Under Pope Innocent III, the commune liquidated the senate and replaced it with a Senatore subject to the pope.
• The papacy played a significant secular role in Western Europe, acting as arbitrators between Christian monarchs.
• Charles of Anjou was appointed Senator in 1266 and founded the Sapienza, the university of Rome.
• The birth of the conclave occurred when the people unroofed the building imprisoning the cardinals until they nominated a new pope.
• Continuous fights between aristocratic families shattered the city: Annibaldi, Caetani, Colonna, Orsini, Conti
• Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed a crusade against the Colonna family and called for the first Jubilee of Christianity in 1300.
• The papacy relocated to Avignon (1309–1377), neglecting Rome until Cola di Rienzo came to power, dreaming of a rebirth of the Roman Empire.
• Rome became the seat of the papacy again under Gregory XI in 1377, unleashing the Western Schism (1377–1418).
• The Council of Constance settled the Western Schism in 1418, electing a Roman pope, Martin V, and ushering in the Renaissance.
• Popes from Nicholas V to Leo X devoted their energy to the greatness and beauty of Rome and the patronage of the arts.
• The center of the Italian Renaissance moved to Rome from Florence.
• Majestic works like the new Saint Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel were created, engaging the best artists of the time.
• The period was infamous for papal corruption, leading to the Reformation and Counter-Reformation.
• Rome was transformed into a center of art, poetry, music, literature, education, and culture under extravagant popes.
• Michelangelo's Pietà and the frescoes of the Borgia Apartments were created.
• During the War of the League of Cognac, the Landsknechts of Emperor Charles V sacked the city in 1527, ending the golden age of the Renaissance in Rome.
• Beginning with the Council of Trent in 1545, the Church began the Counter-Reformation.
• Rome became the center of a reformed Catholicism under popes from Pius IV to Sixtus V.
• The popes and cardinals of the 17th and early 18th centuries enriched the city with baroque buildings and families(Barberini, Pamphili, Chigi, Rospigliosi, Altieri, Odescalchi).
• During the Age of Enlightenment, the papacy supported archaeological studies and improved people's welfare.
• In 1773, Pope Clement XIV was forced to suppress the Jesuit order.
• The Popes' rule was interrupted by the short-lived Roman Republic (1798–1800).
• Rome was annexed to the French Empire under Napoleon (1808–1814).
• The Papal States were reconstituted in 1814 after the fall of Napoleon.
• A second Roman Republic was proclaimed in 1849.
• Rome became the focus of Italian reunification after 1861.
• In 1870, Italian troops captured Rome, and in 1871, the capital moved from Florence to Rome.
• The Fascist regime of Mussolini demolished parts of the city center and allied with Nazi Germany in 1938.
• Rome largely escaped the tragic destiny of other European cities during World War II, though the San Lorenzo district was bombed in 1943.
• Rome was liberated on June 4, 1944.
• Rome developed greatly after World War II as part of the "Italian economic miracle" and became a fashionable city.
• Population growth continued until the mid-1980s, followed by a slow decline as people moved to nearby suburbs.

Geography

• Rome is located in the Lazio region of central Italy, along the shores of the Tiber Valley.
• The original settlement developed on hills facing a ford beside the Tiber Island.
• The Rome of the Kings was built on seven hills: the 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 inland, Rome's territory extends to the Tyrrhenian Sea with the district of Ostia.
• The altitude of central Rome ranges from 13 m to 139 m above sea level.
• The Comune of Rome covers about 1,285 km2, including many green areas.
• Public parks and nature reserves cover a large area, making Rome one of the greenest European capitals, including villas and landscaped gardens

Climate

• Rome has a Mediterranean climate (Csa) with hot, dry summers and mild, humid winters.
• The average annual temperature is above 21 °C during the day and 9 °C at night.
• January averages 12.6 °C during the day and 2.1 °C at night.
• August averages 31.7 °C during the day and 17.3 °C at night.
• December, January, and February are the coldest months, with an average of 8 °C.
• Snowfall is rare but can occur, with major snowfalls being infrequent.
• The average relative humidity is 75%.
• The highest temperature ever recorded in Rome was 42.9 °C on 18 July 2023.

Demographics

• In 550 BC, Rome was the second-largest city in Italy, with about 35,000 residents.
• Estimates of Rome's population at the time of Emperor Augustus vary widely, with some suggesting around 450,000 citizens.
• Estimates of the city's population towards and after the end of the Roman empire also vary..
• The population declined in the Early Middle Ages, stagnating until the Renaissance.
• When Rome was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy in 1870, the population was about 225,000, increasing to 600,000 by World War I.
• In mid-2010, Rome had 2,754,440 residents, with approximately 4.2 million in the greater metropolitan area.
• As of 2011, approximately 9.5% of Rome's population consisted of non-Italians.
• Approximately 4.7% are those of various other European origins (chiefly Romanian, Polish, Ukrainian, and Albanian)
• Approximately 4.8% are those with non-European origins, chiefly Filipinos(26,933), Bangladeshis(12,154), and Chinese(10,283).

Language

• Through Romanization, many languages developed from Latin and were adopted worldwide.
• Modern English borrowed a large percentage of its vocabulary from Latin due to the Norman Conquest.
• The Roman or Latin alphabet is the most widely used writing system in the world.
• The Roman dialect has undergone influence from the Tuscan dialect, from which modern Italian derives.

Religion

• Rome is predominantly Christian, with the Vatican and the Pope as important religious centers.
• Before Christianity, the Religio Romana was the major religion, honoring gods like Jupiter and Mars.
• Rome also hosted mystery cults like Mithraism.
• After the arrival of Christianity, Rome became the home of the Roman Catholic Church.
• Rome's cathedral is the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, with about 900 churches in total.
• The ancient Catacombs of Rome lie beneath the city.
• Rome is also home to multiple Buddhist temples, a Taoist temple.
• Many highly important religious educational institutions are also in Rome.
• Since the end of the Roman Republic, Rome has been a center of an important Jewish community.
• Vatican City is part of the Mons Vaticanus and former Vatican Fields.
• Rome has been a major Christian pilgrimage site since the Middle Ages.
• Pilgrimages to Rome involve visits to Vatican City and other religious sites, such as Pilate's stairs.

Government

• Rome is a "comune speciale" named "Roma Capitale," the largest in Italy by land area and population.
• It is governed by a mayor and city council, with the seat of government in the Palazzo Senatorio on the Capitoline Hill.
• Since 1972, Rome has been divided into administrative areas called municipi, each governed by a president and council.
• The historic center is divided into 22 rioni, originating from the 14 regions of Augustan Rome.
• Rome is the principal town of the Metropolitan City of Rome and the capital of the Lazio region.
• Rome is the national capital of Italy and the seat of the Italian Government, including the official residences of the President and Prime Minister.

International Relations

• Rome has two sovereign entities within its city limits: the Holy See/Vatican City State and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
• Rome is the seat of the "Polo Romano", made up of three main international agencies of the UN: FAO, WFP, and IFAD.
• Rome has been involved in European political integration, hosting the signing of the Treaty of Rome in 1957.
• Rome is the seat of the European Olympic Committee and the NATO Defense College.
• Rome is the place where the Statute of the International Criminal Court and the European Convention on Human Rights were formulated.
• Rome is exclusively twinned with Paris, France.
• Other partner cities include Beijing, New York City, and Tokyo.

Economy

• Rome hosts principal national institutions, diplomatic representatives, and international organizations.
• Rome is a "Beta +" city according to the GaWC study of world cities and was ranked the 32nd highest in the Global Cities Index in 2014.
• Rome produces 6.7% of the national GDP, with one of the lowest unemployment rates among EU capital cities.
• Rome's economy grows at around 4.4% annually, with a GDP per capita higher than the EU average.
• Despite the absence of heavy industry, services, high-technology companies, research, construction, and tourism drive Rome's economy.
• Fiumicino airport is the largest in Italy, and Rome hosts headquarters of major Italian companies such as Enel, Eni, and Telecom Italia.
• Universities, national radio and television, and the movie industry are important parts of Rome's economy.
• Cinecittà studios have made Rome the hub of the Italian film industry since the 1930s.

Tourism

• Rome is a major tourist destination due to its archaeological treasures, artistic heritage, unique traditions, panoramic views, and magnificent parks.
• Significant resources include museums, aqueducts, fountains, churches, historical buildings, and Roman Forum ruins.
• Rome is the third-most visited city in the EU, receiving 7–10 million tourists a year.
• The Colosseum and the Vatican Museums are among the most visited places in the world.
• Rome is a major archaeological hub and center of archaeological research, hosting numerous ancient sites and institutes.
• Rome contains a collection of art, sculpture, fountains, mosaics, and paintings from various periods.
• It became a Renaissance and baroque artistic center, hosting artists like Michelangelo and Bernini.
• The city was one of the centers of the Grand Tour in the 18th and 19th centuries.
• Rome features contemporary and modern art and architecture, including the MAXXI Museum designed by Zaha Hadid.

Education

• Rome is a major international center for higher education, with academies, colleges, and universities.
• It has been a major intellectual and educational center since Ancient Rome and the Renaissance.
• Rome is considered the world's second most historically, educationally, culturally interesting, and beautiful city.
• La Sapienza, founded in 1303, ranks as one of the largest and best universities worldwide.
• Two new public universities, Tor Vergata and Roma Tre, were founded to decrease the overcrowding of La Sapienza.
• Rome hosts LUISS School of Government and LUISS Business School.
• Rome ISIA, founded in 1973, is Italy's oldest institution in the field of industrial design.
• Rome contains many pontifical universities and institutes.
• Rome is also the location of various foreign and American universities like The American University of Rome and St. John's University branch campus, John Felice Rome Center
• It also hosts seminaries like the Venerable English College and the Pontifical North American College.
• Rome's major libraries include the Biblioteca Angelica (Italy's first public library), the National Central Library, and the Vatican Library.
• There are also specialist libraries attached to various foreign cultural institutes in Rome.

Culture

• Rome features architecture, fountains and aqueducts, statues, obelisks and columns, bridges, and catacombs.
• Rome has had fountains, built-in all different styles, from Classical and Medieval, to Baroque and Neoclassical, for more than two thousand years.
• During the Roman Empire, in 98 AD, according to Sextus Julius Frontinus, Rome had nine aqueducts which fed 39 monumental fountains and 591 public basins.
• The fountains of Rome were expressions of the new style of Baroque art.
• Rome features the talking statues of Rome
• It hosts eight ancient Egyptian and five ancient Roman obelisks, together with a number of more modern obelisks
• Numerous famous bridges cross the Tiber, including the ancient Ponte dei Quattro Capi and Ponte Sant'Angelo.
• Rome has an extensive amount of ancient catacombs or underground burial places.
• Rome is an important center for music, with prestigious music conservatories and theaters like the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.
• Rome also played host to the Eurovision Song Contest in 1991 and the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2004.
• Between 1960 and 1970 Rome was considered to be as a "new Hollywood".
• Major fashion houses and jewellery chains, such as Valentino, Bulgari, Fendi, Laura Biagiotti, Brioni, and Renato Balestra, are headquartered or were founded in the city.
• Rome's cuisine has evolved through centuries and periods of social, cultural, and political changes.
• Rome became a major gastronomical centre during the ancient age.
• The most common or ancient Roman cuisine included the "fifth quarter".
• Rome hosts the Cinecittà Studios, the largest film and television production facility in continental Europe.
• Association football is the most popular sport in Rome
• Rome hosted the final games of the 1934 and 1990 FIFA World Cup.
• Rome hosted the 1960 Summer Olympics, with great success.
• Further, Rome hosted the EuroBasket 1991 and is home to the internationally recognised basketball team Virtus Roma. Rugby union is gaining wider acceptance.
• Every May, Rome hosts the Italian Open, an ATP Masters 1000 tennis tournament, on the clay courts of the Foro Italico.

Transport

• Rome is at the center of a radial network of roads following the lines of ancient Roman roads.
• The city is circled by the Grande Raccordo Anulare (GRA) ring-road.
• Rome's main railway station, Termini, is one of the largest and most heavily used in Europe.
• The Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Fiumicino is Italy's chief airport.
• The city is also served by Rome Ciampino Airport and Rome Urbe Airport.
• The main harbor that serves Rome is the Port of Civitavecchia.
• Three-line metro system called the Metropolitana operates in Rome.
• Above-ground public transport consists of a bus, tram, and urban train network.
• There are restrictions being placed on vehicle access to the inner city-center during daylight hours (Zona a Traffico Limitato (ZTL)).