Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy’s largest and most populous city, with 2,705,317 residents, an urban area of 3,457,690 as well as a metropolitan area of about 4 million inhabitants spread over a 5,352 km² area. It is located in the central-western portion of the Italian peninsula, on the Tiber river.

Rome’s history as a city spans over two and a half thousand years, as one of the founding cities of Western Civilisation. Even outside of the history of the Roman Empire, Rome has a significant place in the story of Christianity up to the present day as the home of the Roman Catholic Church.

 

As one of the few major European cities that escaped World War II relatively unscathed, central Rome remains essentially Renaissance and Baroque in character. Rome is the third-most-visited tourist destination in the European Union, and its historic centre is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Rome/Modern Center — Where the hotels are, as well as shopping and dining galore along the Via Veneto; home to the Quirinale, Trevi, Castro Pretorio, and Repubblica neighborhoods

Rome/Old Rome — the center of the Roman medieval and Renaissance periods, with beautiful plazas, cathedrals, the Pantheon, and plenty of laid back dining; includes the Navona, Campo de’ Fiori, and the Jewish Ghetto neighborhoods

The Vatican — Vatican City and the surrounding area

Colosseo — the heart of ancient Rome, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Forum of Augustus, the Forum and Markets of Trajan, the Capitoline and its museums

Campo Marzio-Parioli-Salario — situated in the north part of Rome, home to the Villa Borghese, the Spanish Steps, and the elegant neighborhoods of Parioli and Salario

Trastevere — the land to the south of the Vatican, across the Tiber River, full of lonely plazas that served as the inspiration for artists such as Giorgio de Chirico, now arguably the center of Rome’s artistic life

Aventino-Testaccio — off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods of Rome with plenty of surprises waiting for interested travelers, as well as some truly great food

Esquilino-San Giovanni — south of Termini, with an indoor market, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, and the Cathedral of Rome Saint John in Lateran

Nomentano — Municipio III, the neighborhoods “behind” the train station