Rome

Rome
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): The Eternal City
Motto: Senātus Populusque Rōmānus (SPQR)  (Latin)
Location of Rome
Coordinates:
Region	Lazio
Province	Rome (RM)
Founded	21 April, 753 BC
Government
- Mayor	Giovanni Alemanno
Area
- City	1,285 km² (496.1 sq mi)
- Urban	5,352 km² (2,066 sq mi)
Elevation	+20 m (66 ft)
Population (December 2006)[1]
- City	2,705,603 (1st)
- Density	2,105.5/km² (4,664.8/sq mi)
- Urban	4,013,057
- Metro	5,493,308
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal codes	00121 to 00199
Area code(s)	06
Patron saints	Saint Peter and Saint Paul
Website: comune.roma.it

Rome (pronounced /roʊm/; Italian: Roma, pronounced [ˈroma]; Latin: Roma) is the capital city of Italy and Lazio,^[2] and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,705,317 residents,^[3] an urban area of 3,457,690^[4] as well as a metropolitan area of 4,013,057 inhabitants spread over a 5,352 km² area.^[5] 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 Civilization. Even outside of the history of the Roman Empire, Rome has a significant place in the story of Christianity up to the present day, for it endures as the home of the papacy. The worldwide Roman Catholic Church is administered from the Vatican City, run by the Holy See as an independent enclave and the world's smallest sovereign state.

Today, Rome is a modern, cosmopolitan city, and the third most-visited tourist destination in the European Union.^[6] Due to its influence in politics, media, the arts and culture, Rome has been described as a global city.^[7]

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.^[8] The city, which is globally perceived as the second most exciting and attractive city in the world according to City Brands Index,^[9] attracts over 26 million tourists per year.^[10]

History

Main article: History of Rome

From founding to Empire

Capitoline Wolf suckles the infant twins Romulus and Remus

Rome's early history is shrouded in legend. According to Roman tradition, the city was founded by the twins Romulus and Remus on April 21, 753 BC.^[11] Archaeological evidence supports the view that Rome grew from pastoral settlements on the Palatine Hill built in the area of the future Roman Forum. While some archaeologists argue that Rome was indeed founded in the middle of the 8th century BC, the date is subject to controversy.^[12] The original settlement developed into the capital of the Roman Kingdom (ruled by a succession of seven kings, according to tradition), and then the Roman Republic (from 510 BC, governed by the Senate), and finally the Roman Empire (from 27 BC, ruled by an Emperor). This success depended on military conquest, commercial predominance, as well as selective assimilation of neighbouring civilisations, most notably the Etruscans and Greeks. From its foundation Rome, although losing occasional battles, had been undefeated in war until 386 BC, when it was briefly occupied by the Gauls.^[13] According to the legend, the Gauls offered to deliver Rome back to its people for a thousand pounds of gold, but the Romans refused, preferring to take back their city by force of arms rather than ever admitting defeat, after which the Romans recovered the city in the same year.

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 as it lost its capital status to Milan and then to Ravenna, and was surpassed in prestige by the Eastern capital Constantinople.

Fall of the Empire and Middle Ages

Fifteenth-century miniature depicting the Sack of Rome of 410.

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 in 410 AD by Alaric I and the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, Rome alternated between Byzantine control 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. In 846, Muslim Arabs invaded Rome and looted St. Peter's Basilica.^[14]

Rome remained the capital of the Papal States until its annexation by 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 in 800 by Pope Leo III. Apart from brief periods as an independent city during the Middle Ages, Rome kept its status as Papal capital and "holy city" for centuries, even when the Papacy briefly relocated to Avignon (1309–1377).

Renaissance Rome

The latter half of the 15th century saw the seat of the Italian Renaissance move to Rome from Florence. The Papacy wanted to equal and surpass the grandeur of other Italian cities and to this end created ever more extravagant churches, bridges and public spaces, including a new Saint Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, Ponte Sisto (the first bridge to be built across the Tiber since antiquity), and Piazza Navona. The Popes were also patrons of the arts engaging such artists as Michelangelo, Perugino, Raphael, Ghirlandaio, Luca Signorelli, Botticelli and Cosimo Rosselli.

The period was also infamous for papal corruption with many Popes fathering children, and engaging in nepotism and simony. The corruption of the Popes and the extravagance of their building projects led, in part, to the Reformation and, in turn, the Counter-reformation.

Towards the reunification of Italy

Garibaldi defends the Roman Republic in 1849.

Italy became caught up in the nationalistic turmoil of the 19th century and twice gained and lost a short-lived independence. Rome became the focus of hopes of Italian reunification when the rest of Italy was reunited under the Kingdom of Italy with a temporary capital at Florence. In 1861 Rome was declared the capital of Italy even though it was still under the control of the Pope. During the 1860s the last vestiges of the Papal states were under French protection. And it was only when this was lifted in 1870, owing to the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War, that Italian troops were able to capture Rome.

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 declaring a new Empire and allying Italy with Nazi Germany. This was a period of rapid growth in population, from 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 favour 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 modernisation. 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 commune had more than 2,800,000 residents; after that, population started to slowly decline as more residents moved to nearby suburbs.

Government

Flag of Rome

The Quirinal Palace, official residence of the President of the Italian Republic.

The 19 municipi of Rome

Local

Rome constitutes one of Italy's 8,101 communes, albeit the largest both by extent and population. It is governed by a Mayor, currently Giovanni Alemanno, and a city council. The seat of the commune is in on the Capitoline Hill the historic seat of government in Rome. The local administration in Rome is commonly referred to as "Campidoglio", the name of the hill in Roman dialect.

National

Rome is the national capital of Italy and is the seat of the Italian Government. The official residences of the President of the Italian Republic and the Italian Prime Minister, the seats of both houses of the Italian Parliament and that of the Italian Constitutional Court are located in the historic centre. While the state ministries are spread out around the city. These include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which is located in Palazzo della Farnesina near the Olympic stadium.

Administrative divisions

See also: Administrative subdivision of Rome

Rome is divided into 19 administrative areas, called municipi or municipalities. They were created for administrative reasons to increase decentralisation in the city. Each municipality is governed by a president and a council of four members who are elected by the residents of the municipality every five years. The municipalities frequently cross the boundaries of the traditional, non-administrative divisions of the city.

Rome is also divided into differing types of non-administrative divisions. The historic centre is divided into 22 rioni, all of which are located within the Aurelian walls except Prati and Borgo. After the designation of the newest and last rione, Prati, newer districts of the city were designated as quarters. There are 35 of these and they go all the way to the sea at Ostia, where they are called marine quarters. Rome also has six officially designated suburban zones and 52 agricultural zones. Many of the latter, however, have actually been subject to considerable development.

Geography

Location

Rome is in the Lazio region of central Italy on the Tiber river (Italian: Tevere). The original settlement developed on hills which faced onto a ford beside the Tiber island, the only natural ford on the river. The historic centre of Rome was build on seven hills: the Aventine Hill, the Caelian Hill, the Capitoline Hill, the Esquiline Hill, the Palatine Hill, the Quirinal Hill, and the Viminal Hill. The city is also crossed by another river the Aniene with joins the Tiber north of the historic centre.

Although the city centre is about 24 kilometres (14.9 mi) inland from the Tyrrhenian Sea, the city territory extends to the shore, where the south-western district of Ostia is located. The altitude of the central part of Rome ranges from 13 m (43 ft) above sea level (at the base of the Pantheon) to 139 m (456 ft) above sea level (the peak of Monte Mario).^[15] The Commune of Rome covers an overall area of about 1,285 km² (496 sq mi), including many green areas.

Topography

Rome seen from satellite

Historically, the urban limits of Rome were considered to be the area within the city walls. Originally, these consisted of the Servian Wall which was built twelve years after the Gaulish sack of the city in 390 BC. This contained most of the Esquiline and Caelian hills, as well as the whole of the other five. Rome outgrew the Servian Wall, but no more walls were constructed until almost 700 years later, when in 270 AD Emperor Aurelian began building the Aurelian Walls. These were almost 19 kilometres (12 mi) long, and were still the walls the troops of the Kingdom of Italy had to breach to enter the city in 1870. Modern Romans frequently consider the city's urban area to be delimited by its ring-road, the Grande Raccordo Anulare, which circles the city centre at a distance of about 10km.

The Commune of Rome, however, covers considerably more territory and extends to the sea at Ostia, the largest town in Italy that is not a commune in its own right. The Commune covers an area roughly three times the total area within the Raccordo and is comparable in area to the entire provinces of Milan and Naples, and to an area six times the size of the territory of these cities. It also includes considerable areas of abandoned marsh land which is neither suitable for agriculture nor for urban development.

Consequently the density of the Commune is not that high, the communal territory being divided between highly-urbanised areas and areas designated as parks, nature reserves, and for agricultural use. The Province of Rome is the largest by area in Italy. At 5.352 km², its dimensions are comparable to the region of Liguria, and more than three times the size of the greater metropolitan area of London.

Climate

Rome enjoys a typical Mediterranean climate which is characteristic of 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 (which can be roughly translated as the "beautiful October days") 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 closed during August, and Romans abandoned the city for holiday resorts. In more recent years, however, in response to growing tourism and changing work habits, the city is increasingly staying open for the whole summer. The average high temperature in December is about 13 °C (57 °F), but subzero lows are not uncommon.

Weather averages for Rome
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Average high °C (°F)	12 (54)	13 (55)	16 (61)	19 (66)	23 (73)	27 (81)	31 (88)	31 (88)	27 (81)	22 (72)	17 (63)	13 (55)
Average low °C (°F)	2 (36)	3 (37)	4 (39)	7 (45)	11 (52)	14 (57)	17 (63)	17 (63)	14 (57)	10 (50)	6 (43)	3 (37)
Precipitation mm (inches)	83 (3.27)	76 (2.99)	68 (2.68)	68 (2.68)	48 (1.89)	40 (1.57)	22 (0.87)	35 (1.38)	76 (2.99)	106 (4.17)	119 (4.69)	91 (3.58)
Source: Weather.com[16] 2008

Demography

At the time of the Emperor Augustus, Rome was the largest city in the world, and probably the largest 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 fell dramatically to less than 50,000 people, and continued to either stagnate or shrink until the Renaissance.

When the Kingdom of Italy annexed Rome in 1870, the city had a population of about 200,000, which rapidly increased to 600,000 by the eve of World War I. 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 the second world war, growth continued, helped by a post-war economic boom. A construction boom also created a large number of suburbs during the 1950s and 1960s.

Year Population 350 BC 30,000 250 BC 150,000 44 BC 1,000,000 120 1,650,000 330 600,000 410 200,000 530 50,000 650 20,000 1000 20,000 1400 20,000 1526 50,000–60,000 1528 20,000	Year Population 1600 100,000 1750 156,000 1800 163,000 1820 139,900 1850 175,000 1853 175,800 1858 182,600 1861 194,500 1871 212,432 1881 273,952 1901 422,411 1911 518,917	Year Population 1921 660,235 1931 930,926 1936 1,150,589 1951 1,651,754 1961 2,188,160 1971 2,781,993 1981 2,840,259 1991 2,775,250 2001 2,663,182 2007 2,718,768	Map depicting late ancient Rome

In 2007, there were 2,718,768 people resident in Rome (some 4 million live in the greater Rome area), located in the province of Rome, Lazio, of whom 47.2% were male and 52.8% were female. Minors (children ages 18 and younger) totalled 17.00 percent of the population compared to pensioners who number 20.76 percent. This compares with the Italian average of 18.06 percent (minors) and 19.94 percent (pensioners). The average age of a Roman resident is 43 compared to the Italian average of 42. In the five years between 2002 and 2007, the population of Rome grew by 6.54 percent, while Italy as a whole grew by 3.56 percent.^[17] The current birth rate of Rome is 9.10 births per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the Italian average of 9.45 births.

Ethnic groups

Saint Peter's Square.

As of 2006, 92.63% of the population was Italian. The largest other ethnic groups came from other European countries (mostly from Romania and Poland): 3.14%, East Asia (mostly Filipino): 1.28%, and the Americas (mostly from Peru): 1.09%. Tens of thousands of illegal migrants also live in Rome.

Religion

Rome is the centre of the Roman Catholic religion and, just as in the rest of Italy, the great majority of Romans are Roman Catholics. In recent years, the Islamic community in Rome 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 city promoted the building of the largest mosque in Europe, which was designed by architect Paolo Portoghesi and inaugurated on 21 June 1995.

Cityscape

Panorama of Rome from the dome of St. Peter's Basilica.

Ancient Rome

The Pantheon.

Main article: Roman architecture

One of the symbols of Rome is the Colosseum (70–80 AD), the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Roman Empire. Originally capable of seating 60,000 spectators, it was used for gladiatorial combat. The list of important monuments of ancient Rome includes the Roman Forum, the Domus Aurea, the Pantheon, Trajan's Column, Trajan's Market, the Catacombs, the Circus Maximus, the Baths of Caracalla, Castel Sant'Angelo, the Mausoleum of Augustus, the Ara Pacis, the Arch of Constantine, the Pyramid of Cestius, and the Bocca della Verità.

Medieval

See also: Medieval architecture

Often overlooked, Rome's medieval heritage is one of the largest in Italian cities. Basilicas dating from the Paleochristian age include Santa Maria Maggiore and San Paolo Fuori le Mura (the latter largely rebuilt in the 19th century), both housing precious 4th century AD mosaics. Later notable medieval mosaic and fresco art can be also found in the churches of Santa Maria in Trastevere, Santi Quattro Coronati and Santa Prassede. Lay buildings include a number of towers, the largest being the Torre delle Milizie and the Torre dei Conti, both next the Roman Forum, and the huge staircase leading to the basilica of Santa Maria in Ara Coeli.

Renaissance and Baroque

See also: Renaissance architecture and Baroque architecture

The Spanish Steps.

Rome was a major world centre 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 Italian Republic), the Palazzo Venezia, the Palazzo Farnese, the Palazzo Barberini, the Palazzo Chigi (now seat of the Italian 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 17th 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 Baroque art is the Fontana di Trevi by Nicola Salvi. Other notable 17th century baroque palaces are the Palazzo Madama, now the seat of the Italian Senate and the Palazzo Montecitorio, now the seat of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy.

Neoclassicism

The Vittorio Emanuele Monument.

See also: Neoclassical architecture

In 1870, Rome became the capital city of the new Kingdom of Italy. During this time, neoclassicism, a building style influenced by the architecture of antiquity, became a predominant influence in Roman architecture. During this period many great palaces in neoclassical styles were built to host ministries, embassies and other governing agencies. One of the best-known symbols of Roman neoclassicism is the Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II or "Altar of the Fatherland", where the Grave of the Unknown Soldier, that represents the 650,000 Italians that fell in World War I, is located.

Fascist architecture

See also: Fascist architecture

The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana.

The Fascist regime that ruled in Italy between 1922 and 1943 developed an architectural style which was characterised by its links with ancient Roman architecture. The most important Fascist site in Rome is the E.U.R. district, designed in 1938 by Marcello Piacentini. It was originally conceived for the 1942 world exhibition, and was called "E.42" ("Esposizione 42"). The world exhibition, however, never took place because Italy entered 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 labelled the cubic or Square Colosseum.

After World War II, the Roman authorities found that they already had the seed of an off-centre business district of the type that other capitals were still planning (London Docklands and La Defense in Paris). Also the Palazzo della Farnesina, the current seat of Italian Foreign Ministry, was designed in 1935 in Fascist style.

Parks and gardens

Villa Borghese.

Public parks and nature reserves cover a large area in Rome, and the city has one of the largest areas of green space amongst European capitals.^[18] The most notable part of this green space is represented by the large number of villas and landscaped gardens created by the Italian aristocracy. While many villas were destroyed during the building boom of the late 19th century, a great many nonetheless remain. The most notable of these are Villa Borghese, Villa Ada, and Villa Doria Pamphili.

Rome has a number of regional parks of much 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.

Economy

Eni's headquarters in EUR, Rome's business district

With a 2005 GDP of €94.376 billion (US$121.5 billion)^[19], the city produces 6.7% of the national GDP (more than any other single city in Italy) and its unemployment rate, lowered from 11.1% to 6.5% between 2001 and 2005, is now one of the lowest rates of all the European capital cities^[20]. 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^[21].

Although the economy of Rome is characterized by the absence of heavy industry and it is lagrely dominated by services, high technology companies (IT, aerospace, defense, telecommunications), research, construction and commercial activities (especially banking) and the huge development of tourism are very dynamic and extremely important to its economy. Rome's international airport, Fiumicino, is the largest in Italy and the city hosts the head offices of the vast majority of the major Italian companies, as well as the headquarters of three of the world's 100 largest companies: Enel, Eni, and Telecom Italia.^[22]

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 centre for banking and insurance as well as electronics, energy, transport and aerospace industries. Numerous international companies and agencies 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. Tourism is inevitably one of Rome's chief industries, with numerous notable museums including the Vatican Museum, the Borghese Gallery, and the Musei Capitolini: in 2005 the city registered 19.5 million of global visitors, up of 22.1% from 2001^[23]. In 2006 Rome has been visited by 6.03 million of international tourists, reaching the 8th place in the ranking of the world's 150 most visited cities^[24].

Culture

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, amongst them the two Medici Popes' (Leo X and Clement VII) and their suite, caused a major shift in the dialect, which began to resemble more the Tuscan varieties (the immigration of Florentines was mainly due to the Sack of Rome in 1527 and the subsequent demographic decrease). This remained largely confined to Rome until the 19th century, but then expanded to 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 like standard Italian, although it remains distinct from the 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.

Education

The Sapienza University of Rome new campus, built in the 1930s by Marcello Piacentini.

Rome is a nation-wide centre 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 Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, 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 St. John's University, the John Cabot University, the IUSM, the American University of Rome, the Scuola Lorenzo de' Medici, 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 Centre, a campus of Loyola University Chicago.

Music

Rome is an important centre for music. It hosts the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (founded in 1585), for which new concert halls have been 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 in 1991 and the MTV Europe Music Awards in 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 centre 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 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 professionals — from period costume makers to visual effects specialists. More than 3,000 productions have been made on its lot, from recent features like The Passion of the Christ, Gangs of New York, HBO’s Rome, The Life Aquatic and Dino De Laurentiis’ Decameron, to such cinema classics as Ben Hur, Cleopatra and the films of Federico Fellini.

Founded in 1937 by 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

Stadio Olimpico.

Rome hosted the 1960 Summer Olympics and is an official candidate to hosting the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Football is the most popular sport in Rome, as in the rest of the country. The Olympic Stadium 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 Daniele De Rossi (both for A.S. Roma).

While far from being as popular as football, Rugby union 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. Rome is also home to many other sports teams, including basketball (Virtus Roma), volleyball (M. Roma Volley), handball or waterpolo.

Transportation

Roma Termini railway station

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 and is more commonly known as "Fiumicino Airport", as it is located within the Commune 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 beside 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 Operativo di Vertice Interforze^[25] (which coordinates all Italian military activities), although large parts of the airport are being redeveloped as a public park.

Rome is at the centre of the radial network of roads which roughly follow the lines of the ancient roman roads that began at the Capitoline Hill and connected Rome with its empire. Today Rome is circled, at a distance of about 10km, by the ring-road called the Grande Raccordo Anulare.

Rome suffers from considerable traffic problems largely due to this largely radial street pattern which make it difficult for Romans to easily move from the vicinity of one the radial roads to another without going into the historic centre or using the ring-road. Problems which are not helped by limited size of Rome's metro system when compared to similarly sized cities. Chronic congestion caused by cars during the 1970s and 1980s led to restrictions being placed on vehicle access to the inner city centre during the daylight hours. Areas where these restriction apply are known as Limited Traffic Zones (Zona a Traffico Limitato (ZTL) in Italian). More recently, heavy night-time traffic in Trastevere and San Lorenzo has led to the creation of night-time ZTLs in those districts. And there are also plans to create another night-time ZTL in Testaccio.

Rome has 21 taxis for every 10,000 inhabitants — far below other major European cities.^[26]

Roman tram.

Due to its location in the centre of the Italian peninsula, Rome is a principal railway node for central Italy. Rome's main train station, Termini, is one of the biggest train stations in Europe and the most heavily used in Italy with around 400 thousand travellers passing through every day. The second largest station in the city, Roma Tiburtina, is currently being redeveloped as a high-speed rail terminus.^[27] Other significant mainline station are Roma Ostiense, Roma Trastevere and Roma Tuscolana.

Above ground public transport in Rome is made up of a bus and tram network. This network is run by Trambus S.p.A. under the auspices of ATAC S.p.A. (which originally stood for the Bus and Tram Agency of the Commune, Azienda Tranvie ed Autobus del Comune in Italian). The bus network is currently made up of in excess of 350 bus lines and over 8 thousand bus stops. Whilst the limited tram system currently has 39 km of track and 192 stops.^[28]

A 2-line metro system called the Metropolitana operates in Rome. Construction on the first branch started in the 1930s. The line had been planned to quickly connect the main train station 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 (24 mi). The two existing lines, A & B, 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 (2 mi). 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 (16 mi). It will partly replace the existing Rail Road line, Termini-Pantano. It will feature full automated, driverless trains.^[29] The first section is due to open in 2011 and the final sections in 2015, but archaeological findings often delay underground construction work. A fourth line, line D, is under development. It will have 22 stations over a distance of 20 km (12 mi). The first section is projected to open in 2015 and the final sections before 2035.

Sister and partner cities

Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iii, iv, vi
Reference	{{{ID}}}
Region**	Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription	{{{Year}}}  (Unknown Session)
Extensions	1990
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO.

Rome has one sister city, and a number of partner cities:

Sister city

• Paris, France (French: Seule Paris est digne de Rome; seule Rome est digne de Paris; Italian: Solo Parigi è degna di Roma; solo Roma è degna di Parigi; English: Only Paris is worthy of Rome; only Rome is worthy of Paris).^[30]

Partner cities

• Achacachi, Bolivia.
• Marbella, Spain.
• Algiers, Algeria.
• Beijing, China.
• Belgrade, Serbia.
• Brasília, Brazil.
• Cairo, Egypt.
• Cincinnati, United States.
• Kiev, Ukraine.
• London, United Kingdom.
• Montreal, Canada.
• New York City, United States.
• Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
• Seoul, South Korea.
• Sydney, Australia.
• Tokyo, Japan.
• Tongeren, Belgium.

International entities, organisations and involvement

See also: Vatican City

FAO headquarters in Rome (former seat of the Department of Italian East Africa).

Rome is unique in having a sovereign state located entirely within its city limits, the Vatican City. The Vatican is a enclave of Rome and a sovereign possession of the Holy See the supreme government of the Roman Catholic Church. Rome hosts foreign embassies to both Italy and the Holy See, although frequently the same ambassador is accredited to both.

Another body the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) took refuge in Rome in 1834 after having lost Malta to Napoleon. It is sometimes classified as having sovereignty but doesn't claim any territory in Rome or anywhere else, hence leading to dispute over its actual sovereign status.

Rome is also the seat of significant international organisations of the United Nations, such as the World Food Program (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

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 was also where the Statute of the International Criminal Court was formulated.

See also

• Churches of Rome
• Glocal Forum, the International on-governmental organization with main office located in Rome
• Large Cities Climate Leadership Group
• List of ancient monuments in Rome
• Shopping areas and markets in Rome

References

Notes

• Lucentini, Mario (2002) (in Italian). La Grande Guida di Roma. Rome: Newton & Compton Editori. ISBN 88-8289-053-8. 
• Spoto, Salvatore (1999) (in Italian). Roma Esoterica. Rome: Newton & Compton Editori. ISBN 88-8289-265-4. 
• Richard Brilliant (2006). Roman Art. An American's View. Rome: Di Renzo Editore. ISBN 88-8323-085-X. 

Documentaries

• The Holy Cities: Rome produced by Danae Film Production, distributed by HDH Communications; 2006.

External links

Official

• Official site of the City of Rome (Italian)
• APT (official Tourist Office) of the City of Rome (English)
• Rome Museums — Official site (Italian)
• Vatican Museums (English)
• Capitoline Museums (English)

Other

• Rome travel guide from Wikitravel
• Rome travel guides at the Open Directory Project
• City models of Ancient Rome

Rome
Capitals of European states and territories Capitals of non-sovereign territories or constituent nations shown in bold italics Central Southern Western Northern Berlin, Germany Bratislava, Slovakia Budapest, Hungary Ljubljana, Slovenia Prague, Czech Republic Vienna, Austria Warsaw, Poland Eastern Astana, Kazakhstan 1 Baku, Azerbaijan 1 Bucharest, Romania Chişinău, Moldova Kiev, Ukraine Minsk, Belarus Moscow, Russia 1 Sukhumi, Abkhazia 3 Tbilisi, Georgia 1 Tskhinvali, South Ossetia 3 Yerevan, Armenia 2 Ankara, Turkey 1 Athens, Greece Belgrade, Serbia Gibraltar, Gibraltar4 Nicosia, Cyprus 2 Nicosia, Northern Cyprus 2, 3 Podgorica, Montenegro Pristina, Kosovo 3 Rome, Italy San Marino, San Marino Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Skopje, Republic of Macedonia Sofia, Bulgaria Tirana, Albania Valletta, Malta Vatican City, Vatican City Zagreb, Croatia Amsterdam, Netherlands Andorra la Vella, Andorra Barcelona, Catalonia 5 Belfast, Northern Ireland 4 Berne, Switzerland Brussels, Belgium 6 Cardiff, Wales 4 Lisbon, Portugal Dublin, Ireland Edinburgh, Scotland 4 London, England 4 / UK Luxembourg, Luxembourg Madrid, Spain Monaco, Monaco Paris, France St. Helier, Jersey4 Santiago de Compostela, Galicia5 Seville, Andalusia 5 St. Peter Port, Guernsey4 Vaduz, Liechtenstein Vitoria, The Basque Country5 Valencia, Valencian Community5 Copenhagen, Denmark Douglas, Isle of Man Helsinki, Finland Longyearbyen, Svalbard Mariehamn, Åland Islands Oslo, Norway Reykjavík, Iceland Riga, Latvia Stockholm, Sweden Tallinn, Estonia Tórshavn, Faroe Islands Vilnius, Lithuania 1 Transcontinental country.  2 Entirely in Southwest Asia but having socio-political connections with Europe.  3 Partially recognised country.  4 Part of or administrated by the United Kingdom.  5 Part of Spain.  6 Also the seat of the European Union, see Location of European Union institutions and Brussels and the European Union.  Capital cities of the Member States of the European Union Amsterdam · Athens · Berlin · Bratislava · Brussels · Bucharest · Budapest · Copenhagen · Dublin · Helsinki · Lisbon · Ljubljana · London · Luxembourg City · Madrid · Nicosia · Paris · Prague · Riga · Rome · Sofia · Stockholm · Tallinn · Valletta · Vienna · Vilnius · Warsaw Lazio · Comuni of the Province of Rome Affile · Agosta · Albano Laziale · Allumiere · Anguillara Sabazia · Anticoli Corrado · Anzio · Arcinazzo Romano · Ardea · Ariccia · Arsoli · Artena · Bellegra · Bracciano · Camerata Nuova · Campagnano di Roma · Canale Monterano · Canterano · Capena · Capranica Prenestina · Carpineto Romano · Casape · Castel Gandolfo · Castel Madama · Castel San Pietro Romano · Castelnuovo di Porto · Cave · Cerreto Laziale · Cervara di Roma · Cerveteri · Ciampino · Ciciliano · Cineto Romano · Civitavecchia · Civitella San Paolo · Colleferro · Colonna · Fiano Romano · Filacciano · Fiumicino · Fonte Nuova · Formello · Frascati · Gallicano nel Lazio · Gavignano · Genazzano · Genzano di Roma · Gerano · Gorga · Grottaferrata · Guidonia Montecelio · Jenne · Labico · Ladispoli · Lanuvio · Lariano · Licenza · Magliano Romano · Mandela · Manziana · Marano Equo · Marcellina · Marino · Mazzano Romano · Mentana · Monte Compatri · Monte Porzio Catone · Monteflavio · Montelanico · Montelibretti · Monterotondo · Montorio Romano · Moricone · Morlupo · Nazzano · Nemi · Nerola · Nettuno · Olevano Romano · Palestrina · Palombara Sabina · Percile · Pisoniano · Poli · Pomezia · Ponzano Romano · Riano · Rignano Flaminio · Riofreddo · Rocca Canterano · Rocca Priora · Rocca Santo Stefano · Rocca di Cave · Rocca di Papa · Roccagiovine · Roiate · Rome · Roviano · Sacrofano · Sambuci · San Cesareo · San Gregorio da Sassola · San Polo dei Cavalieri · San Vito Romano · Sant'Angelo Romano · Sant'Oreste · Santa Marinella · Saracinesco · Segni · Subiaco · Tivoli · Tolfa · Torrita Tiberina · Trevignano Romano · Vallepietra · Vallinfreda · Valmontone · Velletri · Vicovaro · Vivaro Romano · Zagarolo Regional capitals of Italy L'Aquila, Abruzzo Aosta, Aosta Valley Bari, Apulia Potenza, Basilicata Catanzaro, Calabria Naples, Campania Bologna, Emilia-Romagna Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia Rome, Lazio Genoa, Liguria Milan, Lombardy Ancona, Marche Campobasso, Molise Turin, Piedmont Cagliari, Sardinia Palermo, Sicily Trento, TAA/Südtirol Florence, Tuscany Perugia, Umbria Venice, Veneto Summer Olympic Games host cities 1896: Athens • 1900: Paris • 1904: St. Louis • 1908: London • 1912: Stockholm • 1920: Antwerp • 1924: Paris • 1928: Amsterdam • 1932: Los Angeles • 1936: Berlin • 1948: London • 1952: Helsinki • 1956: Melbourne • 1960: Rome • 1964: Tokyo • 1968: Mexico City • 1972: Munich • 1976: Montreal • 1980: Moscow • 1984: Los Angeles • 1988: Seoul • 1992: Barcelona • 1996: Atlanta • 2000: Sydney • 2004: Athens • 2008: Beijing • 2012: London 2016: TBA 2020: TBA World Heritage Sites in Italy For official site names, see each article or the List of World Heritage Sites in Italy. Aeolian Islands · Aquileia · Archaeological Area of Agrigento · Pompeii, Herculaneum, Torre Annunziata · Botanical Garden, Padua · Caserta Palace, Aqueduct of Vanvitelli, San Leucio Complex · Castel del Monte · Cilento and Vallo di Diano, Paestum, Velia, Certosa di Padula · Amalfi Coast · Crespi d'Adda · Ravenna · Cerveteri, Tarquinia · Ferrara · Florence · Assisi · Matera · Cathedral, Torre Civica, Piazza Grande, Modena · Naples · Genoa · Mantua · Piazza del Duomo, Pisa · Pienza · Portovenere, Cinque Terre (Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore), Palmaria, Tino, Tinetto · Residences of the Royal House of Savoy · Rock Drawings in Valcamonica · Rome1 · Sabbioneta · Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy · San Gimignano · Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan · Val di Noto (Caltagirone, Militello in Val di Catania, Catania, Modica, Noto, Palazzolo Acreide, Ragusa, Scicli) · Siena · Barumini nuraghes · Syracuse, Necropolis of Pantalica · Alberobello · Urbino · Val d'Orcia · Venice · Verona · Vicenza, Palladian Villas of the Veneto · Hadrian's Villa · Villa d'Este · Villa Romana del Casale 1 Shared with the Holy See. Landmarks of Rome Basilicas and other religious sites Catacombs of Rome · San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane · Basilica di San Clemente · Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore · Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls · Basilica of St. John Lateran · Chiesa del Gesù · Ghetto · Santa Croce in Gerusalemme · Santa Maria degli Angeli · Santa Maria in Aracoeli · Santa Maria in Cosmedin · Santa Maria in Trastevere · Santa Prassede · Santa Sabina · St. Peter's Basilica · Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza · Sistine Chapel Gardens, parks and natural attractions Tiber Island · Villa Ada · Villa Borghese · Villa Doria Pamphili · Villa Medici Ancient temples, monuments and sporting venues Ara Pacis · Castel Sant'Angelo · Circus Maximus · Colosseum · Column of Marcus Aurelius · Largo di Torre Argentina · Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II · Obelisks · Palazzo Barberini · Pantheon · Pyramid of Cestius · Roman Forum · Temple of Hercules Victor · Temple of Jupiter (Capitoline Hill) · Theatre of Marcellus · Temple of Portunus · Trajan's Column · Trajan's Market · Mausoleum of Augustus Aqueducts, squares, fountains, towers and walls Trevi Fountain · Baths of Caracalla · Aurelian Walls · Servian Wall · Palazzo Farnese · Piazza Navona · Spanish Steps · Torre delle Milizie Sculptures Apollo Belvedere  · Augustus of Prima Porta  · La Bocca della Verità  · Laocoön and His Sons Seven Hills Aventine Hill · Caelian Hill · Capitoline Hill · Esquiline Hill · Palatine Hill · Quirinal Hill · Viminal Hill