Rome information
Italian: RomaIt is a historic city and capital of Italy, Roma province and Lazio region.It was the capital of the Roman Empire whose power and policy defined the Western World in the antiquity. It is the spiritual and physical centre of the Roman Catholic Church. The Vatican, a sovereign enclave within the city of Rome has become the seat of the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope.
Rome - called Eternal city has dominated in major artistic and intellectual achievements of the human history.
Rome controlled all the civilizations known to Europe for more than a millennium, then its Empire declined. But the notion of Rome as the world power remained through many centuries after its fall.
Rome location
Rome is located in Central Italy on the Tiber (Revere) River, 15 miles (24 kilometres) inland from the Tyrrhenian Sea. The geography of Rome is characterized by the Seven Hills and The Tiber River: The Aventine Hill, the Caelian Hill, the Capitoline Hill, the Esquiline Hill, the Palatine Hill, the Quirinal Hill, and the Vicinal Hill. Rome city is situated on the eastern banks of the Tiber River and has a geographical position of 41º 54' N and 12º 29' E. Rome lies to the west of the Apennine Mountains forming the backbone of the Italian peninsula.The ancient walled city of Rome comprises only 4 percent of the modern municipality's 582 square miles (1,507 square kilometres) and is the smallest of the city's 12 administrative zones. The walled centre is divided into 22 districts, most of their names dating back from the ancient times. A huge circle of a modern highway around the city, about six miles distant from the centre of Rome, is connecting the famous antique roads leading to Rome from different directions: the Via Flaminius, Via Aurelia, and Via Apia.
Rome weather
Rome’s climate is of the 'Mediterranean' variety. The summer months are warm to mild, and the winters are cold. The rainfall occurs during the winter months between October to January. The summer season lasts from June to September with temperatures ranging between a maximum of 30º C to a minimum of 14º C. The daily range of temperature averages at 14º C. The winter season extends from December to March with temperatures varying between 3º C to 16º C. The months of April, May, October and November are very pleasant with temperatures varying between 7º C and 23º C.The city receives about 33 inches (840 millimetres) of precipitation annually; springs and autumns are the rainiest seasons. Winters are mild with rare frosts or snowfalls. The average temperatures amount to 45° F (7° C). A stormy wind called the tramontana blows from time to time in winter time. The agreeable Mediterranean climate allows visits of thousands of tourists to this unique city. The most frequented part is the old city containing some 300 hotels and 300 boarding-houses, more than 200 palaces, 20 churches, eight of the city's major parks, the residence of the Italian President, the Houses of Parliament, government offices and the great historical monuments, in addition to thousands of offices, workshops, restaurants, and bars.
Rome history
According to a fable Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus, twin sons of Mars, abandoned on the flooding Tiber and found at the foot of the Palatine. Suckled by a she-wolf, they were found and brought up by a shepherd, as grown up persons they had founded Rome. The fable tells us that Romulus killed Remus for disobeying one of the city's first laws. The Etruscan bronze statue representing the twins sucking the ferocious she-wolf from the late 6th or early 5th century BC is displayed in Capitoline Museum as one of the greatest works among the thousands of masterpieces in Rome.
Rome's most famous citizen was no doubt Julius Caesar. He was a Roman politician and general who conquered the vast territory of the Gauls to the north of his province in France. His military campaigns also took him to Egypt where he met the famous Cleopatra. Julius Caesar was murdered in the Senate of Rome. He was so famous that a month of the year is named after him even today. It is the month of July (Julius).
Many Emperors of Rome followed after Caesar.
Augustus was the first Emperor of Rome. He added many new territories to the Empire. Claudius conquered Britain.
Nero, the insane Emperor murdered his mother and his wife, threw thousands of Christians to lions and had Rome burnt.
Titus, Trajan, Hadrian, Diocletian, Constatine Romulus Augustus,Justinian, Constatine XI (the last emperor of the East Roman Empire).
The Roman empire in the end was overrun by millions of barbarians from the north and east of Europe. The collapse was completed when Rome itself was conquered by the Visigoths in the year AD 476. But The Eastern Roman Empire with the centre in Constantinople lasted for almost another thousand years until it was conquered by the Turks in the year AD 1453.
Rome tourist attractions
Numerous historic monuments and remains from the ancient times constantly attract tourists coming in great numbers all the year round.Rome boasts with magnificent architecture especially from the Classical and Imperial Roman periods. The Romanesque style in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries has left unique examples in Roman architecture, while in the later centuries Rome became one of the main centers of Renaissance and Baroque architecture.
One of the symbols of Rome is the Colosseum (70–80 AD), the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Empire, used for gladiatorial fights.
A list of important monuments and sites 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.
Rome's medieval heritage is one of the largest in Italian cities. Basilicas include Santa Maria Maggiore and San Paolo Fuori le Mura, housing precious 4th century AD mosaics. The churches of Santa Maria in Trastevere, Santi Quattro Coronati, and Santa Prassede have preserved fine examples of medieval mosaic and fresco art.
Rome was a major world centre of the Renaissance, after Florence. The Piazza del Campidoglio by Michelangelo is a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture. Some outstanding palaces were erected during this 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), the Palazzo Spada, the Palazzo della Cancelleria, and the Villa Farnesina.
The Renaissance period with the most talented artists of all the times like Michelangelo, Raphaello, Perugino, Bramante, Boticelli and many others changed the appearance of Rome. Michelangelo started the decoration of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and executed the famous statue of the Moses for the tomb of Julius. Rome became a true Renaissance city.
Many huge and majestic squares were built during the Renaissance and Baroque. The principal ones are Piazza Navona, Piazza di Spagna, Campo de' Fiori, Piazza Venezia, Piazza Farnese, Piazza della Rotonda and Piazza della Minerva.
The Fontana di Trevi (The Trevi Fountain) by Nicola Salvi is one of the finest examples of the Baroque art. There are numbers of fine Baroque palaces in the centre of the town. Palazzo della Farnesina, is the seat of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When Rome became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, a new building style – neoclassicism was introduced into architecture. During this period, many great palaces in neoclassical styles were built. One of the best-known symbols of Roman neoclassicism is the Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II or "Altar of the Fatherland" with the Grave of the Unknown Soldier, representing more than half a million of Italian soldiers that fell in World War I.
There are many beautiful public parks and private gardens in Rome. Rome occupies a high position with its large areas of green space if compared with other European cities.
The large number of aristocratic villas is surrounded by landscaped gardens, the most notable being The Villa Borgese gardens, Villa Ada and others. The Villa Borgese has the famous art galleries and is located close to the Spanish Steps and Piazza Popolo.One of the famous Rome statues is the 39.7m tall Column of Marcus Aurelius.
The Ponte Sant’Angelo (The Saint Angelo Bridge) leading to Castel Sant’Angelo is decorated by numerous fine statues.
The city contains eight ancient Egyptian and five ancient Roman obelisks located in piazzas, such as in Piazza Navona, St Peter's Square, Piazza Montecitorio, and Piazza del Popolo, some of them located in front of villas, thermae parks and gardens., such as in Villa Celimontana, the Baths of Diocletian, and the Pincian Hill. In the centre of the city there are two ancient Roman columns with spiral relief.
The famous bridges crossing the River Tiber are the Ponte Cestio, the Ponte Milvio, the Ponte Nomentano, the Ponte Sant'Angelo, the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II, the Ponte Sisto and the Ponte dei Quattro Capi. Five ancient Roman bridges are still preserved in the city. The finest among them is the Ponte Sant'Angelo, which was completed in 135AD, and was decorated with 10 statues of the angels, designed by Bernini in 1688.
Vatican as an enclave within Rome, independent papal state and the seat of the Pope with St. Peter’s Basilica, Sistine Chapel, rich Vatican museums and archives is a must visit place for millions of tourists and pilgrims from all corners of the world.
The most renowned work of Renaissance architecture is St. Peter's Basilica, whose successive architects include Bramante, Michelangelo, Giacomo della Porta, Maderno and Bernin. The Sistine Chapel is famous for its frescos, which include works by Perugino, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Botticelli with the most famous frescoes of The Last Judgment painted by Michelangelo. Raphaello also worked on the interior of the Chapel.
The Vatican Library and the collections of the Vatican Museums are of the highest historical, scientific and cultural importance. In 1984, Vatican was added to the UNESCO’s List of World Heritage Sites.