Tourist information on Rome, Italy

Rome is the capital and most populated city of Italy, with around 2.7 million residents. It is located in the mid-western part of the Italian Peninsula on the Tiber River, within the Lazio region of the country. With its numerous tourist attractions, Rome is one of the most visited cities in the world, attracting around 5 million tourists each year. The city was the capital of the Roman Empire, the dominant power in Western Europe from the 1st century BC until the 7th century AD. In the 15th Century it became one of the main centres of the Italian Renaissance, second only to Florence, and it was during this period that the city acquired much of its familiar architecture. The city derives its name from Romulus, who, according to Roman legend, founded it in around 750 BC.

Rome is divided into twenty administrative areas called municipi, each of which is governed by a president and a council which is elected every five years. The seat of the Italian Government, the city contains the official residences of the President and the Prime Minister in its historic centre. For centuries, Rome has been an important centre for of religion and pilgrimage and accommodates the centre of Roman Catholicism within the Vatican City. Important Christian places of worship include St. Peter's Basilica, the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls and the Basilica di San Clemente. Another site of religious and historical significance are the ancient Catacombs that run beneath the city.

Rome was once one of the most important centres of architecture in the world and the city is strewn with examples of various architectural styles - Classical, Romanesque, Renaissance, Baroque and Fascist. One of the city's most important structures is the Colosseum, the largest amphitheatre of the Roman Empire, built in around 70 AD with a capacity of 60 thousand, used for gladiatorial combats. Other notable sites of interest are the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, Trajan's Column, Trajan's Market, the Circus Maximus, the Baths of Caracalla, the Mausoleum of Augustus and the Pyramid of Cestius. Examples of Renaissance architecture include the Piazza del Campidoglio, the Palazzo del Quirinale, the Palazzo Venezia and the Palazzo Chigi. The city's many public squares include the Piazza Navona, the Piazza di Spagna, and the Piazza della Rotonda. Another popular attraction is the Trevi Fountain, one of the city's best examples of Baroque art. Rome also has many public parks and gardens, the most attractive being the Villa Borghese gardens, the Pineto Regional Park and the Appian Way Regional Park.

There are many important museums and galleries to be found in Rome, housing some of the nation's most prestigious art collections. Those that definitely merit a visit are the Galleria Borghese, the Galleria Colonna and the National Gallery of Modern Art. The city is also a major centre of fashion, education, cuisine and filmmaking. Europe's largest film production centre is based in Rome at the Cinecittà Studios, which is second only to Hollywood in its size and activity. The city hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1960 and has many important sporting venues, including the Olympic Stadium and Stadio Flaminio, home of the national rugby union team. Rome's generous public transport system includes an extensive network of bus, train and train services, and the city is the main hub for rail transportation in central Italy. The city's main airport is Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport (better known as Fiumicino Airport), one of the busiest in Europe. There is also a two-line metro system called the Metropolitana, which connects to Roma Termini, the most important train station in Rome.