Rome, Italy

The city of Rome, sometimes called the Eternal City, has existed as a center of religious and political activity for nearly three thousand years. Over the centuries, the city has served as the seat of power for the Roman Empire, the Catholic Church, and the nation of Italy.

With its long history, Rome is home to a number of well-known landmarks, including the Colosseum, St. Peter's Basilica, and many of the most famous works of artist Michelangelo.

Landscape

Rome has a metropolitan area of 1,285 square kilometers (580 square miles). It is located along the southwestern coast of Italy, approximately 27 kilometers (17 miles) inland from the Tyrrhenian Sea. The ancient city was formed around the Tiber River and the seven significant hills of the region. The seven hills of Rome are the Palatine, Aventine, Capitoline, Caelian, Esquiline, Quirinal, and Viminal hills.

Within the city of Rome lies the sovereign, independent city-state of the Vatican City. It is the home of the pope and the Holy See, or seat of power, of the Catholic Church. Vatican City covers an area of 44 hectares (109 acres) in the northern part of Rome and is contained within a walled enclave.

The weather in Rome is warm year-round, with winter temperatures averaging 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) and summer temperatures averaging 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit). August is the hottest month of the year, with an average temperature of 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). Many Romans take vacations during August due to the high temperatures; this is also a busy period for tourists visiting the city.

Climate change has affected Rome, with temperatures rising 3.6 degrees C over the last two decades.

Water scarcity is a concern as is flooding from heavy rain.

People

In 2022, Rome's population was around 2.8 million people, with over 4.298 million people living in the greater metropolitan area. About 1,000 people live and work in Vatican City. Most Romans speak Italian.

It is estimated that 90 percent of the city's population is Roman Catholic; the remaining residents are Protestant, Jewish, or Muslim. Rome also has a large immigrant community, with the majority of immigrants come from Eastern European countries; there are also large numbers of foreigners from the Middle East and North Africa living in Rome.

Economy

Rome contributes a significant share of Italy's gross domestic product (GDP) through industries such as banking, government, commerce, technology, and entertainment. Tourism is perhaps the city's most important business and is supported by two international airports. The Leonardo da Vinci International Airport is located in Rome's Fiumicino territory, and the Giovan Battista Pastine International Airport is in Ciampino. In 2023, the two airports served 44.5 million passengers.

Landmarks

One of Rome's most famous landmarks is the Colosseum, an amphitheater commissioned by Emperor Vespasian for the purpose of circus-like entertainment and gladiator fights. Completed in 72 CE, the Colosseum was designed with archways, interior corridors, and multiple exits to assist with the seating and movement of over 55,000 spectators.

The Colosseum is located in the Roman Forum, which was the center of government and commerce in ancient Rome. The area includes such famous ruins as the Temple of Julius Caesar, the House of the Vestal Virgins, the Basilica of Constantine, and the Mamertine Prison, where the Christian apostle Peter was supposedly imprisoned.

The Capitoline Hill in Rome was the center of worship in the ancient city. The temple to Jupiter was situated along the southern summit of the hill. Today, the Capitoline Hill is home to the governing municipality, the Capitoline Museum, and the Victor Emmanuel Monument, which commemorates Italy's first king.

The Pantheon of Rome was constructed during the reign of Emperor Hadrian between 118 and 125 CE. It was built as a temple to the seven gods of ancient Roman belief and was designed with a round opening called an oculus at the top of the rotunda. This opening provides the only light within the temple. Over the years the Pantheon has served as a church and shrine.

Some of the most noted landmarks of Rome, and the most famous works of Michelangelo, are located in Vatican City. St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums include the Sistine Chapel and the Raphael Rooms.

Saint Peter's Basilica is the spiritual center of Roman Catholicism. Construction began on the cathedral in 1506 under Pope Julius II and continued for over a hundred years. The cathedral bears design elements from both the Roman Renaissance and Baroque architectural periods. The dome of St. Peter's is the tallest in the world, and stretches to a height of 136 meters (450 feet). Today, visitors gather in the Piazza San Pietro (St. Peter's Square) in front of the cathedral to listen to or catch a glimpse of the pope.

Although the majority of the cathedral was designed by Gian Bernini, the dome was designed by Michelangelo. The Sistine Chapel was commissioned by Pope Julius II and painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. Michelangelo's sculpture Pietà is also located inside St. Peter's Cathedral.

Rome's largest and most famous fountain is the Trevi Fountain. The fountain was designed by Nicola Salvi and completed in 1762. The central figures of the fountain are the sea god Neptune and two tritons. Folklore suggests that anyone who throws a coin into the fountain will someday return to Rome.

The most famous plaza of Rome is the Piazza Navona, which was originally designed by Michelangelo and completed by Bernini in the seventeenth century.

Just outside the city of Rome is the Appian Way, an ancient road dotted by the ruins of tombs and catacombs.

History

Rome began as an Iron Age settlement in the eighth century BCE. According to legend, there were seven kings of Rome during this ancient period, the first of which was Romulus in 753 BCE. By 700 BCE the region had been conquered by the Etruscans, a technologically advanced civilization prominent in the sixth and seventh centuries BCE.

In 509 BCE, the city of Rome became an independent republic. Much of the Etruscan upper class was absorbed into the new republic, while the remaining Etruscans fled the region. Soon the new Roman Republic conquered the rest of Italy and much of Spain, Greece, and Northern Africa. The population of Rome swelled to over half a million, enabling massive construction of roads, aqueducts, markets, and temples. The Roman Republic ended in 44 BCE, with the murder of Julius Caesar.

In 29 BCE, Caesar Augustus became the first emperor of the Roman Empire. Under his rule, the city of Rome experienced tremendous growth. Following Caesar Augustus, the Roman Empire was ruled by such men as Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. Although the city and empire prospered, many of the emperors were corrupt and their reigns were marked by tragedy and conflict. In 64 CE, power struggles and royal infighting under Nero's rule resulted in the Great Fire of Rome, which destroyed much of the city. However, the Roman Empire continued to grow in strength and size, and by the second century the empire stretched from Britain to Syria.

As the Roman Empire gained strength, so did Christianity. Despite open persecution, the Christian faith developed an infrastructure in Rome that survived even the fall of the Roman Empire. In 313 Emperor Constantine granted Christians freedom of religion, and in 380 Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.

Over time, a variety of leadership decisions contributed to the decline of the Roman Empire. Near the end of the fourth century, the empire split into two governing bodies of east and west, and Rome no longer served as a capital. With the empire divided, Rome fell to the Germanic leader Odoacer shortly before the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476. Italy was then claimed under the rule of the remaining Eastern empire of Byzantium.

By the early Middle Ages, control of Rome had shifted to Charlemagne, king of the Franks and eventual emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, but true power in the city was in the hands of the Catholic Church. Struggles for power between the pope and the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire continued through the remainder of the Middle Ages. During this time, Rome existed as one of the many papal states—local districts under civil and spiritual control by the pope—in the Italian peninsula. Conflicts in Rome eventually forced the papacy to relocate to Avignon for a period of about fifty years in the fourteenth century.

In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Catholic Church in Rome contributed greatly to the city with the construction of ornate monuments, fountains, and cathedrals, including St. Peter's Basilica.

In 1861, under the rule of political reformer Victor Emmanuel II, the Italian peninsula was declared a sovereign kingdom, and in 1871, Rome became the capital of the new, unified Italy. The announcement of the newly formed kingdom was rejected by Pope Pious IX, who declared himself a "prisoner in the Vatican." The issue was unsettled for nearly sixty years, and the reigning pope refused to leave the Vatican enclave or recognize the Kingdom of Italy. In 1929, the debate was settled with the Lateran Treaty, and the enclave of the Vatican was recognized as a sovereign state.

After World War I, the ideology of fascism gained prominence in Italy. In 1922, Benito Mussolini became prime minister of Italy, and Rome became the capital of the fascist regime. Rome's population grew to over one million in the period prior to World War II.

In 1946, after the execution of Mussolini and the fall of fascism, Rome was established as the capital of the newly formed Italian Republic. Since that time, Rome has continued to serve as the capital of Italy. During the 1950s and 1960s, Rome's population grew rapidly and it became a prominent tourist destination. It also served as the setting several famous films, including Roman Holiday (1953) and La Dolce Vita (1960).

In 1960, Rome hosted the summer Olympics. Holding sporting events in or near many of Rome’s major landmarks, the 1960 Olympics was the first to be fully covered by television. Rome continued to grow throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and the city expanded the subway system, competing a second line in 1980, to accommodate the tourists and citizens.

In May and July 1993, multiple car bombs were detonated around Rome, injuring over twenty people. At the same time, the city dealt with a number of corruption scandals within the government. The corruption was eliminated and the city’s services industries were revitalized, however, after the election of Francesco Rutelli as mayor.

In 2007, the Lupercal, a long-lost cave thought to be the sight of the pre-Roman festival Lupercalia, was discovered below the Palatine. In 2019, the Vatican unveiled the Pontifical Shrine in Rome—also known as the Scala Sancta or Holy Stairs—to the public after a year of restoration. The stairs, according to Roman Catholic tradition, are the steps Jesus Christ ascended before his trial and crucifixion

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