Location: Rome
Rome is the capital of the Italian Republic. It is the most
populous and extensive municipality in Italy and the fourth most
populous in the European Union. Place of origin of the Latin
language, it was the capital of the Roman Empire, which extended its
dominion over the whole Mediterranean basin and a large part of
Europe, of the Papal State, subjected to the temporal power of the
popes, and of the Kingdom of Italy ( since 1871).
It would be
an impossible undertaking to tell Rome in all its aspects because it
is too vast and rich in history, one can only add one piece of
advice to the tourist: being able to listen to the voice of the city
that springs from its deep soul and that speaks through the
testimonies of its long evolution , perhaps in the early morning
when the crowds are sparse and this empathy can be very intense.
The municipal coat of arms of Rome, which dates back to the
thirteenth century, is a shield with a purple background color while the
initials, with scaled gold letters, S.P.Q.R "Senatus Populus Que
Romanus" evokes the Senate and the People, the two elements which gave
rise to the republican institutions. The two colors, purple and gold,
were symbols of the Empire. The small Byzantine cross indicates the
Christian civilization which made Rome its centre. The shield is
surmounted by an eight-pointed crown of which, however, only five are
visible.
The municipal flag, established after 1870, instead
consists of two bands that should be purple and gold with the coat of
arms. In reality, you will see flags with varying shades of red-purple
and yellow.
The gonfalon derives from the ancient period and
consists of a purple drape bearing the effigy, in gold, of the city in a
feminine form, but which today has been replaced by the coat of arms.
Animal symbols of the city are the lion, the eagle and the Roman
she-wolf, the latter a real heraldic symbol, while among the most common
and widespread monuments are the Colosseum, the Cupolone (dome of St.
Peter) and the Basilica of San Peter.
Rome, the heart of Catholic Christianity, is the only city in the
world to host an entire state, the enclave of the Vatican City: for this
reason it is often defined as the capital of two states.
The
territory of Rome has various natural landscapes and environmental
characteristics which give the city a privileged position at about 20m
above sea level. and 24 kilometers from the Tyrrhenian Sea.
There
are mountains and hills (including the historic seven hills), flat
areas, the Tiber river and its tributaries, the marrane, the lakes of
Bracciano and Martignano and the artificial ones, a fluvial island (the
Tiber island), the sandy coast of the lido di Ostia.
Surrounded
by a luxuriant countryside of volcanic origin, the city lies on the
various heights crossed by the river which picturesquely describes a
sinuous route and which constituted its primary communication route.
The central and ancient nucleus of the city is made up of the
historic seven hills: Palatino, Aventino, Campidoglio, Quirinale,
Viminale, Esquilino and Celio.
It originally developed on the
left of the Tiber that crosses it, and then extended to the right bank,
called Trans Tiberim from which the current name of the Trastevere
district derives.
Thus it incorporated other hills, in addition
to the historic seven mentioned above, such as Monte Mario (the
highest), Pincio, Monte Vaticano, Gianicolo, Parioli and the hills of
Villa Ada, Villa Borghese and Villa Glori.
In addition to the
Tiber, the city is also crossed by another river, the Aniene, which
flows into the Tiber in the northern area of today's urban territory.
The city enjoys a typical Mediterranean climate, particularly mild and comfortable in spring and autumn. Summers are hot, humid and dry, while winters are mild and relatively rainy. Snowfalls are a rarity and in the last 60 years there have been only 4 snowfalls with accumulation (dating back to 1985, 1986, 2012 and 2018). The rainiest seasons are spring and autumn, mainly in November and April. That said, excluding possible excesses of summer heat, Rome can be easily visited in any season. However, it is advisable to visit the city in the months of May and October, in which the city has particularly favorable climatic conditions, as indicated by the saying "Ottobrata Romana".
Founded according to tradition on April 21, 753 BC, during its three millennia of history it was the first great metropolis of humanity, the heart of one of the most important ancient civilizations, which influenced society, culture, language, literature , the art, architecture, philosophy, religion, law and customs of the following centuries, making it "of all peoples a single homeland" and "of modern civilization, the mother". In the western artistic world it boasts a situation of eminence that develops almost continuously from 200 BC. to advanced 1700.
But Rome had truly humble origins, from shepherds' villages to the foundation of "square Rome" by Romulus, the last of the Aeneas to land at Lavinio, who was its first king after having killed his twin Remus for having violated its borders. Romulus built the first wall, of which a few blocks of tuff remain on the Palatine Hill and a water cistern while his tomb, actually only the most archaic found, is located in the Roman Forum called Lapis Niger. The first king was succeeded by six others: Numa Pompilius, Tullio Ostilio, Anco Marzio, Tarquinio Prisco who surrounded the city with walls in the 6th century. BC, Servius Tullius who enlarged them calling them Servian Walls. Numerous remains of these remain: the most important in Via Salandra and in the vicinity of Porta San Paolo. Tarquinius the Superbus, the last king, was driven out putting an end to the Etruscan domination, the Republic was then established in 509 BC, whose debut was not easy due to the struggles between the social classes of patricians and plebeians for equal civil rights and for the submission of neighboring peoples, Etruscans, Volsci, Sabines, Aequi and Latins. It suffered the first invasion of the Gauls in 390 BC. but in 282 BC. won the Ten Year War against the Greek colony of Taranto and its ally Pyrrhus, king of Epirus (part of Greece and Albania). The following period was characterized by the wars against Carthage (in the territory of today's Tunisia), a great rival in the Mediterranean, Macedonia and Mesopotamia (Iraq, and part of Syria, Turkey, Iran) and with the destruction of Numantia it was also definitively conquered all of Spain. The most important work is the famous Etruscan she-wolf in bronze, from the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, which has become one of the symbols of the city and whose twins were added in the 14th century. perhaps by Pollaiolo but there are numerous disputes on the dating and origin of the find. Today the Lupa is located in the Palazzo dei Conservatori on the Campidoglio. The modern territories are reported in a purely indicative manner and further study is left to personal interest.
With the defeat of the kings Jugurtha of Numidia (part of Morocco and Tunisia) and Mithridates of Pontus (Turkey, coast of the Black Sea) and of the peoples of the Cimbri (Denmark) and Teutoni (Germany) other lands were annexed to the Empire. In the first century the city was devastated by conspiracies, dictatorships and civil wars up to Julius Caesar who in 50 BC conquered Gaul (France) and the mysterious Britannia (Great Britain) bringing the eagles of the Roman legions and returning triumphant to Rome which from that moment was called "Caput mundi" (Capital of the World). But the dictator Julius Caesar in 44 BC, ignoring the fatal warning omens, was killed with 23 stab wounds in the senate because he tried to limit the aristocratic power and for wanting to extend Roman citizenship to the conquered peoples. After a second triumvirate, he was succeeded by his nephew Octavian Augustus who had himself declared emperor and brought marble Rome "to a splendor never seen again". Roman art flourished learning from the Greek one whose statues already adorned the whole city, great poets and historians were born including Horace, Virgil, Ovid, Catullo, Tibullo and Tito Livio and in distant Bethlehem (Palestine), Jesus Christ. Unfortunately Octavian Augustus was succeeded by mediocre and cruel emperors such as Tiberius, under whom the death sentence of Jesus Christ, Caligula and Claudius took place. With Nero, who set fire to Rome, the martyrdom of Christians also began and on his death there was again disorder over the succession. In 69, Flavio Vespasiano was proclaimed emperor, to whom we owe the Colosseum, and followed ten years later by his son Tito, the year in which there was the tremendous eruption of Vesuvius which destroyed Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabia. Domiziano, Nerva followed and in 98 with the appointment of Marco Ulpio Traiano, a strong impulse was given to public works including the Trajan Forum. The empire was in its maximum expansion while Rome had about one million inhabitants. Many other emperors followed including in 161, Marco Aurelio prince philosopher, in 211 Aurelio Antonino known as Caracalla, builder of the famous Baths of Caracalla, and in 270 Aurelian who built another wall around the enlarged city, the Aurelian Walls. After a period of military anarchy, with Diocletian (284) and the tetrarchy, made up of two Augusti and two Caesars, the diminished importance of Rome took shape and a recrudescence of persecutions against Christians until the appointment as emperor of Constantine who freed the Christian cult and founder in 313 of Constantinople (Istanbul). Christianity became the official religion of the empire with an edict issued in 380 by Theodosius on whose death, in 395, the empire was divided into two parts: the Eastern Roman Empire and the Western Roman Empire with Rome continuing its catastrophic decline , undergoing invasions by the Visigoths (Romania and Moldavia) and Vandals (East Germany).
The Western Roman Empire ended with Flavius Romulus Augustus, known as Augustulus, deposed by Odoacer, king of the Heruli (Scandinavia and Selandia) in 476 and thus began the Middle Ages where Rome depopulated until it contained its thirty thousand inhabitants but was equally dominated later, in 493, by the Ostrogoths (southern Russia), by the Byzantines of Constantinople in 527 and also by the Lombards in 568 (territories east of Hamburg) who forced Pope Stephen II to ask for help from the Franks ( territory between France and Germany) with which it allied. In 756 the Papal State was born (Vatican City) made up of the lands donated by the king of the Franks and of which Rome became the capital, thus initiating the temporal power of the popes but still undergoing an invasion, that of the Saracens (coming from Saudi Arabia) who also sacked the Basilica of San Pietro (846). Following this devastation for which Pope Sergio II died of grief, the territory was fortified with a wall called the Leonine Walls because they were erected between 848 and 852 by Pope Leo IV. In the Investiture Controversy, Henry IV of Franconia (Central Germany) conquered Rome, sacked it and decimated its population with the horrendous "Sack of Rome" in 1084. With the Concordat of Worms (1122) the struggles ended and the city it was confirmed as the center of Christianity when Boniface VIII, in 1300, proclaimed the first Jubilee. A few years later (1309), given the large number of French popes appointed due to the interference of the French monarchy, the papacy moved to Avignon leaving the city in the chaos of struggles for supremacy between the most powerful families and thus triggering the Great Schism of the West, with the simultaneous advent of three popes: one in Rome, one in Avignon and one in Pisa. This crisis will last until 1417 when finally elected a single pope, Martin V, the seat of the Papal State will return to Rome now reduced to about twenty thousand inhabitants and in a complete state of abandonment.
The years passed on the Roman ruins up to the historical period of
the Rome of the Popes when, although there were internal struggles
between the most important families for supremacy and power, a spiral of
light was ignited, in so much decay, with the rebirth of the arts. Above
all, the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries were true golden ages which saw a
succession of great popes such as Nicholas V (1447), a humanist who
wanted to beautify the city, left the papal residence in the Lateran
Palace and began enlarging the basilica of San Peter and the Apostolic
Palace. Far away, Constantinople fell, in 1453, into the hands of the
Turks thus putting an end to the Eastern Roman Empire. Even the popes
Julius II (1503) and Leo X (1513), true patrons, embellished the city
with the masterpieces of great artists such as Bramante, Raffaello
Sanzio, Michelangelo Buonarroti. But with the Landsknechts of the
emperor Charles V, in 1527, there was one of the most terrible looting,
which lasted about a year and ended only with the promise of Pope
Clement VII to convene what will be the Council of Trent and the Reform
catholic. With successive popes, including Sixtus V (1585), the city
continued to be rebuilt with magnificence. But the invasions were not
finished because, in 1798, Napoleon and his troops entered Rome, took
Pope Pius VI prisoner who died in France and returned there later, in
1808, transferring Pope Pius VII to Fontainebleau who will return only
in 1814 In this period Antonio Canova distinguished himself with his
great works.
Capital of Italy
Claimed by the Kingdom of Italy
in 1870, the ancient city was conquered by the Italian army through a
breach in the walls near Porta Pia with which "Italy returned to Rome"
and where the Monument to the taking of Rome was later built , thus
"ensuring Italy possession of its capital". In 1922, the March on Rome
brought the Fascist period to life and launched the construction of the
EUR. With the Second World War, in 1940, it suffered massacres including
that of the Fosse Ardeatine, and bombings such as that of 19 July 1943 (
16 San Lorenzo) until its liberation in 1944. Two years later it became
the capital of the Italian Republic.
Its historical centre,
delimited by the perimeter of the Aurelian walls, superimposition of
testimonies of almost three millennia, is an expression of the
historical, artistic and cultural heritage of the Western European world
and, in 1980, together with the extraterritorial properties of the Holy
See in the city and the basilica of St. Paul outside the walls, has been
included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Downtown Rome
Historic center of Rome — Enclosed within the
ancient Aurelian Walls, the historic center of Rome has been declared a
World Heritage Site. It is divided into 22 districts and includes the
Vatican City, the seven hills and the Tiber area with the Tiber Island.
Here are the main monuments such as the Colosseum and the Circus Maximus
and the main squares such as Piazza Venezia, Campo de' Fiori, Piazza del
Quirinale, Piazza del Popolo, Piazza di Spagna, Piazza Navona, Piazza
della Repubblica and the Trastevere district.
Outer neighborhoods
Outside the walls extend the 35 districts which generally bear the name
of the ancient Roman consular roads and which arose, almost without
exception, after the proclamation of Rome as capital of the kingdom of
Italy. They can be grouped into sectors as follows:
Northern Rome
— Flaminio, Parioli, Pinciano, Salario, Nomentano (northern part), Monte
Sacro, Trieste, Monte Sacro Alto are the neighborhoods on the left bank
of the Tiber. The opposite bank is occupied by the Tor di Quinto,
Trionfale and Della Vittoria districts, which includes Monte Mario, the
highest point in Rome (139 meters above sea level) below which the area
of the Foro Italico and the stadiums extends.
West Rome —
Gianicolense, Aurelio, Primavalle.
East Rome — Includes the
districts of Nomentano (eastern part), Tiburtino, Prenestino-Labicano,
Tuscolano, Appio-Latino, Prenestino-Centocelle, Pietralata, Collatino,
Alessandrino, Don Bosco, Ponte Mammolo, Appio-Claudio, Appio-Pignatelli,
San Basilio .
Southern Rome — Ostiense, Portuense, Ardeatino,
Giuliano-Dalmata, Europe-EUR, Lido di Ostia Ponente, Lido di Ostia
Levante, Lido di Castel Fusano, Garbatella.
Suburbs
Suburbs of
Rome means "beyond the neighborhoods" and there are currently only six:
Aurelio, Della Vittoria, Gianicolense, Portuense, Tor di Quinto and
Trionfale.
Zones
The Zones of Rome are 53, representing the
last level of the toponymy division and are the following: Acilia Nord,
Acilia Sud, Acqua Vergine, Ciampino Airport, Borghesiana, Capannelle,
Casal Boccone, Casal Morena, Casal Palocco, Casalotti, Castel di Decima,
Castel di Guido, Castel di Leva, Castel Fusano, Castel Giubileo, Castel
Porziano, Cecchignola, Cesano, Fonte Ostiense, Grottarossa, Isola
Farnese, La Giustiniana, La Pisana, La Storta, Labaro, Lenght, Maccarese
Nord, Magliana Vecchia, Marcigliana, Mezzocammino, Ostia Antica,
Ottavia, Polline-Martignano, Ponte Galeria, Prima Porta, San Vittorino,
Santa Maria di Galeria, Settecamini, Tomb of Nero, Tor Cervara, Tor de
Cenci, Tor di Valle, Tor San Giovanni, Tor Sapienza , Torre Angela,
Torre Gaia, Torre Maura, Torre Spaccata, Torrenova, Torricola, Torrino,
Val Melaina, Vallerano.
town halls
The tourist can also have
indications according to the town halls. The division of Rome into
municipalities is of an administrative nature; there are 15
municipalities and they can group various districts, neighborhoods,
suburbs and zones.
Beyond the ring road
Ostia Antica - The
site of the ancient port of Rome includes interesting ruins such as the
Theater which can seat up to 4000 people, the Terme dei Sette Sapienti
and the forum.
Lido di Ostia - It houses the tourist port.
Fiumicino - Today's municipality was born as an ancient fishing village.
Located near Leonardo da Vinci International Airport, it is highly
regarded for its restaurants.
Veio - Ancient Etruscan town conquered
by the Romans and crossed by the Cremera river.
Cesano Borgo -
Hilltop village with two churches (11th and 17th centuries), a manor
house (formerly owned by the Chigis), a castle (remodeled by the famous
parish priest Don Morotti), a Lombard tower, ancient walls and caves dug
into the tuff by the you extrude. In the itinerary of the Via
Francigena, recognized as "Sutri Minor" with the passage of the street
along Via dei Tinelli for Via della Fontana Secca and subsequently Via
della Fontana Morta.
The forum was the center of political, commercial and judicial life in ancient Rome. The largest buildings were the basilica, where court cases were heard. According to playwright Plautus, the region was a gathering place for “lawyers and their supporters, bankers and brokers, shopkeepers and homeless people who expected tips from the rich.” As the population of Rome developed rapidly, the Forum became too small. In 46 BC e. Julius Caesar built a new forum, setting a precedent, followed by emperors from Augustus to Trojan. The emperors also erected triumphal arches in honor of their loved ones, and in the east of the Roman Forum, Vespasian built the Colosseum in the year 80, an entertainment center after the working day. The Colosseum was completed quickly, as the emperor tried to erase the memory of destruction of Pompeii in the year 79. Because of this, the laying of a large amphitheater was not even as different teams of craftsmen were involved on the project. They often used different measuring rulers. You can notice some uneven stones where sectors of workers met.
The prehistoric period in Rome and Lazio is well illustrated in the
"L. Pigorini" National Prehistoric Ethnographic Museum in the EUR
district.
The Etruscan period is documented by the collections of the
Gregorian Etruscan Museum, an integral part of the Vatican Museums, (in
the Vatican) and by that of the Valle Giulia Museum.
Examples of
Greek art, especially Hellenistic, abound in the Vatican Museums, these
are copies from the Roman era. There are many other collections of
ancient art: the Capitoline Museums are the oldest public collection in
the world. Remarkable, also for the setting up in an industrial
archeology site, is the seat of the Capitoline collection itself at the
Centrale Montemartini. Important and very rich are the seats of the
National Roman Museum (Palazzo Massimo), Baths of Diocletian, Palazzo
Altemps and Crypta Balbi). The Roman Forum and Fori Imperiali are the
largest archaeological area in the city and among the largest in the
world. They give the idea of Roman art. The Pantheon is the best
preserved Roman monument.
Early Christian art is attested by numerous
churches and basilicas. Santa Sabina, Santo Stefano Rotondo, Santa
Costanza, San Paolo and San Lorenzo outside the walls are the best
examples.
The Renaissance — In Rome the Renaissance was experienced
above all between the end of the 1400s and the beginning of the 1500s,
in this period the whole area of Campo de' Fiori was built with the Via
Giulia, the Ponte Sisto, Palazzo Madama and the Church of Santa Maria
della Pace. Great artists embellished the city with their masterpieces,
such as Bramante who designed the Basilica of San Pietro and built the
Tempietto di San Pietro in Montorio; Raffaello Sanzio who, in addition
to collaborating on the basilica, created the Loggia of Psyche at Villa
Farnesina and numerous frescoes. Even Michelangelo Buonarroti
contributed to St. Peter's Basilica and designed its dome, also building
Porta Pia, the Piazza del Campidoglio, the Tomb of Julius II, the statue
of the Pietà and among the frescoes those of the Sistine Chapel.
Baroque art — Rome was the cradle of Baroque art in the early 1600s as
it was here that the two best artists of the period worked: Bernini and
Borromini. The greatest example of Baroque art in the city is the
Basilica of San Pietro with its Baldacchino and its Piazza, but the
Churches of Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza, the Church of Gesù and San Carlo
alle Quattro Fontane are also worthy of note. The city continued to be
adorned with churches, palaces, monuments and fountains always signed by
notable artists such as Vignola, Palladio and Domenico Fontana and
mostly operated in the seventeenth century. Gian Lorenzo Bernini,
Borromini, Carlo Fontana, Girolamo and Carlo Rainaldi, and Carlo
Fontana.
Neoclassical art — The Vittoriano, the monument inaugurated
in 1899 to celebrate Vittorio Emanuele II, the king who reunified Italy,
is the greatest example of neoclassical art in Rome and one of the
greatest in Italy.
Eclectic art of the 19th century — It lasted well
beyond the end of the 19th century as attested by the houses in the
Coppedè district around via Tagliamento named after its architect Gino
Coppedè who mixed medieval and baroque art in a very imaginative way.
Art of the '900; Among the historical avant-gardes, rationalism is the
only one to be well documented in Rome. The EUR district is the prime
example of this. The National Gallery of Modern Art houses works by
numerous exponents of 20th century art as does the Collection of modern
religious art in the Vatican. In addition, Piazza Vittorio, in the Colle
Esquilino area, is a clear example of Umbertine architecture.
Modern
Art; In the last twenty years in Rome, as in other European cities,
modern art has been spreading: examples are the Eur district, where you
can admire numerous buildings over 50 meters tall, the Auditorium Parco
della Musica, designed by Renzo Piano, the Church of God the Merciful
Father, structured with three tall smog-eating concrete sails designed
by Oscar Nyemeier in the Alessandrino district and museums such as the
National Gallery of Modern Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art in
Rome.
Rome from above; Historically, Rome was born and developed
around the 7 hills. Nowadays, this peculiarity allows you to have
natural views from above inside the city, normally possible only with
visits to the upper floors of monuments or skyscrapers. Furthermore,
very often these hills deserve to be visited simply for their
attractions. Following the list reported by Cicero to which are added,
for tourist reasons, Gianicolo and Pincio we have:
Aventino: Home of
the Giardino degli Aranci, which offers a comprehensive view of the
historic center, from San Pietro to Piazza Venezia. Also not to be
missed is the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta, designed by Piranesi in
1765 and home to the Villa del Priorato di Malta. The villa is not
normally open to the public but includes one of Rome's most hidden
marvels. Try to take a look through the keyhole of the Villa's entrance.
You will be amazed!
Campidoglio: Headquarters of the Municipality of
Rome and the Capitoline Museums, both located in Piazza del Campidoglio.
The Piazza was designed by Michelangelo and is one of the most beautiful
squares in Rome. Pay attention to the view from the small terraces
surrounding the square and from the Rupe Tarpea. Especially at night,
the splendor of the Roman Forum seen in its entirety is incredible.
Celio: Seat of the Basilica of Saints John and Paul.
Esquiline: It is
the highest and most extensive hill in Rome. Among the many monuments,
we can underline the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the four
Papal Basilicas of Rome.
Palatino: It is practically an open-air
museum. You will not regret a complete visit to this hill which
overlooks the Circus Maximus on one side and the Roman forum on the
other.
Quirinale: Seat of the residence of the President of the
Republic and of the Constitutional Court, this hill allows a particular
view of St. Peter's. Furthermore, the Church of San Carlo alle Quattro
Fontane is the work of Borromini. Finally, it is possible to access the
Quirinale from suggestive streets starting from the Trevi Fountain or
from via Nazionale.
Viminale: Headquarters of the Ministry of the
Interior and of the Rome Opera House. It is the smallest hill of the
seven.
Gianicolo: It is not one of the 7 traditional hills. Famous
for its terraces, it offers a spectacular panorama of part of the city
in which the Altare della Patria stands out. In addition, every day at
noon sharp, a cannon fires a blank shot. Originally this practice was
introduced by Pope Pius IX to have a standard timetable that all the
Churches of Rome had to follow.
Pincio: It is not one of the 7
traditional hills. You get to this hill going up from Piazza del Popolo
and for this reason it is possible to look down on this fantastic square
from one of the most famous Roman terraces. Thousands of years ago, the
Ancient Romans watched from here their boys learning the arts of combat
on the Campus Martius. Part of the Villa Borghese park is located on the
hill, one of the green lungs of Rome. Also on this hill is the Church of
Trinità dei Monti and the famous staircase leading to the Spanish Steps.
1 St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican (Basilica Vaticana), Piazza San
Pietro, 00120 Vatican City, ☏ +39 0669883653, fax: +39 06 69885518.
Mon-Sun 07:00-18:00. Papal or major basilica.
2 Basilica of Saint
Paul Outside the Walls (Basilica Ostiense), Via Ostiense, 184, 00146,
Rome, ☎ +39 06 9880800, fax: + 39 06 698 80 803,
info@basilicasanpaolo.org. Free. Mon-Sun 06:45-18:00. Papal or major
basilica.
3 N.S. of Guadalupe and St. Philip (National Church of Mexico and
Latin America), Via Aurelia 675, ☎ +39 0666411730. Minor Basilica - West
Sector - Prefecture XXXIII - Suburbio Aurelio - 18th Municipality.
4
S. Agostino in Campo Marzio, Via della Scrofa 80, ☎ +39 0668801962.
Minor basilica - Central sector - Prefecture II - Rione Sant'Eustachio -
1st Town Hall.
5 S. Croce a Via Flaminia, Via Guido Reni 2/D, ☎ +39
063240509. Minor Basilica - Northern Sector - Prefecture VI - Flaminio
District - 2nd Town Hall.
6 S. Heart of Christ the King, Viale
Mazzini 32, ☎ +39 063223418. Minor Basilica - West Sector - Prefecture
XXXII - Vittoria District - 17th Town Hall.
7 S. Immaculate Heart of
Mary in Parioli, Via del Sacro Cuore di Maria 5, ☎ +39 068070359. Minor
Basilica - Northern Sector - Prefecture VI - Pinciano District - 2nd
Town Hall.
8 S. Eugenio, Viale delle Belle Arti 10, ☎ +39 063201923.
Minor Basilica - Northern Sector - Prefecture VI - Pinciano District -
2nd Town Hall.
9 S. Giovanni Battista dei Fiorentini (Regional Church
of the Florentines), Via Acciaioli 2, ☎ +39 0668892059. Minor basilica -
Central sector - Prefecture II - Rione Ponte - 1st Town Hall.
10 S.
Giovanni Bosco, Viale dei Salesiani 9, ☎ +39 067480470. Minor Basilica -
East Sector - Prefecture XX - Don Bosco District - 10th Town Hall.
11
S. Giuseppe al Trionfale, Via Bernardino Telesio 4/B, ☎ +39 0639730889.
Minor Basilica - West Sector - Prefecture XXXII - Trionfale Quarter -
17th Town Hall.
12 S. Lorenzo Fuori le Mura, Piazzale del Verano 3, ☎
+39 06491511. Minor Basilica - North Sector - Prefecture VIII -
Tiburtino Quarter - 3rd Town Hall.
13 S. Lorenzo in Damaso, Piazza
della Cancelleria 1, ☎ +39 0669887521. Minor Basilica - Central Sector -
Prefecture II - Parione District - 1st Town Hall.
14 S. Maria
Ausiliatrice, Piazza Santa Maria Ausiliatrice 54, ☎ +39 067827892. Minor
Basilica - East Sector - Prefecture XIX - Tuscolano Quarter - 9th Town
Hall.
15 S. Maria Regina degli Apostoli alla Montagnola
(International Marian Shrine), Via Antonino Pio 75, ☎ +39 0659602716.
Minor Basilica - South Sector - Prefecture XXIII - Ostiense District -
11th Town Hall.
16 S. Pancrazio, Piazza di San Pancrazio, 5, ☎ +39
065810458. Minor Basilica - West Sector - Prefecture XXX - Gianicolense
Quarter - 16th Town Hall.
17 S. Sebastiano fuori le Mura, Via Appia
Antica 136, ☎ +39 067887035. Minor Basilica - South Sector - Prefecture
XXII - Ardeatino Quarter - 11th Town Hall.
18 S. Teresa d'Avila,
Corso d'Italia 37, ☎ +39 0687420568. Minor Basilica - Northern Sector -
Prefecture VI - Pinciano District - 2nd Town Hall.
19 Sant'Andrea
della Valle, Piazza Vidoni, 6, ☎ +39 066861339. Minor basilica -
Subsidiary place of worship Parish of Saints Biagio and Carlo ai
Catinari - Central sector - Prefecture II - Town Hall 1st.
20
Sant'Apollinare, Piazza Sant'Apollinare 49, ☎ +39 066875211. Minor
basilica - Subsidiary place of worship Parish of Sant'Agostino in Campo
Marzio - Central sector - Prefecture II - Town Hall 1st.
21
Sant'Eustachio in Campo Marzio, Via di Sant'Eustachio 19, ☎ +39
066865334. Minor Basilica - Subsidiary place of worship Parish of
Sant'Agostino in Campo Marzio - Central Sector - Prefecture II - Town
Hall 1st.
22 Santi Benedetto e Scolastica all'Argentina (Regional
Church of the Nursini), Vicolo Sinibaldi 1, ☎ +39 066877180. Minor
Basilica - Subsidiary place of worship Parish of Santa Maria in Aquiro -
Central Sector - Prefecture I - 1st Town Hall.
The Roman catacombs were originally private cemeteries owned by the
great patrician families. However, they were also used for the burial of
the first Christians until the third century, when others were created
intended only for them. Subsequently, with the persecutions, they also
became a place of meetings, prayer and refuge before being abandoned in
the fourth century. They were usually decorated with various symbols of
Christianity and with scenes from the life of Jesus.
23 Catacombs
of Domitilla, Via delle Sette Chiese 282, ☎ +39 065110342. €8/5. Wed-Mon
9:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00. Guided tours only. Closed Tues, Easter, from
17 Dec to 13 Jan (variable winter period). Perhaps they are the largest
catacombs in Rome, a place of prayer and burial for the first Christians
of the 3rd century. They include an underground basilica, galleries and
cubicles on three levels with numerous frescoes on the walls. They
originated from the family tomb of Flavia Domitilla, granddaughter of
Vespasian.
24 Catacombs of San Sebastiano, Via Appia Antica 136, ☎
+39 06 7850350. €8/5. Mon-Sat 10:00-16:30; closed Sun, January 1st, the
whole month of December. Truly extensive, they are divided into four
levels. They were used for the burials of pagans and Christians and in
the 4th century they took this name because San Sebastiano was buried
there.
25 Catacombs of San Callisto, Via Appia Antica 110, ☎ +39
065130151. €8/5. Thu-Tue 9:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00. Guided tours only.
Closed Wed, Dec 25, Jan 1, Easter, Jan 29 to Feb 25. Very ancient
catacombs, dating back to the 2nd century and made up of different
levels with numerous tunnels for about 20 km. Of notable interest are
the crypts of Lucina, of the popes and of Santa Cecilia.
26 Catacombs
of San Pancrazio, Piazza di San Pancrazio, 5, ☎ +39 065810458, fax: +39
0658345414. Tues 09:00-12:00; Wed 9:30-12:00 and 16:30-19:00; Thu
9:30-12:00. The catacombs take their name from San Pancrazio who, after
suffering martyrdom, was buried there. They date back to the first
centuries and are spread over several levels with traces of paintings,
halls for worship and funerary crypts in one of which the more famous
Santa Sofia and her daughters are supposed to have been buried. The
finds found constitute a small museum. For visits at different times,
contact the number indicated.
Catholic churches
Rome can also be called "The City of Churches" since there are about
three hundred of them, certainly more. Some of them are mentioned here,
while others will be illustrated in their districts.
Those
interested are advised to carry out visits with small binoculars in
order to be able to admire the frescoed ceilings and domes in detail.
27 S. Luigi dei Francesi, Piazza San Luigi dei Francesi 5, ☎ +39
06688271. Built at the behest of Cardinal Giulio de' Medici, the future
Pope Clement VII, it has three valuable paintings by Caravaggio and
frescoes by Domenichino.
Churches of other religions
28 Di
Cristo, Via Messala Corvino, ☎ +39 067615055.
29 Evangelical
Assemblies of God, Via Bruzi 11, ☎ +39 06491165.
Rome is full of fountains, from the monumental to the simplest, which
document the wealth of water enjoyed by the city since the time of the
imposing baths and which, however, must not be confused with water
displays. Numerous popes commissioned great artists to make fountains in
memory of having redistributed water, with utilitarian purposes, in the
popular districts after the dark times of the Roman Middle Ages or for
purely ornamental reasons in squares. The most famous fountains are
those built in the 16th and 18th centuries by Della Porta and the
Berninis. The Water Exhibitions, on the other hand, are a sort of
monument with large niches which attest to the creation of aqueducts
from particular sources, but above all attest to their end in Rome.
Among the numerous fountains and exhibits we have:
30 Barcaccia
Fountain, Spanish Steps. Built by Pietro Bernini, father, it would have
the appearance of a boat but it is not, even if tradition has it that
Pietro wanted to reproduce a boat wrecked there due to a flood of the
Tiber.
Antique markets
The ancient Romans created the public
market as a place of business and retail. The first can be considered to
all intents and purposes the Roman Forum but there were other
"specialized" markets for each type of goods. They therefore created the
Foro Boario for livestock, the Foro Olitorio for fruit and vegetables
and the Foro Piscario for the fish trade. In the Porticus Margaritaria,
near the Via Sacra, there were goldsmith shops selling pearls and
precious stones whose traders were called margaritarii. Another lively
market was near the Arch of Septimius Severus, but Pope Sixtus IV
decided to move it to Piazza Navona. There was also the Emporium, built
by the censors M. Emilio Lepido and M. Emilio Paolo in 193 BC. and
subsequently transformed, in 174 BC, into a quay on the Tiber with large
steps and inclined planes for loading/unloading goods and of which the
remains are visible.
For its ancient history and its Renaissance, Rome is full of museums
and collections of works of art, science and technology. As already
mentioned above, in 1734, with Pope Clement XII, the first public museum
was founded, the Capitoline Museums. Since then, thanks also to the
collections donated by noble families, many have been created for every
interest, so it is possible to illustrate some of them only in the
articles of the relative districts. For those who love novelty, the
latest addition (March 2015) is the Museum of Casal de' Pazzi, a small
jewel on the Pleistocene period of Lazio, for adults and children.
Among the most famous we have: Capitoline Museums, Villa Borghese
Museum and Gallery, Colonna Gallery, Doria Pamphilj Gallery, National
Gallery of Ancient Art - Palazzo Barberini, Museum of Roman
Civilization, National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, National Roman
Museum - Palazzo Altemps and Planetarium and Astronomical Museum.
31 Villa Borghese Museum and Gallery, Piazzale del Museo Borghese 5,
☎ +39 0632810. Tue-Sun 08:30-19:30; closed Mon, Jan 1, Dec 25. Museum
with artistic exhibits ranging from the 15th to the 18th century such as
sculptures, mosaics and bas-reliefs. Paintings by great painters
including Raphael, Titian, Correggio, Antonello da Messina. For the
statuary there are masterpieces by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Antonio
Canova.
32 National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, Piazzale di
Villa Giulia 9, ☎ +39 063201951. Tue-Sun 08:30-19:15; closed Mon, 1 Jan,
1 May, 25 Dec. Splendid collection of finds from the Etruscan tombs of
Upper Lazio, including the famous "Sarcophagus of the Spouses".
33
National Roman Museum - Palazzo Altemps, Piazza di Sant'Apollinare, 46,
☎ +39 0639967700. Tue-Sun 09:00-19:45; closed Mon, 1 January, 25
December. Sixteenth-century palace full of frescoes and houses an
important collection of Greek and Roman statuary as well as other
Egyptian finds. The Ludovisi, Boncompagni, Del Drago and Mattei
collections are truly remarkable.
34 Planetarium and Astronomical
Museum, Piazza G. Agnelli 10, ☎ +39 060608. From Sep to Jun: Tue-Fri
09:00-14:00; Sat-Sun 09:00-13:30 and 14:30-19:00; from Jul to Aug:
Tue-Fri 8.30pm-11.30pm; Sat-Sun 16:30-19:00 and 20:30-23:30. Closed Mon,
1 Jan, 1 May, 25 Dec. Models and simulations of planetary movements with
projections of celestial bodies and nebulae: an interactive experience
in the universe! Currently closed for renovation.
In ancient times, squares were created for various reasons such as
popular gatherings, parties and markets. Only in the 1600s did they
acquire importance also from an aesthetic and architectural point of
view, so much so that they are still fascinating today both by day and
by night while still remaining places of intense popular life.
Campidoglio square. We owe the construction of the square to Pope Paul
III in 1536, assigning the task to Michelangelo who created it with the
unusual trapezoid shape, beautiful star-shaped pavement and the access
ramp. In the square, in addition to Palazzo dei Conservatori (right),
Palazzo Senatorio (centre), Palazzo Nuovo (left) there is also a copy of
the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, the authentic pair of Roman
statues of the Dioscuri, the statues of Constantine and Constantine II
with milestones, and the sculptures of the Trophies of Marius. In the
center of the Palazzo Senatorio, Michelangelo arranged a fountain with
the statues of Triumphant Rome (ancient Minerva) and those of the Nile
and the Tiber on the sides. Above the building the Capitoline Tower with
the Patrina Bell which rings only in rare events.
4 Piazza Navona. It
is considered to be one of the most beautiful squares, the brainchild of
various famous artists, and stands on the ancient stadium of Domitian.
It is embellished at the ends by the Fountain of Neptune (designed by
Della Porta) and by the Fontana del Moro (designed by Bernini) while in
the center, at the behest of Pope Innocent X, another masterpiece by
Bernini or the Fountain of the Rivers, built in 1651. The obelisk is of
Roman origin and was taken from the Via Appia. In the square there is
the baroque 38Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone which stands on the site of
the martyrdom and built by the Rainaldi and Borromini with the interior
rich in frescoes and gilding. In Renaissance style is the other church,
that of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. There is also Palazzo Pamphili
where Giovanni Battista Pamphili lived, the future Innocent X who liked
to embellish the square.
5 Campo de' Fiori Square. Built by Pope
Sixtus IV, it did not later have a good reputation as torture, burnings
and beheadings were carried out there. It is dominated by the dark
statue of Giordano Bruno, a heretic monk who was burned alive in the
1600s and who seems to watch the incessant movement of the popular and
well-known market. Eight other heretics are immortalized at the foot of
the statue. In the past there were numerous taverns including, in the
building on the corner of via dei Cappellari and Vicolo del Gallo, the
Hostaria della Vacca which belonged to Vannozza Caetani, the lover of
Rodrigo Borgia, the future Pope Alexander VI, to whom he gave numerous
children, including Cesare and Lucrezia. It can be recognized by the
coats of arms that decorate the building.
6 People's Square. A
spectacular masterpiece by Valadier, architect of popes Pius VI and Pius
VII, it was built in 1816 in a neo-classical style. It is one of the
largest squares in Rome and the obelisk placed in the center on four
lions is an Egyptian work from 1200 BC. The square, adorned with
allegorical statues of the seasons and fountains, has the churches of
Santa Maria in Montesanto and Santa Maria dei Miracoli on one side and
the basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo and the Porta del Popolo on the
other. This Gate opens between the Aurelian Walls and corresponds to the
ancient Porta Flaminia. Among thick vegetation, monumental terraces and
arches connect the square to the Balconata del Pincio: a timeless
panoramic view of the Eternal City among secular trees.
7 Spanish
Steps. The square formed by two triangles was the true center of Rome in
the 18th century and had in the Caffè Greco the meeting point of great
artists such as Listz, D'Annunzio and Leopardi. There is also the
Keats-Shelley House where he died there. The square takes its name from
the Palazzo di Spagna of the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See. In the
initial part there is a commemorative (Roman) column called the Column
of the Immaculate Conception erected by Pius IX which every 8 December,
with a famous ceremony, is covered with roses, by the Fire Brigade and
in the presence of the Pope. In the central area of the square there is
the Fontana della Barcaccia at the foot of the famous "Scalinata di
Trinità dei Monti". The latter, built by F. De Sanctis in 1723, is in
travertine with 12 flights for 135 steps with shelves and balconies to
allow for rest. The staircase combines baroque and tromp-l'œil creating
a soft undulating effect between stairs that widen and narrow, divide
and reunite. At the top, in 1789, Pope Pius VI placed the Sallustiano
Obelisk of Roman origin from the ancient Sallust Gardens, while the
Church of Trinità dei Monti is French property, was built in 1495 by
King Charles VIII of France and stands on the ancient villa of Lucullus.
In the wider stretch, cafes, meeting places and commercial activities
and some centuries-old palm trees.
Numerous traditional events and festivals that represent the roots of
the Roman people but also very important tourist attractions. Some
recurrences have become extinct with the oblivion of time and among the
current ones we mention:
Epiphany, Piazza Navona. From 1 Dec to 6
Jan. Appointment that has now become a Christmas "market" with an
exhibition of toys, handicrafts, sweets, books and much more. There is
also an old style carousel. The real gathering is on the night of
January 5th. The event ends on Epiphany day with the Befana distributing
sweets and coal to the children. It could be an opportunity to have a
beautiful portrait done, as an unusual souvenir.
Saint Frances of
Rome. March 9th. Gathering and blessing of cars.
Saint Joseph. March
19th. Ancient craftsmen's festival which is celebrated in the Roman
Forum (Church of San Giuseppe dei Falegnami) and in the Trionfale
district (Church of San Giuseppe al Trionfale) with a side dish of
pancakes and cream puffs.
Azaleas of the Spanish Steps, Spanish
Steps. April 16th. From 16 April and throughout the flowering time,
there is an exhibition on the elegant Staircase of selected Capitoline
azaleas, of rare species and not on the market. In fact, this ancient
variety of azalea comes from the Semenzai di San Sisto. Riot of colors
and heady scent guaranteed for about a month.
Christmas in Rome.
April 21st. The foundation of the city is celebrated on the symbolic
date of 21 April 753 BC. with solemn ceremonies including the homage to
the Unknown Soldier but above all with "signature" night lighting on the
Forums. Timeless show. The anniversary includes demonstrations, events,
free museums and the opening of the Capitoline Museums until late at
night. Numerous concerts in various squares, from military bands to that
of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia. Educational initiatives at the
Colosseum and Campidoglio. The anniversary can begin a few days earlier
(in 2015 on April 19) with the opening of the Circus Maximus, the
lighting of the fire and the representation of the Palilia. Via dei Fori
Imperiali is generally closed to traffic on the 21st and 22nd until 1am.
Times and events may change each year, consult the tourist office for
the schedule of events.
Travels in Ancient Rome, Fori Imperiali, ☎
+39 060608. From the end of April to the end of October. For the second
consecutive year, after the great success of the Forum of Augustus, as
part of the project for the revaluation of the Forums, curated by Piero
Angela and Paco Lanciano, the journey to the Forum of Caesar was
created, a show with reconstructions, and special effects of all kinds
on Ancient Rome. In 2016 the Trajan Forum will be illustrated with the
restoration of six other columns. Entrance from Via Alessandrina but for
confirmations, information, prices and timetables, consult the website.
Art Exhibition of the Hundred Painters, Via Margutta. from 30 April to 3
May (variable date). Art exhibition in the picturesque street, a meeting
place for artists since 1953. Great festival of paintings between easels
and umbrellas (to shelter the canvases from the sun).
May Day Concert
(Concertone), Piazza San Giovanni. Afternoon and evening. Musical review
with numerous Italian and foreign artists and groups. The concert starts
in the afternoon, finishes late at night and is attended by an
incredible crowd.
International Tennis (International BNL of Italy),
Via dei Gladiatori. Various. In May. Important sporting event, in its
72nd edition, with the participation of world tennis stars. Simultaneous
matches like in the Grand Slam, on a clay court.
Visit of the Seven
Churches. May 16th. Ancient Roman tradition which consists in going "on
foot", before the anniversary of the Ascension, to visit the four major
and three minor basilicas, namely San Lorenzo outside the walls, Santa
Croce in Gerusalemme, San Sebastiano all'Appia antica. The custom was
instituted by San Filippo Neri, patron saint of Rome, and should be
completed in one day (but two or more are also fine).
International
Horse Show, Piazza di Siena. From 21 May to 24. An event that combines
sport with the great tradition of this competition and the truly unique
show of the Carosello dei Carabinieri, performed in the magical
atmosphere of sunset.
Isola del Cinema, Tiber Island, ☎ +39
0658333113, segreteria@isoladelcinema.com. From June to September. Event
that takes place on the Tiber Island and is considered a cultural
festival with numerous film screenings, events, competitions and the
participation of famous people.
Vino Forum, Lungotevere Maresciallo
Diaz, info@vinoforum.it. From 12 to 21 June. Event dedicated to taste
with wine tastings combined with gourmet menus. With numerous wine
brands and national and international chefs.
Quadrennial of Rome,
Villa Carpegna, ☎ +39 069774531, fax: +39 0697745309. From June to
September. The Quadriennale di Roma is a foundation with the task of
promoting Italian contemporary art exhibitions in various venues, in
Italy and abroad. For events, visit the website.
San Giovanni (Night
of St John), Piazza di San Giovanni. June 24th. Once a very heartfelt
Roman festival that recalls the witches' sabbath gathered by the ghost
of Herodias, the one who had John the Baptist beheaded. It generally
lasts three days and ends with the papal mass in the basilica but it is
always advisable to consult the calendar of scheduled events.
Saints
Peter and Paul. June 29th. Recurrence of the martyrdom of the SS. Peter
and Paul, patron saints of the city. The former was crucified in the
Circus of Caligula (corresponding roughly to the area of St. Peter's
basilica and the square) while the latter was beheaded at the Acque
Salvie where the miracle of the Three Fountains took place. The
celebrations take place in the Basilica of San Pietro, in the Basilica
of San Paolo and end in Castel Sant'Angelo for the wonderful fireworks.
Roman summer. From June to September. The event offers a rich series of
appointments in 42 locations scattered throughout the Capitoline area.
Intended to satisfy all the most varied needs, the calendar is full of
concerts, operas, ballets, culture, wellness, crafts, theatre, cinema,
exhibitions, beer tasting and much more. Always consult the events
calendar for further details.
Feast of Noantri. July 18th.
Film
Fest, Via degli Scialoja, 3 (Inside the Auditorium Parco della Musica),
☎ +39 06 40 401 900, fax: +39 06 40 401 700, info@romacinemafest.org.
October-November. Born in 2002 with great pomp, it tries to align itself
with the most important Italian festivals of Italian cinema: Venice,
Turin and Taormina. Every autumn the Auditorium Parco della Musica in
Rome is filled with onlookers, cinema lovers, filmmakers and big screen
stars for a party that has become a point of reference for Roman life.
Romics, Via Portuense, 1645, ☎ +39 06 93956069. Spring and autumn.
International festival of comics, animation and games.
Learn Italian. In case of long stays, you could take the opportunity to learn or improve your Italian, with courses taught by native-speaking teachers.
The busiest "shopping streets" in Rome are Via del Corso, Via
Nazionale, Via Cola di Rienzo and Via Veneto. However, the most
exclusive shops are concentrated in the area between Via del Corso and
Piazza di Spagna and in particular in Via dei Condotti, Via Frattina and
Via Borgognona. However, in recent years slightly peripheral areas such
as Via Tuscolana, Via Appia Nuova, Via Tiburtina and Viale Marconi have
become a valid alternative to the decidedly too high prices of the more
well-known areas. In addition, in Rome there are numerous shopping
centers, concentrated around the city, including the most important:
1 Roma Est Shopping Center, Via Collatina, 858, 00132, Rome (Ponte
di Nona area), ☏ +39 06 22511377, fax: +39 06 22510140, info@romaest.cc.
Mon-Sun 10am-8pm. edit
2 Porta di Roma Shopping Center (Galleria
Porta di Roma), Via Alberto Lionello, 201, 00139, Rome (Zona Nomentana),
☎ +39 06 87070275. Mon-Sun 10am-8pm. The largest in Europe.
3 Parco
Leonardo Shopping Center, Via del Perugino, 20/b, 00054, Fiumicino
(Fiumicino area).
4 Euroma 2 Shopping Center (Eur Zone).
5
Cinecittà 2 Shopping Center (Cinecittà area).
Rome is also famous
for its markets, some of very ancient origins, among which we mention:
6 Campo de' Fiori market, Piazza Campo de' Fiori. Mon-Sat 07:00-14:00.
The old market stands in one of the most characteristic squares of the
city and was one of the most important until the end of the 19th
century.
7 Via Sannio market. Famous clothing market: clothes, shoes,
sporting goods and equipment. It is possible to find well-known brands
at a good price and a lot of used clothing, practically semi-new.
8
Fontanella Borghese Antiques Market, Piazza Borghese. Those who love
antiques cannot fail to go to this market.
9 Flower market, Via
Trionfale 47. Tues 10:30-13:00. This flower market, third in Italy, for
cut flowers holds the first place for ornamental plants. It is a
wholesale market but it does retail one day a week. On 5,000 square
meters you can find all kinds of plants: from exotic flowers to dwarf
palms.
Dedicated sections can be consulted in the major national newspapers
such as Corriere della Sera or Repubblica. The latter maintains special
web pages on events in the capital, "The Best in Rome".
Testaccio
and Ostiense are districts known to Roman night owls although there are
many trendy clubs scattered in the districts of the historic center
(especially Trastevere and Campo de'Fiori) and in the outer districts
(especially in the lively university district of San Lorenzo).
After a night at the disco or a walk to discover the nocturnal beauties
of the city, you may feel like a snack. In the Roman tradition, the
freshly baked croissant at dawn is a ritual and there are numerous
pastry shops that work to supply the bars when they open but which,
mercifully but certainly not free, also open their doors to night owls.
To find them, go here.
The surroundings of Via Veneto are teeming
with clubs of dubious fame. They are often offered by touts who stop on
the way to sweet life with the aim of accosting solitary male
passers-by. Taking the hook is foolish unless you want to pay an
astronomical amount for the consumption of alcohol by the girl in charge
of keeping the unfortunate people company. No sexual services are
included in the price.
Ambra Jovinelli Theatre
Quarticciolo Library Theatre
Brancaccio
Theatre
Cassia Theater
Comet Theater
Elisha Theater
Ghione
Theatre
India Theater
Manzoni Theatre
Olympic Theater
Clock
Theater
Margherita Hall Theatre
Theater of Satyrs
Sistine
Theater
Tendastrisce Theatre
Valley Theater
To access many of the establishments mentioned below, you will need
to subscribe to an annual card which will be issued to you upon
presentation of a document.
E.M.C. (Europe Multi Club) (Sauna),
Via Aureliana 40 (On a side street of via XX Settembre, via Veneto-
Porta Pia area. Closest metro stop: Repubblica, line A.). The most
famous and most popular of the gay saunas in Rome. Open 24 hours on
Sundays (Weekday hours: 13-24)
Hangar (gay cruising bar), Via in
Selci 69 (Crossroad of via Cavour. Metro B: via Cavour.). Renowned
little place set up by an American back in 1984 but still on the crest
of the wave thanks above all to its central position. Informal
environment, no dressing code required. Exhibitionists and snooties sit
continuously at the bar (two). Practical types go straight to the dark
room (small and overcrowded)
Skyline Club (gay cruising bar), Via
Pontremoli 36 (Metro: San Giovanni, line A.), ☎ +39 06 700 9431.
Middle-class and familiar atmosphere (they even play Christmas bingo)
but there's plenty of action. Before it was located in the student
district of San Lorenzo.
Leather Club. — Leather-themed evenings in
various venues listed in this same section
K Men’s Club (gay cruising
bar), Via Amato Amati 6-8 (Via Casilina corner via Acqua Bullicante. Bus
105), ☎ +39 06 217 012 68. Informal place (no code dressing) with
booths. It is a private club for which you will be asked for a non-valid
membership card for the others listed in this section. K Men's Club
comes alive especially on weekends thanks to the influx of kids from the
countryside (agro romano).
Il Diavolo Dentro (gay cruising bar),
Largo Itri 23 (Via Prenestina roughly at the crossroads with viale
Telese. Tram 5, 14, 19). Check the evening's theme on the website before
you go. A particular type of dress may be required (often undressed
code). Clients getting on in years. '
Fruits and Vegetables (After
Hour parties). Meeting place for trans Romans and their suitors. Strong,
no-nonsense action until 9am. Famous since the days of Killer Cow
parties.
Gate (gay cruising bar, bears-friendly), Via Tuscolana
378-380 (Metro A: Furio Camillo). Frequent parties without the Adam's
leaf
How to get
By plane
Rome has two airports reserved for
passenger traffic:
1 Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport (IATA:
FCO) – Rome's main airport.
2 Giovan Battista Pastine Airport (IATA:
CIA) – With less traffic, Ciampino airport is reserved for low cost
airlines. Currently there are two companies:
Ryanair - To/from
numerous European destinations, including as of August 2018
Brussels-Charleroi, Cagliari, Dublin, East Midlands, Edinburgh,
Eindhoven, Glasgow-Prestwick, Frankfurt-Hahn, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden,
Lisbon, London-Stansted, Madrid, Manchester, Paris-Beauvais, Porto,
Santander, Stockholm-Skavsta, Trieste, Valencia, Weeze;
Wizz Air -
From/to Bucharest-Otopeni, Katowice, Chisinau, Skopje and other
destinations in Romania such as Timișoara and Craiova (August 2018).
How to reach the center from Fiumicino
Taxi service active 24
hours a day with a predetermined rate established by the Municipality of
Rome for the single route, Fiumicino Airport - Rome center (inside the
Aurelian walls) or vice versa, at 48.00 Euros. The amount is inclusive
of all supplements and is intended per journey and not per person.
For destinations outside the Aurelian walls, the amount to be paid will
be indicated on the meter that is always present in the taxis that
regularly service the Municipality of Rome. There is never free
negotiation for the taxi service.
The Leonardo Express express train
service which directly connects Termini Station with the airport in 31
minutes, departing from platforms 23 and 24 of Termini Station every 30
minutes, also operating in the event of strikes.
The single journey
ticket costs 14 Euros, and can be purchased on the specific website or
at the Termini newsstand, the ticket office and the self-service ticket
machines, valid for 90 minutes after validation. At the airport, the
ticket can be purchased at the ticket office of the Fiumicino railway
terminal and at the dedicated self-service ticket machines.
FL1
ordinary trains to numerous stations in the municipality of Rome and its
surroundings, such as Trastevere, Ostiense, Tuscolana, Tiburtina, Fara
Sabina, Poggio Mirteto and Orte. Connections with line B of the Rome
underground can be made at Tiburtina and Ostiense; with a short walk it
is also possible to reach line A from the Tuscolana station.
The
journey time of the FL1 is not necessarily longer than the Leonardo
Express (about 30 minutes for the Trastevere and Ostiense stations), but
the ticket costs 8 Euros for a single journey.
Again with a ticket
for a total of 8 euros, in addition to the FL1, it is possible to take
another train in the metropolitan area of Rome (for example, with a
ticket from Fiumicino to Rome San Pietro, also for 8 euros, you can take
the FL1 to Roma Trastevere, then either the FL3 or the FL5 to San
Pietro).
Terravision Shuttle Bus with destination Termini FS station,
runs 7 times a day with an expected journey of 70 minutes (variable
depending on traffic). The cost is 9 Euros for a single journey, 15
Euros for a return journey.
Sit Bus Shuttle runs frequently for €6 to
and from Rome Termini.
Ordinary buses to various destinations. They
leave from the ground floor, near the arrivals of terminals B and C.
Tickets can be purchased in the tobacconists of the airport. Journey
times and timetables vary according to the destination.
How to
reach the center from Ciampino
By taxi, service active 24h/24, with a
predetermined rate established by the Municipality of Rome for the
single route, Ciampino Airport - Rome Center (inside the Aurelian walls)
or vice versa, in Euro 30.00. The amount is all-inclusive of all
supplements and is intended per journey and not per person.
For
destinations outside the Aurelian Walls, the amount to be paid will be
indicated on the meter always present in the taxis that regularly
service the Municipality of Rome. There is never free negotiation for
the taxi service.
By bus of the public service COTRAL and Schiaffini
Travel. The latter company ensures two connections with the centre. One
is directed to the Ciampino railway station in coincidence with trains
going to Termini, the other to the metro terminus of line "A"
(Anagnina).
At about 300 meters from Ciampino airport (Via
dell'Aeroscalo) the ATAC 720 bus stops, useful for reaching the
Laurentina metro station, at EUR, and then eventually taking the metro
B. Note that the 720 does not run on public holidays.
Car rental
at the airports
From the airports of Rome Ciampino and Rome Fiumicino
it is possible to rent a car with the major national and international
car rental companies. It is worth visiting the websites of the
individual agencies present at the airport to check whether you can save
money on car rental.
On the train
Rome's main railway station
is Termini, in the Esquilino area. It is also the interchange station
for lines A and B of the underground. The other two important stations
are: Ostiense station, in the Piramide area located in southern Rome,
and Tiburtina station, located in southeastern Rome, both connected to
the underground line B. Rome is served by the high-speed trains of Italo
and Trenitalia, coming from Florence to the north and Naples to the
south. Using the railway operators indicated, it is possible to reach
Rome without changing trains starting from Milan, Venice, Padua,
Ferrara, Bologna, Florence S.M.N. and Naples.
By bus
The most
important bus terminal in Rome is the Tibus bus station which is just
ahead of the square of the Tiburtina station. Tibus-Roma Tiburtina is a
terminal for long and medium-distance buses, both for Italy and abroad.
On boat
Civitavecchia is the commercial and passenger port of
Rome.
Public transport
ATAC is the company in charge of urban transport,
which is joined to Cotral and Trenitalia in the Metrebus consortium. It
allows the same travel tickets to be used within the territory of Rome
to simplify urban transport.
Page with useful information and line
expectations in real time, of Rome mobility services
Search route
with public transport in real time, Rome's mobility services
Subway
Rome has three subway lines, indicated by the M symbol:
M Line A: Battistini ↔ Anagnina. Distinguished by the orange color,
it crosses the city in a southeast-northwest direction connecting the
Vatican to Termini station up to the Cinecittà districts.
Pass
through areas of tourist interest such as Piazza Barberini and Piazza
della Repubblica. Ottaviano station is the closest to the Vatican
Museums while Spagna has two exits: one on the homonymous square, the
other (through a long pedestrian tunnel) near Porta Pinciana, one of the
access points to Villa Borghese.
M Line B: Rebibbia ↔ Laurentina.
Distinguished by the blue colour, it includes the B1 Jonio - Laurentina
branch (the last shared station is Bologna). It crosses the city in a
southwest-east/northeast direction, connecting the university districts
of Sapienza and the Tiburtina railway station to the EUR district.
Among the stops of tourist interest, the Colosseum and Circus Maximus
are worth mentioning; the first arrives exactly in front of the
Colosseum, the ideal starting point for a walk through the monumental
area of the city, from the Forum to the Altare della Patria and the
Campidoglio (or to the Tiber Island). The second one is located in the
immediate vicinity of the Baths of Caracalla.
Piramide station is
located in front of the Pyramid of Cestius and the Non-Catholic Cemetery
of Rome.
M Line C: San Giovanni ↔ Montecompatri-Pantano.
Distinguished by the green color, it serves the eastern area of the city
and connects the center to numerous districts such as Centocelle, Torre
Angela, Borghesiana, etc.
The extension to the Colosseum is under
construction, creating a new interchange with line B. The completion of
the works is scheduled for 2022.
The runs start every day at 5:30
and end at 23:30 with the departure of the trains from each terminus;
every Friday and Saturday the timetable of lines A and B is extended to
1:30 the following morning. The first ride from/to Jonio is a few
minutes later than the indicated times and, vice versa, the last
departure from/to Jonio is a few minutes earlier. Consult the ATAC
website for more information.
Trenitalia suburban railways
In
the Rome area there are 8 suburban railway lines that connect the
capital with the rest of Lazio:
FL1: Fiumicino Airport - Roma
Tiburtina - Orte
FL2: Rome Tiburtina - Tivoli
FL3: Viterbo - Rome
Ostiense - Rome Tiburtina
FL4: Rome Termini - Frascati / Albano
Laziale / Velletri
FL5: Rome Termini - Civitavecchia
FL6: Rome
Termini - Frosinone - Cassino
FL7: Rome Termini - Formia
FL8: Rome
Termini - Neptune
ATAC suburban railways
There are three
railways belonging to the Lazio Region but managed by ATAC (hence the
name granted railways used to indicate them):
Rome-Lido: Porta San
Paolo - Christopher Columbus
Rome-Viterbo: Flaminio - Viterbo
Rome-Giardinetti: Termini Laziali - Centocelle (the section from
Centocelle to Giardinetti was suspended in August 2015)
Trams and
trolleybuses
The surface lines are managed by ATAC.
2: Piazza A.
Mancini ↔ Piazzale Flaminio
3: Valle Giulia ↔ Trastevere Station
5: Termini Station ↔ Piazza dei Gerani
8: Piazza Venezia ↔ Via del
Casaletto
14: Termini Station ↔ Viale Palmiro Togliatti
19: Piazza
Risorgimento ↔ Piazza dei Gerani
Trolleybus 60: Piazza Venezia ↔
Largo Pugliese
Trolleybus 90: Termini Station ↔ Largo F. Labia
Metrebus fares
Below are the fares of the main tickets for the
Roman transport system, updated to August 2015:
BIT (Integrated
Time Ticket) – It costs €1.50 and is valid for 100 minutes for an
unlimited number of journeys by bus, tram and a single journey by metro
or train in the Municipality of Rome.
ROME 24H – It costs €7 and is
valid for 24 hours from the first validation for an unlimited number of
journeys within the Municipality of Rome.
ROME 48H – It costs €12.50
and is valid for 48 hours from the first validation for an unlimited
number of trips within the Municipality of Rome.
ROME 72H – It costs
€18 and is valid for 72 hours from the first validation for an unlimited
number of trips within the Municipality of Rome.
CIS (Weekly
Integrated Card) – It costs €24 and is valid for 7 days from the first
validation until midnight of the seventh day, for an unlimited number of
journeys within the Municipality of Rome.
By bike
The use of
the bicycle in the city of Rome is the ideal solution if used as a means
of transport, fast, economical and ecological, plus it is good for
health. Various Bicibuses have already been created by the
Salvaiciclisti group of Rome which bring together cyclists who make
similar itineraries and in these Bicibuses safety has increased
considerably. Furthermore, Piazza San Silvestro, now become Bike Square,
the first in Italy, where cyclists meet in the late afternoon on
Thursdays and Saturdays. For those wishing to visit the city by bicycle,
keep in mind that it is built on hills with no shortage of ups and downs
and intense traffic.
It is also possible to rent high-end
bicycles or take a guided bicycle tour. For example:
Rome StarBike
e-Bike Tours & Experiences, Via Capo d'Africa, 29, D, 00184 Rome - Tel:
+39 06 45430118 - Email: info@romastarbike.it
TopBike Rental & Tours,
via Labicana 49, tel: 06 4882893, email: info@topbikerental.com
Segways
It is possible to move around the historic center of Rome by
renting a segway, an ecological vehicle that allows you to move quickly
and has free access to all the narrow streets of the centre. Segway
riders are considered pedestrians to all intents and purposes, so they
can travel on sidewalks. Some of the main places where you can rent
Segways are:
Rome on Segway, via Labicana 94, tel: 06 97602723, 39
3486121355
Rex-Tours and Rent, Via dei Balestrari 33, tel: 06
87690040
Ecogo Segway, Piazzale Ammiraglio Bergamini 10, tel: 39
3409345441
Furthermore, it is possible to book segway tours in
Rome also online, through tour operators who offer thematic packages.
Some of the main ones are:
Rome by Segway
Italy by Segway
ItalyXP
Scooter rental
Biga Bike Rental & Tour Via Pellegrino
Matteucci n.136 Ostiense station tel: 06.57.41.053. Scooter and bicycle
rental, tours with expert guides, delivery and collection of scooters
and bicycles at the clients' hotel. For information and reservations
+39.342.87.11.336
In Rome it is possible to eat in any way and at any price. From
restaurants and trattorias that serve regular meals to pizzerias,
rotisseries and cafeterias where you can also eat standing up but in any
case the price is related to the service.
Roman cuisine is
varied, well seasoned and rather spicy and for those who are not used to
it, it may remain difficult to digest. It is therefore advisable to ask
for detailed explanations when ordering something.
There are
several specialties including:
appetizers: mixed cold cuts, fried
vegetables with batter, olives and bruschetta, provatura crostini and
anchovies, pandorato, panzerotti alla romana, white pizza, supplì;
first courses: egg fettuccine with meat sauce, potato and semolina
gnocchi, tagliatelle alla articiofara, bucatini all'amatriciana,
tonnarello cheese and pepper rigatoni with straw, rice rice balls,
polenta alla spienatora, pasta and chickpeas, stracciatella, spaghetti
alla carbonara, alla gricia and in many other ways;
main courses:
roast lamb rigorously with potatoes, porchetta, Roman saltimbocca, beans
with pork rinds, oxtail, tripe, scottadito cutlets, fried cod, Jewish
and Roman-style artichokes, all kinds of omelettes;
desserts:
castagnole, frappe, pangiallo, panpepato, Easter pizzas, donuts with "li
Castelli" wine, cream puffs (typical of San Giuseppe), mostaccioli,
ricotta pizza and trifle (which is not English but probably Roman
origin);
DOC wines: Est Est Est, Frascati among the whites; Velletri,
Cesanese di Olevano Romano among the reds; Sangiovese among the rosés.
The grattachecca is not a slush but snow ice (strictly scratched by
hand), with colored syrups and pieces of fruit. It can be found in the
kiosks among which the oldest and most famous is La Fonte d'Oro and thus
refresh yourself between one tourist stop and another.
ice cream
shops
Going out to get ice cream is part of the daily life of the
Romans and is always and strictly the "melted" one. Each district offers
a vast choice of high quality and each citizen has his own preferences
so strong and deeply rooted that they border on the religious. One sure
thing is that you will rarely leave an ice cream parlor disappointed.
The peculiarity of this city is the cream: once you have chosen the
flavors and type of ice cream, whether cone or cup, you are always asked
if you want cream, strictly free. It is usually added above, but some
ask for it below or both below and above. If someone refuses nothing
happens, but surely he is not a Roman. In summer it is quite normal to
eat two/three ice creams a day, alternating them with coffee.
Modest prices
1 Martini Bed, via dei Fulvi, 67 (Metro A Porta
Furba Quadraro), ☎ +39 0683088202, info@martinibed.com. Check-in: 10am,
check-out: 11am. Eco & bike friendly guesthouse. Double, twin, triple,
quadruple and quintuple room all with wifi, air conditioning, safe,
private internal or external bathroom and shared use of the kitchen.
Single room with shared bathroom. 24-hour self-service breakfast
included. Discounted parking. Affiliated bike rental.
Average
prices
2 Abitart Art Hotel, Via P. Matteucci, 10/20, ☎ +39 064543191,
fax: +39 06454319899, info@abitarthotel.com. from 80 €. Thematic rooms
and design suites inspired by 20th century artists, contemporary art
exhibitions, wi-fi, meeting rooms and corporate conventions for business
trips, internal restaurant with music and DJ set, breakfast included.
3 Hotel Madrid, Via Mario de Fiori, 93-95 (near the Spanish Steps), ☎
+39 06 6991510, fax: +39 06 6791653, info@hotelmadridroma.com. 3-star
hotel with a terrace overlooking the rooftops where breakfast is served,
a babysitting service, laundry and ironing.
4 Hotel Flavia, Via
Flavia, 40, ☎ +39 06 488 3037.
5 Hotel Relais Bocca di Leone, Via
Bocca di Leone, 36, ☎ +39 06 69190994.
6 Hotel Residenza KI, Via
Rasella 53, ☎ +39 064 201 4488.
7 Hotel King Suite Rooms Rome, Via
Francesco Crispi 10, ☎ +39 064 566 5169.
8 BQ House Trevi - Luxury
Rooms, Vicolo Scavolino 61, ☎ +39 06 42014488.
High prices
9
Hotel NH Giustiniano, Via Virgilio, 1 E/F/G (In the Prati district, 500
meters from the Lepanto metro stop), ☎ +39 06 68281601,
nhleonardodavinci@nh-hotels.com. from.
10 Hotel Stendhal, via del
Tritone 113 (near the Spanish Steps), ☏ +39 06422921,
info@hotelstendhal.com. Elegant 4-star hotel.
Violence against tourists is quite rare, much less scams. However,
avoid the extreme suburban areas. Beware of pickpockets downtown,
especially in tourist spots like the Colosseum and Trevi Fountain, as
well as on buses and subways. If you keep your valuables in a backpack,
make sure you carry it across the front rather than over your shoulders.
Useful numbers
Municipal Police, ☎ +39 0667691.
Traffic
Police, ☎ +39 0622101.
Railway Police, ☎ +39 064620341.
Emergency Medical Service, ☎ +39 06570600.
CCISS traffic and road
information, ☎ 1518.
For the large crowd of tourists it can happen
that a child gets lost, the number for reporting missing children is 116
000.
Hospitals
Policlinico Umberto I, Viale del Policlinico,
155 (Quartiere Nomentano),
urp@policlinicoumberto1.it.
Telephony
Almost all telephone operators cover the entire
territory of Rome, with 3G and 4G lines. Rome is also one of the first
centers in Italy enabled for data transmission in 4.5G (LTE+) by the
operator TIM. A large part of the urban area is covered by fiber optic
connections, and some areas are also served by FTTH (up to 1 Gbps).
Internet
Starting from June 2017, the major cellular operators
have removed roaming charges between the countries of the European
Union, so in many cases in Rome it is possible to call and navigate from
your mobile phone as if you were in your home country. However, it is
advisable to inquire with your telephone operator.
However, it is
advisable to request information on the Wi-Fi connection from the
managers of the facility where you will be staying.
The
Municipality has joined the national FreeItaliaWifi network.
Ancient age
The foundation between legend and history
According
to tradition, founded by Romulus on 21 April 753 BC, Rome was governed
for a period of 244 years by a monarchical system, with sovereigns
initially of Latin and Sabine origin, and later of Etruscan origin.
Rome, therefore, historically was born from the cultural syncretism of
the peoples of Lazio.
Furthermore, the legend of Romulus and
Remus links the birth of the city to that of the Mediterranean peoples:
Rea Silvia would have generated them with the god of war, Mars. However,
these, in danger of life because dangerous heirs to the throne, were
left in the waters of the Tiber (Tiber) in a basket. She picked them up
a she-wolf and nursed them. For others, this she-wolf was a shepherd's
wife, called Acca Laurentia. When the brothers grew up, they decided to
fulfill the rite of founding the city. Romulus on the Campidoglio, Remo
on the Aventine would have counted the passing birds. Whoever saw the
most would be chosen to found a new great city and become its king.
Romulus won, Remus - not accepting the divine verdict - dared to climb
over the pomerium - the sacred furrow traces as a border - and his
brother killed him.
monarchical Rome
Tradition hands down
seven kings: Romulus himself, Numa Pompilius, Tullo Hostilius, Anco
Marzio, Tarquinio Prisco, Servio Tullio and Tarquinio il Superbus.
Romulus at his death was deified as a god and assumed the name of
Quirinus. Since then the Romans were also called Quiriti.
Republican Rome
After the last Etruscan king was expelled from the
city and an oligarchic republic was established in 509 BC, a period
began for Rome marked by internal struggles between patricians and
plebeians and by continuous wars against the other Italic populations:
Etruscans, Capenati, Falisci, Latins, Volsci , It's here. Having become
mistress of Lazio, Rome waged various wars (against the Gauls,
Osco-Samnites and the Greek colony of Taranto, allied with Pyrrhus, king
of Epirus) which allowed it to conquer the Italian peninsula, from the
central area to Magna Graecia.
The 3rd and 2nd century BC were
characterized by the Roman conquest of the Mediterranean and the East,
due to the three Punic Wars (264-146 BC) fought against the city of
Carthage and the three Macedonian Wars (212-168 BC) against Macedonia.
The first Roman provinces were established: Sicily, Sardinia and
Corsica, Spain, Macedonia, Greece (Acaia), Africa.
In the second
half of the II century and in the I century BC. there were numerous
revolts, conspiracies, civil wars and dictatorships: these are the
centuries of Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, of Jugurtha, of Quintus
Lutatius Catulus, of Gaius Marius, of Lucio Cornelio Silla, of Marco
Emilio Lepidus, of Spartacus, of Gneo Pompeo, of Marco Licinio Crassus,
of Lucio Sergio Catilina, of Marco Tullio Cicero, of Gaius Giulio Cesare
and of Ottaviano, who, after being a member of the second triumvirate
together with Marco Antonio and Lepidus, in 27 BC. he became princeps
civitatis and was given the title of Augustus.
The empire of Rome
Once the Empire was established de facto, which experienced its maximum
expansion in the 2nd century, under the emperor Trajan, Rome confirmed
itself as caput mundi, i.e. capital of the world, an expression that had
already been attributed to it in the republican period. The territory of
the empire, in fact, ranged from the Atlantic Ocean to the Persian Gulf,
from the central-southern part of Britain to Egypt.
The first
centuries of the empire, in which, in addition to Octavian Augustus, the
emperors of the Julius-Claudian dynasties ruled, Flavia (to whom we owe
the construction of the amphitheater of the same name, known as the
Colosseum) and the Antonines, were also characterized by the diffusion
of the Christian religion, preached in Judea by Jesus Christ in the
first half of the 1st century (under Tiberius) and disseminated by his
apostles throughout most of the empire.
The crisis of the third
century
In the third century, at the end of the Severan dynasty, the
crisis of the principality began, which was followed by a period of
military anarchy. When Diocletian came to power (284), the situation in
Rome was serious: the barbarians had been pressing from the borders for
decades, the provinces were governed by corrupt men. To better manage
the empire, Diocletian divided it into two parts: he became Augustus of
the eastern part (with residence in Nicomedia) and appointed Valerius
Maximian Augustus of the western part, moving the imperial residence to
Mediolanum. The empire was further subdivided with the creation of the
tetrarchy: the two Augusti, in fact, had to nominate two Caesars, to
whom they entrusted part of the territory and who would later become the
new emperors.
A decisive turning point came with Constantine I, who, following
numerous internal struggles, centralized power again and, with the Edict
of Milan of 313, gave freedom of worship to Christians, committing
himself to give stability to the new religion. He had several basilicas
built, handed over civil power over Rome to Pope Sylvester I and founded
the new capital, Constantinople, in the eastern part of the empire.
Christianity became the official religion of the empire thanks to an
edict issued in 380 by Theodosius, who was the last emperor of a unified
empire: on his death, in fact, his sons, Arcadius and Honorius, divided
the empire . The capital of the Western Roman Empire became Ravenna.
Rome, which no longer held a central role in the administration of
the empire, was sacked by the Visigoths commanded by Alaric (410);
embellished again by the construction of sacred buildings by the popes
(with the collaboration of the emperors), the city was sacked again in
455 by Genseric, king of the Vandals. The reconstruction of Rome was
supervised by the popes Leo I (defensor Urbis for having convinced
Attila, in 452, not to attack Rome) and by his successor Ilario, but in
472 the city was sacked for the third time in a few decades (by Ricimer
and Anicius Olybrius).
The deposition of Romulus Augustus on 22
August 476 decreed the end of the Western Roman Empire and, for
historians, the beginning of the Middle Ages.
Medieval age
Rome between Goths and Byzantines
With the end of the Western Roman
Empire, a period marked by the barbarian presence in Italy began for
Rome and, above all, by the affirmation of the Church (headed by the
Pope), which replaced the empire and built the bridge that would unite
antiquity to the new world.
Numerous struggles in the city and in
Europe did not allow the establishment of a constant political structure
in Rome, which thus passed through various forms of government: it was
first dominated by the Goths, then by the Byzantines. In this period the
existence of a Roman duchy is attested, which roughly corresponded to
the city and the surrounding area.
Capital of the Papal State
In 756, after definitively defeating the Lombard king Astolfo, Pepin the
Short, king of the Franks, donated the conquered lands to Pope Stephen
II, sanctioning the birth of the Patrimonium Sancti Petri, the Papal
State, of which Rome became the capital.
On Christmas night in
the 1800s, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor in the ancient
basilica of San Pietro in the Vatican, thus establishing the Carolingian
Empire/Holy Roman Empire: Rome was not its capital (located in Aachen),
but served as religious center of the new theocratic state.
Around the middle of the 9th century, Pope Leo IV, after the Saracen
incursion of 846, had the Civitas Leonina fortified (corresponding
roughly to the Vatican City), confirming the political power assumed by
the popes, who were protected by noble families. Even the latter
fortified their residences, to the point of making them real castles: it
is the period between 1100 and 1200, a period in which Rome established
relations with the municipalities located in its vicinity.
In
this period of time the great aristocratic families displayed their
power with the construction of tall tower-houses and sumptuous palaces:
the Crescenzi, the Annibaldi, the Frangipane are among the most
influential in the city.
Around the middle of the 12th century,
the Roman citizens established the Consular Commune (which settled on
the Campidoglio), rival of the papal authority and the autonomy of the
nobles; in this period Rome was equipped with new and efficient defense
systems.
Furthermore, the medieval era was characterized by the
struggles between the pro-papal and pro-imperial noble families, which
held back the development of the central area of the city until the 16th
century.
Rome, the political center of the world and symbol of
the Christian religion, was confirmed as a papal city and of power when
Boniface VIII, in 1300, proclaimed the first Jubilee (an event that
brought about two million pilgrims to the city); the same Pope, three
years later, founded the Studium Urbis.
But when Pope Clement V
withdrew to Avignon in 1309, Rome was governed by noble families in
constant mutual struggle: the city underwent an involution, and in the
fifteenth century it had just 20,000 inhabitants.
The radical
change in medieval Rome was initiated by Pope Nicholas V, who decided to
build the new center of Rome from scratch, the center of the Christian
faith, different from the pagan center of ancient Rome. He moved from
the Lateran and conceived the idea of building the new St. Peter's
basilica: from that moment, for about four centuries, Rome was under the
complete dominion of the popes.
Following the Lutheran reform (1517) and the sack of Rome by the
Landsknechts of Emperor Charles V in 1527, the city became the fulcrum
of the Counter-Reformation initiated by the Council of Trent centered on
papal absolutism, although from that period the figure of the Pope
ceased to substantially influence European politics.
The Baroque
age was characterized by a great urban renewal of the city, both by the
nobles and powerful cardinal families, who built new residences in the
center and on the hills, and by the popes. The real architect of the
great work of architectural, cultural and economic modernization of the
city was Pope Sixtus V, pontiff for only five years (1585-1590). In 1626
the new basilica of San Pietro was inaugurated in the Vatican, emblem of
papal dominion.
Among the artists who best embodied this period,
there were Caravaggio in painting and Bernini and Borromini in
sculpture, from whose rivalry the city drew several popular stories.
Papal absolutism was interrupted only when the upheavals created by
the French Revolution led to the proclamation of the first Roman
Republic on February 15, 1798 and the deposition of Pope Pius VI.
The new form of government lasted just a year, but with the advent
of Napoleon Bonaparte, Rome became part of the First French Empire
(1808), with an important symbolic role, so much so as to establish the
title of King of Rome for his heir. Napoleon himself commissioned the
artist Antonio Canova to renovate the city; on his orders, moreover,
archaeological excavations began (especially at the Roman Forum) led by
the French Quatremère de Quincy.
During the French period, there
were numerous Napoleonic plunders of works of art in Rome.
At the
conclusion of the Napoleonic era, despite a fleeting occupation by
Joachim Murat in November 1813, Pope Pius VII returned to Rome in 1814,
restoring papal temporal power as sanctioned by the Congress of Vienna.
In Rome, on February 2, 1836, Napoleon Bonaparte's mother, Maria
Letizia Ramolino, died in the palace in Piazza Venezia that still today
takes her name, Palazzo Bonaparte.
«Rome is the only city in Italy that does not have exclusively
municipal memories; the whole history of Rome, from the time of the
Caesars to the present day, is the history of a city whose importance
extends infinitely beyond its territory; of a city, that is, destined to
be the capital of a large state.
(Cavour, Speech to the Parliament of
Turin, 25 March 1861)
The Restoration of the temporal power of the popes lasted a few
decades, suffering the effects of the Italian Risorgimento.
Following the uprisings of 1848, after the escape of Pope Pius IX to the
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the Second Roman Republic was established
in 1849, governed by the triumvirate of Carlo Armellini, Giuseppe
Mazzini and Aurelio Saffi. Old and young patriots from all over Italy
participated in the Roman Republic of Mazzini, including Goffredo
Mameli, Felice Orsini, Luigi Zuppetta, Enrico Dandolo, Luciano Manara,
Emilio Morosini.
A strongly symbolic figure is that of
Ciceruacchio, born Angelo Brunetti, a popular leader loyal to the Pope
and to Catholicism who, following the betrayed promises of reforms and
freedom, was able to unite the Roman people and the patriots in
resisting the reactionaries.
It lasted only a few months, despite
the defense led by Giuseppe Garibaldi on the Gianicolo, due to the
intervention of the French army of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte commanded by
General Oudinot. Bonaparte needed the political support of French
Catholics and so he decided to put an end to an experience which, in
fact, albeit with many differences, referred to the French revolution
itself.
In this period the talking statues of Rome were very
active (Madama Letizia, Marforio, Abbot Luigi, the Baboon), which for
centuries had criticized, commented, mocked Popes, nobles, emperors and
the deeds and misdeeds of the city and the world.
The most
famous, the statue of Pasquino, a bust - perhaps of the Greek hero
Menelaus - found during the construction of Palazzo Braschi, mocked with
famous verses called "pasquinate".
In 1861, following the unification of Italy sealed by Cavour,
pressure began from the first king of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II
against Pius IX, who was repeatedly invited to leave his temporal
dominion. The various attempts (including Garibaldi himself, stopped in
Mentana) to forcibly annex the city of Rome to the Kingdom of Italy were
also in vain, and the situation remained unchanged until the fall of
Napoleon III in 1870.
On 20 September the Bersaglieri commanded
by General Raffaele Cadorna opened a breach in the circle of walls, near
Porta Pia, and entered Rome. Pius IX shut himself up in the Vatican
palaces declaring himself a political prisoner, although with the law of
guarantees he had been guaranteed sovereign prerogatives. Rome, through
the plebiscite of 2 October, was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy, of
which it became the capital on 3 February 1871.
The first decades
of the new capital saw a great building ferment, with the construction
of a large part of the area enclosed within the walls to the detriment
of the large pre-existing villas, such as Villa Ludovisi, both for
public buildings and ministries, and for new residential districts. The
urban expansion occurred in parallel with the influx of many new
inhabitants, which exceeded half a million at the beginning of the 20th
century, but it was also the cause of the financial scandal of the Banca
Romana.
After the First World War, the city found itself in a climate of
unrest and political uncertainty which, in 1922, favored the rise to
power of Benito Mussolini (October 28, the march on Rome). During the
Fascist period, Rome was at the center of a drastic urban revolution
desired and implemented by Mussolini himself: the Duce had several
medieval and Renaissance buildings demolished to allow the opening of
some large roads (via dei Fori Imperiali, via del Teatro di Marcello and
via della Conciliazione) and the isolation of ancient monuments
(Mausoleum of Augustus, Campidoglio, Colosseum). Furthermore, new
neighborhoods (including the suburbs) and new structures were born, such
as the EUR (built for the Universal Exposition of Rome in 1942, but
never inaugurated due to the outbreak of war), the garden city Aniene,
that is, the current district of Monte Sacro, the university city, the
Mussolini forum and the Cinecittà studios. With the signing of the
Lateran Pacts on 11 February 1929, the new independent state of the
Vatican City was established, with jurisdiction over the homonymous hill
and other extraterritorial properties.
In 1940 Italy entered the
Second World War, which did not directly involve Rome until, following
the unfavorable trend for the Axis, on 19 July 1943 it was subject to a
heavy bombardment by allied air forces which caused the death of over
3000 people in the San Lorenzo, Tiburtino, Prenestino, Casilino,
Labicano, Tuscolano and Nomentano districts.
After Mussolini's
arrest on 25 July and the armistice on 8 September, Rome was occupied by
the Nazis, despite the attempted defense at Porta San Paolo and
Montagnola and although it had been declared an open city. During the
nine months of occupation, the city was the scene of the deportation of
Roman Jews on 16 October 1943, of attacks on the Wehrmacht by the Roman
resistance such as the one that occurred in via Rasella, and of
massacres by the Nazis such as at the Fosse Ardeatine, to then be
finally liberated by the Allies on 4 June 1944.
After the war, Rome, following the referendum of 2 and 3 June 1946,
became the capital of the newborn Italian Republic. In the fifties and
sixties the city developed urbanistically and demographically and,
starting from the Jubilee of 1950, it became one of the most
sought-after tourist destinations, transforming itself, in a short time,
into one of the world capitals of entertainment and cinema, thanks to
the numerous films established filmmakers.
The fifties and
sixties are remembered as the period of the sweet life, narrated by
Federico Fellini in the homonymous film. Rome, which has become one of
the international capitals of cinema, is frequented by the most
important personalities of the international jet set, who meet in the
clubs in via Veneto. In the same period it becomes one of the centers of
Italian high fashion, with the opening of the boutiques of the big names
on Via dei Condotti, via Borgognona and via Frattina.
In this
period, the city expanded rapidly: new neighborhoods were built and the
peripheral areas, until then in the open countryside, were urbanized.
The new Termini station was built and new infrastructures were built
(including the first section of the underground network and the Grande
Raccordo Anulare) and the sports facilities for the Olympic Games that
Rome hosted in 1960. Furthermore, on 25 March 1957, the Rome the two
treaties which established the European economic community and the
European atomic energy community; from 1962 to 1965, the Second Vatican
Council took place in St. Peter's Basilica.
Today Rome, the most
populous and largest city in Italy, serves as the center of national
political life and the center of the Catholic religion; also by virtue
of its importance as the capital of the state, it has been endowed with
a particular administrative system which has supplanted the previous
municipality and has been called Roma Capitale.
Furthermore, with
the suppression of the province of Rome, the metropolitan city was
established, which although it maintains a certain administrative
autonomy with respect to the special municipality, is governed by the
mayor of the city.
There are truly numerous excursions from Rome and there are some for
every interest.
The Castelli Romani, already inhabited in ancient
times, are of important tourist interest since the nobles and popes
built their residences there, thus populating the area with sumptuous
villas and magical gardens around which picturesque residential areas
developed, including:
Albano Laziale: remains of the Porta
Pretoria, church of Santa Maria della Rotonda, swimming pool called
Cisternone, Tomb of the Horatii and Curiazi, Archaeological Museum,
remains of the Roman Amphitheater, lake of Albano.
Ariccia: Palazzo
Chigi, church of Santa Maria dell'Assunzione. Events: Porchetta festival
in July.
Castel Gandolfo: Piazza del Plebiscito with Bernini's
fountain, church of San Tommaso, papal palace (summer seat of the pope),
Villa Barberini (Vatican Observatory). Excursion: walk to Lake Albano.
Frascati: Villa Aldobrandini, Villa Falconieri, Villa Mondragone, Piazza
Marconi, Piazza San Pietro with the cathedral. Excursion: ruins of
Tusculum. To buy: the typical wine.
Genzano di Roma: Nemorense
Museum, panoramic point from Piazza Frasconi, Palazzo Sforza-Cesarini.
Events: Infiorata with procession to Corpus Domini.
Grottaferrata:
Abbey, Catacombs Ad Decimum.
Marino: Palazzo Colonna, church of San
Barnaba. Events: Grape festival (famous white wine of the castles).
Mount Compatri
Monte Porzio Catone: with the splendid residence of
Palazzo Borghese.
Nemi: Palazzo Ruspoli, Museum of Roman Ships.
Rocca di Papa: church of the Assunta. Excursion: Monte Cavo
Rocca
Priora: Excursion to the Castelli Romani Regional Park. Events: Porcini
mushroom festival
Towards the Tiburtini Mountains we have places
rich in spas and holiday resorts with both historical and artistic
characteristics such as:
Palestrina: 12th century Cathedral, remains
of the ancient Temple of Fortuna Primigenia, Prenestino Archaeological
Museum, the Antro delle Sorti. To buy: handicraft embroidery. Excursion:
Castel San Pietro Romano.
Subiaco: Monastery of Santa Scolastica,
Monastery of San Benedetto or Sacro Speco, ruins of the Villa of Nero,
church of San Francesco. To buy: handicrafts of copper, ceramics and
wrought iron. Excursion: Monte Livata (ski resort).
Tivoli: Villa
d'Este with its stupendous garden, Villa Gregoriana with the Aniene
waterfalls, church of Santa Maria Maggiore, cathedral, Rocca Pia, Roman
temple of Vesta, Temple of the Sibilla, Terme delle Acque Albule, Villa
Adriana with its monumental complex of Roman buildings. To buy: copper
crafts.
Other interesting destinations are the Monti della Tolfa
and Lake Bracciano. Taking the Via Aurelia you can reach places of great
archaeological-Etruscan importance and seaside resorts. Among them we
mention:
Pompeii - ancient Roman
city destoyed during eruption
Allumiere: Palazzo Camerale,
Antiquarium, Natural History Museum.
Bracciano: Orsini-Odescalchi
Castle, Historical Museum of the Air Force.
Cerveteri: famous for the
Etruscan necropolis with tombs of great historical importance, the
Cerite National Museum, Palazzo Ruspoli and Etruscan and medieval walls.
Events: Art and crafts exhibition, the Via Crucis and the Grape
Festival.
Civitavecchia: Fortilizio Michelangelo, National
Archaeological Museum, remains of the Roman port with the Trajan's
Markets reopened with the Terminal del Gusto di Campagna antica.
Isola Farnese: medieval castle.
Monterano: the mystery of an
abandoned town.
Monti della Tolfa: with ancient alum quarries and
extensive woods.
Ladispoli: seaside resort. Event: Artichoke Festival
in April.
Palo: present an ancient Roman villa rich in mosaics and
the Odescalchi Castle.
Santa Marinella: Odescalchi Castle and
renowned seaside resort.
Santa Severa: Medieval castle and remains of
ancient Pyrgi. Excursion: Macchiatonda nature reserve.
Terme Taurine:
remains of ancient Roman baths.
Terme di Stigliano: thermal baths
with iodine-salt and sulphurous waters.
Trevignano Romano: Church of
the Assunta, Church of Santa Caterina, Town Halls, Clock Tower.
Tolfa: Etruscan-Roman museum, panoramic point from the Belvedere of the
Rocca di Frangipani. To buy: handicrafts with leather goods.
Veio:
remains of the ancient Etruscan city.
Vicarello: Nymphaeum of Apollo,
Roman villa of Domitian, Trajan's aqueduct, prehistoric village, Terme
Apollinari.
Roman coast: in summer the Romans flock to one of the
numerous seaside resorts that line the low and flat coast of Lazio which
in 1991 became the "State Natural Reserve of the Roman coast" together
with the final stretch of the River Tiber. The reserve includes areas of
great naturalistic interest such as the Castel Fusano pine forest and
the Capocotta dunes. There are also areas of archaeological interest
such as the ancient city of Ostia, imperial ports and prehistoric
settlements.
Among the coastal towns, Ostia is the closest,
followed by Torvaianica, Fregene, Anzio and Nettuno.
Itineraries
Via Francigena
Via Carolingia — European itinerary that crosses the
places traveled by the court of Charlemagne between the eighth and ninth
centuries to go from Aachen to Rome, where Pope Leo III crowned the
Carolingian sovereign emperor of the Holy Roman Empire on Christmas
night in the 19th century .