Rome is the capital city of Italy and the country's largest city with around 2.7million residents. Today it is a major tourist destination with many millions of visitors each year.
Rome is found on the west central side of the Italian peninsular where the River Aniene meets the River Tiber. Within Rome is the Vatican City, a sovereign territory of the Catholic church and the smallest nation in the world.
Rome first became a city in the 8th century BC and the centre of the Roman empire as successive leaders embarked on military conquest. It remained the world's richest and most important city for almost 1,000 years.
The sacking of Rome in 410 and the subsequent fall of the empire led to a successive occupation by Germanic barbarians and Byzantine rulers. Rome kept its status as a Papal city and flourished during the Renaissance under the patronage of the Papal court. It was eventually annexed by Italy in 1870.
The city centre is about 24km inland, though it extends to the shore and has an overall area of about 1,280 sq km. Rome has a very large number of ancient monuments. Key attractions are the Roman Forum, Pantheon and the Colosseum as well as the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums.
Rome has often been criticised for being noisy, chaotic and poorly maintained. However a massive urban renewal scheme has unveiled many beautifully restored facades, revamped museums and an improved public transport system.
Tourism is a major source of income throughout the year and Rome has a typical Mediterranean climate with high summer temperatures often exceeding 32C in August and 3C to 12C in the winter.
Most long-distance trains run to Termini station, which is also the main hub for the local transport network of metro and bus. Rome is surrounded by a network of motorways. The A12 leads into Rome from the west and the A24 from the east.
Rome’s main airport Fiumicino (aka Leonardo da Vinci) is 26km south west of the city centre and handles many domestic flights as well as international flights to all major world cities. A free 24-hour shuttle service links the airport’s three terminals. Ciampino Airport is about 15km south east and caters for most charter and budget airlines. Approximate flight time to Rome from London is 3hrs.
