Roma

Rome

Rome (Italy), capital city of Italy and of Lazio (Latium) Region and Rome Province, on the Tiber River, in the central part of the country near the Tyrrhenian Sea. Vatican City, most of which is located in an enclave within Rome, is the seat of the papacy of the Roman Catholic church and has been recognized as an independent state by the Italian government since 1929. The majestic dome of Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City dominates the Roman skyline.

Rome is a central point in Italy's railroad system and also is connected by highway with many parts of the country. Leonardo da Vinci International Airport, situated near the seacoast, is one of the busiest in Europe. The city is served by a subway system.According to tradition, Rome was founded in 753 BC on one of the Seven Hills,a term used for centuries to describe the Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, Caelian, Aventine, and Palatine hills surrounding the old community. Archaeological evidence indicates, however, that human settlement here dates from at least 1000 BC. The Capitoline Hill (Monte Capitoline) was long the seat of Rome's government, and the Palatine Hill was the site of such great structures as the Palace of the Flavians, built by the Roman emperor Domitian. As a result of construction through the centuries, most of the Seven Hills are now hardly distinguishable from the adjacent plain. Other hills of Rome include the Pincian (Pincio) and the Janiculum.Rome today is easily divided into two regions: the inner city, within the Aurelian Wall, built in the late 3rd century AD to enclose the area around the Seven Hills; and the sprawling outer city, with its suburbs. The historical center is a small area, located almost entirely on the eastern (left) bank of the Tiber. The monuments of Rome's past greatness are, for the most part, within the historical center, in stark contrast to the modern districts. The street pattern of the city reflects its long and complex history. The Via del Corso traverses most of the historic center from the Piazza Venezia, the geographic center of Rome, to the Piazza del Popolo, at the foot of Pincio Hill. Its use dates from the Middle Ages, when it was a horse-racing course.The monument to Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of united Italy, built between 1895 and 1911, forms part of the Piazza Venezia. Other thoroughfares, such as the Via Vittorio Veneto, which commemorates Italy's final victory in World War I (1914-1918) and is at the heart of the tourist area, were designed and built since the late 19th century. One of the largest public parks in Rome, the Pincio Gardens, lies on Pincio Hill, north of the historic center.Long a major city of Europe, Rome has become an unparalleled repository of monuments of all periods, from the Etruscan era to modern times. The period of Rome's early history, under Etruscan kings and under the Republic, is represented by relatively few relics; the legacy of the following period, the Roman Empire, is extensive in comparison. Roman monuments range from the lmost perfectly preserved Pantheon (founded 27 BC; rebuilt AD 118-128), considered one of the finest surviving temples of antiquity, to the still impressive, although partly destroyed,Colosseum (opened AD 80), a huge amphitheater that was the scene of gladiatorial combats and other spectacles. Ancient city walls, triumphal arches, great public meeting places, churches, and palaces are all found in Rome. Foremost among these monuments are the Roman Forum and the Imperial Forum, ancient centers of commerce and religion; the Baths of Caracalla, built about AD 217 and now used as the setting for summer opera performances; the Catacombs, ancient tunnels beneath the city in which early Christians practiced their religion and were
buried; and the Castel Sant'Angelo, built as a mausoleum for the Roman emperor Hadrian (AD 135-139) and converted into a fort in the Middle Ages. The Basilica of Saint John Lateran, the Cathedral of Rome, was founded in the 4th century and substantially rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries; the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls was built in the 4th century and reconstructed after being destroyed by fire in 1823; and the Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains, founded in the 5th century, was rebuilt in the 15th century and contains a sculpture of Moses executed by Renaissance artist Michelangelo.

For centuries, Rome has been called the Eternal City, a title earned through its importance as one of the great cities of Western civilization, as the capital of the Roman Empire, and as the world center of the Roman Catholic church. Since 1871 it has been the capital of united Italy. Only after World War II (1939-1945) was Rome's status as the leading city of Italy again realized, as it overtook such major cities as Milan and Naples. Rome's economy remains essentially based on two activities, government operations and tourism. The majority of the city's workers are employed in these fields, in wholesale and retail trade, and in other service industries. In addition, Rome has become the site of the headquarters of many multinational corporations and agencies, including the United Nations Food and Agricul Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and World Food Program.After World War II, Rome also developed a wide base of industries. Traditional products such as textiles and tourist souvenirs were supplemented by printed materials, high-fashion clothing, processed food, pharmaceuticals, machinery, and paper and metal products. The motion picture industry is also important

Other popular points of historical interest include the Piazza del Campidoglio, a square containing a bronze statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius completed during the 2nd century AD; the Piazza Navona, a square with three fountains, including the Fountain of the Four Rivers by the Italian sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini; the Trevi Fountain, an 18th-century baroque fountain into which tourists toss coins while making wishes; and the Piazza di Spagna, where the famous Spanish Steps, built in the 18th century, ascend to the 15th-century church of the Trinità dei Monti. Perhaps the finest works of more modern times are the structures built for the 1960 Olympic Games, several of which were designed by one of Italy's leading contemporary architects, Pier Luigi Nervi. Across the Tiber River from the Olympic Stadium is the site of the first Islamic mosque ever built in Rome. It opened in 1995 after 20 years of construction and blends Roman and Islamic architectural styles. Rome has been an urban center for more than 2000 years, and although monuments of most periods of the city's history still stand, the destructive impact of pollution and vibrations from heavy vehicular traffic is gradually leading to increased efforts toward preservation, including restrictions on cars and trucks in the historic center. Rome is the site of Italy's largest institution of higher education, the University of Rome (1303), which in the mid-1990s was attended by about 185,000 students. The Independent International University of Social Studies in Rome (1945) is also here.In part because of its extraordinary wealth of artworks, Rome is a major world center for creative artists. Specialized schools of study in Rome include the Academy of Fine Arts, the National Academy of Dance, the National Academy of Dramatic Arts, the Santa Cecilia Conservatory of Music, and the Central Institute for the Restoration of Works of Art.Rome plays a leading role in the creative and performing arts and in most other aspects of Italy's cultural life. Opera is performed in the Opera House, one of the country's best, and in the summer at the Baths of Caracalla. The city also has some 20 theaters and 6 major concert halls, which offer a varied repertory during the fall, winter, and spring.The museums of the city deal with all aspects of the arts and sciences and are among the world's finest. The oldest art collection in Rome, housed in the Capitoline Museum, was established in 1471 and contains exceptional antiquities. Among other Roman museums are the National Museum of the Villa Giulia, which has an outstanding collection of Etruscan and Roman art and is located in the mid-16th-century country house of Pope Julius III, and the Borghese Gallery, a museum of paintings and sculpture housed in an early 17th-century palace. The National Roman Museum, designed by Michelangelo, features exhibits of Greek and Roman sculpture, including the Ludovisi Collection of antiquities. Important collections of art and decorative pieces can also be seen in some of the city's other palaces. Among these are the Farnese Palace, built between 1514 and 1589; the mid-15th century Venetian Palace, with a noted collection of small Renaissance bronzes; and the Palazzo Barberini, a 17th-century baroque palace with a remarkable picture gallery. See also Roman Art and Architecture.