Rome (Italy)

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Introduction; Economy; The Urban Landscape; Points of Interest; Educational and Cultural Institutions; History; Present-Day Rome

Introduction

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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.

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.

Economy

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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 Agriculture 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.

The Urban Landscape

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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 Villa Borghese, lies on Pincio Hill, north of the historic center.

Points of Interest

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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 almost 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.

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.

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