2. Rome is the capital city of Italy. It is also the capital of the Lazio region, the
centre of the Metropolitan City of Rome, and a special comune named Comune
di Roma Capitale. With 2,860,009 residents in 1,285 km2.
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3. Rome is the country's most populated comune and the third most populous city
in the European Union by population within city limits. The Metropolitan City of
Rome, with a population of 4,355,725 residents, is the most populous
metropolitan city in Italy.
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4. HISTORY
While there have been discoveries of archaeological evidence of human occupation of the Rome area from
approximately 14,000 years ago, the dense layer of much younger debris obscures Palaeolithic and Neolithic
sites.Evidence of stone tools, pottery, and stone weapons attest to about 10,000 years of human presence. Several
excavations support the view that Rome grew from pastoral settlements on the Palatine Hill built above the area of the
future Roman Forum. Between the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age, each hill between the sea
and the Capitol was topped by a village (on the Capitol Hill, a village is attested since the end of the 14th century BC).
However, none of them yet had an urban quality. Nowadays, there is a wide consensus that the city developed gradually
through the aggregation ("synoecism") of several villages around the largest one, placed above the Palatine. This
aggregation was facilitated by the increase of agricultural productivity above the subsistence level, which also allowed
the establishment of secondary and tertiary activities. These, in turn, boosted the development of trade with the Greek
colonies of southern Italy (mainly Ischia and Cumae).These developments, which according to archaeological evidence
took place during the mid-eighth century BC, can be considered as the "birth" of the city. Despite recent excavations at
the Palatine hill, the view that Rome was founded deliberately in the middle of the eighth century BC, as the legend of
Romulus suggests, remains a fringe hypothesis.
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5. LEGEND OF THE FOUNDING OF ROME
Capitoline Wolf, a sculpture of the mythical she-wolf suckling the infant twins Romulus and
Remus
Traditional stories handed down by the ancient Romans themselves explain the earliest history of their
city in terms of legend and myth. The most familiar of these myths, and perhaps the most famous of all
Roman myths, is the story of Romulus and Remus, the twins who were suckled by a she-wolf. They
decided to build a city, but after an argument, Romulus killed his brother and the city took his name.
According to the Roman annalists, this happened on 21 April 753 BC. This legend had to be reconciled
with a dual tradition, set earlier in time, that had the Trojan refugee Aeneas escape to Italy and found the
line of Romans through his son Iulus, the namesake of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. This was accomplished
by the Roman poet Virgil in the first century BC. In addition, Strabo mentions an older story, that the city
was an Arcadian colony founded by Evander. Strabo also writes that Lucius Coelius Antipater believed
that Rome was founded by Greeks.
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8. WHO IS THE MOST FAMOUS PEOPLE FROM ROME?
âą Juan Carlos I of Spain.
âą Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
âą Pope Urban VIII.
âą Elsa Schiaparelli.
âą Raphael Sanzio.
âą Julius Caesar.
âą Sergio Leone.
âą Ennio Morricone.
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9. INDUSTRY
Rome is also developed in industry. Mainly in the technology sector,
telecommunications, pharmaceutical and food industries. Most factories are
located in an area called Tiburtina Valley in the east of the city. Other important
industrial areas are located in nearby towns such as Aprilia and Pomezia.
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10. PILGRIMAGE
Rome has been a major Christian pilgrimage
site since the Middle Ages. People from all
over the Christian world visit Vatican City,
within the city of Rome, the seat of the papacy.
The city became a major pilgrimage site
during the Middle Ages. Apart from brief
periods as an independent city during the
Middle Ages, Rome kept its status as Papal
capital and holy city for centuries, even when
the Papacy briefly relocated to Avignon (1309â
1377). Catholics believe that the Vatican is the
last resting place of St. Peter.
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12. COLOSSEUM
The Colosseum is a monument of epic
proportions dating from AD 72. Stories of gory
battles between gladiators, slaves, prisoners and
wild animals have emerged from this Flavian
amphitheatre with a seating capacity of over
50,000 people; nowhere in the world was there a
larger or more glorious setting for mass
slaughter. This is a necessary pilgrimage for
history buffs and the ideal starting point to take
in the Roman remains of the city: the jaw-
dropping Forum, the Domus Aurea and the
Pantheon.
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13. FORO ROMANO AND PALATINO
The oldest of Romeâs fora, the Foro Romano (Roman
Forum), was once the centre of state ceremony, commerce,
law and bureaucracy. Above the Colosseum to the west
(and visited on a cumulative ticket with the Foro Romano
and the Colosseum) is Romeâs birthplace, the Palatine.
Later, the Palatine became the home of the movers and
shakers of both the Republic and the Empire as sumptuous
palaces were built. The choice of location was
understandable: the Palatine overlooks the Foro Romano
yet is a comfortable distance from the disturbances and
riff-raff down in the valley.
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14. MUSEI VATICANI AND CAPPELLA SISTINA
If you met the Pope, what would you say? Well, you
probably won't, but you can join an audience with him
on Wednesday mornings. If the weather is fine, he'll
hold this general audience in St Peter's Square;
otherwise, it takes place in the Sala Nervi audience hall.
Expect to join clusters of Catholic devotees and flocks of
camera-waving tourists. Afterwards, you can take the
opportunity to wander through St Peter's Basilica,
admire Michelangelo's stunning frescoes in the Sistine
Chapel and visit the famous 'Belvedere Apollo' and
'Laocoön' at the Museo Pio-Clementino among the
Vatican Museums.
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15. PANTHEON
The Pantheon is the best-preserved ancient building in
Rome. Hadrian built it in AD 119-128 as a temple to the
12 most critical classical deities. The simplicity of the
buildingâs exterior remains largely unchanged, and it
retains its original Roman bronze doors. Inside, the
Pantheonâs glory lies in the dimensions, which follow the
rules written by the top Roman architect Vitruvius. The
diameter of the hemispherical dome is equal to the
height of the whole building; it could potentially
accommodate a perfect sphere. At the centre of the
dome is the oculus, a circular hole 9 metres (30 feet) in
diameter, the only light source and a symbolic link
between the temple and the heavens.
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16. MAXXI
Even from a distance, itâs pretty clear
that the Museum of the Arts of the 21st
Century (or MAXXI, for short) is a
celebration of all things modern.
Designed by cutting-edge architecture
firm Zaha Hadid and opened in 2009,
the MAXXI is a dramatic, impression-
leaving work of art. Not forgetting, of
course, that it houses the works of
some of Italyâs most exciting and
boundary-pushing contemporary
artists.
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17. MUSEI CAPITOLINI
This is the city that has nurtured the art of Michelangelo. Housed in twin
palaces on opposite sides of his piazza del Campidoglio are the Capitoline
Museums, the oldest public gallery in the world, having opened their
collection to the public in 1734. Once inside, you can admire breathtaking
paintings by Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese and Caravaggio and beautifully
crafted statues by the Baroque genius Bernini. While on the art trail, don't
miss the Borghese Gallery and the Palazzo Barberini Galleria Nazionale
d'Arte Antica.
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18. SANTA MARIA IN VIA
Perk yourself up with a cupful of
miraculous water in the church of
Santa Maria in Via. In 1286 a
stone bearing an image of the
Virginâs face floated to the surface
of a well, over which this church
was later built, and locals and
visitors alike are still going crazy
for the water.
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19. FONTANA DI TREVI
Worm your way through the heaving crowds of its tiny
piazza, and youâll see why everyone makes such a fuss
about the Fontana di Trevi. Basking in the glow of
constant camera flashes, Treviâs gleaming travertine
looks stark beneath the roaring washes of water. The
sculpture itself is a fantastical scene of conch-blowing
tritons, sharp rocks and flimsy trees, all bursting from
in front of the wall of the Palazzo Poli. No one knows
why people started chucking coins in the water, but
you probably should â it gets drained once a week,
with all the money going to the Italian Red Cross. Our
top tip? Avoid the crowds by going as late or early in
the day as possible.
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20. SPANISH STEPS
Piazza di Spagna takes its name from the Spanish
Embassy to the Vatican but is chiefly celebrated for the
elegant cascade of stairs down from the church of TrinitĂ
dei Monti. Known in Italian as the Scalinata di TrinitĂ dei
Monti, the English Grand Tourists referred to them as the
Spanish Steps. At the foot of the stairs is a delightful
boat-shaped fountain, the Barcaccia; itâs ingeniously sunk
below ground level to compensate for the low pressure
of the delicious Acqua Vergine that feeds it. The steps are
best seen first thing in the morning before the crowds
arrive.
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21. PINCIO
Overlooking Piazza del Popolo, and now an
integral part of the Villa Borghese, is one of
the oldest gardens in Rome: the Pincio. The
Pinci family commissioned the first gardens
here in the fourth century. Pincio is best
known for its view of the Vatican at sunset,
with the dome of St Peterâs silhouetted in
gold. The paved area behind the viewpoint is
popular with cyclists (bikes can be hired
nearby) and skaters. To the southeast of the
Pincio is the Casina Valadier, now a pricey
restaurant with a to-die-for view.
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24. QUESTIONS
âą What monuments is the Rome famous for?
âą What is the surface of the Rome?
âą Who famous come from Rome?
âą What are the names of heroes from the legend of founding the Rome?
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