Rome Information and Rome Tourism
(Rome, Lazio, Italy, IT)


(One of the most remarkable cities in the world)

If you were to sum up the city of Rome, Italy, in two words, they would be 'busy' and 'historic'. This beautiful city is over 2,700 years old and has become one of the most popular cities in the world. Rome is simply full of history, with an enormous amount of spectacular ancient Roman monuments located here, including the Vatican City, the Forum - from where Julius Caesar once governed ancient Rome, the Colosseum and the ruins of the Circus Maximus - where if you use your imagination, you can almost picture the 200,000 spectators cheering at gladiator fights and other barbaric sporting events.

There are also a large number of museums in Rome, boasting some truly world-famous paintings and sculptures by artists such as Raphael, Bottecelli, Pinturicchio and Belini, to name but a few. Although this is a spreading city, many of the most visited attractions reside in the central area bounded by the Stazione Termini, the River Tiber and the Colosseum. The Via Marghera is where the tourism outlet named 'Enjoy Rome' is to be found, with the Rome Tourist Board being located on the Via Parigi, and the Vatican's tourist information office (the Centro Servizi Pellegrini e Turisti) standing on the Piazza San Pietro.




Visitors will find that there is a vast selection of Rome hotels to suit every taste and budget. Rome accommodation ranges from the most luxurious hotels and large chains, to the small hotels rich in old-fashioned ambience. Despite having such a choice of hotels, it is always wise to select and book a room for your vacation well in advance, with lodging being at its cheapest between July and August, when resident Italians holiday at the beach. Budget accommodation lies around the Stazione Termini, being connected to the city centre by buses and metro trains.

The Centro Storico is a more desirable location and a great place to experience the best that the city has to offer, while the Vatican provides a slightly quieter spot. As an alternative to hotels, attractively located Rome apartments are available for short-term and longer stays within the city. Popular with those who prefer to self-cater and stay a little longer, Rome apartments with views of the River Tiber and the beautiful Villa Borghese gardens are particularly desirable, while further accommodation lies around the vast campus of the Sapienza University (Sapienza Università di Roma), which actually dates as far back as 1303 and is today called home by almost 150,000 students.

Rome offers a wide selection of excellent restaurants, serving delicious Italian food, as well as a choice of international cuisine. The city is divided up into a series of different districts (rioni), including Old Rome (full of medieval and Renaissance character), Aventino-Testaccio, Campo Marzio-Parioli-Salario, Colosseo, Esquilino-San Giovanni, Nomentano, Trastevere and the Modern Centre, the latter of which is where most Rome hotels, shops and eateries are located, particularly around the Via Veneto area.

The Vatican City, home to the Pope, has many spectacular buildings and churches to visit. It is actually the world's smallest independent sovereign state and its most popular tourist attraction is the Sistine Chapel, with a vast ceiling that was painted by Michelangelo in 1508. This enormous ceiling, with scenes depicting the story of creation, took the artist over three years to complete and he was paid very little for his efforts. Other attractions at the Vatican include St. Peter's Basilica - built over 1,500 years ago and whose cavernous interior can hold a staggering 60,000 people, the Vatican Library - which holds a wealth of information in the form of more than one million books and manuscripts, and the splendid Vatican Garden - landscaped over 1,000 years ago and now meticulously maintained by 30 full-time gardeners.

Today, Rome's legacy continues to be upheld by its people, who still enjoy shopping in its bustling markets and along its busy streets, and relaxing in the many city plazas, resplendent with majestic fountains that have been working for hundreds of years. A great deal of life takes place outdoors in this sunny city and in the year 2000, Rome spent an enormous amount of money cleaning up the city and its many churches and monuments. Former public spaces were returned, and roads and transport were greatly improved in general. After all the restoration, reclamation and refurbishments, Rome's architecture has never looked better and the city is as popular as it has ever been.

Rome Airports Guide - useful Rome Airport (FCO) information.

Rome Ciampino Airport (CIA) Guide - useful Rome Ciampino Airport (CIA) information.

More Rome Information / Fast Facts and Orientation

• Country: Italy
• Status: capital city
• Area: 5,352 square kilometres / 2,066 square miles
• Population: 2.8 million
• Country population: 60 million
• Language: Italian
• Currency: Euro (EUR)
• Time zone: GMT + 1 hour
• Country dialling code: +39
• Telephone area code: 06
• Religion: mainly Catholic