Rome / Lazio

[Kyng]

(Source: Diliff; View licence terms)

Rome is one of those cities that pretty much everyone should know about already . It's the capital city of Italy, and also of Lazio, which is one of the 20 regions of the country. It's also the largest city in Italy, with 2,872,800 people living in the city limits (making it the 4th-largest city in the EU by this definition, behind Madrid, Berlin, and London - okay, I guess it'll be 3rd soon!). As for the wider metro area, that has 4,355,725 residents - giving it around three-quarters of the total population of Lazio.

One of Rome's main claims to fame is that's divided between two countries: Italy, and the Vatican City. However, this topic will focus on the Italian portion of Rome: The Vatican City is interesting enough and complex enough that it deserves to get its own topic at some point down the line !

Rome is also the oldest city I've written about so far: it was first founded in approximately 753 BC. Legend has it that it was founded by Romulus, the first King of Rome, who killed his twin brother Remus; however, it's not clear to what extent this is true (or whether Romulus even existed). This new city became the administrative centre of a nation which went from strength to strength: the monarchy became a republic, the republic became an empire, and the empire expanded across the Mediterranean, spanning the entire distance from England to Egypt. I won't even try to cover the entire history of the Roman Empire in one paragraph (once again, it deserves a thread of its own); however, during the time that the Roman Empire was in existence, Rome itself was by far the largest city in the world. Estimates vary, but most put the population of Rome in 1 AD at around 1 million people: pretty mind-blowing for an ancient civilisation which didn't have anything like the infrastructure of a similarly-sized city today ! They had impressive architecture to match too: examples include the Pantheon (a temple which was later re-purposed to a church); the world-famous Colosseum; and the adjacent Temple of Claudius (on the left of this model; sadly, not much is left of the real thing )

Of course, the Roman Empire didn't last forever: the city was sacked by the Visigoths in AD 410, by the Vandals in AD 455, and by the Ostrogoths in AD 537 - after which the population of this once-great city had fallen to a mere 30,000 people. Nevertheless, the city remained an important religious centre, due to the presence of the Bishop of Rome (today better-known as the Pope). This only increased when Rome became the capital of the newly-established Papal States in AD 754, with the Pope as the Head of State (and also of the Roman Catholic Church, following the Great Schism of AD 1054). Then came the Italian Renaissance: while Rome wasn't the centre of this movement (that title belongs to Florence), it did have major influence there, as turtles artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael created some of their finest works (such as St Peter's Basilica, today in the Vatican City). The Popes still ruled, though - until the 19th century, when the Papal States were conquered and incorporated into the newly-formed Kingdom of Italy. By 1870, Italy was fully unified - and, in 1871, Rome officially became the capital of the new country. The city then grew substantially, particularly in the first half of the 20th century, when Mussolini authorised major reconstruction within the city. This was interrupted by World War II; however, a post-war economic boom brought about yet more expansion and modernisation, allowing Rome to cement its place as one of the most important cities in the world.

So, what does Rome have going for it today? Obviously, there's plenty of surviving art and architecture, much of it from either the Ancient Romans or the Italian Renaissance; however, two more recent examples are the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, both dating from the 18th century. Due to this splendid architecture, it's also emerged as one of the primary centres of the film industry, with classic movies such as Roman Holiday and La Dolce Vita being set there. Furthermore, Rome is one of the world's major centres for fashion: it's the home of a number of highly-regarded fashion houses, such as Valentino, Fendi, and Brioni. Finally, the city is home to a number of sporting institutions, including a rivalry between football clubs A.S. Roma and S.S. Lazio (both of which are sadly known for the behaviour of their fanatical supporters, known as 'ultras' - I have to say, I hope this is one thing that I hope does change over the coming years )

So, who here has been to Rome, and what did you think of it?

[Detective Osprey]

My best friend is from there. She says the drivers are crazy there. lol

[Kyng]

My best friend is from there. She says the drivers are crazy there. lol

Yeah, I had heard about that. Though, surely, they can't be as bad as this guy :

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news...p-16211812

[Kyng]

Apparently, Rome is removing souvenir stands from outside its main tourist destinations:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/j...rist-sites

I'm a bit in two minds about this, TBH. It might improve the views for the tourists; however, it'll probably lead to fewer souvenirs being sold, so it's hard to see how it'll be a net benefit for the city's economy...

[Kyng]

And now, they're planning to restore the floor of the Colosseum next year, with work due for completion in 2023:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55422794

Seems a little odd, really - and it might look a little out of place with the rest remaining as a ruin. However, I guess it would allow people to see the Colosseum as they've never seen it before .