Rome

301,230 km²
(7.2x the Netherlands)

UTC +1

Italian, German, French, Slovenian

Mont Blanc de Courmayeur - 4,765 m
(2nd summit Mont Blanc mountains)

The first time a green, white, and red flag was used was by the Cispadane Republic in 1796. The Cispadane Republic in northern Italy was founded in 1796 by Napoleon Bonaparte. Green, white and red are traditional Milanese colors. Red and white come from the Milanese coat of arms which is a red cross on a white background. Green was the color of the uniform of the Milanese civic guard.

The euro was introduced simultaneously in 12 European countries, as well as in Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City on 1 January 2002. This was the largest monetary exchange operation of all time. On the front of the note is a gate or window and a bridge on the back. These are all fictional. The euro replaces the Lire, introduced in 1861, which was known as the least valuable currency in Western Europe.

Rome, the Eternal City, as legend has it, was founded in 753 B.C. by Romulus and Remus. The capital of Italy boasts a history spanning about 3,000 years. By the 10th century BC, settlements had already formed on the Palatine and Esquiline, two of Rome's seven hills. Initially, the city's heart was at the base of the Palatine on the Tiber's eastern bank. Later, the area known as Campus Martius to the north was developed, and eventually, the region west of the Tiber, Transtiberim (Trastevere), and around Vatican Hill was incorporated. Most of the ancient ruins are found on the eastern side. For a lively atmosphere with bars and restaurants, the Trastevere district is the place to be in summer, though the Centro Storico also offers plenty of activities.

Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II
Was built in honor of Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of independent and united Italy from 1861 to 1878. Also on the front terrace is a monument in honor of the Unknown Soldier, the altare della Patria. The monument was designed by Giuseppe Sacconi. Construction began in 1885 and was not fully completed until 1935. It was officially inaugurated in 1911. The king himself was laid to rest in the Roman Pantheon in 1878. Many buildings had to make way for the monument. Once at the top of the steps, it is not allowed to descend on the same side. a passageway leads to a terrace with a bar and superb view of the city. To the right of the bar is a passage to the exit on the other side and an elevator which goes to the top of the monument. Going up for the ultimate view is expensive.

To the right of the monument is the Cordonata which leads up to the Piazza del Campidoglio, a square on the Capitoline Hill designed by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564). In the middle of the square is a copy of the statue of Marcus Aurelius (emperor from 161 - 180). Centrally located is the City Hall, Palazzo Senatorio built in the 13th century, and on both sides of it, the Capitoline Museums. On the left the Palazzo Nuovo built 1654 and on the right the palazzo dei Conservatori, buit in 1453.

Vatican Museums
In what is now the Vatican Museums were the palaces of the popes. The art collection was created over the centuries as popes bought, commissioned or conquered works of art. Under Pope Sixtus IV (1471 - 1484), the first museum was built from a design by Donato Bramante. The remaining museums, which are divided into sections, were created in the 18th and 19th centuries. A few highlights:

• The Laocoön sculpture group was found in 1506 in a vineyard on the Esquiline hill. The statue, dating about 30 BC, depicts the Trojan priest and seer Laocoön with his two sons.

• Stanza della Segnatura, room decorated by Raphael Santi between 1508 and 1511 by order of Pope Julius II.

• In the Galleria delle Carte Geografiche (geographic maps), your eyes are automatically focused on the ceiling. It is lavishly decorated.

• Cardinals meet in the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pope. An additional chimney is installed on the roof for this purpose. When the smoke from the chimney is white, a new pope has been elected. The present chapel was designed by Baccio Pontelli and was built between 1475 and 1483 by Giovanni di Dolce by order of Pope Sixtus IV, who is named after Upon completion, the Sistine Chapel was decorated with frescoes by Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Perugino and Michelangelo. This is the busiest place in the museums. Photography is prohibited here

• Towards the exit you can walk down the “new” Bramante staircase. It was designed by Giuseppe Momo, sculpted by Antonio Maraini and realized by Ferdinando Marinelli in 1932 and resembles in design to the original Bramante staircase. The staircase has a double helix, with two flights of stairs that allow people to ascend without encountering people descending

basilica di San Pietro
was built on what was originally the Ager Vaticanus, a plain on the western bank of the Tiber, which was developed at the end of the first century B.C. One of the first manors there was owned by Agrippina the Elder and was inherited by her son Caligula who began building a circus for chariot races which was completed by Claudius after Caligula was assassinated. Nero inherited the mansion and the circus. After the fire of Rome in 65, Nero used the the circus to execute Christians including the apostle Peter. Successor Vespasian closed the circus. Constantine the Great commissioned the first Church of St. Peter on this site in 318. The construction took about 30 years. In 1506, it was demolished and a new church was designed. Four times, the new basilica was dismantled until Michelangelo took over the construction. Finally, the basilica was consecrated in 1626. Covering an area of 15,160 square meters, St. Peter's can accommodate about 60,000 people. One of the most famous statues is Michelangelo's Pietà. It is a statue of Mary with the dead Jesus in her arms. A 40-meter-high obelisk, which was brought from Egypt by Caligula in 37 and placed as a decoration on the spina (middle part of the circus), remained in the same place until 1586 and now stands in St. Peter's Square. There are dress codes in the basilica. Trousers convering the knees and covered shoulders. Usually there is a long line in front of the metal detectors and just after that you are checked to see if you meet the above conditions. If not then entry is denied and you have wasted a long time standing in line. Admission is free.

Castel Sant'Angelo
is the original mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian, built between 123 and 139 on the grounds of the private gardens of Domitia, wife of Emperor Domitian. Later it was converted into a fortress. Pope Nicholas III had the Passetto di Borgo built in 1277, an elevated passage between the Vatican palaces and the fortress. When danger threatened, the passage allowed the pope to flee to the safety of the castle. This happened twice The Castle of Angels takes its name from the legend of the appearance of Archangel Michael who appeared when Pope Gregory I held a procession to beg God to end the plague epidemic in 590. The statue of Archangel Michael dates from 1752.

Colosseum
was built during the reign of Emperor Vespasian. Upon completion in 80, it was inaugurated by Emperor Titus, Vespasian's eldest son. The games at the opening lasted 100 days. The elliptical ground plane, measured across the axes, is 188 by 156 meters. The height of the facade is 48.50 meters. There were 76 entrances and the stands accommodated more than 50,000 spectators. The arena measures 76 by 44 meters. The velarium (awning) was raised with cables pulled from outside the Colosseum across 240 pylons. It is better to purchase a combo ticket online (the Colosseum is subject to a time slot) for the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. If you buy a separate ticket for the Roman Forum then you will stand in line twice: For a ticket and later at the entrance around the corner. The forum has no time slot.

Forum Romanum
was the Forum at the time of the Republic. The first temples were built in the 7th century BC on the plain between the inhabited Palatine and Capitoline hills. From the Republican era, from 509 to 54 BC, the forum became the political, legal, religious and commercial center of the city. In 54 BC, Caesar wanted to modify the forum, which had become too small due to Rome's growth. He had a new forum built on the north side of the existing one. After Caesar was assassinated, his heir Octavian completed a basilica, the new curia (the old one had burned down) and the new forum. Four more forums would be added by later emperors. In 1924, Benito Mussolini had a wide road cut across the remains of the Roman Forum and the Fori Imperiali and named it Via dell'Imperio. After 1945, this section of the new road was given its current name, Via dei Fori Imperiali.

Fori Imperiali
The imperial fora consisted of five public squares built between 46 B.C. and 113 A.D. The imperial fora were adjacent to the Forum Romanum, which was the public square during the Republic. Julius Caesar had the first imperial forum built in 54 BC. Augustus followed his example. His forum was completed in 2 BC. The forum of Vespasian was the third and was ready in 75 AD, followed by the forum of Nerva which was was completed by Domitian after Nerva's assassination in 97. The largest and last forum was built by Trajan but was not completed until 143. What is known as the 'Market of Trajan', was built in the years 100-112 next to the Forum of Trajan in five levels against the southern slope of the Quirinal hill. This section is the most intact.

Villa Farnesina
in the Trastevere district was built between 1506 and 1510 by order of Agostino Chigi, a banker and merchant. Several people worked on the interior, including Raphael. The rooms are richly decorated with frescoes. Cardinal Alessandro Farnese bought the house in 1577, several decades after Chigi's death. Since then it was called “Villa Farnesina. Later it belonged to the Bourbons, the rulers of Naples. In 1861, the Spanish ambassador to Rome became the owner. Today, the Italian state manages the house

Pantheon
The original Pantheon was built in 27 BC by Marcus Agrippa. Emperor Hadrian had the Pantheon rebuilt between 119 and 125, giving it its current circular shape. The text above the entrance reads:

M - AGRIPPA - L - F - COS - TERTIUM - FECIT - 'Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, consul for the third time, built this'

In 609, the temple was given to Pope Boniface IV who turned it into a church, the Santa Maria ad Martyres. For that reason, the Pantheon was never demolished. The opening in the dome, 8.7 meters in diameter, is really open. The floor is slightly concave to allow rainwater to be drained. Among others, Raphael and King Victor Emanuelle II are laid to rest in the Pantheon. Since this year you have to pay five euros entrance fee. Vending machines are located outside the Pantheon, usually with a long queue. More convenient is to buy tickets online but then you are tied to a one-hour time slot.

Chiesa di Sant'Ignazo di Loyola
This is one of Rome's most important Baroque churches and was built from 1626 onward on the site of another church. The new church was named after Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. Usually there is a line in front of an angled mirror to photograph the ceiling. The ceiling features an impressive fresco painted in 1685 by Andrea Pozzi. There is a lot of linear perspective, light and shadow in it.

Fontana di Trevi
The largest and most famous fountain is located at Piazza di Trevi and was commissioned by Pope Clement XII. Drawn by Bernini and built over 50 years later by architect Nicola Salvi, Construction lasted from 1732 to 1762. The fountain is located against the back of Palazzo Poli. The name Trevi comes from the words tre vie (three roads). There used to be three roads leading to the square. The fountain depicts the ocean with sea god Oceanus on a shell-shaped chariot with winged horses and young sea gods (tritons).

Spanisch steps
Piazza di Spagna is a lively square and takes its name from the Spanish Embassy. Located in the center of the square, the Fontana della Barcaccia, built in 1629 by Bernini. The Spanish Steps, “Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti,” were built in 1725. These connect the Trinità dei Monti, a French church on Pincio Hill, with the square below.

Terme di Caracalla
This was a 120,000-square-meter bathing facility built in 212 by Caracalla, son of Septimus Severus. It could accommodate up to 1,600 bathers at a time. Because of its size, it was built outside the city on the Via Appia. First, bathers went to the frigidarium (cold room). Then the tepidarium (hot room). And finally a hot bath was taken in the caldarium (hot room). The ruïnes are imposing but the number of visitors terme di Caracalla attracts today is not.

Via Appia
Was one of the most important ancient Roman roads. The road ran from the capital of Rome to Brundisium (present-day Brindisi). Construction began in 312 BC on the initiative of Appius Claudius Caecus, a Censor, responsible for census/taxation and inspection for military service. Censors were appointed for five years. Because of the importance of the road, it was nicknamed regina viarum (queen of roads).

Other sights:

• Bocca della Verità is a face depicted on a large marble disk, presumably as part of a fountain or manhole cover. The face possibly represents a river god. Since the 17th century, the the mouth of truth is displayed in the vestibule of the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. It is known from the movie Roman Holiday with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn.

• The Aurelian Wall was built between 271 and 275 by order of Emperor Aurelian. The wall had to be be built as quickly and cheaply as possible so many existing buildings were incorporated into it such as the Pyramid of Cestius. The wall was originally 6 meters high and 3.5 meters deep. There were a total of 18 city gates. The wall had 383 watchtowers that stood about 30 meters from each other. The total length of the wall was almost 19 kilometers. Access through the Tiber was closed with heavy chains

• Villa dei Quintili
  The largest villa on the outskirts of Rome was built in 2nd century AD by brothers Sextus Quintilius Condianus and Sextus Quintilius Valerius Maximus, both consuls in 151 AD. The brothers were assassinated in 182 by Emperor Commodus who accused them of conspriring against him, only to claim the Villa for himself.

• Isola Tiberina
  The island in the Tiber is about 270 meters long and up to 67 meters wide and here stood the Temple of Asclepius, the Greek demigod of medicine. Now a hospital stands there and opposite the road is a church. The Pons Fabricius, built 62 BC by Lucius Fabricius connects the island to the old center and is the oldest preserved bridge in Rome. The Pons Cestius, built in 46 connects the island with the Trastevere district. This bridge was completely rebuilt in the 19th century.

• Arch of Constantine
  The arch was erected to commemorate Constantine the Great's victory over Maxentius during the battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312. The 21-meter-high monument was completed in 315 and stands next to the Colosseum

• Piazza Navona
  Where the square is now, was the stadium of Domitian, built in 80 AD. Domitian was emperor from 81 to 96 and was assassinated in his palace. It remained in use until the early 5th century and was used primarily for athletics competitions in the Greek style. The track of the stadium was about 240 meters long and 65 meters wide. On the outside, the building was 275 meters long and 106 meters wide. It was estimated that it could seat about 30,000 spectators. The shape of the stadium is still visible from above but of the remains of the building itself are only visible in the basements of the current buildings. All current buildings date from the late 15th to 18th centuries. In the center of the square stands the famous Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Four Rivers) built in 1651 by Bernini. On the south side is the Fontana del Moro and on the north side is the Fontana del Nettuno.

• Teatro Marcello Construction of the Theater of Marcellus began under Julius Caesar and was completed in 11 BC under Augustus, who dedicated it in 12 BC to the memory of his nephew and son-in-law Marcellus. Classical concerts are regularly held here.

• Drinking water Everywhere in the city you will find fountains with drinking water. One of the most beautiful examples is 'Il Facchino' on the Via Lata.

• Passetto del Biscione
  The name “Biscione” derives from the coat of arms with an eel that belonged to the Orsini family, who built their palace on the remains of the Theater of Pompey which was the first masonry theater in Rome in 55 BC. This passageway ran from the grandstand of the Theater of Pompey to the exterior. The passageway connects via di Grotta Pinta to Piazza del Biscione, near Campo de' Fiori.

• Campo de' Fiori
  In this square there is a market every day

• Santa Maria delle Vittoria
  The 1605 church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Inside the church is a statue by Bernini, the Ecstasy of Teresa. The statue is considered to be one of his masterpieces. This is the only church in Rome to be featured in the movie Angels & Demons. Open in the morning until 12 p.m. and in the afternoon from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. Next to the church is the . . .

• Fontana dell'Acqua Felice (Mozes fountain)
  The fountain was commissioned by Pope Sixtus V and was part of the restored aqueduct Aqua Alexandriana. After its restoration, the aqueduct was given its new name: Aqua Felice, named after Pope Sixtus V. The restoration of the aqueduct was completed in 1586, the fountain was opened a year later on June 15, 1587.

• And many more:
  Arco dei Banchi - Galleria Borghese - Galleria Sciarra - Galleria Doria Pamphilj - Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano - Circus Maximus - Sacra of Largo Argentina - Piazza della Minerva - Domus Aurea - Piazza del Popolo - Museum and Crypt of the Capuchin Friars - Roman houses of the Caelian - etc. etc. etc.