Rome constitutes one of Italy's 8,101 communes, albeit the largest both by extent and by population. It is governed by a Mayor, currently Gianni Alemanno, and a city council. The seat of the commune is in on the Capitoline Hill the historic seat of government in Rome. The local administration in Rome is commonly referred to as "Campidoglio", the name of the hill in the Roman dialect.
Rome is the national capital of Italy and is the seat of the Italian Government. The official residences of the President of the Italian Republic and the Italian Prime Minister, the seats of both houses of the Italian Parliament and that of the Italian Constitutional Court are located in the historic centre. The state ministries are spread out around the city; these include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is located in Palazzo della Farnesina near the Olympic stadium.
Rome was a major world centre of the Renaissance, second only to Florence, and was profoundly affected by the movement. The most impressive masterpiece of Renaissance architecture in Rome is the Piazza del Campidoglio by Michelangelo, along with the Palazzo Senatorio, seat of the city government. During this period, the great aristocratic families of Rome used to build opulent dwellings as the Palazzo del Quirinale (now seat of the President of the Italian Republic), the Palazzo Venezia, the Palazzo Farnese, the Palazzo Barberini, the Palazzo Chigi (now seat of the Italian Prime Minister), the Palazzo Spada, the Palazzo della Cancelleria, and the Villa Farnesina.
Rome is also famous for her huge and majestic squares (often adorned with obelisks), many of which were built in the 17th century. The principal squares are Piazza Navona, Piazza di Spagna, Campo de' Fiori, Piazza Venezia, Piazza Farnese and Piazza della Minerva. One of the most emblematic examples of Baroque art is the Fontana di Trevi by Nicola Salvi. Other notable 17th-century baroque palaces are the Palazzo Madama, now the seat of the Italian Senate and the Palazzo Montecitorio, now the seat of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy.
Mouth of truth (including Bocca della verità) - round, marble medallion, with a diameter of about 175 cm, showing the face Brodatego deities. There are many theories about its origin and function. His age is estimated at more than 2,000 years. It is considered, including medallion that could be cover for water tank, part of fountains or serve as the entrance to the covers of ancient aqueduct. According to medieval legend, sculpture served as the detector of lies - a suspected invested hands in their mouths, which took place in odgryzając limb when a person speaks not true.
Currently, the mouth of the truth can be found in the entrance the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome
The first section of line B (Termini-Laurentina) was built in 1955. The northern extension to Rebibbia station was opened in 1990. A line between Ottaviano Anagnina and opened in 1980. The extension to the west of Battistini was launched in 1998.
Metro runs weekdays from 5.30 to 23.30 (an hour longer on Saturdays). In peak hours every 3-4 minutes, and beyond, at 8-10 minutes.
There will also be some lines: B1 - connecting Laurentina from Bologna. In the course of construction is a line C. Work is ongoing between the stations Pantano, Graniti, Finocchio, Bolognetta, Borghesi, Fontana Candida, Grotte Celoni, Torre Gaia, Torre Angela, Giardinetti, Giglioli, Torre Spaccata, Alessandrino, Parco di Centocelle, Mirti, Gard , Theano, Malatesta, Pigneto (FR1), Lodi, San Giovanni (line A), Amba Aradan, Colosseo (line B), Venezia, Argentina, Chiesa Nuova, San Pietro, Risorgimento, Ottaviano (Linea A) Clodio-Mazzini. Italian sources also indicate plans for the line D.
Rome is the centre of the Roman Catholic religion and, just as in the rest of Italy, the great majority of Romans are Roman Catholics. In recent years, the Islamic community in Rome has grown significantly, in great part due to immigration from North African and Middle Eastern countries into the city. As a consequence of this trend, the city promoted the building of the largest mosque in Europe, which was designed by architect Paolo Portoghesi and inaugurated on 21 June 1995.
No problem in Rome! Rome's most famous shopping street is probably the Via del Corso from Piazza Venezia and the Piazza del Popolo. Northeast of Corso leads also the most expensive and exclusive street (Via dei Condotti) on the Spanish Steps away out in the shops by Giorgio Armani, Burberry, Dior, D & G, Gucci, Hermes and many others are. The other is to recommend to the many small streets along the Via del Corso and Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, to withdraw them because we also occasionally one or the other can make the discovery. Even the Via Nazionale north of the Fori Imperiali has plenty of shops to offer and is somewhat cheaper, though still expensive enough. Well, you can still shop on the Via Appia Nuova, Via Tuscolana and Via Marconi.
According to a legend, Rome was founded by the twins Romulus and Remus on April 21, 753 BC.. Archaeological evidence supports the view that Rome grew from pastoral settlements on the Palatine Hill built in the area of the future Roman Forum. While some archaeologists argue that Rome was indeed founded in the middle of the 8th century BC, the date is subject to controversy.The original settlement developed into the capital of the Roman Kingdom (ruled by a succession of seven kings, according to tradition), and then the Roman Republic (from 510 BC, governed by the Senate), and finally the Roman Empire (from 27 BC, ruled by an Emperor). This success depended on military conquest, commercial predominance, as well as selective assimilation of neighbouring civilizations, most notably the Etruscans and Greeks. From the its foundation, Rome was undefeated in war, although losing occasional battles, until 386 BC when Rome was occupied by the Celts (one of the three main Gallic tribes), and then recovered by Romans in the same year. According to the history, the Gauls offered to deliver Rome back to its people for a thousand pounds of gold, but the Romans refused, preferring to take back their city by force of arms rather than ever admitting defeat.
Roman dominance expanded over most of Europe and the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, while its population surpassed one million inhabitants. For almost a thousand years, Rome was the most politically important, richest and largest city in the Western world, and remained so after the Empire started to decline and was split, even if it ultimately lost its capital status to Milan and then Ravenna, and was surpassed in prestige by the Eastern capital Constantinople.
Rome is the capital city of Italy and of the Lazio region, as well as the country's largest and most populous city, with more than 2.7 million residents. The metropolitan area has a population of about 4 million. It is located in the central-western portion of the Italian peninsula, where the river Aniene joins the Tiber.
Rome is known as, Caput Mundi (Capital of the world), la Città Eterna (The Eternal City), Limen Apostolorum (Threshold of the Apostles), la città dei sette colli (The city of the seven hills) or simply l'Urbe (The City),[5] has been for centuries the center of Western civilization, and is the seat of the Catholic Church.
The State of the Vatican City, the sovereign territory of the Holy See is an enclave of Rome.
Rome is in the Lazio region of Central Italy at the confluence of the Aniene and Tiber (Italian: Tevere) rivers. Although the city center is about 24 kilometers inland from the Tyrrhenian Sea, the city territory extends to the very shore, where the south-western Ostia district is located. The altitude of the central part of Rome ranges from 13 m (43 ft) above sea level (in Piazza del Popolo) to 120 m (394 ft) above sea level (the peak of Monte Mario).[citation needed] The comune of Rome covers an overall area of about 1,285 km² (496 sq mi), including many green areas.
