Rome (Italian Roma) is the capital city of Italy and the Italian region Latium. It is on the Tiber River and has 2.8 million people. An estimate by the OECD put the number of people of the city area of Rome at 3.47 million.[3] The enclave Vatican City is in the north-west.

History

Nothing is known for sure about the founding of Rome. The myth of Romulus and Remus is often told. They were supposedly raised by a she-wolf. Romulus killed Remus, and became the first king of Rome. There is no historical evidence of this, but the story is popular.

With the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom began the Republican era. The new Roman Republic fought and conquered the people around it. In 390 BC, the town was invaded by Gauls. Between the third and second century BC, Rome fought against the rival Carthage. The Roman army captured and destroyed Carthage.

Only with Julius Caesar in the first century BC, did the city began to grow significantly, especially toward the Campo Marzio, at the north of Capitol, and its domain was extended to Britannia. Caesar was never crowned emperor, a title which, however, fell to his adopted son Octavian who took the throne under the name of Augustus. Augustus found a city of bricks and left it of marble”. Later emperors also added new monuments, temples and triumphal arches to ancient Rome.

With the decline of the Roman Empire, the city declined in importance and fell into ruin. Pope Gregory I created major reforms for the people. The city was ruled by the pope, and soon also became the capital of a state, the Papal States, which remained active until the nineteenth century. Popes, like the emperors, became richer over the centuries. The city of monuments and churches was called the “capital of Christendom”, as the home of the Basilica di San Giovanni Lateran, the most important church of the world. The power of the Pope lessened along with its state. On 20 September 1870, Garibaldi’s army, which had the task of uniting all of Italy under the crown of Savoy, entered the city through a breach opened in the walls at Porta Pia and, the same year, Rome became the capital of the new Italian state.

Rome is a major European political and cultural center, containing the HQ headquarters of FAO. It is home of the pope and was one of the most powerful cities of antiquity (the old world). It currently contains numerous museums, basilicas and palaces, such as the Colosseum.

What to do in Rome

There are so many things to see in Rome! Here are the most famous places:

Pantheon
“A magical space, expansive, evocative, and peaceful.”—Ann Wise, Rome-based journalist. Rome’s most intact ancient monument; a massive sphere designed as a pagan temple by Emperor Hadrian in A.D. 125; remained the world’s largest concrete dome until the 1990s; houses the tombs of painter Raphael and 19th-century Italian king Vittorio Emanuele II. Go when it’s raining to watch the drops shower through the oculus, the hole in the dome’s top. Piazza della Rotonda.

Roman Forum
“One of the few ancient Roman sites visitors can tour for free. Start at the Capitoline Hill, for its great introductory view of this nexus of imperial Roman life.”—Ann Wise. Center of imperial Rome; remains of temples to Roman gods, public baths, imperial arches, basilicas, and Roman senate.

Vatican
“A major concentration of world art in one of the world’s smallest sovereign states; don’t miss the tomb of St. Peter, under the Basilica.”—Ann Natanson. Seat of the Catholic religion. Highlights include St. Peter’s Basilica, with its “Pietà” by Michelangelo; a lifetime’s worth of masterpieces in the Vatican Museums, from Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel to Raphael’s masterpiece The School of Athens; and papal tombs. Piazza San Pietro; 39 06 6988 5100; fee to visit museums. www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm

Colosseum
Ancient Rome’s civic open-air theater, site of gladiator fights and other competitions. Massive structure, now a symbol of Rome.

Piazza Navona
Elliptically-shaped piazza on the site of an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium; one of modern Rome’s premier gathering points; famous baroque fountain, Fountain of the Four Rivers, by Gian Lorenzo Bernini; notable baroque church, Sant’Agnese in Agone, designed by Francesco Borromini and Girolamo Rainaldi. Worth a stop: the legendary chocolate tartufo—little bomb of chocolate-truffle ice cream—at Bar Tre Scalini, a local institution. 39 06 687 9148.

Ara Pacis
Altar of Peace; ancient marble altar table surrounded by carved-marble walls; site of sacrificial offerings to Roman gods; built during the rule of Emperor Augustus. New museum-gallery designed by award-winning architect Richard Meier (L.A.’s Getty Center, Atlanta’s High Museum of Art) now encloses and protects the altar. Lungotevere in Augusta; 39 06 5725 0410; fee. https://en.arapacis.it

Piazza del Campidoglio
“Rome’s capitol complex, with lovely view of the city. Check out the new display space for the oldest extant Roman equestrian statue, of Emperor Marcus Aurelius on horseback. Great terrace bar and restaurant.”—Ann Natanson. On top of the Capitoline Hill, one of Rome’s seven hills; piazza designed by Michelangelo; includes the Capitoline Museums; encompassing view of the Roman Forum, which lies behind the piazza.

Isola Tiberina
“Real hotspot in summer, for open-air movies and perfect-for-dallying cafés along the Tiber River.”—Ann Wise. Rome’s only island, in the Tiber River, currently site of a maternity hospital; offers fine views of Trastevere; mellow spot for a picnic.

Trevi Fountain
Largest baroque fountain in Rome; terminal point of one of Rome’s ancient aqueducts; designed in the 18th century by Nicola Salvi, with influences from Bernini; depicts the Roman God of the Sea, Neptune, being guided by Tritons; coins in the fountain tossed by visitors heeding a maxim that throwing in a coin ensures a return to Rome; famously appears in the films Roman Holiday, La Dolce Vita, and more recent When in Rome.

How to get to Rome

“All roads lead to Rome!”

How to get to Rome by plane
There are two main airports in Rome: Rome Fiumicino international airport and Rome Ciampino low cost airport. Both are located outside the city, about 45 min away from the city centre.

How to get to Rome by car
Going to/Coming from Florence or Naples: A1
Also consider Via Aurelia between Rome and Florence, the ancient consular Roman consular road for breathtaking sceneries!
Going to/Coming from the east coast : A24

How to get to Rome by train
Rome is well connected to the main Italian cities as well as less touristy and remote places throughout the country thanks to Trenitalia’s complete railway network.

Main train stations in Rome:

  • Termini Station, central hub of public transport in Rome for both buses and Metros (A and B)
  • Tiburtina Station (Metro B)

How to get to NH Collection Roma Vittorio Veneto

FROM THE AIRPORT

From Fiumicino Airport:
The hotel is located 30 km from the airport. You may take a train to Stazione Termini. From there, you can take the underground (Line A) and get off at either Barberini or Spagna. You may also take a taxi.

FROM THE TRAIN STATION
NH Collection Roma Vittorio Veneto is located three kilometers from Termini Station. You can take a bus (line 910) and get off Via Puccini, or you can take the underground (Line A) and get off at Piazza di Spagna, following signs for Villa Borghese.

Alternatively, you can take a taxi: the station is five minutes from the hotel.

BY CAR

From the north:

  • From A1: Take the exit onto A1 towards Tangenziale Ovest/Bologna (toll road).
  • Take the exit toward Roma/Grande Raccordo Anulare/Civitavecchia/Roma Nord/Rieti.
  • Merge onto A1dir and take the Settebagni exit towards Via Salaria/SS4.
  • Keep right at the fork and follow signs for Settebagni/Roma Centro, then merge onto Via Salaria/SS4.
  • Continue to follow SS4 and continue onto Via Salaria.
  • Keep right at the fork and turn left at Via Carlo Zecchi.
  • Take the first right onto Via Salaria and then turn right at Corso d’Italia.
  • The hotel is on the right-hand side.

From the south:

  • From A14: Continue onto A16 (toll road).
  • Take the exit onto A30 towards Caserta/Roma.
  • Take the exit onto A1 towards Roma/Caserta Nord.
  • Take the exit towards Roma Centro/Roma Est and merge onto A24.
  • Take the exit towards Via Tiburtina.
  • Keep right at the fork and follow signs for Tiburtina.
  • Turn right at Via Tiburtina, make a U-turn and continue on to Piazza delle Crociate.
  • At Piazzale delle Provincie, take the second exit onto Via Catani, continue onto Via Giovanni Battista Morgagni, and then continue onto Viale del Policlinico.
  • Head slightly left at Sottovia Ignazio Guidi and continue onto Corso d’Italia.
  • The hotel is on the right-hand side.

From the west:

  • From A11: Take the exit towards Firenze and then take the exit onto A1 towards Roma (toll road).
  • Take the exit towards Roma/Grande Raccordo Anulare/Civitavecchia/Roma Nord/Rieti.
  • Merge onto A1dir and take the Settebagni exit towards Via Salaria/SS4.
  • Keep right at the fork and follow signs for Settebagni/Roma Centro, and then merge onto Via Salaria/SS4.
  • Continue to follow SS4 and continue onto Via Salaria.
  • Keep right at the fork and turn left at Via Carlo Zecchi.
  • Take the first right onto Via Salaria and turn right at Corso d’Italia.
  • The hotel is on the right-hand side.

From the east:

  • From A4: Take the exit onto A13 towards Bologna/Padova (toll road).
  • Take the exit onto A14 towards Milano/Firenze/Bologna/Borgo Panigale/Casalecchio.
  • Take the exit towards Firenze/Bologna Casalecchio and merge onto A14.
  • Take the exit onto A1 toward Firenze.
  • Take the exit towards Roma/Grande Raccordo Anulare/Civitavecchia/Roma Nord/Rieti.
  • Merge onto A1dir.
  • Keep right at the fork, follow signs for Settebagni/Roma Centro, and merge onto Via Salaria/SS4.
  • Continue to follow SS4 and continue onto Via Salaria.
  • Keep right at the fork and turn left at Via Carlo Zecchi.
  • Take the first right onto Via Salaria and then turn right at Corso d’Italia.
  • The hotel is on the right-hand side.