Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy. It is also the capital of the Lazio region, the centre of the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, and a special comune (municipality) named Comune di Roma Capitale. With 2,860,009 residents in 1,285 km2 (496.1 sq mi), Rome is the country's most populated comune and the third most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits. The Metropolitan City of Rome, with a population of 4,355,725 residents, is the most populous metropolitan city in Italy. Its metropolitan area is the third-most populous within Italy. Rome is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, within Lazio (Latium), along the shores of the Tiber Valley. Vatican City is an independent country inside the city boundaries of Rome, the only existing example of a country within a city. Rome is often referred to as the City of Seven Hills due to its geographic location, and also as the "Eternal City". Rome is generally considered to be the cradle of Western civilization and Western Christian culture, and the centre of the Catholic Church.

Some of the key events about Rome

80 AD
Completion of the Colosseum, the largest amphitheater ever built
312 BC
Construction of the Appian Way, one of the earliest and most important Roman roads
315 AD
Dedication of the Arch of Constantine, commemorating a significant military victory
390 BC
The city was sacked by the Gauls
410 AD
Rome was sacked by the Visigoths
455
The city was pillaged by the Vandals
509 BC
Establishment of the Roman Republic, marking the beginning of a new system of government
546
Rome was besieged and partially destroyed by the Ostrogoths
753 BC
The legendary founding of Rome on the Palatine Hill
846
Muslim raiders sacked and looted the outskirts of the city
1084
The city was sacked by the Normans
1377
Return of the Papacy to Rome from Avignon, restoring the city's religious importance
1508
Beginning of the painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, a masterpiece of Renaissance art
1527
Rome was sacked by mutinous troops of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
1626
Completion and consecration of St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the world
1798
The city was occupied by French forces and the Pope was exiled
1849
The short-lived Roman Republic was violently suppressed
1871
Rome becomes the capital of the newly unified Kingdom of Italy
1943-1944
Rome suffered from bombing raids during World War II
1980
The historic center of Rome is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

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