Rome Hotels : Last Minute

Rome, Caput mundi ("capital of the world"), la città dei sette colli ("the city of the seven hills") or simply l'Urbe ("the City") is the capital city of Italy and the country's largest and most populous town, with about 2.5 million residents. According to legend, the city of Rome was founded by the twins Romulus and Remus on April 21, 753 BC. The city was the cradle of Roman civilization that produced the largest and longest-lasting empire of classical antiquity. Rome is also identified with the Roman Catholic Church and has been the episcopal seat of the Popes since the 1st century. The State of the Vatican City, the sovereign territory of the Holy See and smallest nation in the world, is an enclave of Rome. The Historic Centre of Rome is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site by virtue of its three thousand years of accumulated history and art: a city of the divine and the sublime, of gods, kings, emperors and popes — Città Eterna — the "Eternal City".

• City of Rome

One of the symbols of Rome is the Colosseum, the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Roman Empire. The list of the very important monuments of ancient Rome includes the Roman Forum, the Domus Aurea, the Pantheon, the Trajan's Column, the Trajan's Market, the Catacombs of Rome, the Circus Maximus, the Baths of Caracalla, the Arch of Constantine, the Pyramid of Cestius.... The principal squares are Piazza del Popolo, Piazza Navona, Piazza di Spagna, Campo de' Fiori, Piazza Venezia. One of the most emblematic examples of the baroque art is the Fontana di Trevi by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Other notable baroque palaces of XVII century are the Palazzo Madama, now seat of the Italian Senate and the Palazzo Montecitorio, now seat of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy.

• Galleria Borghese
• Musei Capitolini
• Musei Vaticani

The main airport of Rome is Leonardo da Vinci, also known as Fiumicino. The other airport is Ciampino, which handles the no-frills airlines, with mainly international plus a few domestic flights. The city bus company is ATAC, and most of the main buses terminate at the bus station outside Stazione Termini. Buses run from around 06:00 to 24:00, with some services running throughout the night. The city's Metro service (which is convenient for many of Rome's sights) has two lines, both of which go through Termini.

• Public transports
• Airports

Typical Roman cooking is made up of simple, ingrediens that follow the seasons: you can start with bucatini all'amatriciana or cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper sauce) and continue with saltimbocca alla romana, coda alla vaccinara (beef tail stew), lamb ribs and artichikes "alla giudia". For dessert try the "grattachecca" a typical Roman crushed-ice drink.

Tourism is one of Rome's chief industries, but the city is also the hub of the Italian film industry, thanks to the Cinecittà studios. Many international headquarters, government ministries, conference centres, sports venues and museums are located in Rome's principal business districts: the Esposizione Universale Roma (EUR); the Magliana; the Parco de' Medici-Laurentina and the so-called Tiburtina-valley along the ancient Via Tiburtina.

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