Rome is the capital city of Italy and has a proud history
dating back more than 2000 years. It is known as “The eternal City” and
is home to the Vatican, the seat of the Roman Catholic Papacy. For centuries
Italy was the center of civilization, with its capital in Rome. The Romans
created the largest empire the ancient world ever saw. Its influence extended
outward from Rome and in time encompassed almost the entire known world.
Even today ruins of aqueducts, roads, temples, Roman baths and theaters
still exist all over Europe, from Turkey to Spain and Northern Africa to
Scotland This great empire lasted more than 1,000 years. When it finally
fell, modern nations like England, France, Spain, Germany, and Italy grew
out of the remnants and kept alive many of Rome's achievements.
The Romans left a great legacy of art, literature and language which influence
us even today. All the romance languages, including English, use Latin as
a basis. Roman engineering, bridges, city infrastructures, sewage and irrigation
systems were amazingly advanced, and laid the groundwork for future civilizations.
Roman law was used as a framework for our modern legal system. In fact, many
Latin terms are still used in legal jargon.
Rome's mild climate makes it visitable year-round, although it does get rather
hot in July/August. However, spring and autumn are without doubt the best
times to visit, with generally sunny skies and mild temperatures . Unfortunately,
these times are also the peak tourist season, when the tour buses pour in
and tourists are herded around like cattle. July and August are unpleasantly
hot, and Romans traditionally desert the stiflingly hot city in August, with
many businesses closing. From December to February there is briskly cold
weather, although it's rarely grey and gloomy.
Events-wise, Rome's calendar bursts year-round with cultural events ranging
from colourful traditional celebrations with a religious and/or traditional
flavour, through to cultural events. Summer is definitely the best time to
visit if you want to catch the best of the festivals; however, the Romaeuropa
festival is now a feature of the autumn calendar, the Roma opera season runs
from December until June and the classical and contemporary music scene is
lively all year round. Welcome to the historic capital of Europe.
|
