According to one story, Rome was founded by twins Romulus and Remus, sons of a local noblewoman, and Mars, the god of War (like many a Roman god, pretty prolific in the paternity department). On the run from a murderous uncle, the twins were sent off down the River Tiber in a crib, and later founded the town on the spot where they were washed ashore.
Another legend, as written by the great Roman poet Virgil in the Aeneid, sees Rome founded by Aeneas, who travelled the Mediterranean in the aftermath of the Trojan War. While the true origins of the city may be far less exciting, it has always done everything it could to live up to its mythical status.
The city's Roman past is still clearly visible today - its mighty arena the Colosseum, the ancient city centre the Forum, and the ancient temple to all the gods the Pantheon; all evoke its grand past for the thousands of visitors who flock to the city each year. They are also much loved by many of the city's cats who languish in their shade.
Visitors can take in these great sights from the Campidoglio, just behind the Forum, and Piazza Navona, next to the Pantheon. The Campidoglio is a classic square designed by the greatest of Renaissance artists, Michelangelo, and set up on one of Rome's seven hills, the Capitoline, the spiritual home of the Roman Empire that Michelangelo sought to recreate. It's still a governmental seat, and today is home to Rome's mayor.
Not half a mile away, in the middle of 'Il centro storico', Rome's historic centre, is Piazza Navona, the heart of contemporary Rome's open-air nightlife. It's a long, rounded square whose shape reminds us of its original role as the home of Rome's chariot races. Its present decadent and stylish character owes more to the churches and fountains that flank it, creations of two great exponents of Baroque, arch-rivals Bernini and Bornomini.
Papal Rome sits on the other side of the river (though that's not to say that previous popes weren't happy to keep their palaces - and their mistresses - on the city side). Today the Vatican City, an independent state, is home not just to the glorious St Peter's, the largest church in the world, but also the Vatican museums, the largest collection of art collections in the world.
And yet, amazingly, despite its grandeur and its overwhelming history, Rome is a charming, friendly and surprisingly small city. Of course, it's madly frenetic, deafeningly loud, and frustratingly disorganised, but there are few who live there or visit there that do not form life-long love affairs with the city. It's not just the Colosseum or the Sistene Chapel that they fall in love with: it's the morning market in Campo dei fiori, the champagne and water melon ice cream from Giolitti's gelateria, night time vespa rides across the white marble of Piazza del Popolo, or watching a Fellini film at one of the open air cinemas…
Today's Rome is a crazy circus of atmospheric ruins, overwhelming monuments, and beautiful shops and apartments. All are filled with the city's exuberant inhabitants and the thousands of tourists who each year come to make their own personal pilgrimage to the 'caput mundi', the capital of the world.
Links
Federico Fellini
Fan club site of the celebrated film director, and Rome's biggest fan.
Nanni Moretti
Site dedicated to the one of the capital's cinematic exponents, the director of visual poems to Rome Caro Diario and Aprile.
Il Messaggero
Brush up your Italian and keep your finger on the capital's pulse with Rome's daily paper.
RAI
Check out the joys of Italian television.
The Capitoline
Insight into history and life inAncient Rome, and a webcam on Rome's ruins.
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Rome - the Eternal City