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| ABOUT ROME |
For centuries, Rome has been called the Eternal City,
a title earned through its importance as one of the great cities of
Western civilization, as the capital of the Roman Empire, and as the
world center of the Roman Catholic church. Since 1871 it has been
the capital of united Italy.
Rome plays a leading role in the creative and performing arts and
in most other aspects of Italy's cultural life. Opera is performed
in the Opera House, one of the country's best, and in the summer at
the Baths of Caracalla. The city also has some 20 theaters and 6 major
concert halls, which offer a varied repertory during the fall, winter,
and spring.
Rome means history. There's layers of the stuff - Etruscan tombs,
Republican meeting rooms, Imperial temples, early Christian churches,
medieval bell towers, Renaissance palaces and baroque basilicas. In
this city a phenomenal concentration of history, legend and monuments
coexists with an equally phenomenal concentration of people busily
going about their everyday life. It's hard to say what you'll find
most breathtaking about the eternal city - the arrogant opulence of
the Vatican, the timelessness of the Forum, the top speed of a Fiat
Bambino or the bill for your caff? latte.
The Palatine Hill and the Forum are the centre of ancient Rome. Via
del Corso runs north from the Forum to Piazza del Popolo, with the
Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain just to its east. The Vatican
is northwest of the Forum, across the River Tiber.
Most of the budget places to stay are clustered around Stazione Termini;
this area is rife with pickpockets and gangs of thieving children,
so beware - do your best to look like you know where you're going
(pretend you're John Travolta strutting along to 'Staying Alive').
It is only slightly more expensive and definitely more enjoyable to
stay closer to the city centre. Good-quality, reasonably priced meals
can be found in the trattorie around Piazza Navona and in Trastevere. |
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