INTRODUCTION TO ROME
rome is a truly monumental city. it is the capital of italy for a very long time, and was the capital
of the roman empire until 476. according to legends, rome
was founded 753 b.c. by romulus. over time, as the centre of
the roman empire, it is regarded as the crucial birthplace
of western civilization. it's often called "roma aeterna",
i.e., the eternal city. rome was also the hub of advanced
architecture, and essential buildings, such as the pantheon
and the colliseum, plus temples, aqueducts and even roads
...
furthermore,
rome is for a long time the core of christianity, and from the
6th century onwards the bishop of rome was called pope. rome
eventually became the defacto capital of the papal state. much
later, in 1929, vatican city was formally installed as an
independent realm within the city of rome.
rome is situated along the river tiber, and its habour used
to be ostia, about 35 km south-west; it's now civitaveccia,
further north.
the "eternal rome" is truly crowded with 'must-see' features
- just a few will be presented on the following pages, in
five galleries.
