Hotels in Rome near Spanish Steps, Rome hotels by location in Spanish Steps area, Find Rome Hotels nears Spanish Steps, accommodation and hotels near Spanish Steps in Rome Italy
Rome, is the capital of Italy and the country’s largest and most populated municipality (central area), with over 2.7 million residents in 1,285.3 km2 (496.3 sq mi). While the population of the urban area was estimated by Eurostat to have been 3.46 million in 2004,[2] the metropolitan area of Rome was estimated by OECD to have had a population of 3.7 million no later than 2006.[3]
The city of Rome is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber river within the Lazio region of Italy. It has been one of history’s most powerful and important cities,[4] being the home of the emperor during the Roman Empire and the modern seat of the Italian government. Rome also has a significant place in Christianity and is the present day home of the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope, and the site of the Vatican City, an independent city-state run by the Catholic Church.[5] Due to this centrality on many levels, the city has been nicknamed “Caput Mundi” (Latin for “Capital of the World”)[6] and “The Eternal City”.
Rome’s history spans over two and a half thousand years. It was the centre of the Roman Republic and of the Roman Empire, which was a major political and cultural influence in the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea for over four hundred years from the 1st Century BC until the 4th Century AD. During the Middle-Ages, Rome was home to popes such as Alexander VI and Leo X, who transformed the city into one of the major centres of the Italian Renaissance, along with Florence.[7] The current-day version of St Peter’s Basilica was built and the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling was painted by artist Michelangelo. Famous artists and architects, such as Bramante, Leonardo da Vinci, Bernini and Raphael resided for some time in Rome, contributing to its Renaissance and Baroque architecture. As a modern city, it has been capital of the unified Italy since 1870, and grew mainly in two periods before and after World War II. Rome has had an immense historic influence to the world and modern society over the ages, particularly during ancient times, mainly in subjects such as architecture, art, culture, politics, literature, law, philosophy and religion.[8][9][10]
Modern Rome is a bustling and cosmopolitan metropolis, and is Italy’s administrative, cultural and political capital. Its rich artistic heritage and vast amount of ancient, notably architectural and archaeological sites, contribute to the city’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites.[11][12][13] Its modern and ancient global influence in politics, literature, high culture, the arts, music, religion, education, fashion, cinema and cuisine lead it to being an Alpha- world city, according to Loughborough University and GaWC in 2008.[14] Rome is also an important worldwide hub of the cinematic and filming industry, home to the important and large Cinecittà Studios,[15] which saw the filming of several internationally acclaimed movies as well as television programmes. Currently, and since the 1957 Treaty of Rome, the metropolis serves as one of Europe’s major political centres, with worldwide organizations such as World Food Programme (WFP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),[16] International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the NATO Defence College being headquartered in the city. Rome is regarded as being one of the nation’s principle centres of business, media and finance, along with Milan. The Rome metropolitan area has a GDP of €109.4 billion (US$ 149.14), and according to a 2008 study, the city is the world’s 35th richest city by purchasing power, with a GDP of €94.376 billion (US$ 121.5 billion),[17] and is the world’s 18th most expensive city (in 2009).[18]
The city hosted the 1960 Olympic Games, with great success,[19] and is also an official candidate for the 2020 Olympic Games.[20]
Rome is the third-most-visited tourist destination in the European Union,[21] and its historic centre is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.[22] Monuments and museums such as the Vatican Museums and the Colosseum are amongst the world’s 50 most visited tourist destinations (the Vatican Museums receiving 4.2 million tourists and the Colosseum receiving 4 million tourists every year).[23]
