Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's
largest and most populated city.
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. Rome's history spans over two and a half thousand years.
It was the capital city of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman
Empire, which was the dominant power in Western Europe and the lands bordering
the Mediterranean Sea for over seven hundred years from the 1st Century BC until
the 7th Century AD. Since the 2nd Century AD Rome has been the seat of the
Papacy and, after the end of Byzantine domination, in the 8th century it became
the capital of the Papal States, which lasted until 1870. In 1871 Rome became
the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, and in 1946 that of the Italian Republic.
Rome enjoys a Mediterranean climate typical of the Mediterranean coasts of
Italy. Spring and autumn are mild to warm, and the Romans ottobrate
("beautiful October days") are known as being sunny and warm