A centre of culture and commerce, whose people dominated the Mediterranean for more than three hundred years, Rome, capital of Italy's region of Latium, is strong, resilient and a grand venue for history.

Vatican State, the symbolic home for the world's Catholics, is where the Pope presides over St. Peter's Basilica and treasures abound inside the Vatican Museums. Scattered with ruins, the Roman Forum is a time-capsule of Rome's days past, and spectators delighted in chariots charging around Circus Maximus' 620-metre (2,034-ft) track. Romans would take in more athletic displays at the infamous Colosseum, where gladiators dueled to the death. At the bottom of the Spanish Steps is a cluster of boutiques that totals some of the most amazing shopping in the world. Squares are decorated with at least one of Rome's myriad of fountains, fed by ancient aqueducts, the most recognizable likely being La Dolce Vita's Trevi Fountain. There are countless museums, palaces, churches and unique districts like the bohemian Trastevere to keep visitors occupied, and, lure them to return.