Rome City Guide for Expats
Rome is the capital of Italy. It is located within the Italian Peninsula, on the central-western portion, and lies along the Tiber River. For almost three millennia, the metropolitan has been an important human settlement in Europe. In 1871, the city was confirmed as the capital of the Kingdom of Italy and later the Italian Republic in 1946. Living within the city is over 4.3 million residents, making it one of the most populated cities in Italy.
The majority of Rome is covered by nature reserves and public parks, making it a notable green space in Europe. The city has several landscaped gardens and villas that were initially created by the aristocracy in Italy. Villa Ada, located in the north-eastern part of Rome, is the largest park in the city and is also considered an ancient site.
Rome’s architecture has developed over many centuries and is a blend of different styles, such as Neoclassical, Baroque, Medieval, and classical. It is famous for unique building styles such as the vault, the dome and the arch when it was the European epicentre of architecture. The city has many fountains that have been in existence for thousands of years which were for decoration and used for drinking water. Rome also has several bridges across the city with many crossing the Tiber River. Within Rome’s boundaries is Vatican City, one of the only countries that exist within a city in the world.
Rome can be accessed using three airports. Leonardo da Vinci International Airport, a major airport in Italy located in the town of Fiumicino and is the busiest in Italy. Roma-Urbe Airport, six kilometres from the city mostly handles private planes and helicopters but mostly experiences low traffic. The third airport is in Ciampino and is referred to as Rome Ciampino Airport. It handles both civilian and military planes from local and international destinations.
Termini is the busiest and largest railway station in Italy and the rest of Europe. Rome’s location in Italy makes the city the central railway connection in the country with about four hundred thousand people passing through it daily. A high-speed terminus known as Roma Tiburtina is also located in Rome with trains moving passengers to key Italian cities.
