Details of Italy: 1.11 - The city of Rome, along the Tiber

Aerial view of the city centre of Rome - http://binged.it/SmSgDS

Rome, the Eternal City, the Head of the World, is one of the cradles of "western civilisation", and a city who has lived the last two thousand and five hundred years as a major player in the political, religious and cultural domain. Each century and each event has left traces still visible in the city, its buildings and its inhabitants, creating an unique environment that can be seen in only few other places in the world.

The city

As one can imagine, the city is shaped by the geography as much as by the story. The current city centre is in the ancient Campus Martius and monuments are scattered everywhere in the areas delimited by the Aurelian Walls. From there, the new city continues along the path of the ancient Roman roads (Aurelia, Flaminia, Nomentana, Tiburtina, Appia...) which are now, in their initial parts, also the main streets of the city.

Along the Tiber. Between the Capitol, Via del Corso and the Tiber there is the last part of the city centre covered in this page. From the south, the Forum Boarium boast three temples in perfect state and the church of St Maria in Cosmedin, with the "Bocca della Verita" of "Roman Holiday" fame. Behind the church it is possible to see the Circus Maximus, an ancient charriot racing stadium, there since the time of Romulus. Continuing to the north, there is the Getto, with the Sinagogue and the Porticus Octavie. The Jewish (Sephardic) comunity of Rome, is one of the most ancient of the diaspora and several dishes of the traditional Roman cuisine can be traced to a Jewish origin. In front of the Sinagogue, there is the Tiber Island, occupied almost entierly by an hospital since the time of the Roman Republic, when a temple of the god of medicine Aesculapion was built there. Finally, it is possible to see the magnificient Palazzo Farnese, now the embassy of France, which was used as a model for a number of urban residence in Europe. After the palace and the homonym square, there is Campo dei Fiori, a characteristic square with a popular market during the day and a good nightlife in the evening. The square has at the centre a statue of Giornano Bruno, a religious burned alive there as heretic in 1600.