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The
regional capital of Latium is Rome. Everybody knows it: the pull of the
Eternal City is great and irresistible, the capital of the Christian world,
the seat of the Papacy, the incomparable home of architectural and artistic
masterpieces of the ancient world. Is it possible to resist the fascination
of Rome? It may be difficult, but why not try to spend a few days
"exploring" Latium? In this way you would discover a region of fascinating
nature and environment, with an extraordinary variety of landscape: wide
beaches, great pinewoods, mountains like Terminillo (an excellent ski
resort), gentle hills and expansive plains. A region rich in artistic
monuments that bring to mind the long and extraordinary history of this
region in the most immediate fashion. At Tarquinia, Cerveteri and Tuscania,
necropolises and museums bear evidence of ancient and mysterious Etruscan
people (seventh to sixth centuries B.C.) who ruled central Italy before the
rise of Rome. There are countless testimonies of the Roman and later
historical eras outside Rome, in the other provinces of Latium and in the
local centres: Rieti, Viterbo, Latina and Frosinone. It is enough to think
of the splendid and grandiose Villa Adriana in Tivoli (where the renaissance
Villa d'Este can also be found), the seventeenth-century Palazzo Barberini
in Palestrina, and the Cathedral in Anagni. The same grandiose style of the
Roman religion seems to be projected and duplicated outside Rome: in the
abbeys of Montecassino, Casamari, and Fossanova and in the monasteries of
Subiaco, places dear to Saint Benedict of Norcia. Latium, therefore, is not
just Rome. And Rome is also Latium.
Roma, Caput Mundi! Of course the Eternal City is on
everyone's To Do List. For first-time visitors, we remind you not to miss
the newly-renovated Colosseum, the Roman Forum, St. Peter's, the Vatican
Museums and Sistine Chapel, Piazza Navona, the Borghese Gallery, and the
outdoor market at Campo de' Fiori. Save some time for designer shopping at
the Spanish Steps, and don't forget to toss your coin into Trevi Fountain!
Return visitors will also find loads of fascinating tips in this section of
our site, including a hunt for thirteen ancient obelisks, a guide to many
secret cloisters, a day at the races, and a short outing to the ruins of an
ancient city that we consider much more entertaining and educational than
Pompeii.
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Be certain not to miss The Eternal City's Trevi Fountain (remember Anita
Ekberg in the classic scene in La Dolce Vita) the Spanish Steps, Piazza
Navona, Piazza del Popolo, some of the Roman heritage sights, such as the
Pantheon, the Colosseum and the Forum Romanum, a few of her world-famous
churches, such as Il Gesu, S. Giovanni in Laterano and Sta. Maria Maggiore,
and the Vatican with the incredibly huge St. Peter's Basilica and the
unrivalled Vatican Museums. Sunrise on the Gianicolo and sunset on the
Pincio, with vistas of a sea of golden domes and bell-towers, are sure to
record images on the mind never to be forgotten. |
Gastronomy
DON'T be surprised in Rome when your cappuccino is served lukewarm –
that's the way they like it here. By the way, it gets its name from its
resemblance to the head of a Capuchin monk. Cappuccino is considered
suitable for breakfast only – Italians will think you ignorant if you order
it after lunch or dinner. And don't ask for espresso – here it's called
caffe. Food specialties include fettuccini alla Romana (that is, with butter
and Parmesan) and artichokes fried with garlic. Rome is dotted with tiny
osterias selling pizza – incredibly tasty, thin, crisp and sparsely topped.
You'll never eat an Aussie "super supreme" again. |