Regions of Italy : Latium - Lazio

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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Torre Rossa Park Hotel Rome   The Torre Rossa Park Hotel is located 20 minutes from the Vatican City-St. Peter's Basilica and the city centre of Rome. The hotel is immersed in the peaceful greenery of a magnificent park near Villa Pamphili. The hotel offers 250 comfortable bedrooms that are well decorated and equipped with several modern amenities. The restaurant offers the best dishes as well as an excellent selection of wines. The Bar provides snacks and cocktails, which can also be served in the unique and relaxing environment of the gardens. Hotel facilities further include extensive conference and banqueting rooms, expo area and a large outdoor area making it possible to organise receptions, banquets, gala evenings and musical concerts. >> click here for last minute offers >> click here for year round hotel reservation

Travel to Rome - The Eternal City

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.