RomeisthecapitalofItalyandthecountry'slargestandmostpopulatedcityandcomune,withover2.7millionresidentsin1,285.3km2(496.3sqmi).Thecityislocatedinthecentral-westernportionoftheItalianPeninsula,ontheTiberRiverwithintheLazioregionofItaly.

　　Rome'shistoryspanstwoandahalfthousandyears.ItwasthecapitalcityoftheRomanKingdom,theRomanRepublicandtheRomanEmpire,whichwasthedominantpowerinWesternEuropeandthelandsborderingtheMediterraneanforoversevenhundredyearsfromthe1stcenturyBCuntilthe7thcenturyAD.Sincethe1stcenturyADRomehasbeentheseatofthePapacyand,aftertheendofByzantinedomination,inthe8thcenturyitbecamethecapitalofthePapalStates,whichlasteduntil1870.In1871RomebecamethecapitaloftheKingdomofItaly,andin1946thatoftheItalianRepublic.

　　AftertheMiddleAges,RomewasruledbypopessuchasAlexanderVIandLeoX,whotransformedthecityintooneofthemajorcentersoftheItalianRenaissance,alongwithFlorence.ThecurrentversionofStPeter'sBasilicawasbuiltandtheSistineChapelwaspaintedbyMichelangelo.Famousartistsandarchitects,suchasBramante,BerniniandRaphaelresidedforsometimeinRome,contributingtoitsRenaissanceandBaroquearchitecture.

　　In2007Romewasthe11th-most-visitedcityintheworld,3rdmostvisitedintheEuropeanUnion,andthemostpopulartouristattractioninItaly.ThecityisoneofEurope'sandtheworld'smostsuccessfulcity"brands",bothintermsofreputationandassets.ItshistoriccentreislistedbyUNESCOasaWorldHeritageSite.MonumentsandmuseumssuchastheVaticanMuseumsandtheColosseumareamongsttheworld's50mostvisitedtouristdestinations(theVaticanMuseumsreceiving4.2milliontouristsandtheColosseumreceiving4milliontouristseveryyear).Romehostedthe1960SummerOlympicsandiscurrentlybiddingtohostthe2020SummerOlympics.[