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History of Rome
Knowing the history of Rome when you visit can make your vacation come alive. This is a brief history of Rome. Ancient Romans believed their city had been founded on 21 April 753 BC. According to myth, the city was founded by the twin sons of Mars, god of war, and Rhea Silvia. The twins, Romulus and Remus, were abandoned on the shores of the Tiber and brought up by a she-wolf. Romulus killed his brother in a battle over who should govern, and then established the city of Rome on the Palatino. The non-mythical city was ruled by Etruscan kings until 510 BC, when it became a republic. As Rome became more powerful abroad, the city suffered several civil wars at home, with the last ending on the Ides of March, 44 BC, when Brutus killed Julius Caesar.

The Republic ended and the emperors took over. The Empire reached its greatest size under Trajan (who ruled from 98-117 AD), stretching from northern England to Mesopotamia, north to the River Danube and south down the Nile.

In the 4th century, Rome lost much of its secular power but became the center of a new empire, Christianity. The Bishop of Rome was named successor to Saint Peter (or, in other words, Pope). In the late 8th century, when Pope Stephen II backed up the claims of Frankish king Pepin the Short that he was the chosen of God; in return he received a section of land around Rome. This alliance became known as the Holy Roman Empire,combining the power of church and state. On Christmas Day 800 the Frankish king, Charlemagne, was crowned Holy Roman Emperor. By the 15th century the papacy transformed Rome into a beautiful example of the Renaissance through help of great artists and patrons like the Medicis, and the Borgheses.

After Charles V's sacking of Rome in 1527 and Napoleon's march across Europe, Rome became a capital of a newly united Italy in 1870, leaving the pope as a figurehead. In 1929 the pope became a sovereign of Vatican City. During the 1930s the city expanded beyond the city walls throughout Mussolini's fascist rule. By 1946 after the unsuccessful unification with Germany, Italy went from a fascist state to a republic.

Throughout the 1990's, Italy was marked by an era of political corruption. By the Jubilee Year of 2002, Rome not only cleaned up its act politically, it cleaned up its act literally by cleaning church and palazzo facades and improving roads and transportation. Rome has never looked more beautiful than it does today.

Touring Rome
The best times to visit Rome are spring and autumn although it is a mild climate quite nice the year-round, with sunny skies and mild temperature most of time. The winter can be rainy, and July and August can be quite hot. August is vacation time in Rome, and many businesses are closed, so you may want to avoid this month. There are many cultural events available: opera, classical music and contemporary music.

Most of the historic landmarks are centered in an approximately close area to each other. Although you could walk from place to place, it is advisable to take your tour using your rental car because walking can be quite wearing. The Palatine Hill and the Forum are the center of ancient Rome. Via del Corso runs north from the Forum to Piazza del Popolo, with the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain just to its east. The Vatican is northwest of the Forum, across the River Tiber.

Fiumicino airport is about 16 miles southwest of the city and you can pick up your rental car there, drive into the center of the city where there are good places to stay and where good-quality, reasonably priced meals can be found in the trattorie around Piazza Navona and in Trastevere.

The Forum spreads along the valley floor between the Capitoline and Palatine hills. It was constructed over about a 900 year time period. It fell into disrepair over the years and there has now been excavation underway since the 18th century.

The Forum is entered from the piazza leading from the Colosseum. While on vacation many of the sites you should see, available by rental car, are the Arch of Septimus Severus, the Temple of Saturn, the House of the Vestals, the Temple of Antoninus & Faustina and the Arch of Titus.

From the Forum, climb the Palatino where the wealthy and powerful built their palaces and personal temples. On your vacation, visit the House of Livia, the Domus Augustana, the Palace of the Flavians and the ruins of the Baths of Septimus Severus. You can look down on ruins of the Circus Maximus, though not much remains today of where the chariots raced. Travel to The Appian Way, the more than two thousand year old road which runs from Rome to Brindisi. It is lined with monuments, in particular the Circus of Maxentius, and Roman tombs, such as the Tomb of Cecilia Metella. You won't want to miss touring the catacombs, tunnels carved into the volcanic rock that were the meeting and burial places of Rome's persecuted Christians.

Vatican City, the seat of Catholicism is headed up by the pope. It is the world's smallest independent state. It is not just the interest of Catholics, it also is of interest to those who appreciate history, religion and art. Include on your tour St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican museums, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Library.

Rome is the home of very special churches. The Church of Santa Maria Antiqua is the oldest church in the Forum, and the nearby Church of San Pietro in Carcere is on the site of the Mammertime Prison, where St Peter is believed to have been imprisoned. Take your rental car to Santa Maria Maggiore or San Giovanni in Laterano where Sts Peter's & Paul's heads are preserved.

Drive your rental car to Capitoline Hill to Michelangelo's Piazza del Campidoglio. Designed in 1538, the piazza is a classic of Renaissance town planning.

Don't forget Trevi Fountain,one of the most popular places to hang out. It attracts more tourist coins than any fountain in Rome. Piazza del Quirinale offers incredible views of Rome and St Peter's Via Veneto was the place to be in the 1950s and '60s, when Anita Ekberg, the Swedish actres, personified La Dolce Vita. It's a shadow of its former self today, but it still has fashionable pretensions. Your tour should include the Santa Maria della Concezione dei Capuccini, home to a bizarre attraction decorated with rococo decorations and pyramidal stacks created solely from the bones and skulls of the monks' long-departed fellows.

If you get tired of touring around Rome, take time out and drive your rental car to the beaches on the Lazio coast. You can rent bicycles and cycle near the Porta Pinciana in Villa Borghese. Villa Doria Pamphili, 1 mile south of the Vatican, is the largest park in Rome and great for jogging or going for a stroll. Horse riding is available at the exclusive Il Galoppatoio equestrian club in Villa Borghese. Always superb on your tour is the eating, drinking and listening to good music easily available throughout Rome. Take your rental car and head for Gianicolo Hill where children can enjoy the pony rides and Sunday Punch & Judy shows. Spend some time on your vacation relaxing at the thermal springs mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy. They're near Viterbo, 55 miles north of Rome.

Whenever you decide to visit Rome, with great weather, intriguing tourist sites and a unique link to history, it a wonderful place for a holiday for tourists and locals alike.