Rome and Lazio: A Centre of Power

The founding of Rome goes back to the very early days of civilization. Kings first governed Rome, but after a short time, the citizens took power and ruled themselves for nearly 500 years, followed by the Roman Empire under many emperors for a further 500 years.

The Roman Empire had collapsed by the year AD476. In the succeeding years, invaders came and went, leaving behind their own artistic and culinary traditions, and the fabric of Rome was left in very poor shape. Gradually Roman pride reasserted itself, but it was not until the 19th century that the structure of modern Italy, with Rome as the capital, was fully established. Some of the world’s most important art and architecture resides here, and Rome also contains Vatican City, a city-state and the centre of the Catholic Church, within its boundaries.