Lazio

Lazio is the centre of Italian political life due to the presence of the government and parliament in Rome -the region’s and country’s glorious capital city - and the home of Catholicism, Vatican City, a city-state in Rome. The region is divided into five provinces: Frosinone, Latina, Rieti and Viterbo, though more than half of the population lives in or around Rome itself.

With Rome being such a draw, it is not surprising that so much of Lazio often gets overlooked, especially when it comes to tourism, yet this is a place that is not only stunningly beautiful, but is also littered with cultural treasures: innumerable historical sites and monuments of both the ancient Roman civilization and, to the north, the Etruscans. Moreover, it is a rich landscape that is green and hilly to the north, becoming more parched and rugged to the south. Until the late 19th century, much of the lowland area was marshy and dangerously malarial. However, the vast reclamation works in the Maremma, the Campagna Romana and the Pontine Marshes that began in the early 20th century resulted in the drainage and repopulation of the plain, which totally transformed the region’s agriculture.