ROME ITALY

ROME IS A SPECIAL COMUNE-  ROMA CAPITALE  IT HAS 2.8 MILLION RESIDENTS AND IS THE 5TH LARGEST  POPULATION IN EUROPE.  IT IS ON THE TIBER RIVER. THE CITY IS 2.5 THOUSAND YEARS OLD.  IT IS THE NEXT AS THE NEXT OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION.

AFTER THE MIDDLE AGES, ROME WAS RULED BY THE POPES SUCH AS ALEXANDRA. AND LEO WHO CHANGED THE CITY INTO ONE OF THE MAJOR CENTERS OF ITALIAN RENAISSANCE.

THE SISTINE CHAPEL WAS PAINTED BY MICHELANGELO.  THIS IS THE RESIDENCE OF THE POPE AND WAS BUILT  IN 1480'S.  MICHELANGELO'S ACHIEVEMENT IN PAINTING THE CEILINGS AND WALLS.  A GROUP OF PAINTERS CREATED A SERIES OF PANELS THAT SHOWED MOSES LIFE WITH CHRIST.  AFTER THE PAINTINGS WERE CREATED THEY HAD A CEREMONY  HERE.

IN 2007 ROME WAS THE 11TH MOST VISITED CITY IN EUROPE AND THE MOST POPULAR SPOT IN ITALY TO TOUR.  IT IS A WORLD HERITAGE SITE.  THERE IS ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE IN ROME FROM 14000 YEARS AGO.  THEY HAVE EVIDENCE OF STONE TOOL POTTERY AND STONE WEAPONS FROM 10,000 YEARS AGO.  SOME FOLKS THINK ROME HAS PASTORAL, SETTLEMENTS ON A HILL ABOVE FUTURE ROMAN FORUM.  THE ANCIENT ROMANS TELL THEIR HISTORY IN MYTH AND LEGEND.  ONE MYTH WAS OF ROMULUS AND REMUS, TWINS WHO WERE RAISED BY A SHE WOLF.  THEY BUILT THE CITY BUT A MISFORTUNE WAS THAT THE ROMULUS KILLED HIS BROTHER.

ROME HAD MANY KINGS AND A NUMBER OF BATTLES.  BY 2 B.C.  ROME HAD SLAVE OPERATIONS ON FARMS.  THE ROMANS WERE INVOLVED WITH GREECE THEN.  ALL COUNTRIES HERE WERE DECLINE.  BY 44 B.C.  THERE WERE 200 YEARS OF RELATIVE PEACE.  IN 64 A.D. ANOTHER PERSON KILLED 1/3 OF THE POPULATION.  FOR 700 YEARS AFTER 980 A.D.  ROME BECAME THE RICHEST AND LARGEST CITY IN THE WESTERN WORLD.  AGAIN IT DECLINED AND WAS SPLIT.  DURING WW I AND WORLD WAR II IT SAW MUCH DESTRUCTION WITH BOMBING. IT BECAME OCCUPIED BY GERMANS!    BY 1870 UNDER NAPOLEON ROME BECAME THE THIRD CAPITAL OF ITALY.

ROME HAS A CLIMATE SIMILAR TO SONOMA COUNTY, MEDITERRANEAN.  ABOUT  1/2 OF THE POPULATION IS OF ROMANIAN POLISH AND UKRAINIAN AND ALBANIAN NUMBERING ABOUT 5% OF THE POPULATION.  100'S OF ROMANIAN GYPSY CAMPS LIVE IN ILLEGAL TRADE CAMPS.  ABOUT 7,000 FOLKS ARE HOMELESS!  ROME WAS THE BASE OF SEVERAL  MYSTERY CULTS.

ROME HAS ABOUT 900 CHURCHES OF DIFFERENT BELIEFS.  UNDER THE CITY ARE ANCIENT CATACOMBS.  THE BASILICA DI SANTA MARIA IS 1 OF THE LARGEST  CHURCHES HERE. 

THE PANTHEON WAS A TEMPLE BUILT FOR ALL GODS OF ANCIENT ROME. IT WAS BUILT IN 126 A.D.  IT HAS CONCRETE DOMES AND IS ONE OF THE BEST PRESERVED BUILDINGS IN ROME.  THIS CITY HAS MANY ARCHITECTURAL MARVELS.  THERE ARE MANY FOUNTAINS IN ROME.  ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS STONE DECORATED  FOUNTAINS IN ROME IS TREVI FOUNTAIN.  ROME TODAY IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT DESTINATIONS FOR TOURISTS BECAUSE OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ARTISTIC TREASURES.  IT HAS CHARM AND IS UNIQUE IN TRADITIONS. SOME OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES ARE MUSEUMS.  7 TO 10 MILLION FOLKS TRAVEL HERE.  IT HAS MAJOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH.

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