Located in central Italy on the banks of the Tiber River, Rome is the capital of Italy as well as the cultural, political, and historical center of the country.

Ancient Rome was the center of the vast Roman Empire, and many of the great monuments of that empire still stand today. In addition to these monuments, Rome is also home to the Vatican City, an independent country that is home to the Pope, the leader of the Catholic Church. St. Peter's Basilica, in the Vatican City,is a major feature of Rome's skyline.

Rome has long been called the "Eternal City," having been a dominant city through much of the history of "Western Civilization." You travel through time by visiting different parts of the city.

The center of the city is filled with Roman ruins. To the south is the area known as "Avertine and Lateran." Its ruins are not as famous but are as interesting especially the Catacombs that held the dead bodies of early Christians.

Moving west from the city center, you enter the area near the Piazza Navona. Near the Piazza Navona, there is one of the most famous Roman buildings--the Pantheon which is considered one of the best designed structures of the world. The fountain-filled
Piazza Navona, built on the site of an old Roman stadium, helped give Rome another nickname: the "City of Fountains."

To the north, you can see two more fountains in an area that is filled mostly with 18th and 19th century architecture. There is the most famous, Trevi Fountain, where the tradition is to throw a coin into the fountain with the hope that you will return to Rome.

Travel to the west, across the Tiber and you head into an area near the Vatican that is filled with medieval buildings and art. Santa Maria in Trastevere is decorated with 12th and 13th century mosaics. Then there is Santa Cecilia in Trastevere which was rebuilt in the 9th century and dedicated to the woman martyred in the third century, who was buried in the Catacombs.

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