If you’re heading to Europe anytime soon, chances are, you’re going to make a stop in Rome. After all, it’s one of the top 5 most visited destinations in the area.
Despite the hordes of tourists that Rome hosts every year, frequent travelers to the area will tell you that the city never loses its charm.
Rome has historically been a place that’s saturated in history. The city continues to add to that rich lineage every day.
In order to get the most out of your trip to the “City of Cesar”, learning a few facts about Rome is a must. It just so happens that our team has compiled 10 of our favorite roman facts for you to enjoy below!
1. Rome Is Home to Millions
We all know that Rome is a popular tourist destination. As a matter of fact, much of the city’s economy relies on tourists to function.
Just because tourists are a big deal to the city, doesn’t mean that Rome is a giant amusement park though. Rome is home to over 4 million locals making it the most populous city in the county.
2. Your Wishes Feed Families
One of the most popular attractions in Rome is undeniably the Trevi Fountain. As a tourist, it’s a tradition that you face away from the fountain and fling a coin over your shoulder into its waters as you make a wish.
But where does that money go?
As it turns out, the $4,100.00 that the fountain collects daily are given to a catholic charity that distributes assistance to locals in need.
3. Togas Used to Be Citizenship Papers
In modern society, your birth certificate would be what people look at to determine if you’re a citizen. Back in ancient Rome, authorities didn’t need to look any further than your Toga.
Togas used to be garbs that only citizens of Rome were allowed to wear. Women wore stolas as a sign of their legitimacy.
4. Rome’s Nickname Used to Be Caput Mundi
Have you ever heard of anybody refer to Rome as “Caput Mundi”? We’re guessing that you haven’t.
Caput Mundi used to be a term that was used for the city all the time. That phrase is Latin for “Capital of the World”.
It has been a long time since Rome was a world superpower. At its height, it controlled about 2.5 million square miles of land.
5. The City Wasn’t Always Italy’s Capital
Rome is Italy’s capital and for good reason! The city has a richer history than any other part of the country, it houses the most people and was once home to the historically relevant, Julius Cesar.
Despite all of that, the capital of Rome used to be Florence. The city lost it’s title back in 1870.
6. Cats Love Rome
If you’re a cat lover then you’re going to love these facts about Rome zinger… Rome actually has laws in place that make it so citizens cannot disrupt cats in their natural birthplace.
Those laws are why you’ll find hundreds of cats resting in and around monuments.
7. Almost Half a Million People Died in One Roman Attraction
There’s one place in Rome that has seen almost half a million people and hundreds of thousands of animals die. That place is the Roman Coliseum.
Back in Rome’s glory years, the Coliseum would host vicious human versus human and human versus animal fights. These fights would routinely be watched by over 50,000 spectators.
Despite its somber history, the Colosseum remains a must-see attraction in this guide and just about every other tourist guide that covers the city.
8. Shopping Malls Were Born in Rome
Rome brought many innovations to the world. Things like newspapers, plumbing and arches tend to get all of the glory in the history books. What doesn’t get nearly enough attention is the Roman invention of shopping malls!
Trajan’s Market in Rome was erected back in 110 A.D. It hosted over 150 vendors. In addition to the shops, the marketplace included an apartment block which is similar to what you see in high-scale outdoor malls today.
9. Rome Isn’t Italy’s Most Popular Tourist Destination
With all of the popularity that Rome enjoys, you’d think that it would be Italy’s most popular tourist attraction. As it turns out, that’s not the case.
Milan actually holds the title of being the biggest tourist magnet in Italy with 8 million visitors per year. Rome sees just over 7 million.
10. The City Is Brimming With Believers
If you were to walk around Italy and spoke to 10 people at random, 7 out of the 10 would have told you that they were catholic. That number is suspected to be significantly higher within Rome’s city limits.
It should come as no surprise that Rome is a city that’s filled with believers. It just so happens that the Pope lives one city over.
Wrapping Up Our Facts About Rome
To get the most out of visiting a place, you need to learn a little bit about it before arriving. We hope that our 10 facts about Rome have given you some background on the city and has you feeling more confident about your upcoming adventures.
Remember, Rome isn’t just a city that’s living off of its past. This city is very much a place that’s focused on the future. To that end, that facts that define the city today could very well change tomorrow!
Is traveling a huge part of your lifestyle? If it is, our team shares your passion!
For additional advice on globe-trotting, check out more of the great content that we have posted on our blog.
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