The Eternal City, Rome, is full of world-famous attractions and is considered to be a mysterious city full of surprises. Everywhere you travel, you discover amazing historical and cultural monuments, churches, fountains, beautiful landmarks, impressive architecture, and a long, rich history to unfold. If you are planning a trip to Rome, you should know some interesting and surprising facts to broaden your knowledge for a better perspective of the city.
Here are 18 interesting facts about Rome that you probably didn't know about:
1. Rome was the First City to Record a Population of 1 Million
Rome was the first city in the world to record a population of just over 1 million for the first time in 133 B.C. This gathering of a million was a mix of people from three different continents: Asia, Europe, and Africa. However, they were later surpassed by cities like Constantinople, Jinling, Beijing, Edo, and London, which became the first city to reach 2 million population during the 19th century, and New York, which became the first megacity of 10 million population.
2. Rome is the Only City to Have a Whole Country Inside It
Vatican City, laid closely on the west bank of the River Tiber, is the world’s smallest independent state covered by the city. It is surrounded by Rome, covering an area of merely 44 hectares, which means Rome contains a whole country. The Vatican City, with a population of just over 800, is governed by the Pope and also has its own currency, army, etc. Surprisingly, you don't need a passport to enter Vatican City. You can explore it when you start traveling through the streets of Rome.
3. Much of Rome Is Still Underground
Beneath modern Rome lies a hidden portion of ancient Rome, which is up to 8 to 11 meters under present ground level. Through multiple excavations throughout the past few centuries, the experts assumed that much of Rome is still not excavated and is now underground. This happened due to the constant reconstructional process, natural calamities like flooding and earthquakes, and other calamitous circumstances.
Roman ruins like baths, theaters, stadia, imperial villas, fire stations, apartment buildings, pagan temples, markets, and stadiums can be found beneath the ground. Even the iconic Colosseum that we witness now is not the whole structure. Some portions are still buried underground. Not all, but some underground attractions are now open for public visits, like the Colosseum Underground, Domus Romana at Palazzo Valentini, Saint Peter's Tomb, Rome Catacombs, and more.
4. World's Largest Church Is Located in Rome
St. Peter's Basilica is one of the most visited attractions and the world's largest church in Vatican City. The construction took almost 150 years to complete. This Renaissance-style church was built between 1506 and 1626 following the tradition above the burial site of St. Peter, the first Bishop of Rome and one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. It is the holiest and most important focal point of millions of pilgrims every year, with a capacity of 60,000 people and a place for popes who have circulated the holy words of God throughout the world. The Basilica is also a historical, cultural, and architectural destination with admirable treasures like sculptures, paintings, artifacts, etc., making it the most sought-after tourist attraction in Rome.
5. Rome Is Older than Italy
Surprisingly, Rome, the present capital of Italy, was founded as a kingdom in 753 BC, which makes it 25,000 years older than Italy. The Italian peninsula was home to different cultures during ancient times. It became the homeland of the Romans. After the assassination of Julius Caesar, the Roman Empire saw its fall, and the peninsula was again divided into multiple city-states. In 1861, under King Victor Emmanuel, all the states within the Italian peninsula except Venice and Rome were unified. However, later, Rome became a part of Italy in 1870, and in 1871, Italy emerged as an independent nation-state.
6. The Romans Developed Excellent Road Networks
The Romans were outstanding road builders and developed an intricate network of roads extending from the Danube River to Spain and northern Africa and from Britain to the Tigris-Euphrates River system. By the advent of the 2nd century BCE, four other great roads extended from Rome: the Via Appia, the Via Flaminia, the Via Aurelia, and the Via Aemilia. This network of around 50,000 miles or more includes highways, allowing them to travel freely across Europe and move strategically with military supplies during warfare, helping them defeat their enemies. Romans frequently added a new road to their empire, linking Rome with the newly captured areas or towns for a better and easier network. The Appian way is the greatest example. All this led to the popular saying, " All roads lead to Rome."
7. Europe's First Super Highway Is Located in Rome
The Appian Way, one of the well-known attractions of Rome, was built in 312 BCE and was the first super highway of Europe. The Appian Way is named after Appius Claudius Caecus, the Roman censor who began the construction of this road. It was Rome's gateway to the East, running from Rome to Campania and southern Italy and extending 400 miles to Brindisi, from where Roman ships cruised to Greece and Egypt. It was Rome's most important economic and military highway and perhaps the oldest still in existence. It was an important path for development in communication, military supplies, and troops for its conquest of southern Italy in 312 BC.
8. Cats Have Special Rights in Rome
During your visit to Rome, you will discover the presence of cats in every corner of the city. They are omnipresent in Rome. According to an estimation, Rome has a presence of approximately 300,000 cats, and they are fundamentally authorized to run free. Interestingly, there are even legal protection laws for cats, and the violations of these laws might cause you to face some serious consequences. According to Roman law, harming a cat is a punishable offense, and cats can live wherever they want and can't be removed by force. For cat lovers, a no-kill cat shelter is located at Rome's historical site of Largo di Torre, Argentina.
9. The Trevi Fountain Is a Wish Maker
The Trevi Fountain is the most famous tourist attraction in Rome that attracts a huge number of tourists from different parts of the world to witness its mind-blowing craftsmanship. But the beauty of the fountain is not the only reason behind its popularity. The coin-throwing tradition is another interesting fact that makes people visit this place daily. As per the myths, whenever someone throws a coin between one and three in fountain water, each of the coins will make one of your wishes come true, but you can't wish for whatever you want. Each coin can fulfill three predefined wishes. The first coin will make sure you come to Rome in the future. The second coin will fulfill your wish for true love, and the third coin will ensure you marry that same person. As a report from 2017, the Trevi Fountain got around $1.5 million thrown by visitors. All the money that gets collected by the volunteers is sent to Roman charities for a noble cause.
10. Rome Has the World's Only Pasta Museum
Italy is a Mediterranean country known for its tasteful cuisines, especially pasta, which always comes first when considering Italian cuisine. Surprisingly, this country's love for pasta is so much that they have a whole museum dedicated to pasta located in Corte di Giarola. It's a paradise for pasta lovers where you learn about its history, inventions, types of pasta, production methods, and homemade preparation. You also get to see the equipment and machinery used for making pasta throughout the ages.
11. World's First Shopping Mall Was Built in Rome
Trajan's Market, built between the years 100 and 110 AD, is a multi-level indoor mall and is considered the oldest shopping mall in history. It is located on Via dei Fori Imperiali and presently holds the Museum of Imperial Forums. It is one of the most fascinating buildings of ancient Rome. It featured around 150 stores where traders and vendors of ancient Rome used to sell their goods.
12. Ancient Rome Was Home to the Biggest Stadium Ever Built in Its Time
While thinking of the biggest stadium in Rome, the name that might pop up in your mind would be the Colosseum. But surprisingly, it isn't. One of the most popular modes of entertainment for Romans was chariot racing, for which The Circus Maximus, the largest stadium of Rome, was built, dating back to the 6th Century B.C. The Circus Maximus could hold around 250,000 people, while the Colosseum could roughly hold 60,000 people.
13. Ancient Rome Was the First Society That Distributed Free Grain to Its Citizens
Cura Annonae, which means "care of Annona", is the term used by ancient Rome, in honor of the goddess Annona, to define the dispersal of grain to the citizens of the cities of Rome. An important government program is known as the 'grain dole or corn dole,' under which subsidized grains were distributed to residents of Rome. The most significant source of grains at the time was North Africa, Roman Egypt, and Sicily.
14. Rome Had a Presence of a Lie Detector
Bocca Della Verita, which means ‘Mouth of Truth', located in the portico of Santa Maria in Cosmedin Church, is a huge antique marble mask with a carved face of the sea titan god Oceanus that is said to be used as a lie detector for those accused of crimes like adultery and perjury during the 15th Century in Rome. Doubtful husbands mostly conducted the test to test their wife's faithfulness. The accused used to place their hands inside the mouth of the sculpture, and they would be crunched off if they lied and unharmed if they told the truth. This trial was performed to make people act more honestly out of fear of bad consequences.
15. Rome Is the Home of Europe's Largest and the World's Second Largest University
La Sapienza, established in 1303 AD, is Rome's oldest, Europe's largest, and second-largest globally. The Sapienza University of Rome, formally called the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a public research university and is one of the most prestigious and recognized Italian universities. Many significant alumni, including Nobel laureates, European Commissioners and Presidents of the European Parliament, scientists, astronauts, and heads of different nations, have passed out from this renowned university. It generally ranks first in national rankings and Southern Europe. It achieved rank one in the world for ancient history and classics in the years 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022, respectively.
16. Ancient Rome Has Been a City of Fountains for Many Years
Ancient Rome, by 98 AD, was nicknamed the 'city of fountains' and was the first city to bring up the idea of fountains with free and clean drinking water. Even now, Rome has the highest presence of drinking fountains in the world. Ancient Rome brought more than 2,300 fountains and had many public baths. The modern city of Rome supplies free water to the public through over 2,000 fountains. The most popular and elegant one is the Trevi Fountain, famous for its Baroque style, detailed artwork, and plenty of history to explore.
17. Rome Is Surrounded by a Group of Seven Hills
The seven hills of Rome located east of the Tiber River are a group of seven hills that are believed to be the grounds where Rome was built. This group of beautiful hills and mountains surrounding the city is the reason behind its breathtaking beauty. They are an essential aspect of Rome's cultural and historical landscape. Among the seven hills of Rome, the original city of Romulus was built upon Palatine Hill, where significant ruins of imperial palaces and prehistoric remains were discovered. Other significant hills are Capitoline Hill, Viminal Hill, Aventine Hill, Caelian Hill, Quirinal Hill, and Esquiline Hill.
18. The Romans Were the Most Hygienic Civilization of Their Time
In ancient times, Romans had high standards for cleanliness and hygiene and realized the importance of staying clean for good health. Taking it seriously, they invented modern spas, and huge complexes were built with luxurious facilities. During this time, plumbing at home was unaffordable, so most people used public baths and toilets, which were easily accessible to all the members of society. Even the army was well-equipped with bathhouses and latrines.
The most undeniable fact about Rome is that it is the most incredible city in the world and full of mind-blowing attractions. It's a destination that is always on top of the wish list of many tourists across the Globe. Visiting the Eternal City will allow you to discover more new and surprising facts.