Rome
Rome is the capital city and most populated comune of Italy. A special comune named Roma Capitale with a population of 2.7 million, Rome is the third most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits. The Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, with a population of 4.2 million, is the most populous metropolitan city in Italy.
Typical weather
1981–presentCity Rhythm
measuredOpening hours, by kind of place
median across mapped venuesVital absurdities
measured · the Anti-AwardsSame time system
by rhythmWhat to do each season
2winter
mild, humid, occasionally rainy; mean 7.1-17.8 °C across the range; January avg min 2.1 °C (cold nights, mild days); Nov-Dec wettest (2.9-3.6 mm/day)
- indoor cultural season: the Vatican Museums, the Capitoline Museums, the Galleria Borghese, the Pantheon, the countless churches
- the Jubilee / Holy Year cycle (every 25 years, next 2025) brings Catholic pilgrimage peaks
- Christmas and the Vatican liturgical calendar dominate the city's ritual rhythm
- the historic-centre crowds thin but the city stays densely-visited year-round
summer
hot and dry; mean 21.6-26.0 °C, July mean max 32.0 °C, August avg max 32.2 °C; precipitation 0.8-0.9 mm/day Jul-Aug; frequent heatwaves above 35 °C
- Romans traditionally leave the city in August (Ferragosto on 15 August) — the centre empties of locals, fills with tourists
- outdoor evening civic life activates: Trastevere, Campo de' Fiori, the Testaccio district; the city becomes a night-eating city
- the Tiber island and the Tiber-side bars activate; Roman summers are hot and humid
- the Estate Romana (Roman Summer) — open-air cinema, music, theatre across the city
What it is known for
Important moments in a year
Ferragosto
- the Assumption holiday and the traditional Roman mass-departure for the sea
- tourist-only centre
Holy Week and Easter
- the Vatican's Holy Week cycle — papal liturgies, St Peter's Square crowds, Good Friday Via Crucis
Noctti di Roma / Estate Romana
- Roman Summer open-air festival — cinema, music, theatre across the city's piazzas
Romans Jubilee
- Holy Year — millions of Catholic pilgrims, special St Peter's Holy Door ritual
Festa de Noantri
- Trastevere district festival — processions, market stalls, street life
On the record
source-trackedVatican City (the smallest country in the world and headquarters of the worldwide Catholic Church under the governance of the Holy See) is an independent country inside the city boundaries of Rome, the only existing example of a country within a city.
Rome is often referred to as the "City of Seven Hills" due to its geography, and also as the "Eternal City".
Rome has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa), with hot, dry summers and mild, humid winters.
In the coldest month, January, the average temperature is 12.6 °C during the day and 2.1 °C at night. In the warmest month, August, the average temperature is 31.7 °C during the day and 17.3 °C at night.
Rome is a city known for its numerous fountains, built-in all different styles, from Classical and Medieval, to Baroque and Neoclassical. The city has had fountains for more than two thousand years.
Rome today is one of the most important tourist destinations of the world, due to the incalculable immensity of its archaeological and artistic treasures.
Rome is at the centre of the radial network of roads that roughly follow the lines of the ancient Roman roads which began at the Capitoline Hill and connected Rome with its empire.
Today central Rome is circled, at a distance of about 10 km from the Capitol, by the ring-road (the Grande Raccordo Anulare or GRA).
Our own long-form profile of Rome — 224 pp. Not published yet.