Rome (Roma), on the river Tiber, between the Apennines and the Tyrrhenian Sea, was once Caput Mundi (capital of the world), the powerhouse of the mighty Roman Empire, governing a vast region that stretched from Britain to Mesopotamia.

Today, it can't claim global dominance, but as capital of Italy, the seat of the Italian government and home to the Pope and the Vatican, it's no backwater. Besides its capital credentials, Rome is a glorious architectural patchwork, a living masterpiece, sedate yet chaotic, full of charm and life.