Rome (Italian: Roma), the 'Eternal City', is the capital and largest city of Italy and of the Lazio

(Latium) region. It is the famed city of the Roman Empire, the Seven Hills,La Dolce Vita (sweet life), the Vatican City and Three Coins in the Fountain. Rome, as a millenium-long centre of power, culture and religion, having been the centre of one of the globe's greatest civilizations ever, has exerted a huge influence over the world in its c. 2,500 years of existence. The Historic Centre of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With wonderful palaces, milleniumold churches and basilicas, grand romantic ruins, opulent monuments, ornate statues and graceful fountains, Rome has an immensely rich historical heritage and cosmopolitan atmosphere, making it one of Europe's and the world's most visited, famous, influential and beautiful capitals. Today, Rome has a growing nightlife scene and is also seen as a shopping heaven, being regarded as one of the fashion capitals of the world (some of Italy's oldest jewellery and clothing establishments were founded in the city). With so many sights and things to do, Rome can truly be classified a "global city".

Culture
Entertainment and performing arts
Rome is an important centre for music, and it has an intense musical scene, including several prestigious music conservatories and theatres. It hosts theAccademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (founded in 1585), for which new concert halls have been built in the new Parco della Musica, one of the largest musical venues in the world. Rome also has an opera house, the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, as well as several minor musical institutions. The city also played host to the Eurovision Song Contest in 1991 and the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2004. Rome has also had a major impact in music history. The Roman School was a group of composers of predominantly church music, which were active in the city during the 16th and 17th centuries, therefore spanning the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras. The term also refers to the music they produced. Many of the composers had a direct connection to the Vatican and the papal chapel, though they worked at several churches; stylistically they are often contrasted with the Venetian School of composers, a concurrent movement which was much more progressive. By far the most famous composer of the Roman School is Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, whose name has been associated for four hundred years with smooth, clear, polyphonic perfection. However, there were other composers working in Rome, and in a variety of styles and forms.

Tourism
Rome today is one of the most important tourist destinations of the world, due to the incalculable immensity of its archaeological and artistic treasures, as well as for the charm of its unique traditions, the beauty of its panoramic views, and the majesty of its magnificent "villas" (parks). Among the most significant resources are the many museums (Musei Capitolini, the Vatican Museums, Galleria Borghese, including those dedicated to modern and contemporary art and great many others) aqueducts, fountains, churches, palaces, historical buildings, the monuments and ruins of the Roman Forum, and the Catacombs. Rome is the 3rd most visited city in the EU, after London and Paris, and receives an average of 710 million tourists a year, which sometimes doubles on holy years. The Colosseum (4 million tourists) and the Vatican Museums (4.2 million tourists) are the 39th and 37th (respectively) most visited places in the world, according to a recent study.[75] Rome is a major archaeological hub, and one of the world's main centres of archaeological research. There are numerous cultural and research institutes located in the city, such as the American Academy in Rome,[76] and The Swedish Institute at Rome,[77] to name a few. Rome contains numerous ancient sites, including the Forum Romanum, Trajan's Market, Trajan's Forum,[78] the Colosseum, and the Pantheon, to name but a few. TheColosseum, arguably one of Rome's most iconic archaeological sites, is regarded as a wonder of the world.[79][80] Rome contains a vast and impressive collection of art, sculpture, fountains, mosaics, frescos, and paintings, from all different periods. Rome first became a major artistic centre during ancient Rome, with forms of important Roman art such as architecture, painting, sculpture and mosaic work.Metalwork, coin die and gem engraving, ivory carvings, figurine glass, pottery, and book illustrations are considered to be 'minor' forms of Roman artwork.[81] Rome later became a major centre of Renaissance art, since the popes spent vast sums of money for the constructions of grandiosebasilicas, palaces, piazzas and public buildings in general. Rome became one of Europe's major centres of Renaissance artwork, second only toFlorence, and able to compare to other major cities and cultural centres, such as Paris and Venice. The city was affected greatly by the baroque, and Rome became the home of numerous artists and architects, such as Bernini, Caravaggio, Carracci, Borromini and Cortona, to name a few.[82] In the late 18th century and early 19th century, the city was one of the centres of the Grand Tour,[83] when wealthy, young English and other European aristocrats visited the city to learn about ancient Roman culture, art, philosophy and architecture. Rome hosted a great number of neoclassical and rococo artists, such as Pannini and Bernardo Bellotto. Today, the city is a major artistic centre, with numerous art institutes[84] and museums.

Intern view of the Colosseum

Rome has a growing stock of contemporary and modern art and architecture. The National Gallery of Modern Art has works by Balla, Morandi, Pirandello, Carr, De Chirico, De Pisis, Guttuso, Fontana, Burri, Mastroianni, Turcato, Kandisky, Czanne on permanent exhibition. 2010 sees the opening of Rome's newest arts foundation, a contemporary art and architecture gallery designed by acclaimed Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. Known as Maxxi National Museum of XXIst century Art and Architecture it restores a dilapidated area with striking modern architecture. Maxxi[85] features a campus dedicated to culture, experimental research laboratories, international exchange and study and research. It is one of Rome's most ambitious modern architecture projects alongside Renzo Piano's Auditorium Parco della Musica[86] and Massimiliano Fuksas' Rome Convention Center, Centro Congressi Italia EUR, in the EUR district, due to open in 2011.[87] The Convention Center features a huge translucent container inside which is suspended a steel and teflon structure resembling a cloud and which contains meeting rooms and an auditorium with two piazzas open to the neighbourhood on either side. Rome is also widely recognised as a world fashion capital. Although not as important as Milan, Rome is the world's 4th most important center for fashion in the world, according to the 2009 Global

Language Monitor after Milan, New York and Paris, and beating London.[88] Major luxury fashion houses and jewellery chains, such as Bulgari, Fendi,[89] Laura Biagiotti and Brioni (fashion), just to name a few, are headquartered or were founded in the city. Also, other major labels, such as Chanel, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Armani and Versace have luxury boutiques in Rome, primarily along its prestigious and upscale Via dei Condotti.

Cuisine

Spaghetti alla Carbonara, a typical Roman dish

Main article: Roman cuisine Rome's cuisine has evolved through centuries and periods of social, cultural, and political changes. Rome became a major gastronomical centre duringAncient Rome. Ancient Roman Cuisine was highly influenced by Ancient Greek culture, and after, the empire's enormous expansion exposed Romans to many new, provincial culinary habits and cooking techniques. In the beginning, the differences between social classes were not very great, but disparities developed with the empire's growth. Later, during the Renaissance, Rome became well known as a centre of high-cuisine, since some of the best chefs of the time, worked for the popes. An example of this could be Bartolomeo Scappi, who was a chef, working for Pius IV in the Vatican kitchen, and he acquired fame in 1570 when his cookbook Opera dell'arte del cucinare was published. In the book he lists approximately 1000 recipes of the Renaissance cuisine and describes cooking techniques and tools, giving the first known picture of a fork.[90] Today, the city is home to numerous formidable and traditional Italian dishes. A Jewish influence can be seen, as Jews have lived in Rome since the 1st century BCE. Vegetables, especially globe artichokes, are common.[91]Examples of these include "Saltimbocca alla Romana" a veal cutlet, Roman-style; topped with raw ham and sage and simmered with white wine and butter; "Carciofi alla giudia" artichokes fried in olive oil, typical of Roman Jewish cooking; "Carciofi alla romana" artichokes Roman-style; outer leaves removed, stuffed with mint, garlic, breadcrumbs and braised; "Spaghetti alla carbonara" spaghetti with bacon, eggs and pecorino, and "Gnocchi di semolino alla romana" semolina dumpling, Roman-style, to name but a few.

Understand

The Pantheon

Situated on the River Tiber, between the Apennine Mountains and the Tyrrhenian Sea, the "Eternal City" was once the administrative center of the mighty Roman Empire, governing a vast region that stretched all the way from Britain to Mesopotamia. Today it remains the seat of the Italian government and home to numerous ministerial offices. Rome has 3 million inhabitants while the metropolitan area is home to around 6.2 million. Architecturally and culturally, Rome has some contrasts - you have areas with pompously huge majestic palaces, avenues and basilicas, which are then surrounded by tiny alleyways, little churches and old houses. The centre of Rome is mainly ancient, and modern buildings are usually concentrated in the suburbs, unlike Milan (where new and old architecture is combined both in the centre and the outskirts). You may also find yourself walking from a grand palace and tree-lined elegant boulevard, into a small and cramped Medieval-like street. The abbreviation "S.P.Q.R" is ubiquitous in Rome, short for the old republican motto "Senatus Populusque Romanus" (Latin), i.e. "The Senate and People of Rome".

Roman Forum

For two weeks in August, many of Rome's inhabitants shut up shop (literally) and go on their own vacations; many stores, restaurants and other amenities will be closed during this time. The temperature in the city centre at this time of year is not particularly pleasant. If you do travel to Rome at this time, be prepared to see Chiuso per ferie (Closed for holidays) signs on many establishments. Even in these weeks the city is very beautiful and if you are looking for a less overcrowded vacation in Rome, this is not a bad time. You will always be able to find somewhere to eat. In case of emergency or inconvenience, Italian Ministry for Tourism implemented the multilingual contact center providing information and assistance to strangers. Easy Italia operate seven days a week from 9.00 am to 10.00 pm. You can contact Easy Italia by dialling +39.039.039.039 from anywhere in the world, from either a landlines or a mobile. If you are in Italy you can also contact us by dialling the toll free number 800.000.039 from landlines and public phones.

History
Rome's history spans over two and half thousand years, which have seen its transformation from a small Latin village to the centre of a vast empire, through the founding of Catholicism, and into the capital of today's Italy. Rome's history is long and complex. What follows is merely a quick summary.

The Vittorio Emanuele monument, considered a symbol of modern post-Risorgimento Rome.

Rome is traditionally thought to have been founded by the mythical twins Romulus and Remus, who were abandoned as infants in the Tiber River and raised by a mother wolf before being found by a shepherd who raised them as his own sons. Rome was founded as a small village sometime in the 8th century BC surrounding the Palatine Hill, including the area where the Roman Forum is found. Due to the village's position at a ford on the Tiber River, Rome became a crossroads of traffic and trade. The settlement developed into the capital of the Roman Kingdom, led by a series of Etruscan kings, before becoming the seat of the Roman Republic at around 500 BC, and then the centre of the Roman Empire from 27 BC onwards. For almost a thousand years, Rome was the largest,

wealthiest, most powerful city in the Western World, with dominance over most of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea. Even after the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century AD, Rome maintained considerable importance and wealth.

The Quirinal Palace, the official residence of the President of Italy.

Beginning with the reign of Constantine I, the Bishop of Rome (later known as the Pope) gained political and religious importance, establishing Rome as the center of the Catholic Church. During the Early Middle Ages, the city declined in population but gained a new importance as the capital of the newly formed Papal States. Throughout the Middle Ages, Rome was a major pilgrimage site and the focus of struggles between the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy. With the Italian Renaissance fully under way in the 15th century, Rome changed dramatically. Extravagant churches, bridges and public spaces, including a new Saint Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel, were constructed by the Papacy so that Rome would equal the grandeur of other Italian cities of the period. In the 19th century, Rome again became the focus of a power struggle with the rise of the Kingdom of Italy, which wished to see a reunification of Italy. The Papal States remained in control of Rome under French protection, but with the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, French troops were forced to abandon Rome, leaving it clear for the Kingdom of Italy to capture. Rome became the capital of Italy, and has remained such ever since.

The artsy Piazza Navona.

Rome today is a contemporary metropolis that reflects the many periods of its long history - Ancient times, Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Modern Era. With the rise of Italian Fascism following World War I, Rome's population grew. This trend was stopped by World War II, which dealt relatively minor damage to Rome. With the dismantlement of the monarchy and the creation of the Italian Republic following World War II, Rome again began to grow in population and became a modern city. The city stands today as the capital of Italy and one of the world's major tourist destinations.

Buy

snapshot of a Roman market

Rome has excellent shopping opportunites of all kinds - clothing and jewellery (it has been nominated as a top fashion capital) to art and antiques. You also get some big department stores, outlets and shopping centres, notably in the suburbs and outskirts.

Pizza
Most pizza restaurants serve it only in the evening. Try some of the fried things like baccala (battered salt cod) for a starter, followed by a pizza for a really Roman meal. Roman pizzas tend to be very thin crusted. Avoid the tourist areas where you'll often pay double the going rate just to get a badly reheated frozen pizza. Pizza al Taglio is pizza with a thicker crust, cooked in a large pan. This is served by the piece, usually to take away, and is a good cheap way to get something to fill you up. Point to the one you want, indicate if you want more or less than your server is indicating with the knife. It's sold by weight (the listed price is usually per 100 gm, known in Rome as an etto). [edit]Ice

cream

Look for a gelateria with a big plastic sign with a big 'G' on it outside. This means it has a guild association and will be good quality. Remember that it costs extra to sit inside. You pay for your ice

cream first...take your receipt and go fight your way through the throng to choose your flavors. You will be asked "Panna?" when it's almost made - this is the offer of whipped cream on top. If you've already paid, this is free. There are a few signs to keep in mind: "Produzione Propria" (homemade - our own production), "Nostra Produzione" (our production), "Produzione Artigianale" (production by craftsmen). If the colors seem dull and almost ugly it is probably natural, the bright colors being just a mix. Keep in mind, Italians usually won't queue, but if they are in line for gelato, get in line yourself, you may have hit the jackpot.

Respect
Romans regularly interact with foreigners and tourists; it shouldn't be hard to find friendly help provided you know some Italian. As for most every place in Italy, just be polite and you won't have much trouble. If you hit someone with your luggage or shoulder while walking on a street, say "excuse me" (Mi scusi): despite being very busy, Rome is not New York and going ahead is considered bad behaviour, while a little apology will be satisfactory. In buses or trains, let older people have your seat if there's no space available. The gesture will be appreciated. Romans, and Italians as well, are very chaotic while in a queue, and often "clump" without any particular order: It's considered unpolite, but they do it anyway. Be careful while driving, as Romans often drive frantically and bend the rules to cope with the heavy traffic. If you are a young lady, you may get "shoutouts" or wolf whistles. Don't take offense to it, don't react to it either. Italian men are a nice bunch and when they see an attractive lady - they call it. So if this happens to you, just stick your nose up and walk by. They are not trying to harm you. [edit]Stay

safe

Rome is generally a safe place, even for women traveling alone. There is very little violent crime, but plenty of scams and pickpocketing that target tourists. As in any other big city, it is better if you don't look like a tourist: don't exhibit your camera or camcorder to all and sundry, and keep your money in a safe place. Consciousness and vigilance are your best insurances for avoiding becoming a victim of a crime in Rome. Remember, if you are pickpocketed or victim of another scam, don't be afraid to shout, "Aiuto, al ladro!" (Help, Thief!) Romans will not be nice to the thief. Members of the Italian public are likely to be sympathetic if you are a crime victim. Police are also generally friendly if not always helpful. Carabinieri (black uniform, red striped trousers) are military

police, and Polizia (blue and grey uniform) are civilians, but they both do essentially the same thing and are equally good, or bad. If you are robbed, try to find a police station and report it. This is essential to establishing a secure insurance claim and to replace documents: the chances of it resulting in the return of your possessions are, however, fairly remote. Rome is home to two rival Serie A football clubs, A.S. Roma and S.S. Lazio, and there is a history of conflict, and even rioting, between the two. Never wear anything that shows that you support either of them, especially during the Rome Derby (when the two clubs play each other): avoid even wandering into groups of supporters of the other club, or you may be subject to heckling or even confrontation. Play it safe and refrain from openly supporting either club unless you are very familiar with the rivalry. If you are a fan of a foreign team that is playing in Rome, be very careful as a number of supporters have been stabbed over the past few years.

Greetings

Hello! Good morning! Good day! Good evening! How are you? Fine. Very well. So-so. What's your name? My name is Signor Borghi. It's nice to meet you. Goodbye.

Ciao!/Salve! Buon giorno! Buon pomeriggio! Buona sera! Come va? Bene. Molto bene. Cos cos. Come si chiama? Mi chiamo (Signor) Borghi. Piacere (di conoscerla). Arrivederla/ci.

See you soon. Goodnight. Where do you live? (sg./pl.) I live in Bologna. This is my friend. (m./f.) This is my boyfriend. This is my girlfriend. This is my husband. This is my wife. Please visit me! I had a wonderful time. (m./f.) Thank you. Thank you very much. You're welcome. Please. Yes. No. Excuse me. Pardon me. I'm sorry.

A presto! Buona notte! Dove abiti/abitate? Abito a Bologna. Ti presento il mio amico/la mia amica. Questo il mio ragazzo. Questa la mia ragazza. Questo (il) mio marito. Questa (la) mia moglie. Vieni a trovarmi! Mi sono divertito/divertita. Grazie. Grazie tante. Prego. Per favore. S. No. Mi scusi. Mi scusi. Mi dispiace.

Great Itineraries

As Romans would say, these one-day itineraries basta e avanza("are more than enough") to get you started.

Rome 101
So you want to taste Rome, gaze at its beauty, and inhale its special flair, all in one breathtaking (literally) day? Think Rome 101, and get ready for a spectacular sunrise-to-sunset span. Begin at 9 by exploring Rome's most beautiful neighborhood"Vecchia Roma" (the area around Piazza Navona) by starting out on the Corso (the big avenue that runs into Piazza Venezia, the traffic hub of the historic center). A block away from each other are two opulently over-the-top monuments that show off Rome at its baroque best: the church of Sant'Ignazio and the princely Palazzo Doria-Pamphilj, aglitter with great Old Master paintings. By 10:30, head west a few blocks to find the granddaddy of monuments, the fabled Pantheon, still looking like Emperor Hadrian might arrive. A few blocks north is San Luigi dei Francesi, home to the greatest Caravaggio paintings in the world. At 11:30 saunter a block or so westward into beyond-beautiful Piazza Navona, studded with Bernini fountains. Then take Via Cucagna (at the piazza's south end) and continue several blocks toward Campo de' Fiori's open-air food market (for some lunch-on-the-run fixings). Two more blocks toward the Tiber brings you to fashionable Via Giulia, laid out by Pope Julius II in the early 16th century. Walk past 10 blocks of Renaissance palaces and antiques shops to take a bus (from the stop near the Tiber) over to the Vatican. Arrive around 1 to gape at St. Peter's Basilica, then hit the treasure-filled Vatican Museums (Sistine Chapel) around 1:45during lunch, the crowds empty out! After two hours, head for the Ottaviano stop near the museum and Metro your way to the Colosseo stop. Around 4, climb up into the Colosseum and picture it full of screaming toga-clad citizens enjoying the spectacle of gladiators in mortal combat. Striding past the massive Arch of Constantine, enter the back-entrance of the Roman Forum around 4:45. Photograph yourself giving a "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" oration (complete with upraised hand) on one of the marble fragments. At sunset, the Forum closes but the floodlights come on. March down the forum's Via Sacrapeople walked here centuries before Christand out into Via dei Fori Imperiali where you will head around "the wedding cake"the looming Vittorio Emanuele Monument (Il Vittoriano)over to the Campidoglio. Here, on the Capitoline Hill, tour the great ancient Roman art treasures of the Musei Capitolini (which is open most nights until 8), and snap the view from the terrace over the spotlit Forum.

After dinner, hail a cabor take a long passeggiata walk down Dolce Vita memory laneto the Trevi Fountain, a gorgeously lit sight at night. Needless to say, toss that coin in to insure your return trip back to the Mother of Us All.

Temples Through Time: Religious Rome

It's almost sinful to come to Rome and say you did not make your way to the Vatican Museums or St. Peter's Basilica. If you head out early enough (yes, 7 am), you might get a jump on the line for the Vatican Museums, where one of the world's grandest and most comprehensive collections of artwork is stored. Once you've conquered both, take the Metro from Ottaviano to Piazza del Popolo (Metro stop: Flaminio) where Santa Maria del Popolo is not to be missed for its famous chapels decorated by Raphael and Caravaggio. Head south along the Corso for about 10 blocks toward Sant'Ignazio, an eye-popping example of Baroque Rome, with its amazing trompe l'oeil fake dome. Take Via Sant' Ignazio to Via Pi di Marmo, which will lead you to Piazza della Minerva, where Bernini's elephant obelisk monument lies in wait. Take in the adjacent Gothic-style Santa Maria sopra Minerva, best known for Michelangelo's Risen Christ. Then make your way south to Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the bus piazza at Largo Argentina where you'll take Tram No. 8 to picturesque Trastevere, one of Rome's quaintest quarters. Make your way through a series of winding tiny alleyways and piazzas toward the famed Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, where one of Rome's oldest churchesSanta Maria in Trasteverestands. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the church has one of the finest displays of gilded mosaics, which cover the nave, perhaps Rome's most spectacular. If evening has arrived, a stopover for dinner at any one of the numerous caff located in this radiant piazza makes for fine dining and finer people-watching.

Retail Therapy: Shop-'Til-You-Drop Rome

All of the serious shopping takes place in Rome's centro storico. For those shoppers with bigger budgets, Rome's Via dei Condotti (Metro stop: Spagna) is paradiso. VIPs can continue their shopping spree down streets Via del Babuino for fabled antique furniture and fine jewelry, and Via Frattina for exclusive boutiques. Even if you're on a pinch, window shopping can be just as fun as you make your way down to the more affordable Via del Corso, where department-store-style shopping can be done at La Rinascente. Another popular shopping street is Via Cola di Rienzo in the Prati area (not far from St. Peter's Square).

If vintage is your thing, head toward Piazza Navona and down Via del Governo Vecchio, where there is an assortment of vintage consignment shops featuring high-end clothing, handbags, and accessories. Via Nazionale, heading toward Termini train station, also has a bunch of shops. Now that you've blown your shopping budget, it's time for real bargain-shopping at Rome's famed street markets. Rome's largest and most famous are markets on Via Sannio in San Giovanni (Monday-Saturday only) and the Porta Portese market (Sunday only) in Trastevere. The market on Via Sannio specializes in new and used clothing, shoes, and accessories. The Porta Portese market sells everything but the kitchen sink: clothes, souvenirs, antiques, housewares, and knickknacks galore.

The Vatican
Climbing the steps to St. Peter's Basilica feels monumental, like a journey that has reached its climactic end. Harlequin-costumed Swiss Guards stand at attention, curly spears at their sides, dreaming fiercely of their God and His country as you pass through the gates. Suddenly, all is cool, and dark, and you are dwarfed by a gargantuan hall and its magnificence. Like jewels for giants, colored stones stud the floor and walls; above is a ceiling so high it must lead to heaven itself. Great, shining marble figures of saints frozen mid-whirl loom from niches and corners. And at the end, a throne, for an unseen king whose greatness (it is implied) must mirror the greatness of his palace. For this Basilica is a palace, the dazzling center of power for a king and a place of supplication for his subjects. Whether his kingdom is earthly or otherwise, is perhaps in the eye of the beholder. For good Catholics and sinners alike, the Vatican is an exercise in spirituality, requiring patience but delivering joy. This is a retreat where some people go to savor a heavenly Michelangelo fresco others come to find their soul. In between these two extremes lies an awe-inspiring landscape that offers a famous sight for every taste. Rooms decorated by Raphael, antique sculptures like the Apollo Belvedere, walls daubed by Fra Angelico, famous paintings by Giotto and Bellini, and chief among revered ne plus ultras, the Sistine Chapel: For the lover of beauty, few places are as historically important as this epitome of faith and grandeur. What gave all this impetus while the emperors of ancient Rome presided over their declining empire was the emergence of a new force: namely, Christianity; the seat of the popes was established over the tomb of St. Peter, thereby making the Vatican the spiritual core of the Roman Catholic Church. But the massive walls surrounding Vatican City strongly underscore the fact that this is also a

temporal poweran independent, sovereign state, established by the Lateran Treaty of 1929 between the Holy See and the Mussolini government. Vatican City covers 108 acres on a hill west of the Tiber and is separated from the city on all sides, except at Piazza di San Pietro, by high walls. Within the walls, about 1,000 people are permanent residents. The Vatican has its own daily newspaper (L'Osservatore Romano), issues its own stamps, mints its own coins, and runs its own postal system. Within its territory are administrative and foreign offices, a pharmacy, banks, an astronomical observatory, a print shop, a mosaic school and art restoration institute, a tiny train station, a supermarket, a small department store, and several gas stations. The sovereign of this little state is the pope, Benedict XVI (elected April 2005). His main role is as spiritual leader to the world's Catholic community. Today, there are two principal reasons for sightseeing at the Vatican. One is to visit the Basilica di San Pietro, the most overwhelming architectural achievement of the Renaissance; the other is to visit the Vatican Museums, which contain collections of staggering richness and diversity. Here at the Vatican great artists are honored almost as much as any holy power: the paintings, frescoes, sculptures, and buildings here are as much monuments to their genius as to the Catholic church. Inside the Basilicabreathtaking both for its sheer size and for its extravagant interiorare artistic masterpieces including Michelangelo's Piet and Bernini's great bronze baldacchino canopy over the main altar. A robust outdoor walk from the piazza is the entrance to the Vatican Museums; the blisters will be worth it as the endless collections here contain many of the greatest works of Western art, period. The Laocon, Leonardo'sSt. Jerome, and Raphael's Transfiguration are just the smallest sample. The Sistine Chapel, accessible through the Museums, is Michelangelo's magnificent artistic legacy and his ceiling is the High Renaissance in excelsis, in more ways than one. Between the Vatican and the once-moated bulk of Castel Sant'Angeloerstwhile mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian and now an imposing relic of medieval Romethe pope's covered passageway flanks an enclave of workers and craftspeople, the old Borgo neighborhood, whose workaday charm has begun to succumb to gentrification.