5 fun facts about Rome

The city of Rome, with its expansive history and heritage, can be hard to comprehend as a whole. That’s why we’ve gathered a series of small, unusual and interesting facts about the eternal city! Enjoy!

1. While you’re walking through Rome’s bustling city center or enjoying the many historic sights, you’ll often see the letters “SPQR” engraved into stone or brass. It’s an abbreviation that stands for the latin “Senatus Populusque Romanus“, or “The senate and the people of Rome” in English. It’s still used extensively on drain covers today.
2. As our site introduction reads, a common nickname for Rome is “the Eternal City”. It’s also known as “Caput Mundi”, which is latin and means capital of the world”. During the height of the Roman empire, Rome pretty much was the center of the (western) world. Alas, even the greatest empires fall eventually.
3. The sovereign state of Vatican City is located entirely within Rome’s city limits, and is the world’s smallest city state. It’s a famous destination for pilgrims around the world.
4. Romans are famous for their extensive use of arches and masonry. The aquaduct of Segovia, which was built to bring water into the city, was built with no mortar. Amazingly, the structure is still in operation today!
5. Italians are well known for their love for pasta: it is estimated that they eat as much as 60 pounds of pasta per year!