Rome

Most of Southern and Western Europe, North Africa and Western Asia were controlled from this place. Gladiators were forced to fight to their death in Rome, and this is where the Caesars walked or rather, were carried. Not to forget: Roman culture and the Latin language have shaped European culture until today, more than one and a half thousand years after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Today, ancient Rome comes alive through the Colosseum, the Catacombs, the Imperial Forums and many other structures and statues. Churches, but also secular buildings attest to the city's role in medieval times.

But it was in the Renaissance and Baroque periods that Rome again came to be the center of the world, along with Florence. Rome is home to the Vatican, the worldwide centre of the Catholic church and a major destination for pilgrimage. And the popes commissioned many of the greatest works of art and architecture ever created - including the famous St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Among others, none other than Michelangelo worked as an architect here. And many more of Rome's great buildings and squares, like the Piazza di Trevi, dominated by the famous Trevi Fountain, were created then.

And once you have let a day fade out at one of Rome's many cafés, gelaterie, and ristoranti amidst the architectural treasures, you will also know what they mean by the sweet life, La Dolce Vita.