At Global Alliance, we take the “Worldwide” in our company name very seriously. We pride ourselves in offering premium limousine services to our clientele not only in our home base of Toronto but around the globe. Through our sophisticated network of trusted worldwide affiliates, Global Alliance can provide professional chauffeured services in hundreds of international cities. We will discuss many of the major worldwide destinations served via our affiliate network on this blog. Today, we visit the Eternal City of the Italian peninsula, Rome.

Rome is one of the most historically-rich cities in the world. Human habitation in the region goes back 14,000 years, but Rome’s place in recorded history goes back 2,700 years to its mythic founding in the 8th Century B.C.E. on the banks of the Tiber River. The capital city and centre of government, culture, and commerce of the Roman Empire in antiquity, Rome was at the heart of the power and influence of one of the greatest empires the world has ever known. After the decline of the Roman Empire, Rome maintained its international importance as the capital of the Catholic Church and a major European metropolis before becoming the capital city of modern unified Italy in the 19th Century.

This deep, eventful history of power and influence is written all over Rome today, earning it the sobriquet of the Eternal City. With over 4 million inhabitants in its urban area, Rome bursts with up to 10 million visitors every year. Tourists flock to the city’s numerous historic sites and museums, including the famous Colosseum and Constantine’s Arch, the nearby ruins of the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, the Catacombs beneath the city, the art museum Galleria Borghese, and a plethora of architecturally and historically notable fountains, palaces, villas, bridges, churches, frescoes, piazzas, and aqueducts from the ancient, medieval, and Renaissance periods spread across the city.

One of Rome’s most popular sites for travellers and pilgrims is Vatican City, an independent state inside Rome’s city limits that is the spiritual centre of the Catholic Church as well as its administrative headquarters. St. Peter’s Basilica, one of the largest churches in the world and a major landmark of the Catholic faith as well as of Renaissance architecture and art, stands in St. Peter’s Square and hosts frequent masses and celebrations on holy days, often presided over by the Pope, who resides in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. The Sistine Chapel, where Popes are elected by conclave, is located in this palace, featuring Michelangelo’s painted ceiling, consider one of the pinnacles of Western art. The Vatican Museum displays many of the artistic treasures of the Church to the visiting public. Just outside the Vatican is the Castel Sant’Angelo, a landmark building built as a mausoleum for Roman Emperor Hadrian before being used as a fortress and castle by the popes; it is now a museum.

History is not all that Rome has to offer the contemporary visitor, however. Italian cuisine, wines, and nightlife are all justly famous, and can be sampled at countless restaurants, bars, and cafes across the city. Rome is the centre of the Italian cinema industry, particularly at the Cinecittà studio complex. Sports, especially football (“Calcio” in Italian), are popular in Rome, as are the performing arts, especially classical music and opera, which have a long cultural lineage in Rome.

Rome’s major international airport is Leonardo Da Vinci Airport in suburban Fiumicino. Roma Termini is the main railway station, the central node in Italy’s train network and one of Europe’s largest rail stations.

Please feel free to contact Global Alliance Worldwide Chauffeured Services for all of your transportation needs in the Eternal City, Rome, Italy.