History

According to legend, Aeneas, the heroic founder of Rome, was the son of Venus. Such divine origins helped to give credence to the city’s grandiose destiny and its position as the “capital of the world”.

The decadence of the Empire led to the rise and fall of Rome, and despite becoming the cornerstone of the Christian world, the city was repeatedly sacked by barbarian tribes during the early Middle Ages. Restored to its former splendour during the era of the Papal States, Rome was finally declared the capital of a united Italy in 1870.