Given how picturesque some European cities can be, it’s no real surprise that they’ve become some of the most popular tourist destinations across the world. One such example is Rome, a city steeped in culture. Here’s why it has become a tourist destination with such enduring popularity.

One such reason as to why Rome has become such a popular destination lies within its history. As the true centre of the Roman Empire, the city features some of the most important and recognizable landmarks such as both the Colosseum and the Pantheon. It is thanks to its classical and ancient history that makes Rome so popular in the modern-day, especially given how many of those landmarks have been preserved. As well as the Colosseum – the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Roman Empire – there’s also the ancient chariot racing ground, the Circus Maximus, that over the years has seen its usage repurposed. For instance, in 2007, Genesis used it to host the final date on their globetrotting Turn It On Again reunion tour to perform a free concert to half a million people. This gig was documented in the associated DVD, When In Rome. With lots of tourists visiting this city, you won’t have to worry about having a pleasant stay with different hotels available for you in Rome.

It’s not only within ancient historical spheres where Rome has been allowed to garner such high levels of popularity, but also more recently. Rome was, rather notably, one of the centres for the Renaissance movement and the Enlightenment of not only political thought but also various forms of art. In Rome specifically, sculpture and architecture formed a vital part of demonstrating the beauty of the Renaissance, as has been experienced several generations later by tourists continuing to wax lyrical about Michelangelo. One such piece of work by the Italian sculptor and artist is the infamous Piazza del Campidoglio. It forms one of Michelangelo’s biggest projects and also illuminates one of the first major instances of urban planning within the early-modern period. The architecture – within Rome and also the Vatican City with instances such as St. Peter’s Basilica and also the fact that the city centre is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site – continues to be some of the most recognizable today, which has certainly helped sustain the city’s popularity as a tourist destination several hundred years later.

This popularity has meant there’s been plenty of recent depictions of the city in all forms of media. For instance, whilst plenty of the Assassin’s Creed releases have been set within Renaissance-era Italy (Assassin’s Creed II was set in Florence), only one game, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, was set specifically in Rome. The map size of Rome with Brotherhood was larger than any of the cities in the previous games and ended up three times bigger than Florence in Assassins Creed II. There have been other depictions of Rome in other forms of entertainment, such as on the Fruit Kings suite of slot games. They have a slot specifically entitled ‘Rome The Golden Age’ that looks to take visual cues from ancient history in a bid to keep things both accessible and recognizable to players.

As one of the most historic cities in the world, it’s definitely fair to say that Rome is one of the most popular destinations around. Its position throughout several hundred years of history makes it one of the most varied options in Europe and also means it’s not one that tourists will grow tired of anytime soon.