No amount of foreign tourism seems to affect Rome’s classical and vital atmosphere and culture. While millions of international visitors flock to Rome each year, the Eternal City marches to its own drum.
The Colosseum, the largest and most famous amphitheater in the Roman world, still fascinates, and attracts millions of visitors every year. Started by Emperor Vespasian of the Flavian dynasty in 72 AD and finished by his son Titus in 80 AD, the structure was capable of holding some 50,000 spectators (who could enter the building through no less than 80 entrances, and were protected from the rain and heat of the sun by sails called “velarium”, attached around the top of the attic.
Recent research by Hotels.com, the online hotel-booking site, reports that Rome is the top urban destination in Italy for foreign tourists. According to the data, Italy’s top three destinations for foreign visitors are, in order, Rome, Venice and Milan.
With its romantic gondolas, gorgeous architecture, and over 150 canals that have become central to its character, Venice comes in second place. The city has decayed since its heyday and now has more tourists than residents, but with its charm it remains one of the top tourist attractions in Italy. Third ranked Milan, the capital of fashion and luxury, a true temptation for businessmen and stylish people.
In fourth position is the artistic and charming Florence, with its cathedral Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, symbol of the city and one of Italy’s largest churches (until the modern era, the dome was the largest in the world but now it remains the largest brick dome ever constructed). Bologna ranks fifth, followed by Naples, Herculaneum and Pompeii (today among Italy’s most popular tourist attractions, with approximately 2,500,000 visitors every year), Sorrento, Pisa, Palermo and Verona.
According to the same study, in 2013 the top foreign destination for Italians was London. Paris came second, followed by New York, Berlin, Barcelona, Amsterdam and Miami.
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