Modern Rome
Risorgimento & Capital (1861–1871)
Until 1870, Rome was the capital of the Papal States — a patchwork in central Italy under the secular rule of the popes. The Italian unification (Risorgimento) under Garibaldi and Cavour created the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 — but it was not until 1870 that Italian troops captured Rome. On September 20, 1870, the Porta Pia was breached, the pope withdrew to the Vatican (where he remains "imprisoned" to this day), and Rome became the capital of united Italy.
Fascism (1922–1943)
Mussolini marched on Rome in 1922 and made the city a stage for fascist grandiosity. He had the Via dei Fori Imperiali cut through the ancient ruins (destroying more than he uncovered), built the EUR district (a surreal-monumental neighborhood south of the center), and attempted to revive Rome's imperial grandeur — with catastrophic results. After the Allied invasion in 1943, Rome declared itself an "open city" and remained largely undamaged — a blessing not granted to many European cities.
La Dolce Vita & Present
The 1950s and 1960s were Rome's cinematic heyday: Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" (1960) depicted a city between decadence and melancholy, Audrey Hepburn rode a Vespa in "Roman Holiday" (1953), and Via Veneto became a hotspot for the international bohemian. Today, Rome is a city of contrasts: ancient ruins next to graffiti, papal splendor beside traffic chaos, high culture alongside la buona vita — and it is precisely this that makes its irresistible charm.
