The story behind Rome as a city is probably one of the most interesting parts of world history. It earned its nickname of being the “Eternal City” because it has lived through more than a millennium of being the cultural center in the entire European continent – and it is where some great historical events occurred.
Rome became the capital of the Roman Empire, it’s home to the Vatican City which is where the Popes of different generations have lived and it’s practically where the Roman Catholic Church was born.
The past periods of Rome includes its history as an ancient city, what Rome was during the medieval times, Renaissance Rome and the 20th century or modern Rome.
20th Century: Modern Rome
The period of modern Rome which is during the 20th century can be classified as a Quarta Roma or the Fourth Rome. Take a look at some of the key dates which brought Rome to the Eternal City that it is today:
1929 – The pope was made a sovereign of the Vatican City during this year. This was when the expansion of the Vatican started from being just a place which the pope called home.
1931 – This is the year when there was a ‘boom’ of developments made in Rome. Slum areas which were overcrowded opened up, ancient buildings such as the Castle Sant’Angelo were restored and this was the time when public parks and gardens were built.
1946 – Italy was transformed into a totalitarian regime during this year.
1960 – Rome played host to the 17th Olympic Games which lead to the creation of major sporting facilities in that area.
1978 – This was a key point in the history of the Catholic church, when Karol Woityla was crowned as Pope John Paul II.
1980 – It was during the 1970’s and 1980’s that violent transformations occurred, which even lead to the murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro in 1978. Pope John Paul II also suffered and lived through an assassination attempt when he was wounded in 1981.
During the year 2000 when the Jubilee Year was held and about 16 million Catholic pilgrims flocked to the city, there was a major cleanup of the church and palazzo facades and a reclaiming of the public places was conducted. The event lead to the beautification of the city once again, despite the government needing to spend billions to accomplish such a feat because of its former sorry state.
Modern Rome: The Eternal City during the Late 20th Century
One of the challenges that modern Rome faced was the decrease of population because residents kept moving to nearby communities. This was due to the fact that there was a decrease in the quality of life of Romans where pollution and traffic was abundant.
However, the city has grown into a prime tourist because of its status as an Eternal City and a living, breathing museum with wondrous delights to offer tourists from around the world.
The modern population issue has been addressed. In fact, there’s now an influx of immigrants who are starting to choose Rome as their place of residence.
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