Rome is one of the world’s top tourist destinations, and is one of the most admired cities on the planet. Throughout the centuries, Rome has impressed all sorts of visitors, poets, painters, celebrities and politicians.

Here are some of our favourite quotes about Rome:

1 A city of Marble

“I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble.”
-Augustus, Roman emperor

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2 The City of Illusions

“Rome is the city of echoes, the city of illusions, and the city of yearning.”
-Giotto di Bondone, Renaissance painter

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3 The Panorama

"From the dome of St. Peter’s one can see every notable object in Rome… He can see a panorama that is varied, extensive, beautiful to the eye, and more illustrious in history than any other in Europe.”
-Mark Twain, American Writer

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4 The End of the World

“Rome will exist as long as the Coliseum does;
when the Coliseum falls, so will Rome;
when Rome falls, so will the world.”
-Saint Venerable Bede, English Benedictine monk

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5 City of the Soul

“Oh Rome! my country! city of the soul!”
-Lord Byron, English Poet

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6 History

“Rome – the city of visible history, where the past of a whole hemisphere seemoving in funeral procession with strange ancestral images and trophies gathered from afar.”
-George Eliot, pen name of Mary Ann Evans, an English poet

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7 An open-air Museum

“Rome is not like any other city. It’s a big museum, a living room that shall be crossed on one’s toes.”
-Alberto Sordi, Italian actor

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8 Caput Mundi

“Yes, I have finally arrived to this Capital of the World! I now see all the dreams of my youth coming to life… Only in Rome is it possible to understand Rome.”
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German poet

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9 Rome is Rome

”Italy has changed. But Rome is Rome.”
-Robert De Niro, American actor

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10 It's a permanent holiday!

“Rome holds my psyche in balance. Whenever I’m there, it’s like a holiday.”
-Giambattista Valli, Fashion Designer

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11 No Other City

“A fool is one who admires other cities without visiting Rome.”
-Francesco Petrarca, Italian Poet

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12 Like in a Movie

"In 'Roma,' I wanted to get across the idea that underneath Rome today is ancient Rome. So close. I am always conscious of that, and it thrills me. Imagine being in a traffic jam at the Coliseum! Rome is the most wonderful movie set in the world... As was the case with many of my film ideas, it was inspired by a dream"
-Federico Fellini, Italian Film Director

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Ready to visit (or move to) Rome? Read more here: