Rome - Rome (Italian and Latin: Roma (info · help)) is the capital of Italy. The city stretches across both banks of the Tiber River in the Lazio region. It was once the capital of the Roman Empire, which ruled over vast areas of Europe and around the Mediterranean Sea. After the collapse of the empire, Rome continued to serve as the center of the Catholic Christian religion, as well as a world-class cultural, economic, and especially tourist center.