THE CITY OF ROME

Rome is the capital of Italy with an area of 1,285 km². It is located in the central western portion
of Italy. It is a very ancient city with high heritage value and was found around 753 BC. Vatican
City is also included in this map as it comes inside the boundaries of Rome. Rome is known as
“The Eternal City”.

The Tiber River flowing through the city divides the city into two and are connected through
bridges. The river is the node point where the ancient settlement started and got spread over the
city. That is the settlement pattern along the river looks cluster when compared to the settlements
around it. The overall planning of the city is in radial and grid pattern. The following are the point
of interests of the city and the settlements around it.

Piazza Della Republica is the largest square in the city and also the center point of the city. It is
one of the main commercial region of the city with railway station nearby.

Piazza del popolo is also one of a public gather square which acts as a node for the streets emerging
from it and the buildings were formed in reference with the street.

The plan of St. Peter’s basilica and St. Peter’s square of Vatican shows a relation between an open
and a closed space. St. Peter’s square is a large plaza directly in front of St. Peter’s basilica. The
space around the basilica is compactly packed so the square breaks the compactness of the region
and allows people to breath.
Colosseum is one of the iconic structure in the city which is an oval shaped largest amphitheater
of that time.

Pantheon is also an important iconic landmark of the city which is anciently a roman temple, now
a catholic church. Pantheon has got residential structures surrounding it in the present times.

Triumphal arch is an ancient structure which is an archway with arched passageways designed to
span a road which is a gateway.
Roman’s used Greek order columns in their structures with intricate details in its columns,
architraves and cornice.

Rome bench is a widely used furniture in the streets of Rome. This particular furniture style
originated from Rome and thus got its name.

From this study it’s clear that the city planning of Rome is similar to the planning of Delhi were
Delhi’s planning was inspired from Rome. Both have a radial and grid pattern of planning. The
city have more of public gathering spaces to break the compactness of the living spaces. Roads
were well planned to reduce the traffic. Many important and iconic landmarks were created which
helps to differentiate between the similar arrangements of spaces. The planning of this city has
also given equal importance to the landscape areas of each region. Thus it is an ancient planned
city which inspires many in city planning.