Rome: Like No Other(a)|与众不同的罗马

Rome: Like No Other

by Rebecca A. Say

The history and sights of Rome make it one of the most amazing cities in the world.

　　When people are discussing Rome, many images are likely to pop into their minds. Some may think of its long history. Others may think of its grand architecture. Still others may think of its culture and food. There is so much to Rome that even our own ideas of what it is don't match. This is not surprising given that the city of Rome has been around for more than 2,500 years, with people living in the area for an estimated 14,000 years. Rome started as just a group of villages that joined together and eventually rose to become one of the most famous cities the world has ever known.

　　According to Roman mythology, the city was created by Romulus and Remus, twins who were raised by a mother wolf. The city got its name after Romulus killed his brother. As the city took shape, Rome became the capital of the Roman Kingdom, which was ruled by seven generations of kings. Afterwards, it changed into a republic and saw great growth and prosperity. Success was in part due to an advanced military and careful planning. When Rome became an empire, it started to blossom into the Rome we think of today. It was a center for the arts, and grand architectural projects brought in the best and brightest minds to beautify the city. During the Middle Ages, Rome became an important religious center for Catholics and separated itself from the rest of Italy, becoming its own state. Increased growth and an influx of money into the city cemented Rome as a center for culture, music, literature, education, and so on. In 1870, Italy was reunited and Rome was once again its capital. Since then, it has been one of the country's most beloved and visited cities.

与众不同的罗马

罗马的历史及景点让它成为世界上最令人啧啧称奇的城市之一。

　　人们谈及罗马时，许多关于它的景像可能就会出现在脑海之中。有些人可能会想到它悠久的历史；有些人可能会想到它宏伟的建筑；还有些人可能会想到其文化及美食。罗马有这么多可看之处，以致于甚至与我们所想的都连不起来。有鉴于人们在此生活约 1 万 4 千年之久，这些对拥有 2 千 5 百多年历史的罗马市来说并不令人惊讶。罗马开始时只是一群相连的村落，最后则演变为当今世上最著名的城市之一。

　　根据罗马神话记载，这座城市是由罗慕路斯及雷穆斯这对孪生兄弟所建立，他们由母狼所扶养长大。罗慕路斯杀了他兄弟后，这座城市就以他为名。随着这座城市逐渐成型，罗马成为了罗马王国的首都，曾有 7 代国王统治过它。之后，罗马转变为共和国，见证了其大规模成长及繁荣。罗马的成功一部份是因为其先进的军事及缜密的规划。罗马成为帝国时，它开始发展成今日我们所认为的罗马。它是艺术的中心，其宏伟建筑工程把最棒及最巧妙的思维带进来美化这座城市。罗马于中世纪时成为了天主教徒重要的宗教中心，而罗马也脱离了意大利其他地区，而成了独立的国家。不断地发展且有大量的资金投入这座城市，巩固罗马成为其文化、音乐、文学、教育等各方面的中心。意大利于 1870 年统一，而罗马再度成为其都城。从那时起，它一直是该国最受喜爱且最多人前往参观的城市之一。