City Plate - Rome

Rome holds a unique place in history as a single city that became a world empire.  The Roman Empire extended its power by planting new cities, a practice that made land surveying and city planning essential as parts of the imperial process.  After the fall of the Roman Empire, a period of infamous debauchery and decay, Rome was rejuvenated and rebuilt by the Catholic Church as a symbol of the empire of Christianity.  The resulting Vatican City, in green, and St Peter’s Basilica, in persimmon, are seen on the left of the plate.  The Baroque city planning established a new order on top of the historic Roman core, shown in white, which includes the distinctive ruins of the Coliseum and the Circus Maximus.  Today, Rome's historic symbolism is a defining characteristic of the modern city.  Most of Rome’s economy is derived from tourism that celebrates its past, rather than its future.