What is the capital of Italy?
Rome lies on the Tiber in the Lazio region of central-western Italy, and completely surrounds the independent Vatican City.
Rome is the capital and seat of government of Italy, a role it has held since 1871. Italy itself has an estimated population of 58,915,656 (2025).
Rome is also the largest city in Italy, which is the usual arrangement, though it is far from universal: see the countries where capital and largest city differ.
Rome at a glance
| City population | 2,746,984 (2025) |
|---|---|
| Country | 🇮🇹 Italy |
| Capital since | 1871 |
| Largest city in Italy | Rome |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) |
About Rome
Rome has been the capital of Italy since 1871, when Rome became the capital of the newly unified Kingdom of Italy; it had earlier been the capital of the Roman Empire and of the Papal States.
The capital of newly unified Italy was first Turin (1861–1865) and then Florence (1865–1871), before it moved to Rome in 1871.
Rome is Italy's largest city and, as the ancient capital of the Roman Empire, is often called the Eternal City.
City facts sourced from Wikipedia: Rome.
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Italy?
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Capitals of neighbouring countries
See the full profile of Italy on its country page, or browse every capital city.
Capital and country data from open datasets; city and metropolitan populations are hand-curated per city and cited where they are shown. Populations of countries come from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL). Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.