60 Rome Quotes to Make You Fall in Love With The Eternal City

By Norbert Juma

Master quote curator and editor on a mission to inspire

Published January 11, 2023

Are you looking for any Rome quotes as your travel inspiration or for your next Instagram caption?

You’ve come to the right place!

Rich in art and history, Rome is the most populous commune in Italy and the third-most populous city in the European Union.

Due to its location, Rome is frequently referred to as the “Eternal City” and the “City of Seven Hills.”

The “cradle of Western civilization and Christian culture,” as well as the seat of the Catholic Church, is commonly regarded as Rome.

Why is Rome Called the Eternal City?

Rome is known as the Eternal City because the ancient Romans thought Rome would endure forever no matter what happened to the rest of the globe or how many empires emerged or fell.

It is not surprising that Rome is still one of the most popular tourist sites in the world due to its timeless beauty and intrigue.

Reasons to visit Rome

Rome is a dream city for travelers.

Though there is so much to explore, the most prominent things are:

Food
Culture & Art
Nightlife

1. Food

Rome is a fantastic destination for Italian food lovers looking for superb Italian cuisine.

Take a bite out of mouthwatering pizzas, spaghetti dishes, and bowls of delicious lasagna.

You can also enjoy trying Italian and Roman wine and beer.

2. Culture

Every year, many people travel to Rome purely to visit the Colosseum.

Rome is a city rich in culture, most of it undoubtedly ancient but also lovely.

You can visit famous tourist destinations like the Pantheon, St. Peter’s Square, the Roman Forum, and the Spanish Steps.

3. Nightlife

Rome is one of the best places to explore the nightlife.

There are several inviting bars, pubs, and many clubs throughout the city.

Everyone can easily find their interests in clubs and parties, from young adults to mature couples.

4. Shopping

Rome is a great city for shoppers, and, best of all, things are not that expensive.

Everyone can find something to buy in this city, from numerous inexpensive vintage shops to the upscale boutiques on Via del Corso.

5. Art

There are many museums and a lot of art.

Italian art is among the most well-known in Europe, and Rome offers a wide selection.

So, if you are an art lover, Rome’s art should not be missed!

Top 10 Rome quotes

Here is the list of the top ten Rome quotes from our collection.

These quotes will give you a little insight into the city and motivate you to visit Rome.

1. “Rome is magic.” — Maria Grazia Cucinotta

2. “When in Rome, do as Romans do.” — Saint Ambrose

3. “Italy has changed. But Rome is Rome.” — Robert De Niro

4. “Rome was great in arms, in government, in law.” — Goldwin Smith

5. “Rome was a poem pressed into service as a city.” — Anatole Broyard

6. “I found Rome built of bricks; I leave her clothed in marble.” — Caesar Augustus

7. “A fool is one who admires other cities without visiting Rome.” — Francesco Petrarca

8. “I think there are two cities in the world—New York and Rome.” — Frank McCourt

9. “Rome is the city of echoes, the city of illusions, and the city of yearning.” — Giotto di Bondone

10. “You look at passers-by in Rome and think, ‘Do they know what they have here?’” — Frank McCourt

Rome quotes from well-known figures

Let’s read what some other well-known figures say about Rome.

11. “Oh, Rome! My country! City of the soul!” — Lord Byron

12. “Rome is one of my favorite cities in the world.” — Erin Heatherton

13. “Rome seems a comfort to those with the ambitious soul of an Artist or a Conqueror.” — Pietros Maneos

14. “Men did not love Rome because she was great. She was great because they had loved her.” — G.K. Chesterton

15. “In Rome, it seems as if there were so many things which are more wanted in the world than pictures.” — George Eliot

16. “It’s true, all roads do lead to Rome. Because after 13 years away, I got to come back for the second time in my life.” — Drue Grit

17. “How is it possible to say an unkind or reverential word of Rome? The city of all time, and of all the world!” — Nathaniel Hawthorne

18. “Rome knew love, better than I ever could, so I let the city take her hand, and followed close behind, picking up the pieces of her melting heart.” — Atticus

19. “In Rome, I particularly love the history, churches, sculptures, and architecture and the fact that you can walk along a tiny cobbled street and turn the corner to find the Trevi Fountain.” — Philip Treacy

20. “I like things that are kind of eclectic when one thing doesn’t go with another. That’s why I love Rome. The town itself is that way. It’s where Fascist architecture meets classic Renaissance, where the ancient bangs up against the contemporary. It has a touch of everything.” — Giambattista Valli

Ancient Rome Quotes

The history of Ancient Rome is rich in culture and art.

Check out the following quotes with a touch of ancient Rome.

21. “Ancient Rome was a violent place.” — James Purefoy

22. “You fall in love with Rome very slowly, little by little, but if it happens, it’ll be for a lifetime.” — Nikolaj Gogol

23. “Rome has grown since its humble beginnings that it is now overwhelmed by its own greatness.” — Livy

24. “Rome has not seen a modern building in more than half a century. It is a city frozen in time.” — Richard Meier

25. “Rome is a place almost worn out by being looked at, a city collapsing under the weight of reference.” — Graham Joyce

26. “Ancient Rome declined because it had a Senate, now what’s going to happen to us with both a House and a Senate?” — Will Rogers

27. “The fall of Rome seemed unthinkable to people at the time but inevitable to historians reflecting upon it with the benefit of context.” — Mary Pilon

28. “Ancient Rome was as confident of the immutability of its world and the continual expansion and improvement of the human lot as we are today.” — Arthur Erickson

29. “Rome is one enormous mausoleum. There, the past lies visibly stretched upon his bier. There is no today or tomorrow in Rome; it is perpetual yesterday.” — Thomas Bailey Aldrich

30. “Rome—the city of visible history, where the past of a whole hemisphere see moving in funeral procession with strange ancestral images and trophies gathered from afar.” — George Eliot

Rome quotes for Instagram

If you love Rome, then you’ll enjoy reading and sharing the following quotes about Rome with some unique and beautiful Roman imagery.

31. “To Rome, for everything.” — Cervantes

32. “Life is a combination of magic and pasta.” — Federico Fellini

33. “Her smile, I’m sure, burnt Rome to the ground.” — Mark Z. Danielewski

34. “Rome lifts you up but won’t let you settle down – it turns you into a bird without a nest.” — Glenn Haybittle

35. “When in Rome, live as the Romans do; when elsewhere, live as they live elsewhere.” — Saint Ambrose

36. “I thought I knew everything when I came to Rome, but I soon found I had everything to learn.” — Edmonia Lewis

37. “I am a sucker for those old traditional places, and Rome is as good as it gets, particularly when you throw in Italian food.” — Roger Federer

38. “Rome is a little bit different. There is something in Rome, incredible, like in a Fellini movie. Everybody’s screaming and laughing very loud.” — Alessandro Michele

39. “Yes, I have finally arrived to this Capital of the World! I now see all the dreams of my youth coming to life… Only in Rome is it possible to understand Rome.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

40. “From the dome of St. Peter’s, one can see every notable object in Rome… He can see a panorama that is varied, extensive, beautiful to the eye, and more illustrious in history than any other in Europe.” — Mark Twain

Funny Rome quotes

If you are searching for funny Rome quotes, check out the following.

41. “All things atrocious and shameless flock from all parts to Rome.” — Tacitus

42. “They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, but I wasn’t on that particular job.” — Brian Clough

43. “All the bad things that have ever happened to me have always happened in Rome.” — Richard Burton

44. “Rome holds my psyche in balance. Whenever I’m there, it’s like a holiday.” — Giambattista Valli

45. “Find Cupid everywhere in Rome because we’d clipped one of his wings, and he was forced to fly in circles.” — André Aciman

46. “Rome is a very loony city in every respect. One needs but spend an hour or two there to realize that Fellini makes documentaries.” — Fran Lebowitz

47. “Oddly enough, I’m not religious, but I’m also very fond of St Peter’s in Rome. When I’m there, I always know there’s a good meal not far away.” — Jonathan Pryce

48. “If we could be reborn wherever we chose, how crowded Rome would be, populated by souls who had spent their previous lives longing to inhabit a villa on the Janiculum Hill” — Francine Prose

49. “There’s one thing that I like about Rome that was stated by Napoleon: that from sublime to pathetic is only one step away. And in Rome, there’s a constant shifting between sublime and pathetic.” — Paolo Sorrentino

50. “I try to look at the Pantheon every chance I get since I am here in Rome after all, and an old proverb says that anyone who goes to Rome without seeing the Pantheon ‘goes and comes back a fool.’” — Elizabeth Gilbert

More Ancient Rome Quotes for Historians

Enjoy a few more of the top Ancient Rome quotes.

51. “I’m sure when they partied when Rome was burning, that was a really great party.” — Adam McKay

52. “Ancient art was the tyrant of Egypt, the mistress of Greece and the servant of Rome.” — Henry Fuseli

53. “Rome used to have good public art in ancient times. There is nothing like West of Rome in Italy.” — Emi Fontana

54. “I write about times and places I would visit in a time machine, like ancient Rome or the Wild West.” — Caroline Lawrence

55. “I love Paris for its wide boulevards and cafes, and Rome for the ancient history, as seen at the Forum.” — Alan Titchmarsh

56. “Fit men walking around and bathing, it would be just like being in Ancient Rome [on a footballers dressing room].” — John Barrowman

57. “War may be the game of kings, but, like the games at ancient Rome, it is generally exhibited to please and pacify the people.” — Arthur Helps

58. “In ancient Israel and Rome, the judge had appeared as a stand-in for the divine, and corruption was a blinding of the representative of the divine.” — Peggy Noonan

59. “If we were living in ancient Rome or Greece, I would be considered sickly and unattractive. The times dictate that thin is better for some strange reason, which I think is foolish.” — Gwyneth Paltrow

60. “Although the modern image of the imperial city is dominated by the ruins of the Coliseum and the Forum, the economic life of ancient Rome centered on side streets filled with apartments, shops, and horrea.” — William J. Bernstein