1. Rome was founded in 753 BC by Romulus. Roman legend says that Romulus had a twin brother called Remus. As babies they were abandoned in the area which later became Rome. A she-wolf found and raised them, but when they grew up Romulus fought and killed Remus and became the first ruler of Rome!
2.The word “palace” comes from the Palatine Hill, where Augustus established the emperors’ tradition of building their palaces.
3. Every night at the Trevi Fountain about 3,000 Euros are swept up from the bottom of the basin. The money is donated to Caritas, a catholic charity, who uses the money to provide services for needy families in Rome.
4. Modern Rome has 280 fountains and more than 900 churches.
5. Concrete was a Roman invention used on many structures such as the Pantheon, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, which are still standing today thanks to the development of Roman cement and concrete.
6.SPQR stands for "Senatus Populusque Romanus" and means "The senate and the people of Rome." The symbol is still seen all over the city today.
7.Rome was built on the seven hills, a term coined to describe the Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, Caelian, Aventine and Palatine hills surrounding the old community.
8. The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Museums has the same dimensions, as described in the Old Testament, as the Temple of Solomon on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.
9.Julius Ceaser was the one who introduced the modern 12 month calendar. Before that Lunar or Arabic calendars were used. It was known as the Julian calendar and was introduced in 46 BC.
10. Romans soldiers were paid in salt, know as a salarium. The modern word salary is said to derive from this latin word.