Identity: Roma Capitale, the municipi, the Vatican

Roma Capitale and the 15 municipi

Since 2010 the municipality has been "Roma Capitale", a territorial authority with special powers provided by the fiscal federalism law. The Assemblea Capitolina is the city council; the Mayor is directly elected. Since 2013 the territory has been divided into 15 municipi, each with an elected president and council and responsibilities over civil registry, social services, maintenance and nursery schools. Municipio I covers the historic centre and Prati; Municipio X includes Ostia and the coast; Municipio IX includes EUR.

Rome is also the seat of the Metropolitan City of Roma Capitale, which replaced the province in 2015 and groups 121 municipalities.

The Vatican and the institutions

Within the city lies the Vatican City State, an independent state since 1929 (Lateran Pacts), and the Holy See has its own diplomatic network: Rome therefore has two diplomatic corps, embassies to Italy and embassies to the Holy See. The city hosts Parliament, the Government, the Quirinale, the supreme courts and almost all ministries, as well as three United Nations agencies headquartered in Rome: FAO, IFAD and the World Food Programme (WFP).

Language, patron saints, anniversaries

The local speech is romanesco, a variety of central Italian: understandable to all Italian speakers, with its own vocabulary and pronunciation. The patron saints are Peter and Paul: 29 June is a city holiday, with municipal offices and many businesses closed. On 21 April the city celebrates the Natale di Roma, the traditional founding of the city (753 BC), with events and free entry to the civic museums.