Population: 5.242.709
Surface (Kmq): 17227
Density (Inhabitants/Kmq.): 304
Main city: Roma (ROMA)
Other towns: Frosinone (FR); Latina (LT); Rieti (RI); Viterbo (VT).

Lazio is on the central western coast, facing the Tyrrhenian Sea, and home to the nation's capital, Rome. Traces of Etruscan civilisation are remarkable and can be found at Veio, Vulci, Tarquinia and Cerveteri, while evidence of the power base of the great Roman Empire remain everywhere. The region has long been the centre of a vibrant artistic community centred, since the Middle Ages, around the presence of the Roman Catholic Church. The Vatican City, seat of the papacy, is in the heart of Rome. The imposing complex of the Vatican Museums contains numberless outstanding masterpieces. The National Museum houses the most important archaeologic collections in the world, while the Capitoline Museum holds the oldest classic sculptures. Lazio also offers the tourist varied oeno-gastronomic itineraries which show the unique traditions and peculiarities of the Lazio cooking style.