It’s almost impossible to be specific when outlining price ranges, as not only do rates fluctuate madly between periods but also between hotels in the same category. As a very rough guide, expect to pay from €40 to €150 for a double in a one-star hotel; in a two-star €60 to €150; in a three-star €80 to €300; in a four-star €200 to €460; and in a five-star from €300 upwards. Many hotels offer discounts for low-season visits (up to 50%), long stays or for weekend breaks. Check hotel websites for offers. Note also that single travellers are not well served, with single rooms often dispropor-tionately expensive.

 After New York, Rome is the most fashionable city in the world. According to a list published by the Californian company Global Language Monitor (GLM), in 2007 Rome was cooler than London, Paris and Milan. However, by any criteria other than GLM’s linguistic analysis, Rome falls far short of fashion superstardom.Fashion might be a way of life here, but only in the sense that trends are followed without a second thought. Whatever the look, be it preppy smart or hip-hop street, Romans wear what their peers are wearing.This slavish adherence to fashion isn’t, of course, limited to clothes. The Smart car (see the boxed text,   below  ) has become something of a city icon, while mobile phones continue to multiply. The sight of teenagers dexterously texting messages has become so common that some cultural commentators have claimed it’s affecting their ability to write proper Italian.  Among recent US imports, one of the most unusual has been the flashmob (a gathering called together on the internet to carry out some predetermined action). In July 2003, just a month after the phenomenon premiered in New York, Rome became the first European city to organise its own flashmob. Four years on the trend is still going – in March 2007, 200 combatants met in Villa Doria Pamphilj for a mass pillow fight.The flashmob phenomenon might not be Rome’s finest hour, but it does at least show a desire to set a trend, rather than follow those set elsewhere. On the whole Rome’s trendsetters look abroad and copy the foreign modes of the moment; the rest follow them first, each other second. However, unoriginal as styles may be, clothes are invariably of a high quality and wornwell. Conservatism and elegance are the order of the day, even when that involves the figure-hugging styles so beloved of Italian women. Skin-tight hipsters and miniskirts may be sexy but they no longer shock; they’ve become mainstream.The two big names in the world of Roman fashion are Valentino  Garavani and Laura  Biagiotti. Of the two, it’s Valentino who’s been hogging the headlines recently. In July 2007 he celebrated
45 years of alta moda (high fashion) with a glamorous 36-hour fashion extravaganza in Rome. Laura Biagiotti is known for her luxurious knitwear and sumptuous silk separates, often in cream and white. Rome’s major fashion event is the Alta Moda spectacle, staged in January and July in various suggestive settings.

Rome’s ancient history is mired in legend. The most famous of all is the story of Romulus and Remus, the mythical twins who are said to have founded Rome on 21 April 753 BC. Few historians accept the myth as historical fact, but most accept that the city was founded as an amalgamation of Etruscan, Latin and Sabine settlements on the Palatino (Palatine), Esquilino (Esquiline) and Quirinale (Quirinal) hills. Archaeological discoveries have confirmed the exist-
ence of a settlement on the Palatino dating to the 8th century BC.