Metropolitan cities of Italy in the context of "City of Rome"

Rome is the capital city and most populated comune (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special comune named Roma Capitale with 2,746,984 residents in 1,287.36 km (497.1 sq mi), Rome is the third most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits. The Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, with a population of 4,223,885 residents, is the most populous metropolitan city in Italy. Its metropolitan area is the third-most populous within Italy. Rome is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, within Lazio (Latium), along the shores of the Tiber Valley. Vatican City (the smallest country in the world and headquarters of the worldwide Catholic Church under the governance of the Holy See) is an independent country inside the city boundaries of Rome, the only existing example of a country within a city. Rome is often referred to as the City of Seven Hills due to its geography, and also as the "Eternal City". Rome is generally considered to be one of the cradles of Western civilization and Western Christian culture, and the centre of the Catholic Church.

Rome's history spans 28 centuries. While Roman mythology dates the founding of Rome at around 753 BC, the site has been inhabited for much longer, making it a major human settlement for over three millennia and one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in Europe. The city's early population originated from a mix of Latins, Etruscans, and Sabines. Eventually, the city successively became the capital of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, and is regarded by many as the first-ever Imperial city and metropolis. It was first called The Eternal City (Latin: Urbs Aeterna; Italian: La Città Eterna) by the Roman poet Tibullus in the 1st century BC, and the expression was also taken up by Ovid, Virgil, and Livy. Rome is also called Caput Mundi (Capital of the World).

Metropolitan City of Rome Capital (Italian: città metropolitana di Roma Capitale) is an area of local government at the level of metropolitan city in the Lazio region of Italy. It comprises the territory of the city of Rome and 120 other comuni (sg.: comune) in the hinterland of the city. With more than 4.2 million inhabitants, it is the largest metropolitan city in Italy as of 2025.

It was established on 1 January 2015 by the terms of Law 142/1990 (Reform of local authorities) and by Law 56/2014. It superseded the province of Rome. The Metropolitan City of Rome Capital is headed by the Metropolitan Mayor (Sindaco metropolitano) and governed by the Metropolitan Council (Consiglio metropolitano). Roberto Gualtieri is the incumbent mayor, having taken office on 21 October 2021.

Sardinia (/sɑːrˈdɪniə/ sar-DIN-ee-ə; Sardinian: Sardigna [saɾˈdiɲːa]; Italian: Sardegna [sarˈdeɲɲa] ), officially the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea after Sicily, and one of the twenty regions of Italy. It is located 200 km west of the Italian Peninsula, 200 km north of Tunisia, and 16.45 km south of the French island of Corsica. Sardinia is one five Italian regions with statutory domestic autonomy. It is divided into six provinces and two metropolitan cities. Cagliari is the capital and largest city, followed by Sassari. It has over 1.5 million inhabitants as of 2025.

Sardinia's indigenous language and the Algherese dialect of Catalan are recognized by both regional and national law as two of Italy's twelve official linguistic minorities, albeit gravely endangered; regional law provides some degree of protection and recognition of the island's other minority languages: the Corsican-influenced Sassarese and Gallurese, and Tabarchino Ligurian.

Naples (/ˈneɪpəlz/ NAY-pəlz; Italian: Napoli [ˈnaːpoli] ; Neapolitan: Napule [ˈnɑːpələ]) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the third most populous metropolitan city in Italy with a population of 2,958,410 residents, and the eighth most populous in the European Union. Its metropolitan area stretches beyond the boundaries of the city wall for approximately 30 kilometres (20 miles). Naples also plays a key role in international diplomacy, since it is home to NATO's Allied Joint Force Command Naples and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean.

Founded by Greeks in the first millennium BC, Naples is one of the oldest continuously inhabited urban areas in the world. In the eighth century BC, a colony known as Parthenope (Ancient Greek: Παρθενόπη) was established on the Pizzofalcone hill. In the sixth century BC, it was refounded as Neápolis. The city was an important part of Magna Graecia, played a major role in the merging of Greek and Roman society, and has been a significant international cultural centre ever since with particular reference to the development of the arts.

The Metropolitan City of Venice (Italian: città metropolitana di Venezia) is a metropolitan city in the Veneto region of Italy, one of ten metropolitan cities in Italy. Its capital is the city of Venice. It replaced the province of Venice in 2015 and includes the city of Venice and 43 comuni (sg.: comune). It was first created by the reform of local authorities (Law 142/1990) and then established by Law 56/2014.The Metropolitan City of Venice is headed by the Metropolitan Mayor (sindaco metropolitano) and the Metropolitan Council (consiglio metropolitano). Since 15 June 2015, as the new mayor of the capital city, Luigi Brugnaro is the first mayor of the metropolitan city.

The Metropolitan City of Milan (Italian: città metropolitana di Milano; Milanese: cittaa metropolitana de Milan, Lombard: [tʃiˈtaː metrupuliˈtana de miˈlãː]) is a metropolitan city (not to be confused with the metropolitan area) in the Lombardy region of Italy. It is the second most populous metropolitan city in the nation after the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital. Its capital is the city of Milan. It replaced the province of Milan and includes the city of Milan and 132 other comuni (sg.: comune). It was first created by the reform of local authorities (Law 142/1990) and then established by the Law 56/2014. It has been operative since 1 January 2015.

The Metropolitan City of Milan is headed by the Metropolitan Mayor (sindaco metropolitano) and by the Metropolitan Council (consiglio metropolitano). Since June 2016 Giuseppe Sala, as mayor of the capital city, has been the mayor of the Metropolitan City.

The Metropolitan City of Genoa (Italian: città metropolitana di Genova) is a metropolitan city in the region of Liguria in northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Genoa. It replaced the province of Genoa in 2015. It has 67 municipalities (comuni) in an area of 1,833.79 square kilometres (708.03 sq mi) and a total population of about 818,651 as of 2025.