Today Berlioz is remembered above all as the foremost Romantic composer who gave us a priceless record of musical life in the mid 19th Century. Awarded the Prix de Rome, then the most prominent prize in composition, he is well-known for his 'Grande Messe des Morts' (Requiem), his symphonies such as 'Roméo and Juliette' and the 'Symphonie Fantastique' (1829-30), subtitled 'An episode from the life of the artist', as well as his operas including 'Benvenuto Cellini', the monumental 'Les Troyens' and 'Béatrice et Bénédict'. Yet, Berlioz was also a music critic of note and his book, 'Treatise on Modern Instrumentation and Orchestration', greatly influenced composers who came after him.

Rome was not built in a day, and all the good I expect from my employment this summer is the fruit of experience which I hope to gather in my next poem.

Often thought of as the quintessential Romantic poet, London-born Keats published his first book of verse, 'Poems', in 1817, and he followed it with several more volumes including 'Lamia', 'Isabella', 'The Eve of St. Agnes and Other Poems' (1820). He issued from his pen such remarkably fine poems as the lengthy 'Endymion' (1816) and the sonnet 'To Solitude' (1816). His three great odes, 'Ode on a Grecian Urn', 'Ode on Melancholy' and 'Ode to a Nightingale', all appeared in 1819, and the fragment 'Hyperion', written in two versions, was much admired by his coevals. In addition to being a poet, Keats wrote a substantial amount of letters that were printed in 1848 and 1878. The first of these famous letters, dated November 22, 1817, was addressed to Benjamin Bailey. In 1821, advised by his doctor Keats moved to Rome. He died the next year and is buried in the Protestant Cemetery.

I had cause to think that if I remained in Rome, my tomb would be made sooner than the Pope's. That was the reason for my sudden departure. [From a letter to his friend Giuliano Sangallo]

His full name was Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, and he’s considered one of the finest world artists and truly a Renaissance man, as he was not only a talented painter and sculptor, but also an architect and poet. Born in Caprese near Arezzo, Tuscany, he was connected with Rome and Florence throughout his life. At the age of 13, he became an apprentice in the workshop of artist Domenico Ghirlandaio, who later introduced him to the powerful Lorenzo de' Medici. His first sculptures were 'Madonna of the Steps' and 'Battle of the Centaurs'. In 1492, Michelangelo moved to Venice, Bologna and finally Rome, where he carved the famous 'Pieta' for St. Peter's. He created 'David' later on, in Florence. In 1505, the artist was invited to the Vatican by Pope Julius II to build a tomb for him, which took 40 years. In the meantime, he worked on painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel until 1512, and in 1536 he painted the fresco 'The Last Judgement 'there. The chief architect of St. Peter's since 1546, Michelangelo also designed its impressive dome. He wrote over a hundred sonnets to his beloved friend Vittoria Colonna. He was buried in Florence, where his body had been secretly transported.

that famous Rome will make her boundaries as broad as earth itself, will make her spirit the equal of Olympus, and enclose her seven hills within a single wall, rejoicing in her race on men...

Publius Vergilius Maro was an ancient Roman poet whose greatest work, the 'Aeneid', made him famous through the modern era. Born in the north of Italy, he moved with his family to Rome where he studied medicine and astronomy, switching to philosophy soon after. After Virgil joined the circle of Maecenas, the influential patron for the new generation of Augustan poets, he was given a villa in the countryside. There, he worked on the 'Eclogues', and around 30 BC he wrote 'Georgics' (On Farming) in honour of his supporter. At the request of the emperor, Virgil wrote an epic poem that praised the regime of Augustus. It took almost all of the last ten years of his life. The first six books of the 'Aeneid' are based upon Homer's 'Odyssey', and they tell the story of Aeneas, the Trojan hero who escaped from the city, after many adventures settling in Italy to be reborn as the founder of the city of Rome. When Virgil was travelling with Augustus to Greece, he caught a fever on the way and died, leaving his masterpiece unfinished.

I would rather be first in a small village in Gaul than second in command in Rome.

Gaius Julius Caesar is a symbol of ancient Rome, having been its most influential military and political leader. Born to an old noble family and raised during the difficult period of the Social War and political division, he had to spend three years living abroad, but after returning to Rome in 78 BC he started a political career as leader of the Democratic Party in the Senate. He became popular as an exceptional orator as well as an organiser of games and festivals in the city held in 65 BC. Caesar was also a renowned military leader, conquering lands to the north and west of Italy and gaining new territories in Gaul (France). However, his greatest competitor was Pompey. Significantly, he crossed the Rubicon River, thereby refusing an order to disband his army. Soon thereafter, he took control over Rome and defeated Pompey's army. After his victory in Egypt, Caesar was hailed back in Rome, made into a dictator and given the title of ‘The Father of his Country.’ He was also first to appear on a Roman Republican coin. On the Ides of March, he went to the Senate as usual, where he was assassinated by a party of senators led by Cassius and Brutus.

Without my mother’s ambition, her drive, I doubt that on my own I would have pushed myself out of Pozzuoli and into the frightening world that was faraway Rome.

She is the most popular Italian actress and an Academy Award winner, born in Rome as Sofia Villani Scicolone. She spent her childhood in poverty worsened by wartime in Pozzuoli, near Naples. Sofia went to Rome at the age of 15, where a year later she appeared as an extra in Quo Vadis in 1951, and a year after that in 'Aida'. She was discovered by Carlo Ponti, a film producer whom she later married and had two sons with. She began taking roles in films presenting her as a sex symbol. Meeting Vittorio De Sica and Marcello Mastroianni in 1954 was a turning point in her career. Then, Loren became internationally famous after signing a contract with Paramount Studios. Famous films from that time include 'Desire Under the Elms' with Anthony Perkins, 'Houseboat' with Cary Grant and 'Heller in Pink Tights' with Anthony Quinn. Her performance in T'wo Women' by Vittorio De Sica earned her many film awards, including an Oscar. In 1967, she starred with Marlon Brando in the comedy 'A Countess from Hong Kong', directed by Charlie Chaplin. In 1990, Sofia Loren was awarded a special Academy Award as one of world cinema's treasures. Recently, she appeared in the 2007 Pirelli Calendar.

An Italian scientist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics, he was born in Rome and devoted himself to studying physics and mathematics from an early age. He also studied and worked at the universities in Pisa and Florence, where he made several significant discoveries concerning the atom. At the age of 24, Fermi was offered a professorship in Rome, notably the first one for atomic physics in Italy. After receiving the Nobel Prize for his work on induced radioactivity in 1938, he didn't return to Italy from the ceremony in fear of Mussolini's fascist dictatorship, but emigrated to New York with his wife and children. Fermi worked at Columbia University and the University of Chicago, where he built the first nuclear reactor. He gained American citizenship in 1944, and during World War II was involved in the Manhattan Project, which helped create the atom bomb.

Rome seen as a vestal virgin and she-wolf, an aristocrat and tramp. A sombre buffoon.

Fellini was one of the finest Italian film directors and has been recognised all over the world, especially for 'La Dolce Vita'. He was born in Rimini and spent his childhood there, which had an impact on some of his films, including 'I Vitelloni' (1953), 8½ (1963) and 'Amarcord' (1973). Fellini was also involved with writing radio show scripts, as well as film scripts for Roberto Rossellini and Eduardo De Filippo. Moreover, he had a talent for satire, working for some comic actors and producing drawings himself. He moved to Rome in 1939, where he wrote articles for a popular satirical weekly. In 1942, he married actress Giulietta Masina, who starred in his famous 'La Strada' in 1954. The aforementioned 'La Dolce Vita' was awarded the Oscar for Best Costumes in 1960. Surprisingly, this is where the term paparazzi was coined, as one of the characters, the news photographer bears the name of Paparazzo. Fellini's films were characterised by hallucinatory imagery and a personal judgement of society. Along with many other prizes, Fellini received a Honorary Academy Award in 1993, dying that same year in Rome from a heart attack.