RomeThe city of popes and squares
Measured from 10,000+ plays across 16 walked routes: in Rome, you pass a place with a story every 287 metres.
Ranked #1 of 7 Italy big cities
2026 edition · scores vs all indexed cities · measured 2026-08-21 · how we measure
Depth67/100
150 places with a story
41 historical figures · 2h of stories
Density53/100
a story every 287 m
median along a route
Character87/100
royalty & nobility
typical story: 1831 · early modern
Pulse50/100
Instagrammability 23/100
peak month: Aug
Rome, measured
The scores
Ranked against
| What we measure | Rome | Score out of 100 | Rank | Global leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depth | ||||
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 150 | 66 | #5 of 71 | London (United Kingdom) · 594 |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 41 | 70 | #5 of 68 | London (United Kingdom) · 184 |
| Hours of storieshow long its stories take to read, end to end | 1.8h | 66 | #5 of 71 | London (United Kingdom) · 7h |
| Density | ||||
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next | 287 m | 53 | #43 of 71 | Williamsburg (United States) · 100 m |
| Character | ||||
| Years its stories coverfrom its oldest story to its newest | 871 yrs | 87 | #22 of 70 | London (United Kingdom) · 1025 yrs |
| Pulse | ||||
| Instagrammabilityhow often players photograph this city | 23/100 | 23 | #44 of 54 | Sydney (Australia) |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3 or more | 12 in 100 | 35 | #48 of 69 | Houston (United States) · 32 in 100 |
| International visitorsshare of player reviews written in a foreign language | 92% | 92 | #3 of 47 | Venice · 97% |
How to read this table›
How to read it: each score is out of 100, measured against a fixed scale that is the same for every city and every edition. Rome's 150 on places with a story scores 66, and it scores 66 on any page you find it. The switch above changes who it is ranked against, not the scores: right now that is all 80 indexed cities (19 countries so far). Rome is scored on all 8 measures, and its overall score is their average. Ranks compare cities of a similar size. What a city's stories are about has no better or worse, so themes and eras aren't scored. Instagrammability is shown as a score only; how it's calculated is on the methodology page.
The medal table
What Rome wins
- Most historical figures among Italy's big cities· 41 people in its stories
- Most places with a story among Italy's big cities· 150 places
Won against the other big cities of Italy in the 2026 edition. See the full table on the country page.
Character
What its stories are about
- royalty & nobility32%
- faith & churches27%
- arts & culture25%
- crime & dark history18%
- legends & myths14%
Out of Rome's 150 places with a story, the share whose story touches each theme. One story can touch several.
Character
Which centuries you walk through
- Early modern39%
- 19th century18%
- Contemporary16%
- Early 20th century14%
- Medieval11%
- Post-war4%
When Rome's stories happen (38% of them mention a year).
Pulse
When people play here
Typical share of player reviews per month (median across 5 recent years). Peak: Aug.
Pulse
Who visits, by review language
- English51%
- French16%
- Spanish10%
- German9%
- Italian8%
Language of 1,000+ written player reviews. A proxy for who visits; English hides several nationalities.
Depth
150 stories wait on its streets. Here are three
Here is some real historical and architectural information about the Church of San Claudio dei Borgognoni. The church, dedicated to Saint Claudius…
The obelisk acts as the needle of a giant sundial. Its shadow once marked the hours and seasons across the square's paving.…
The building next to us is called the Temple of Hadrian. The construction was probably commissioned by Emperor Hadrian and finalized around…
Depth
Figures you meet on Rome's streets
Pope Julius
at 7 places
Porta Sant'Anna · Sistine Chapel · Borgia Apartments
Julius Caesar
at 5 places
Down a side street, near two large green double doors, one with a shield and one with a cross above them, at the corner next to the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle · At the back of the large hole in the ground filled with the remains of temples - the archaeological area Largo di Torre Argentina. Next to a single pine tree. Across the road from the Teatro Argentina · In front of the bronze statue of Julius Caesar next to the main road
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
at 4 places
il busto · Busto di Galileo Galilei · Piazza Navona
Marcus Aurelius
at 4 places
piazza colonna · Next to the bronze statue in the middle of the square (piazza Campidoglio) · Galleria Alberto Sordi
Emperor Hadrian
at 3 places
Castel Sant'Angelo · Tempio di Adriano · St. Angelo Bridge
Pope Alexander
at 3 places
Porta Angelica · Pine Cone Courtyard · Porta Settimiana
Pope Sixtus
at 3 places
piazza colonna · "Leone" sundial disk at the obelisk in St. Peter's Square, Vatican City · Piazza San Pietro
Princess Ann
at 3 places
Fontana delle Naiadi · Pantheon · Palazzo Barberini
Depth
Every Rome place with a story, on one map
Each pin is a place whose story a Questo route tells. Tap one for the quest that tells it. See an empty street that deserves a pin? The form at the bottom of this page adds your story to the editors' queue.
Walk Rome's stories yourself
Three of 16 routes here. See everything in Rome
Where next after Rome?
MilanThe city of art and empire476 km away · a story every 325 m
SienaFlorence's gothic rival184 km away · a story every 183 m
BolognaThe red city of tall tales303 km away · a story every 285 m
FlorenceThe Renaissance cradle231 km away · a story every 222 m
PisaThe leaning republic264 km away · a story every 260 m
NaplesThe city of saints and kings189 km away · a story every 250 mHow does Rome compare?
Put Rome head-to-head with any city in the index, measure by measure, from real walking data.
Quick answers
- What is Rome like to explore on foot?
- Rome has 150 places with a story across 16 self-guided Questo routes, with a story every 287 metres of walking on average. Its stories lean towards royalty & nobility and faith & churches.
- Which historical period defines Rome?
- 39% of Rome's dated stories come from the early modern period; its oldest dated story reaches back to 1150.
- When do people visit Rome?
- Player activity in Rome peaks in Aug, with a typical 31% of reviews arriving June to August (median across 5 recent years of Questo reviews).
- How is this measured?
- From Questo's own walked routes and player activity in Rome: 10,000+ plays and 1,000+ reviews. Full method on the City Stories Index methodology page, 2026 edition.
Quote any line, attributed
For press and citation
- Walking a Questo route in Rome, you pass a place with a story every 287 metres on average.
- 39% of Rome's dated stories come from the early modern period.
- Rome's typical story happens in 1831: the median year across its dated stories, which span 871 years.
- Rome's routes hold 2+ hours of researched stories.
- Players meet 41 historical figures in Rome's stories, from Pope Julius to Julius Caesar.
- 92% of Rome's written player reviews are in a language other than Italian (from 1,000+ reviews).
- Roughly 12 of every 100 plays in Rome is a group outing of three or more people, measured from invited multi-device sessions over the last 12 months.
- Rome's play season peaks in Aug; a typical 31% of reviews arrive June to August (median across 5 recent years).
Copy any line as it stands: for an article, a post, or an argument at dinner. Attribution: Questo City Stories Index (2026 edition), with a link to this page. Method and sample sizes on the methodology page.
Rome ranks #5 of 80. Show it.
For city halls, tourism boards, local press and anyone who lives here: this badge is yours to use, free and without asking. It links back to the measurements behind it, and it updates itself when the next edition is published.
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</a>Know a story these streets are missing?
Every place, story and figure on this page comes from routes built by people who know Rome. Add what's missing: as a Questo creator, or with a quick suggestion.