Modern Roman Culture: Introduction
Culture in modern Rome cannot help but be overshadowed by the 3,000 years of history that have led up to it. An internet search for "Roman authors", for example, will yield not Alberto Moravia but instead Cato, Pliny and Seneca. But this rich heritage, and the way in which today's Romans deal with it (or ignore it) is just one part of the modern cultural life of the city.
In more recent years, authors such as Moravia and filmmakers like Fellini and Rossellini have conributed to Rome's continued cultural importance. Read our interview with the author Massimo Mongai to discover how Rome has inspired his fiction.
Of course, Rome represents only a small part of Italy's cultural output; it doesn't take into account Umberto Eco, Calvino, Svevo, or any number of great Italian film directors (many of whom came to Rome to work in the studios of Cinecittà), but there is no doubt that the capital has played a key part in the modern cultural development of the country.
As well as the links on the right, see also our film section, containing reviews of films set in Rome.
