Rome is the capital city of Italy. According to the City Brands Index, Rome is considered the world’s second most historically, educationally, and culturally interesting and beautiful city. Rome is a historical powerhouse with wonderful palaces, millennium-old churches, grand romantic ruins, opulent monuments and museums such as the Vatican Museums and the Colosseum, ornate statues, and graceful fountains. Rome has an immensely rich historical heritage and cosmopolitan atmosphere, making it one of Europe's and the world's most visited, famous, influential, and beautiful capitals. Today, Rome has a growing nightlife scene and is also seen as a shopping heaven, being regarded as one of the fashion capitals of the world.
Italy has a large and international network of public and state-affiliated universities and schools offering degrees in higher education. State-run universities in Italy constitute the main percentage of tertiary education in Italy and are managed under the supervision of Italy's Ministry of Education. Italian universities are among the oldest universities in the world. In particular, the University of Bologna and the University of Padua are the oldest state universities in Europe. Some of the top universities are the University of Padova, Pavia University in Italy, European Research Council, Sapienza University of Rome, European Science Foundation, Tor Vergata University in Rome, The American University of Rome, European molecular biology laboratory