Ancient Rome explored by Google Earth

Travellers planning a visit to Rome in the future can now prepare for their trip by using a new Google Earth gadget to brush up on their historical knowledge.

The 'ancient Rome 3D' application presents a view of the city as it stood in the year 320AD, when it was at the height of its power as the capital of Italy and the entire Roman empire.

Google Earth's navigation tool allows users to fly around the ancient metropolis and look at more than 6,700 historic buildings.

Future visitors to Rome can also view some of the city's existing attractions as they appeared thousands of years ago, including the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Arch of Constantine.

Gianni Alemanno, mayor of Rome, said: "Our spectacular ancient remains continue to fascinate people all around the world, drawing millions of tourists to our city every year.

"We're delighted even more people all over the world can now enjoy the heritage of our great city. It's an incredible opportunity to share the stunning greatness of ancient Rome."

Users of Google Earth can find the new application by heading to the 'layers' section of the program, clicking on 'gallery' and selecting 'ancient Rome 3D'.

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