Roma non si ferma. Rome doesn't stop. There are several ways to translate or interpret this slogan - the title of a new promotional video - whose no-nonsense message conveys a mixture of resistance and hope; a full-steam-ahead, business-as-usual approach. In short, life goes on in Rome.

Over the millenia, Rome - Caput Mundi - has been the stage of unrivalled glory and greatness. It has also weathered a myriad of storms down through the centuries but has always bounced back smiling. As Rome prepares to celebrate its 2,773rd birthday next month, a grey cloud looms over the horizon, the same grey cloud that casts a shadow over more than 60 other countries around the world.