The capital of the empire that ruled the New Testament world. Paul was taken to Rome to stand trial before Caesar; the early church grew in this immense, wealthy, pagan city.
Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome was the political center of the world into which Christianity was born. Its roads, law, and peace (the 'Pax Romana') made the gospel's spread possible, yet its emperor-cult and persecution shaped the martyrs. Paul wrote his letter to the Romans from Corinth, and tradition says he was martyred in Rome.
Rome was about 1,400 miles from Jerusalem by sea, the far western edge of the biblical world, yet networked to it by Roman roads and shipping lanes.