Rome ranked fourth most popular destination in world.

The Italian capital has come first in the Best Food Destinations in the World in the 2023 Travelers' Choice Best of the Best Destination Awards, an annual list compiled by travel review site Tripadvisor.

The rankings are based on the millions of travel reviews and recommendations submitted to the Tripadvisor platform over the past 12 months.

Rome also came fourth in the Most Popular Tourist Destinations in the World category, up two places from last year, in a list headed by Dubai, Bali and London.

• Best things to do in Rome

Describing Rome as "a real-life collage of piazzas, open-air markets, and astonishing historic sites", Tripadvisor advises: "Enjoy some of the most memorable meals of your life here, too, from fresh pasta to succulent fried artichokes or a tender oxtail stew."

Secondo @Tripadvisor #TravelersChoice 2023 Roma è al 4° posto per le destinazioni più popolari al mondo (guadagniamo 2 posti rispetto al '22) e al 1° per cibo e gastronomia. Un bel riconoscimento che conferma la qualità dell'offerta turistica e della nostra cucina, unica al mondo pic.twitter.com/SWb2S4qCPv

— Roberto Gualtieri (@gualtierieurope) January 18, 2023

The recognition from Tripadvisor was welcomed by Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri who described it on Twitter as confirmation of the "quality of the city's tourist offer and of our cuisine, unique in the world."