During the Roman Empire the Tiber Bend area was a public training ground for soldiers called the Campo Marzio. With Rome’s fall, the city turned its back on this riverside neighbourhood and, aside from a few foreign settlements, it wasn’t until the 15th century that anything other than a few churches was built here. The Baroque boom gave the area’s palaces their distinctive look. Mussolini cleaned up the neighbourhood in the 1920s and 1930s to bring out its ancient character. He cleared away the debris surrounding Augustus’s Mausoleum, reassembled the Ara Pacis and surrounded the lot with reviled Fascist buildings, complete with self-aggrandizing bas-reliefs.
Recycled TemplesRomans are ingenious recyclers. The Pantheon became a church, Hadrian’s Temple a stock exchange; San Clemente was built atop a temple to Mithras, Santa Maria sopra Minerva one to Minerva. In the 11th century, the walls of San Lorenzo in Miranda in the Forum and San Nicola in Carcere on Via Teatro di Marcello were both grafted onto temple columns. |
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The Pantheon
“Simple, erect, severe, austere, sublime” – even Lord Byron struggled to find words to express this marvel of ancient Roman architecture, the only ancient Roman temple to survive the millennia virtually intact (see The Pantheon).
Relieving arches, Pantheon
Santa Maria sopra Minerva
The only truly Gothic church in Rome, possibly built, as the name suggests, atop a temple to Minerva. Michelangelo’s Risen Christ (1514–21) is a muscular rendition of the Saviour so shockingly nude that church officials added the bronze wisp of drapery. Filippino Lippi frescoed the last chapel on the right; the lower scene on the right wall includes portraits of young Giovanni and Giulio de’ Medici (known as Popes Leo X and Clement VII), who are buried in tombs by Antonio Sangallo the Younger, in the apse, with Fra’ Angelico and (most of) St Catherine of Siena (see Santa Maria sopra Minerva).
Piazza della Minerva
Open 7:10am–7pm Mon–Sat, 8am–noon, 2–7pm Sun
Free
DA
Nave, Santa Maria sopra Minerva
Galleria Doria Pamphilj
The best of the private collection galleries in Rome. In addition to paintings by Rubens, Correggio, Tintoretto, Carracci and Brueghel, star works include Caravaggio’s Mary Magdalene, Rest on the Flight into Egypt, and Young St John the Baptist (a copy he made of his Capitoline version); Titian’s Salome with the Head of John the Baptist; and Bernini’s bust of Pope Innocent X (see Galleria Doria Pamphilj).
Piazza del Collegio Romano 2
Open 10am–5pm Fri–Wed
Adm €9.00
DA
Ara Pacis
Augustus Caesar built this “Altar of Peace” between 13 BC and 9 BC to celebrate the famed pax romana (Roman peace) he instituted – largely by subjugating most of Western Europe, the Levant and North Africa. Fragments of the altar were excavated over several centuries, and in the 1920s Mussolini placed the reconstituted Ara Pacis by Augustus’s Mausoleum. The altar is now housed in a Richard Meier-designed museum, the first modern structure to rise in the centre of Rome in 70 years.
Piazza Augusto Imperatore & Lungotevere Augusta
060608
Open 9am–7pm Tue–Sun
Adm €6.50
Marcus Agrippa, Ara Pacis
Sant’Ignazio di Loyola
When the Jesuits’ new Baroque church was finished in 1685, it still lacked a dome. Master of trompe-l’oeil Andrea Pozzo used his flawless technique to create the illusion of an airy dome on the flat circle of ceiling over the church’s crossing; stand on the yellow marble disc for the full effect, then walk directly under the “dome” to see how skewed the painting actually is. Pozzo also painted the nave vault with the lovely Glory of Sant’Ignazio.
Piazza di S Ignazio
Open 7:30am–12:30pm, 3–7:15pm daily
Free
Piazza Sant’Ignazio
Column of Marcus Aurelius
Trajan’s Column was such a success (see Trajan's Markets) that this 29.5-m (97-ft) one was erected in AD 180–93 to honour the military career of Marcus Aurelius. The spiral of reliefs celebrates his campaigns against the Germans (169–73) on the bottom and the Sarmatians (174–76) on the top. In 1588, Pope Sixtus V replaced the statues of the emperor and his wife with that of St Paul.
Piazza Colonna
Relief, Column of Marcus Aurelius
Augustus’s Mausoleum
Augustus built this grand imperial tomb in 27 BC, his ashes later joined by those of emperors Tiberius and Nerva, and worthies such as Agrippa and Marcellus. Barbarian invaders later made off with the urns and locals mined its travertine facing for their palaces. The ancient rotunda has served time as a hanging garden, fortress, circus for bear-baiting, and concert hall. In the 1920s its crown was restored to the ancient style, covered with grass and cypress, and Mussolini laid out the Fascist piazza around it. Major architectural work is planned for this area.
Piazza Augusto Imperatore
Open by appt only
Adm
Augustus’s Mausoleum
Piazza di Sant’Ignazio
Francesco Raguzzini laid out this masterpiece of Baroque urban design for the Jesuits in 1727–8, creating piazza carefully planned right down to the ornate iron balconies and matching dusty pink plaster walls.
Bernini’s Elephant Obelisk
An example of Bernini’s fun-loving side. This baby elephant, carved to the master’s designs by Ercole Ferrata in 1667, carries a miniature 6th-century BC Egyptian obelisk on its back. It is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Carthaginian leader Hannibal’s war elephants, which carried tall siege towers across the Alps to attack the Roman Empire in 218 BC.
Piazza della Minerva
Piazza della Rotonda
The square in front of the Pantheon was filled with a boisterous daily market until 1847; some of the Pantheon’s portico columns still bear square holes from the stall posts once set into them. The square is now filled with tourists, outdoor tables of cafés, and horse-drawn carriages, all ranged around Giacomo della Porta’s 1575 fountain, which supports a tiny Egyptian obelisk dedicated to Ramses II.
Piazza della Rotonda
Start with a cappuccino at Caffè Sant’ Eustachio . Follow Salita de’ Crescenzi into Piazza della Rotonda and the stunning beauty of the Pantheon . Head down to Piazza di Minerva, with Bernini’s Elephant Obelisk and the façade of Santa Maria sopra Minerva , hiding masterpieces by Filippino Lippi and Michelangelo inside.
Via S Caterina da Siena becomes Via Pie’ di Marmo (look right to see the famous ancient marble foot). The street spills into the long piazza in front of Galleria Doria Pamphilj . After paying homage to works by Caravaggio, Tintoretto and Bernini continue out the east end of the piazza on Via Lata, then on to the Corso to Santa Maria in Via Lata . Turn left up the Corso to the Baroque Piazza Sant’ Ignazio, backed by Rome’s best trompe-l’oeil frescoes in Sant’Ignazio di Loyola. Work your way behind the square’s mini palaces onto Piazza di Pietra. A narrow alley leads to the Column of Marcus Aurelius. Head to Giolitti for a delicious ice cream.
Walk west on Via del Leone into Piazza Borghese, home to an antiques print market and the Palazzo Borghese . Two blocks north it opens out on to Piazza Augusto Imperatore, home to many churches, Augustus’s Mausoleum and the Ara Pacis. End your morning with lunch at trendy ‘Gusto .
Santa Maria Maddalena
The church is an elliptical Baroque gem. The 1735 façade by Giuseppe Sardi is Rome’s best Rococo monument.
Piazza della Maddalena
Open 7:30am–noon, 5–8pm Mon–Sat; 9am–12:30pm, 5–8pm Sun
Free
Palazzo di Montecitorio
Bernini’s palace has housed Parliament’s Chamber of Deputies since 1871. The south façade is original; the north is Art Nouveau.
Piazza di Montecitorio & Piazza del Parlamento
06 676 01
Open 10am– 5:30pm 1st Sun of month
Free
Piazza di Montecitorio
The square’s obelisk was once part of the Augustus’s giant sundial, which used to be flanked by the Ara Pacis.
Palazzo Borghese
The oddly shaped “harpsichord of Rome”, begun by Vignola in 1560, was finished with a Tiber terrace by Flaminio Ponzio.
Via Borghese & Via di Ripetta
Free
Santa Maria in Via Lata
Pietro da Cortona designed the façade and vestibule (1660); Bernini the high altar (1639–43). Its 6th-century frescoes are now in the Crypta Balbi.
Via del Corso 306
Piazza Sant’Eustachio
A lovely square, home to two cafés competing for Rome’s “best cappuccino” title, as well as an 1196 bell tower, and an excellent view of Sant’Ivo (see A Morning Stroll around the Pantheon).
Vittorio Bagagli
Purveyor of fine houseware since 1855, including design-led Alessi kitchen gadgets and Pavoni espresso machines.
Via di Campo Marzio 42
M Simotti Rocchi
Specialist in Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquities, selling everything from coins to vases to statuary at a fraction of the prices auction-goers pay (simple coins or terracotta heads start at around €75).
Largo Fontanella Borghese 76
Mercato dell’Antiquariato
Lovely antiquarian market consisting of about 17 stalls specializing in antique prints and books.
Piazza Borghese
Città del Sole
Part of an Italian chain of high-class toy stores with the very best in educational playthings.
Via della Scrofa 65
Pane & Company: Forno
This tiny bakery sells an array of local pastries and sweets. The delicious pistachio biscuits are a house speciality.
Via della Stelletta 2
Campo Marzio Design
Here they sell their own line of fountain pens, covered in silver plating, as well as other writing and calligraphy utensils. Beautiful leather-bound notebooks make great presents.
Via di Campo Marzio 41
Maria Teresa Nitti Valentini
This lovely shop sells stunning antique jewellery from the 1800s up to the 1940s, as well as original brooches based on the design of older pieces.
Via della Stelletta 4
Amarena Chic
Stylish women’s shoe shop selling good quality boots and shoes at affordable prices. The unique designs are highly distinctive and are available in a wide selection of colours.
Via di Campo Marzio 9
Giolitti
This 19th-century landmark café is widely regarded as serving Rome’s best ice cream (see Giolitti).
Via degli Uffici del Vicario 40
Caffé Sant’Eustachio
Another best – this time the best cappuccino. Not surprisingly, the recipe is a closely guarded secret (see Café Sant’Eustachio).
Piazza Sant’Eustachio 82
Caffé Sant’Eustachio
Trinity College
Ever-popular pub off the Corso, with tasty food served upstairs and standard bar downstairs. Outdoor seating (see Trinity College).
Via del Collegio Romano 6
Black Duke
A passably genuine Irish pub in a cosy basement, with pub food and, in summer, outdoor seating.
Via della Maddalena 29B
Gelateria della Palma
A wide selection of ice cream flavours, just off the Pantheon’s square, and open late (see Gelateria della Palma).
Via della Maddalena 20–23
Gelateria della Palma
La Tazza d’Oro
Rome’s “House of Coffee” since 1946. This is a die-hard locals’ joint, serving what devotees swear is Rome’s best coffee (see La Tazza d’Oro).
Via degli Orfani 84
Enoteca al Parlamento
Atmospheric and stylish wine bar frequented by politicos from the nearby Italian parliament buildings.
Via dei Prefetti 15
Cremeria Monteforte
A prime tourist position (next to the Pantheon) doesn’t always sound the death knell. This joint guarded by a wooden Pinocchio doorman serves the best fragola (strawberry) ice cream in town and interesting variations such as orange chocolate.
Via della Rotonda 22
Pascucci
This is the place with the frothiest milk shakes and smoothies in town. They come in all flavours and in any combination.
Via di Torre Argentina 20
L’Eau Vive
Amid 16th-century frescoes, lay sisters from around the world dressed in native costume serve refined French cuisine and dishes from their own countries. Everyone sings “Ave Maria of Lourdes” before their crêpes flambées. Perhaps a little kitsch but all the profits do go to charity.
Via Monterone 85
06 6880 1095
Closed Sun
Il Bacaro
Booking is essential at this tiny osteria. Although the design is contemporary inside, it feels like old Rome when sitting at an outdoor table against the ivy-covered walls. The cuisine is traditional dishes from across Italy.
Via degli Spagnoli 27
06 687 2554
Closed Sun
Osteria dell’Ingegno
This popular modern wine bar also serves huge meat and cheese platters.
Piazza di Pietra 45
06 678 0662
Closed Sun
Trattoria Enoteca Corsi
This wine shop has grown into a thriving restaurant (lunch only) serving delicious traditional cuisine at affordable prices. Check the blackboard for the daily specials.
Via del Gèsu 87
06 679 0821
Closed Sun
Maccheroni
The fans and airy rooms wrapped around an open kitchen have a Parisian bistro look. The menu is staunchly Roman though.
Piazza delle Coppelle 44
06 6830 7895
Ristorante Boccondivino
Classy, modern restaurant with a contemporary art collection and outdoor seating.
Piazza in Campo Marzio 6
06 6830 8626
Closed Sat L, Sun
Ristorante Trattoria
The Sicilian-inspired dishes are light and pleasing at this eatery.
Via del Pozzo delle Cornacchie 25
06 6830 1427
Closed Sun in Aug
Settimo all’Arancio
Hectic, but excellent classic Roman cuisine.
Via del Arancio 50–52
06 687 6119
Closed Sun (Jul–Aug)
Da Gino
Visit these trompe-l’oeil vaults for food like nonna (grandma) used to make.
Vicolo Rosini 4
06 687 3434
Closed Sun
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