ROME AND THE FASHION
Route: Piazza del Popolo, Pincio, Via del Corso, Via Condotti, Piazza di Spagna, Piazza Mignanelli, Via Frattina, Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina.

The area surrounding Piazza del Popolo, the ancient Campo Marzio, is today the paradise of shopping, thanks to the high concentration of shops and boutiques.

The spectacular square 5 today a pedestrian precinct, and it has been brought back to its ancient splendor. The difference in level between the square and the overlooking hill of the Pincio was a problem overcome thanks to winding ramps, from which terrace it is possible to admire a wonderful panorama on the city. The so-called Trident starts from the square as there are three sunburst streets penetrating into the center of the city: via del Babuino, via del Corso, via di Ripetta. 

In Via del Babuino there are famous antique shops specialized in pieces of furmiture and paintings, prints and ancient jewelry. ParalleI to it is the vivacious via  Margutta, the street of the painters, a seat of romantic artist studios.

 Federico Fellini and Giulietta Masina used to uve here. Via del Corso, the main street, was called by Stendhal as "the most beautiful in the world.

lt is narrow and long, and it houses several casual clothes shops, which distinguish it from the "exclusive" style of the adjoining streets. Just think of the par excellence street of fashion, with its boutiques of the most important brands, that is, via Condotti -where you may have an "intellectual" stop at the historic Greek Café - or of via Borgognona . The background of Piazza di Spagna, the most famous in the world, houses every summer the fashion show called "Rome under the stars".  Once you have crossed via Frattina, another important shopping pIace, you get to piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina, recently adjusted with benches and gazeboes, where you may find excellent bars and confectioner's.

THE PLACE OF DEMOCRAY
Route: Quirinal, Palazzo della Consulta, Palazzo Chigi, Palazzo di Montecitorio, Palazzo Madama - Campidoglio.

The Quirinal, the highest of the seven HiIIs, has always been the symbol of the institutions. Since 1947, it has been seat of the President of the Republic. Below the QuirinaI, on Piazza Colonna is Palazzo Chigi. Since the Sixties, it has been seat of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. Next to it is Palazzo di Montecitorio. In 1871, it became seat of the Chamber of Deputies.

Palazzo Madama was named after Margaret of Austria, widow of Alessandro de' Medici.  Since 1871, it has been seat of the Senate. Since ancient times, the Campidoglio  has always been seat of Authorities, institutions, and of the Roman Public Record Office, the so-called Tabularium.

THE TRIDENT AND BAROQUE ROME
Route: Piazza del Popolo, Via del Babuino, Via Margutta, Piazza di Spagna, Via Veneto, Piazza Barberini, Fountain of Trevi.

Piazza del Popolo, one of the most spectacular Roman squares.  
On the right side, close to the walls, is the church of Santa Maria del Popolo. Standing over the square are the two twin churches of Santa Maria in Montesanto  and Santa Maria dei Miracoli. On the left side is via del Babuino, along which are numerous antique shops. ParalleI to this street is the renowned via Margutta that, mostly in the past, was one of the most important centers of the Roman cultural life, thanks to the several artist studios. Via del Babuino gets to Piazza di Spagna. 
On the square, and in its vicinity, are still to be seen historic cafés such as Babington and, at the beginning of Via Condotti, the Greek Café. 
At the center of the square is the Barcaccia dominated by the spectacular Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti. The next stop is via Veneto, a renowned street of modem Rome,  a privileged setting forthe “Dolce vita”, the unforgettable film by Federico Fellini. You go down towards Piazza Barberini. At the center is the renowned Fountain of the Triton.
Announced by the roaring of the jets of water, Fountain of Trevi stands out sud­denly, matching the simple and elegant fa­cade, with the arch of triumph in the middle. Here the water runs and creates a myriad of glares. 
 

Via Veneto

This is a street that has lived through alternate fortunes. In the early 20th century it was a fashionable street for strolling, with elegant venues such as Caffe Bussi and Caffè Rosati and smart hotels such as the Majestic, l'Eden, l'Excelsior e l'Ambasciatori Palace. After a relatively quiet period, the 1960s, in particular the film 'La Dolce Vita', put Via Veneto back into the limelight of society life, with the antics of the stars and the audacious chases by paparazzi led by Tazio Secchiaroli. Today, Via Veneto has returned to peace and quiet, and its famous open-air cafes are frequented by tourists.

PAPAL ROME
Route: Ponte Sisto, Piazza Farnese, Via Giulia, Campo de' Fiori, Palazzo della Cancelleria, Piazza Navona, Castel Sant'Angelo, Basilica of St. Peter.

From the fifteenth-century Ponte Sisto, erected to connect Trastevere to the center of the city, you get to Piazza Farnese.  From here you getto Via Giulia, a straight road parallel to the river. On the way are renowned palaces, (Sacchetti and Falconieri) and important churches (San Giovanni dei Fiorentini, Santa Maria of the Oration and Death). You get then to piazza di Campo de’ Fiori that, with its open market, stilI pre­serves a lively and popular atmosphere while, at night, it becomes a meeting place for renowned restaurants and nightclubs. The Palazzo della Cancelleria, which names the homonymous square, was for several centuries site of the Apostle Chancellery, the Pope’s Offices. Beyond the Corso Vittorio Emanuele, you get to Piazza Navona.

At the center of the square is the Fountain of the Rivers that faces the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone.  From the square you get to via del Governo Vecchio. The road was crossed by Dante during the Jubilee in 1300.The road brings to the Tiber embarkment, in the vicinity of Ponte Sant’Angelo.  On the opposite side is Castel Sant’Angelo. In the Middle Ages, it was changed into a fortress.  By crossing via della Conciliazione you get to the Basilica of St. Peter.

THE HEART OF ANCIENT ROME 
Route: Piazza Venezia, Via dei Fori Imperiali, Colosseum, Arch of Constantine, Piazza del Campidoglio, Tarpeian Rock, Santa Maria della Consolazione, Circus Maximus, Piazza della Bocca della Verità, Via del Velabro.

Piazza Venezia A road junction with a centuries-old history. The most ancient building is the Palace of Venice (XV century)ì, which is seat of the embassy of the Venetian Republic.
The monument to Victor Emmanuel stands out clear to celebrate the unity of Italy; here is the sepulchre of the Unknown Soldier. Having the square behind, the contrast with Via dei Fori Imperiali is powerful. It is the archeologicai heart of the city. On the left side of the street is the most renowned column in the world, and Trajan’s Market. On the right are the majestic remains of the Roman Forum: the senate Curia, the Via Sacra, the Arch of Septimius Severus.
Not to be missed is the Mamertino Prison where, according to tradition, the apostles Peter and Paul were kept as prisoners.The Colosseum rises majestically. 
The Flavian amphitheater il century A. Di, eter­nal symbol of Rome. Next to it is the imposing Arch of Constantine (IV century) On the Campidoglio, it is possible to ad-mire the Re­naissance square de-signed by Michelangelo.  From here, you can look at a suggestive panorama, particularly on the hill of the imperial power par excellence, that is, the Palatine.
From the Campidoglio, the notorious Tarpeian Rock, where the geese used to watch over the Romans’ sleep, slopes down towards Santa Maria della Consolazione; by walking along the Forum, you get to via di San Teodoro, with the church of the same name. In ancient times, this used to be the Horrea area, the public granary. The street gets in front of the Circus Maximus, of imperial age It has been a sugges­tive... set forfamous films (such as Ben Hur). Going towards the river, there is Santa Maria in Cosmedin  with the Bocca della Verità that — don’t be afraid — doesn’t reveal anything. It is just a classical-age manhole cover. On the opposite side there are two temples: the one is entitled to the Virile Fortune, whereas the other one is entitled to Hercules (the latter is wrong Iy called “TempIe of Vesta). In front of San Giorgio al Velabro is the Arch of Janus an access to the Forum Boarium (Cattle Fair), an ancient cattle market.
 

FROM PIAZZA DI SPAGNA TO PIAZZA DEL POPOLO
Route: Piazza di Spagna, Fountain of Trevi, Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina, Piazza del Popolo

 

Halfway between the Spanish Embassy and Trinità dei Monti (French) is the piazza di Spagna.   A little farther, in front of the scalinata di Trinità dei Monti, is the renowned Barcaccia, similar to a half-submerged boat.  By crossing the via del Tritone you suddenly get to the baroque triumph of the Fountain of Trevi.

According to tradition, if you throw a coin in it you are sure you will return to Rome again. Crossing via del Corso towards Piazza del Popolo, is the Piazza di San Lorenzo in Lucina.    At the end of the via del Corso    is the spectacular Piazza del Popolo

FROM PIAZZA CAMPO DEI FIORI TO PIAZZA DELLA ROTONDA
Route: Piazza Campo dei Fiori, Piazza Farnese, Piazza Navona, Pantheon.

Piazza Campo di Fiori, is the popu­lar center of the city, also thanks to the Iively market usually held here.  Surrounded by nightclubs and pubs, it is the most frequented by the Roman young people. Next to it is the piazza Farnese, which houses the biggest private palace of the city.   Going back to Campo de’ Fiori,

to you get to Piazza Navona,  he most baroque of the Roman squares.  At the center is the Fountain of the Rivers.On the opposite side is the church of Sant’Agnese. Next to it is the majestic Palazzo Pamphilj. By crossing the Corso Rinascimento you get to   Piazza della Rotonda, where is the best-preserved monument of the antiquity, that is, the Pantheon.  -

ARCHEOLOGICAL ROME 
Route: Imperial Forums, Palatine, Colosseum, Arch of Constantine.

From Caesar on, all emperors Ieft a sign of their empire in the so-called Imperial Forums,  which name the modem straight-forward way -  opened by Mussolini -  that connects piazza Venezia to the Colosseum.  Thanks to its central position, the Palatine Hill, standing over the area of the Roman Forum, was the most suitable place for the first urban settlement.

Here the tradition places Romulus' first hut where, later an, Augustus would made his magnificent palace.  The Colosseum was erected an the area of the stagnum Neronis, and it was the most important amphitheater in the Roman world. Next to it is the Arch of Constantine, the biggest and best preserved ancient arch

SACRED ROME 
Route: Santa Maria Maggiore, San Giovanni in Laterano, San Pietro, San Paolo fuori le Mura.

Santa Maria Maggiore, on the Esquiline, was founded by pope Liberius on the piace of a miraculous snowfall (August of 356).   San Giovanni in Laterano, cathedral of Rome, rises in the area of the imperial palace that was given by Constantine to pope Miltiades. San Pietro rises on the Ager Vaticanus, where originally was Nero's Circus.

Here the apostle Peter was martyred, and his tomb made this place become the core of Christianity.   On the via Ostiense is San Paolo fuori le mura, built on Saint Pual's relics, and totally rebuilt after the fire of 1823.

VIA DEL CORSO: The main street of Rome is the principal arterial shopping road of the city. From here as many important streets meander: Condotti, Frattina, Greci, Tomacelli, Borgognona, Vittoria, Grottino, Mercede, Tritone, San Silvestro. The urban collocation puts it in the centre of the city to joint Piazza Venezia, political gist of the city, to Piazza Colonna, political gist of the nation, until to Piazza del Popolo where all the events, the shows and the concerts are kept in the shade of the Pincio, “the most beautiful terrace in the world”, as it was definited by W. Goethe. Via del Corso is the ancient Via Lata, as Via Flaminia was called inside the walls of  Rome. Along it, you can see monuments of each historical epoch that are mounted in the palaces like little icons: the ancient “Fontana del Bottino”, near  Vicolo Doria Pamphili, the column of Piazza Colonna, the “Galleria Alberto Sordi” or the palace of the “Rinascente”. To reach the beginning of Via del Corso, at Piazza del Popolo, you should take the metro A, getting off at Flamino or Spagna stop, from where you can walk along Via Condotti and arrive in Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina.

VIA DEL BABUINO: It’s the elegant part of the shopping in Rome. It joints Piazza di Spagna to Piazza del Popolo, with the charme and the prestige of corners of Rome like Via Margutta, the Anglican Church and the Palazzo Matteolli. The most important world griffes have their shop windows on this short and wonderful road: Armani, Tiffany…
You can notice the most expressive views inside the front doors, with their little halls which surprise the visitor who finds itself in the middle of luxuriant gardens where it can read a book in quiet, sipping a cup of coffee or it can contemplate some pictures of an art gallery or it can listen to excellent music. Twinned with Madison Avenue, the elegant street of New York, Via del Babuino distinguishes itself for its numerous antique shops and for several prestige palaces like the “Cerasi”, or the “Nanier” (1821) and the “De Russie Hotel” (1816 – 1818), both projected by Valadier. You can reach it from Piazza di Spagna (metro A) or Piazza del Popolo (Flaminio metro A stop).

VIA CONDOTTI: The glamour and the elegance become shopping: Bulgari, Cartier, Armani, Gucci, Hermes, Louis Vitton, Prada. It joints Piazza di Spagna to Largo Goldoni, the centre of Via del Corso. The stairway of Trinità dei Monti dominates and completes it, especially in Spring, when it is trimmed with many sweet-smelling and coloured flowers: the ideal background for a stroll that restores heart and soul. You can find here several important world griffes, among these, Giorgio Armani, Valentino, and Trussardi. You can reach Via Condotti from Piazza di Spagna (metro A stop).

VIA FRATTINA: The young fashion: here you can find all the most important brand between the stores along the way that connects the "Collegio di Propaganda Fidae" from Via del Corso to San Silvestro square. Versace, Luisa Spagnoli, Max Mara, Stefanel, Pal Zilieri.

VIA COLA DI RIENZO: It’s the completion of the most important shopping streets in Rome. It joints Piazza del Popolo to Piazza Risorgimento and it meanders in a charming area framed by the Tevere and San Pietro. Crossing the elegant block called “Prati”, it leads the visitors with its shop windows until to several of the most wonderful corners in Rome: Piazza dei Quiriti, Piazza Cavour, the Vatican Walls. The shops begin on the side of Piazza Risorgimento you can reach by metro A, getting off at Ottaviano stop or, from the centre, by 81 (Colosseo – Torre Argentina) e 492 (Barberini) buses.




Delfini Street's
 

Via del Governo Vecchio
Una delle più antiche strade di Roma

Via Appia Antica
Location: Via Appia Antica Category: Archaeological Sites

From Fodors.com:
This Queen of Roads, "Regina Viarium," was the most important of the extensive network of roads that traversed the Roman Empire, a masterful feat of engineering that made possible Roman control of a vast area by allowing for the efficient transport of armies and commercial goods. Completed in 312 BC by Appius Claudius, the road was ancient Europe's first highway, connecting Rome with Brindisi, 584 km (365 mi) away on the Adriatic coast. Today part of the route still exists (as Via Appia, SS7), but most of it is a paved, modern highway. The stretch indicated here is the opposite: closed to traffic, the ancient roadway passes through grassy fields and shady groves and by the villas of movie stars (Marcello Mastroianni and Gina Lollobrigida had homes here) and other VIPs. This part is still paved with the ancient basoli (basalt stones) over which the Romans drove their carriages. Taverns, houses, temples, and tombs flanked the ancient road, and the occasional lone statue, crumbling wall, or column is still visible, draped in ivy or alone in a patch of wildflowers. Pick a sunny day for your visit, wear comfortable shoes, and bring a bottle of water. San Callisto is one of the best preserved of the underground catacombs. A friar will guide you through its crypts and galleries. Via Appia Antica 110, Via Appia Antica, Rome, Italy, 06/51301580; EUR5; Mar.-Jan., Thurs.-Tues. 8:30-noon and 2:30-5:30.

The 4th-century San Sebastiano catacomb, named for the saint who was buried here, burrows underground on four levels. The only one of the catacombs to remain accessible during the Middle Ages, it's the origin of the term "catacomb," for it was in a spot where the road dips into a hollow, a place the Romans called catacumbas ("near the hollow"). Eventually the Christian cemetery that had existed here since the 2nd century came to be known by the same name, which was applied to all underground cemeteries discovered in Rome in later centuries. Via Appia Antica 136, Rome, Italy, 06/7850350; EUR5; Mid-Nov.-mid-Oct., Mon.-Sat. 8:30-noon and 2:30-5:30.

On the east side of Via Appia Antica are the ruins of the Circo di Massenzio, where the obelisk now in Piazza Navona once stood. Via Appia Antica 153, Rome, Italy, 06/7801324; EUR3; Oct.-Mar., Tues.-Sun. 9-5; Apr.-Sept., Tues.-Sun. 9-7.

The circular Tomba di Cecilia Metella, the mausoleum of a Roman noblewoman who lived at the time of Julius Caesar, was transformed into a fortress in the 14th century. The tomb houses a small museum with sculptures from the Via Appia Antica and an interesting reconstruction of the area's geological and historical past. Via Appia Antica 161, Rome, Italy, 06/78021465 or 06/39967700; www.pierreci.it; EUR2; Mon.-Sat. 9-1:30 and 2:30-7.

Borgo

Il Borgo is a very old district of Rome that lies between the Vatican and the Tiber. Its name comes from 'Burg', the German word for fort, which was used by the barbarian leader Totila who took the city from the Romans in just a few days. During the Roman era the land belonged to Agrippina, the mother of Caligula. Nero's Circus was built here and it was considered a strategic point. In 848, Pope Leo IV had the walls of the Vatican city built to create a papal citadel, the "Leonine City". The four main roads of the district - Via Alessandrina, Via Borgo S. Angelo, Via Borgo Vecchio and Via di Santo Spirito - were embellished with small squares and fountains. Churches, monasteries and the hospital di Santo Spirito were built given the religious nature of the area, where the martyrdom of St. Peter and the first Italian Christians took place. It was over Peter's tomb that the most famous basilica in the world was built. Major events modified the appearance of the district: the unification of Italy, and 10 years later the choice of Rome as capital of the new country; and the destruction of the residential blocks between St. Peter's and Castel Sant'Angelo to build the main road that leads to the basilica.
 

Via delle Quattro Fontane

The road was built by Pope Sixtus V and was part of a long straight stretch called the Strada Felice together with the Via Sistina which continues after it meets Piazza Barberini. The name came from the complex of fountains that adorns it at the crossroads of Via XX Settembre and Via del Quirinale. At this point there are four large statues on each corner of the crossroads that represent two rivers, the Arno and Tiber, the goddess Diana and the god Juno.

Via Salaria

This street is one of the oldest roads in Rome; it gets its name from the trade in salt that took place with the Sabina. Over the centuries, the road was divided into the Salaria Vecchia (Old Salaria) that has, over time, lost its importance, and the Salaria Nuova (New Salaria), the current road. Traces of ancient buildings can be seen amongst the modern buildings on each side. There are also medieval remains such as the catacombs of Bassilla, an underground basilica, and the catacombs of San Panfilo, Priscilla and Santa Felicita. The Giordani cemetery is also found on this street.

Via del Babuino

Leaving Piazza di Spagna behind you and heading towards Piazza del Popolo, you will find yourself on Via del Babuino, a trendy city-centre street lined with antique dealers, art galleries and exclusive boutiques. Some of the shops have a long history, such as the print shop, Disegni e quadri di Armando Pereira at number 110. Wagner and Poussin both used to live on this street.

Via Margutta

Parallel to the elegant Via del Babuino runs the narrow but noteworthy Via Margutta. Here a great number of young artists, with great hopes and little money, made their names. The street is now peppered with little art galleries. The attics of the houses were and are still the studios of painters great and small. Among the characters who have lived in this street one remembers the painter Novella Parigini with her characteristic images of cats and cat-like women. The festival 100 Pittori in via Margutta (100 painters on via Margutta) takes place every year at the end of October and the beginning of November: it's a chance to admire original works of art and discover new talent.

Via Dei Pettinari

This street was restored by Pope Sixtus IV at the same time that the Sixtus B Bridge was rebuilt to create a link between the commercial area of the Ponte, Parione and Regola districts with the Trastevere. Its name was derived from the fact that the street used to be used by comb manufacturers. The local areas also have streets named after the main commercial activities that used to take place in them. The Hospice of the Hundred Priests stands on the street and was built by Domenico Fontana with the purpose of being a charitable institution.

Via dei Coronari

Many hail this street as one of the most beautiful in Rome. Its name derives from the various little shops that used to sell rosaries, garlands and other sacred objects to the pilgrims who came to Rome in droves, especially at the time of the Jubilee. In this area three different architectural styles coexist: that of the middle ages, in the little lanes, that of the renaissance, in the squares which open out here and there along the street, and finally the typical baroque of the Chiesa della Pace. Evidence of the crowds of pilgrims can be found in the aedicules where the faithful stopped for prayer, the churches and the brotherhoods in the area. Today, Via dei Coronari has become a street full of antique shops and antique dealers and only an echo remains of the world of the pilgrims.

Via di ripetta
 

Until the 18th century this street was known as Via Leonina in honour of Pope Leo V who had it built 200 years earlier. It was later called Via Ripetta as it flanks the bank of the Tiber. There are a number of important monuments along the road: the mausoleum of Emperor Augustus, the Ara Pacis and the churches of San Rocco, San Girolamo degli Illirici and Santa Maria Portae Paradisi. It is one of the three streets (with the Via del Corso and the Via del Babuino) that formed a trident shape, a town-planning model conceived in the 16th century