A Morning Stroll around the Pantheon
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
.
Best of the Rest
Hadrian’s Temple
Eleven huge, worn columns still stand from a Temple to Hadrian built in AD 145 by his son.
Hadrian’s Temple
Santa Maria Maddalena
The church is an elliptical Baroque gem. The 1735 façade by Giuseppe Sardi is Rome’s best Rococo monument.
Pie’ di Marmo
This large sandalled marble foot belonged to an unidentified ancient statue.
San Lorenzo in Lucina
Founded
in the 5th century, and overhauled in 1090–1118. Guido Reni did the
Crucifixion altarpiece, Bernini the second chapel on the right.
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
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.
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.
Fontanella del Facchino
This small wall fountain (probably from the 1570s) is fashioned as a water-seller whose barrel forever spouts fresh water.
Fontanella del Facchino
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).
Shops
Davide Cenci
Men’s
and women’s clothes designer since 1926. Their own slightly
conservative but eminently fashionable line is sold alongside
international labels such as Ralph Lauren, Church’s, Brooks Brothers and
Fay.
Davide Cenci
Vittorio Bagagli
Purveyor of fine houseware since 1855, including design-led Alessi kitchen gadgets and Pavoni espresso machines.
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).
Mercato dell’Antiquariato
Lovely antiquarian market consisting of about 17 stalls specializing in antique prints and books.
Città del Sole
Part of an Italian chain of high-class toy stores with the very best in educational playthings.
Pane & Company: Forno
This tiny bakery sells an array of local pastries and sweets. The delicious pistachio biscuits are a house speciality.
Il Papiro
Rome branch of the renowned Florentine chain, selling marbled paper products, souvenir pens and calligraphy tools.
Il Papiro
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.
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.
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.
