An Afternoon Roman Passeggiata
Begin in Piazza SS Apostoli to see its namesake church (see Santissimi Apostoli)
and the 2nd-century AD relief of an Imperial eagle against the
portico’s right wall. Then continue straight across Via dell’Umiltà and
through the elaborate iron, glass, and frescoed 1880s pedestrian
passage. Turn right on Via di Muratte to the
Trevi Fountain
. Your three coins tossed over
your shoulder should ensure a return trip. Leave the square on Via di
Lavoratore and turn left on Via di Panetteria for some of Rome’s best gelato at
San Crispino
.
Turn right up Via del Tritone and left on Via Francesco Crispi for the
Galleria Comunale d’Arte Moderna
to enjoy a rare glimpse in Rome of contemporary art. Walk down Via Capo le Case and right on Via Due Macelli into Piazza di Spagna and the
Spanish Steps
. Spend as long as you like
window-shopping along the grid of streets west of the piazza, but try to
finish up by 5pm so you can work your way north, weaving between Via
del Babuino and Via Margutta to see the art and antiques shops, to Piazza del Popolo.
Pause for a cappuccino at
Caffè Canova
, then cross to
Santa Maria del Popolo
, with its works by Caravaggio, Raphael and Bernini. Try to get to
Santa Maria in Montesanto
around 7pm to hear the Gregorian chant, before heading off for a special dinner at
Dal Bolognese
.
Best of the Rest
Villa Giulia
Contains Italy’s top Etruscan collection, celebrating the peninsula’s first great civilization (8th to 3rd centuries BC).
Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna
The national modern art museum covers 19th-and 20th-century works. Strongest in Italian art, although foreigners feature too.
Galleria Comunale d’Arte Moderna
The museum covers Italian art from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s.
SS Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso
Roman Baroque church (1669) by Pietro da Cortona, who designed the tribune, cupola and stuccoes.
Via del Corso 437
Open 7am–7pm daily
Free
Santa Maria dei Miracoli and in Montesanto
Carlo
Fontana was responsible for these late 17th-century “twin” churches,
although Bernini guided him in the decoration of the more elaborate
Montesanto.
Piazza del Popolo
Miracoli: open 6am–1pm, 5–7pm Mon–Sat, 8am–1pm, 5–7pm Sun
Montesanto: open 4–8:30pm Mon–Sat, 11am–1pm Sun
Free
Canova’s Studio
The artist’s studio walls are embedded with fragments of statuary.
Via del Babuino 150a
Open 8am–8pm Mon–Sat
Free
Palazzo Colonna
The gallery features work by Tintoretto, Lotto and Veronese.
Via della Pilotta 17
Open 9am–1pm Sat
Closed Aug
Adm
Porta del Popolo
Michelangelo used the Arch of Titus as the model for this gateway.
Casa di Goethe
German author Goethe lived here from 1786 to 1788 , and his letters are on display.
Santissimi Apostoli
This 6th-century church, restructured in 1702–08, has a trompe-l’oeil vault above the altar.
Piazza SS Apostoli
Open 7am– noon, 4–7pm
Free
Art and Antiques Shops
Dott. Cesare Lampronti
Although
it resembles an art museum, you can buy the work on show here: still
lifes, religious paintings, mythological compositions, scenes of Roman
life and Neo-Classical statues, variously dating from the 16th to 19th
centuries.
Dott. Cesare Lampronti
Benucci
Heavy
duty art and antiques of the type more usually found in museums –
15th-century Roman and Florentine Virgin and Childs, works by artists
such as Luca Giordano or Fra’ Bartolomeo – plus beautiful furnishings
inlaid in mother-of-pearl and hardwoods.
Galleria Veneziani
A
large gallery selling a wide range of high-quality antiques, from
furnishings and old oil paintings to statuary, vases and various objets d’art. Definitely worth a browse.
Galleria Veneziani
Maurizio Grossi
Maurizio
Grossi is a specialist in marble. This is just the place to buy a
reproduction Roman bust or an astoundingly life-like sculpted fruit.
Alberto di Castro
Etching, lithographs and other prints mostly from the 1660s to the 1920s are on sale in this lovely shop.
Galleria Augusto Consort
Regularly changing exhibitions of contemporary paintings, watercolours and prints are held here.
Galleria Antiquaria
A small selection of artworks, mostly sculpture, paintings and objets d’art.
Nomades
This eclectic, funky gallery housed in a former convent sells wood, stone and ceramic objets d’art from around the globe.
E&R Danon
Mostly 18th- to early 20th-century Oriental carpets and prayer rugs, from Persia and India, Tibet and China.
La Bottega del Marmoraro
Homespun Italian homilies carved into scraps of marble are hung pell-mell around a characteristic old workshop.
