Old and new symbols of Italy’s fascinating capital city
Rome: the eternal city, the place where Italy's "Dolce Vita" was born. The historic center of Italy's magnificent capital city is testimony to the constant cultural and artistic activity which has animated Rome since the times of the Emperor Augustus to this very day. In the 17th century Bernini redesigned Piazza Navona, once the site of the Diocletian stadium, placing his impressive Fountain of Rivers right in its center. In the 18th century, a great number of the architectural works and urban projects which had been initiated during the renaissance period were completed. Among these we find the river port of Ripetta and the immense flight of steps in Piazza di Spagna, designed by Francesco de Sanctis.
In 1732 work began on Nicola Salvi's Trevi Fountain. This was a time when a proliferation of piazzas, palazzo, churches and villas were built in and around Rome. Bordering the Piazza del Popolo and the Pincio terrace, from where a splendid view of the city can be enjoyed, lies Villa Borghese and its magnificent gardens. Completed in 1613, the villa houses a collection of masterpieces by such venerated artists as Bernini, Canova, and Caravaggio. Other works once belonging to the Cardinal Scipione Borghese were sold and can now be seen in the Louvre gallery in Paris.
In the same area, visitors can admire the National Etruscan Museum which occupies Villa Giulia, the one time summer residence of Pope Giulio III. In the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, in the Cerasi Chapel, there are two of Caravaggio's most important works: the "Conversion of St Paul" and the "Crucifixion of St Peter". On the banks of the Tevere river, in Piazza Augusto Imperatore, we come across the brand new edifice which protects the ancient Ara Pacis, altar built to commemorate the exploits of the Emperor Augustus. The futuristic structure in glass and white travertine marble, designed by Richard Meier, was inaugurated in 2006.
On the opposite side of the river, we find Palazzo Barberini: an impressive edifice built between 1625 and 1633 in early Baroque style and now home to the famous National Gallery of Ancient Art. Descending towards the Via del Babuino, we come to the Piazza di Spagna. At the bottom of the legendary Spanish Steps there is Bernini's Barcaccia fountain, built in 1629. The Museum of Keats and Shelley, fondly known by locals as the "Little Red House", is just moments' away. The two poets both lived the last years of their lives in Rome and found their final resting place in the non Catholic cemetery of Testaccio.
Walking along Via Veneto we reach the Piazza della Repubblica, which incorporates part of the ancient baths of Diocletian and the Naiadi Fountain, this latter built in 1885 according to the designs of Alessandro Guerrieri. In the same piazza there is the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, initiated by Michelangelo who chose to leave the previously existing Roman structure intact, and make it an integral part of his magnificent house of worship.
The route leading from the Trevi Fountain to the Via del Corso is lined with a succession of palazzi, and elegant shops which continues as far as Piazza Colonna, this latter overlooked by Palazzo Chigi and Palazzo Montecitorio. In the shadow of these, the Italian houses of Parliament, we find the Pantheon, edifice built as temple dedicated to the pagan gods and later transformed in the Catholic Church of Santa Maria ad Martyres. The Romans called the building the Ritonna or Rotonda, after which the piazza in which it is sited takes its name.
