Walk 5.

Coffee at the Campo dei Fiori to lunch at the Spanish Steps.

About two hours although this is quite a meandering walk that takes in interesting places around Rome's centro storico. I have made it so that you can take short-cuts if you feel like it.

This walk is described in two stages:

     Part 1: Campo dei Fiori to The Navona

     Part 2: Navona to the Spanish Steps

1. Start with coffee in the Campo dei Fiori.

 

Almost all the cafe/bars around the perimeter are OK, if somewhat pricey, but great for people watching. (You might like to take thae time to look through my various pages on the Campo and surrounds, including its history). While the Campo today has succumbed to the tourist trade with kitch pasta and tat, it still has remnants of its past and with a little effort you can imagine the market as it has operated here for centuries. Every afternoon a small army of cleaners descend on the Campo and clear all the rubbish and remains of the market, leaving a wonderful open piazza that soon fills with couples on their evening passagiata, buskers looking for a few euro and those looking for a drink and a fun night out.

 

Now move over to the feet of the statue of Giordano Bruno, burned at the stake here in 1600, having been found guilty of heresy for supporting such outrageous (to us, at least) things as supporting Galileo’s view that the earth circled the sun.

 

To commence our walk, start under Bruno's feet. One block to your left is the Piazza Farnese (covered in detail on my 'Rome' pages). Ahead and to the right is the first Renaissance palace built in Rome, the Cancellaria (covered in detail on my 'Rome' pages).  Ahead and to the left is the Forno best known as being the original 16th.C. "Taverna della Vacca" (The Cow's Tavern). The tavern was operated in the 1520's by Vannozza Caetani, the mistress of Pope Alexander VI and mother of the infamous poisoner, Lucrezia Borgia. You can still see her coat of arms on the building facade above the forno.

 

For now, turn half circle and head away directly behind Bruno, through the various market stalls (if you are there in the morning), towards the cinema at the far end of the Campo.

 

Stop and look up to your left to see the crumbling remains of the Roman Theatre of Pompey. The exposed façade is of the palazzo built by the Orsini family in the 1500’s, now occupied by apartments and a campus of the University of Washington.

 

The theatre, dedicated in 55 BCE, was the first permanent theatre in ancient Rome and was itself built into the ruins of the Temple of Venus. (Again, this is fully detailed in my "Rome" section.)

 

 

 

Over to the right is one of the most famous deli's in Rome... Ruggeri.
It has recently been given a modern facelift, but retains its uniquely roman feel.

 

 

 

2. The Via Giubbonari

 

Starting between the cinema and Ruggeri, enter the Via dei Giubbonari, which runs through to the Piazza Cairoli and Via Arenula.

 

This street, originally named after the coat-makers, has a mixed assortment of clothes shops, cheap and expensive, fashionable and not. All well worth a snoop.

 

 

3. About half way is the small piazza Largo dei Librari, notable for two things. First, the small 11th.C. but much restored Church of Santa Barbara, the 17th.C. home of the Guild of Librarians, built into the ruins of the Theatre of Pompey, is so small as to be not even listed as a church by the local diocese and dependent on the Church of San Carlo ai Catinari at the end of the Via Giubbonari. It does have a beautiful organ c1600.

Second, in the piazza is perhaps the only place in Rome you can buy authentic Venetian baccala.

 

4. Via dell'Arco del Monte

 

Almost opposite the Largo dei Librari, the Via dell'Arco del Monte (look for the arch above) runs down to the river, connecting with the Ponte Sisto bridge, a small pedestrian only bridge across to Trastevere. (There is also a reasonable supermarket towards the end and a fabulous Sicilian pasticeria, one of the first  shops along on the right. You MUST try the 'Nipples of Venus', though it is probably better if you ask for them as Capezzoli di Venere.)

 

The first square along on the left is the Piazza Monte di Pieta or Pawnshop, and it was here, in the building with the clocktower with a beautiful clock tower and face by Borromini, that pawnshops were established by the church in the 1500's, lending money without interest to poor people on a pledge.

 

Back to the Via Giubbonari.

 

5. Almost at the end of the Via Giubbonari you come to the Roscioli Deli, a fabulous shop and restaurant full of cheese, meats, wine and everything in between. Another classic roman deli.

 

The Roscioli Bar is just next door and its sister, the Roscioli Forno (great take-away bakery and pizza) is just along the small Via dei Chiavari opposite, which you should now take.

 

50 metres into the Via dei Chiavari, take the first right, the Via di Sant Anna, which will take you through to the Largo Arenulla.

 

Emerging onto the Largo Arenulla, the area across the road to your right is known as The Ghetto, (soon to be the subject of a page) with its amazing Jewish history over many centuries.

 

The Via Arenulla is a major thoroughfare that runs over the River Tiber into Trastevere. The trams that occupy the centre lanes go deep to the south-west suburbs of Rome, or over to the Testaccio area and Piramide/Porta San Paolo rail station.

 

Now turn left towards Largo Argentina, but stay on the left side for now. About 100 metres along you come to the plain facade of the Theatre Argentina.

 

6. Theatre Argentina.

The  theatre still hosts live performances and is best known as the venue where Rossini premiered "The Barber of Seville" on 20 February 1816.  Apparently the opening night was full of both the Roman elite and theatre critics who, spurred on by Rossini's rival Paisiello and his followers, hissed and jeered throughout the performance. The reviews the next day were less than flattering and the whole production seemed doomed.  Undaunted, for the following night's performance Rossini rounded up as many friends and supporters as he could, including passers-by, who were encouraged to shout support.  Word of the wonderful opera soon spread and the rest is history.

 

 

Now cross the road to the excavated area that is the Largo di Torre Argentina. The Argentina  takes its name from the city of Strasbourg whose Latin name was Argentoratum. In 1503, the Papal Master of Ceremonies Johannes Burckardt, who came from Strasbourg and was known as "Argentinus", built a palace at 44 Via del Sudario (now behind the Theatre) called Casa del Burcardo, to which the Torre or tower is attached. The other tower at the far corner of the Largo is the medieval Torre del Papito ("Little Pope's Tower"), attributed by tradition to Antipope Anacletus II Pierleoni (1130-1138), allegedly not a tall person.

 

Mussolini decided to reconstruct part of Rome, demolishing the zone of Torre Argentina. However, during the demolition work in 1927, the colossal head and arms of a marble statue were discovered.  Investigation brought to light four Republican era temples and part of Pompey's Theatre.

 

7. The Largo di Torre Argentina

 

The ruins of the east side of the quadriporticus and three of four temples from an earlier period associated with the Theatre of Pompey (see my separate page) can be seen in the Largo di Torre Argentina. The foundations of the fourth temple remains largely covered by the modern streets.

 

This archaeological site was excavated by order of Mussolini in the 1920's and 1930's after building works exposed the ruins. Today, the Largo is a cat sanctuary (with, unfortunately, the associated smell) surrounded by busy traffic and is in a sad state of semi-restoration.

 

In Republican times, the garden complex was a curia for political meetings.  The senate would often use this building, along with a number of temples and halls that satisfied the requirements for their formal meetings. This is infamous as the place of Julius Caesar's murder by the ‘Liberatores’ of the Roman Senate and elite.

 

Incidentally, there is a law in Rome that allows cats to live without disruption in the place where they were born…. hence the number of cats inhabiting ruins.

 

8. Go back over the road to the theatre and then right to the pedestrian crossing over the busy Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. Look to the right, past the Largo Argentina excavations, to see the facade of the Church of the Jesu, headquarters of the Jesuits. One block beyond that is the Piazza Venezia, the 'wedding cake' Monument to Vittoria Emanuele II, and the excavations of the Roman Forum.

 

This walk now turns left along the Coso in order to visit the Piazza Navona and then to The Pantheon.  You can skip this and short-cut to No. 21, the Piazza della Minerva if you wish. To short-cut, cross the Corso, turn right past the front of Feltrinelli bookshop, turn left into the Via dei Cestari and continue straight along the pedestrian only street. As you approach the Piazza della Minerva (with Bernini's "Elephant with Obelisk") you will be treated to a number of shops selling flash garments for priests and all things religiously shiny.  You may also note the small displays of dull grey dresses and cardigans for nuns.

 

So, if no short-cut, turn left along the busy Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. Stay on the left side of the road.

 

9. Maybe 300 metres along Corso Vittorio Emanuele II you reach the large church of Saint Andrea della Valle. Call inside if you wish, but there is more interest to be had from the outside and this is best seen from the opposite side of the street. Cross at the lights, but I regard this crossing as the most dangerous in the whole of Rome. Let someone else go first.

 

This church had for many years after its construction in the early 1600’s, the third largest dome in Rome after Saint Peter’s and the Pantheon. It is well known as the setting for the first act of Puccini’s opera 'Tosca'. Note the statue of the angel at the top left of the facade... his (her?) twin is missing from the right side. Apparently the pope took a disliking to the first and refused to pay ... so the sculptor refused to deliver.

 

 

 

 

10. Turn around, away from St. Andrea, where you are presented with a fine example of fascist architecture, built during Mussolini's rule in the 1930's.

 

 

11. Continue along the Corso, another 200 metres will bring you to the small (and blocked with cars and taxis) Piazza de San Pantaleo.

 

On the other side of the Corso is the Via della Baullari which leads back into the Campo dei Fiori. On the left is the Museo Barracco, a medieval house that was cut in half by the construction of the Corso. Once the private collection by a senator who, in the 1800's would buy anything “ancient roman”, this is now an interesting museum of ancient Egyptian and Roman artifacts. Well worth returning to for a quick visit.

 

You can, if you wish, short cut to the Piazza Navona [14] by turning hard right and going through the small Via della Cuccaggina. (A cuccaggina was a greasy pole used in festival games)

 

 

12. For now, enter the Piazza Pantaleo and cross to the entrance of the grand Palazzo Braschi, now part of the "Museum of Rome" with an array of ancient statues. However it is perhaps more infamously known as the headquarters of Mussolini's fascist Party during WWII. This pic shows a 1929 election poster for Mussolini adorning the building.

 

Keep going along the Via di San Panteleo to the left of the Palazzo.

 

 

13. At the end of the Via di San Pantaleo, attached to the Palazzo is the ancient 'speaking' statue of Pasquino. Placed here in 1501, Romans could and still do leave lampoons or derogatory social commentary attached to the statue.

 

The Pasquino statue is at the start of the Via del Governo Vecchio, home to many restaurants (and a pub that shows the rugby) and that further along has a number of reasonable clothing stores (and a supermarket).

 

 

14. Turn right around the Palazzo and take the narrow Via de Pasquino, that will bring you out into the Piazza Navona.

 

Much has been written and said about this, the most famous Piazza in Rome, so consult your guidebooks, or see my pages where I detail the fountains, buildings and history of the Navona.

 

Bernini's "Fountain of the Four Rivers" is the Navona's most important feature and there are many interesting details to this fountain usually lost to the casual observer. I have tried to cover these on my pages and also a bit about the rivalry between Bernini and Borromini, the architect behind many of the buildings surrounding the Navona.

 

 

 

The next stage of this walk starts from the base of the fountain and takes us up to the Spanish Steps for lunch!