Rome – Trevi-Colonna-Campo Marzio

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The northern portion of the center of Rome includes the rioni Campo Marzio, Colonna, Ludovisi, Sallustiano, and Trevi. This area features numerous Renaissance and Baroque landmarks, as well as the centers of political power and the Quirinal Hill.

✪ Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi) is the most famous fountain in Rome, built during the 18th century and designed by Nicola Salvi. The monumental fountain is placed on the facade of Palazzo Poli, and is adorned with several elaborate sculptures. Now one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city, it has appeared in numerous movies, and it is a custom to toss coins into the fountain.

✪ Palazzo del Quirinale

Palazzo del Quirinale is the residence of the President of Italy, located on the Quirinal Hill in Rome. Erected in the late 16th century, the huge palace was initially the residence of the popes, and then the kings of Italy. Palazzo del Quirinale is one of the largest palaces in the world, and includes a landscaped garden with various attractions. The building features several richly adorned halls filled with frescoes and artworks, including a chapel designed by Maderno and built in 1615. The palace faces Piazza del Quirinale, a square adorned with a fountain and an ancient Egyptian obelisk. The former stables of the palace, known as Scuderie del Quirinale, also face the square, and now host cultural events and art exhibitions.

✪ Palazzo Barberini

Palazzo Barberini is a large Baroque palace in Rome erected in the 17th century and designed by Maderno, Borromini, and Bernini. The palace has numerous richly adorned halls, one of which features a huge ceiling fresco painted by Pietro da Cortona. The building houses part of the National Gallery of Ancient Art (Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica), a large collection of paintings that includes works by Raphael, Canaletto, Caravaggio, Bernini, El Greco, Tintoretto, Tiepolo, and Titian, among many others. Another section of the collection is hosted in Palazzo Corsini, in the neighborhood of Trastevere.

✪ Palazzo Colonna

Palazzo Colonna is a historic palace in the center of Rome, richly adorned with Baroque decorations. The palace is known for hosting the Colonna Art Gallery (Galleria Colonna), a rich collection of artworks by artists such as Ghirlandaio, Tintoretto, Carracci, Guercino, and many others. The collection is housed in a gallery adorned with elaborate Baroque frescoes. A wing of Palazzo Colonna hosts the Wax Museum (Museo delle Cere), the largest collection of its kind in Italy, with numerous wax models of famous historical figures.

✪ Piazza di Spagna

Piazza di Spagna is one of the most famous squares in Rome, known for featuring various landmarks. At the center of the square is the Fontana della Barcaccia, a Baroque fountain sculpted in the 17th century by Pietro Bernini, father of the more famous Gian Lorenzo. Piazza di Spagna is dominated by the monumental Spanish Steps (Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti), a long 18th-century staircase that leads to the Church of Trinità dei Monti. This Renaissance church was built in the 16th century and features various frescoes, sculptures, and other artworks. In front of the church is an ancient obelisk erected around the 2nd or 3rd century, in the style of Egyptian obelisks. Along the Spanish Steps sits the Keats-Shelley Memorial House, a museum dedicated to John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley, but also hosting memorabilia of other English poets.

✪ Museum of the Ara Pacis

The Museum of the Ara Pacis (Museo dell’Ara Pacis) is a museum hosting the Ara Pacis (“Altar of Peace”), an elaborate altar built in honor of emperor Augustus and inaugurated in 9 BCE. The monument features a large cycle of reliefs, which are among the greatest and best preserved works of that time. On the external wall of the museum is a replica of the Res Gestae Divi Augusti (“The Deeds of the Divine Augustus”), a long inscription composed by Augustus to narrate his life and accomplishments.

✪ Piazza del Popolo

Piazza del Popolo is a large square at the northern end of the center of Rome. For centuries used for public executions (the last one was in 1826), the square gained its current appearance when it was restored in Neoclassical style in the 19th century. At the center of the square is an ancient Egyptian obelisk dating from around the 13th century BCE, while two monumental fountains erected in the 19th century are located at the sides of Piazza del Popolo. The northern edge is closed by the ancient city gate Porta del Popolo (or Porta Flaminia) and the adjacent Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo. On the southern edge are instead the two “twin churches”, the Basilica of Santa Maria in Montesanto and the Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli. Both churches were erected in the 17th century and feature various Baroque decorations and artworks.

✪ Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo

The Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo is a church located on the northern side of Piazza del Popolo in Rome. The church was supposedly founded as a small chapel on the site where Roman emperor Nero was buried, while the current structure was erected in Renaissance style during the 15th century. The church was later reworked by Bramante, Raphael, Maderno, and Bernini. Raphael designed the Chigi Chapel (Cappella Chigi), which features various elaborate frescoes and mosaics by the artist, along with sculptures by Bernini and Lorenzetto. Other masterpieces are hosted in the Cerasi Chapel (Cappella Cerasi), which contains paintings by Caravaggio and Carracci. The basilica also features various other adorned chapels and artworks. A museum dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci is adjacent to the church.

Church of Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio a Trevi

The Church of Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio a Trevi is a Baroque church located next to the Trevi Fountain in Rome. Built during the 17th century over a previous church, it features an imposing facade adorned with sculptures. The church curiously hosts the embalmed hearts of 22 popes.

Galleria Sciarra

The Galleria Sciarra is a covered courtyard erected in the late 19th century in Art Nouveau style. The walls of the gallery are richly decorated with frescoes depicting numerous women as symbols of grace and elegance.

Piazza Colonna

Piazza Colonna is a square in the center of Rome, which owes its name to the tall Column of Marcus Aurelius (Colonna di Marco Aurelio). This Roman marble column was completed in the year 193 and is adorned with a cycle of elaborate reliefs celebrating the victories of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. Various historic buildings surround the square, most notably Palazzo Chigi, a 16th-century palace now hosting the seat of the Italian government. Also facing the square is the 20th-century Galleria Alberto Sordi, a shopping gallery.

Palazzo Montecitorio

Palazzo Montecitorio is a 17th-century Baroque palace in Rome and the seat of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Italian Parliament. The building was designed by Bernini and was later reworked in the late 19th century. The palace also hosts a large amount of artworks and various richly adorned halls. The square in front of the building features an ancient Egyptian obelisk brought to Rome during the age of Augustus.

Temple of Hadrian

The Temple of Hadrian (Tempio di Adriano) is an ancient Roman temple inaugurated in the year 145. Now only a row of tall columns survives, incorporated into a modern palace. This was the seat of the Rome Stock Exchange until 1997, and now hosts the Chamber of Commerce of Rome and is used for business events.

Via del Corso

Via del Corso is one of the main streets of Rome, running between Piazza Venezia and Piazza del Popolo, with a length of around 1.5 kilometers. Many historic buildings and landmarks are located along the street.

Basilica of Santi XII Apostoli

The Basilica of Santi XII Apostoli is a church adjacent to Palazzo Colonna in Rome. Founded in the 4th century, the church was rebuilt in the 15th century with more later additions. The church features numerous Baroque decorations and several frescoes and artworks. Inside the church is the large funerary monument of Pope Clement XIV sculpted by Canova and completed in 1787.

Modern Art Gallery of Rome

The Modern Art Gallery of Rome (Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Roma Capitale) is a museum of modern and contemporary art that houses thousands of artworks. Its collection includes works by De Chirico, Morandi, Guttuso, Balla, and other 20th-century artists. Nearby is the Gagosian Gallery, one of many contemporary art galleries directed by Larry Gagosian around the world.

Piazza Barberini

Piazza Barberini is a square in Rome located next to Palazzo Barberini. The plaza is known for hosting two elaborate fountains sculpted by Bernini during the 17th century, the Fontana del Tritone (“Triton Fountain”) and the Fontana delle Api (“Fountain of the Bees”).

Church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini

The Church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini is a 17th-century church in Rome. The church features various artworks and decorated chapels, but it is best known for its crypt. This area underneath the church houses the remains of around 4,000 friars, with the bones arranged to decorate the walls in a peculiar example of memento mori.

Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria

The Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria is a church erected during the 17th century in Rome. The church is richly adorned with Baroque decorations, and hosts the sculptural group of the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (Estasi di Santa Teresa d’Avila) by Bernini, regarded as one of the greatest works by the artist.

Via dei Condotti

Via dei Condotti is one of the most famous streets in Rome, and connects Piazza di Spagna with Via del Corso. The road is the fashion center of Rome, and features numerous luxury boutiques and stores, as well as many historic buildings.

Mausoleum of Augustus

The Mausoleum of Augustus (Mausoleo di Augusto) is a large tomb and funerary monument built in the 1st century BCE. Here, various Roman emperors and their family members were buried for decades, the last one being Nerva in 98 CE. The structure was later abandoned and turned into a fort in the Middle Ages and then into a theater. Now restored, only the lower portion survives.

Casa di Goethe

The Casa di Goethe is a museum in Rome dedicated to German writer Goethe and his journey through Italy. The museum is hosted in the house where Goethe lived in Rome between 1786 and 1788 and features various memorabilia of the poet.

Pincio Terrace

The Pincio Terrace (Terrazza del Pincio) is a panoramic terrace on the Pincian Hill in Rome, overlooking Piazza del Popolo. The terrace is surrounded by a large park that hosts various attractions, such as hundreds of busts of notable figures of Italian history, and an ancient Roman obelisk erected in Egyptian style in the 2nd century.

Villa Medici

Villa Medici is a large 16th-century villa on the Pincian Hill, now hosting the French Academy in Rome. The elaborate palace has various richly adorned halls and features a beautiful landscaped garden. The facade of the villa is adorned with several ancient reliefs.

Porta Pinciana

Porta Pinciana is a monumental city gate located along the Aurelian Walls in Rome, at the foot of the Pincian Hill. The gate was built in the 5th century, while the two side passages are a modern addition.

Boncompagni Ludovisi Decorative Art Museum

The Boncompagni Ludovisi Decorative Art Museum (Museo Boncompagni Ludovisi per le Arti Decorative) is a museum of decorative arts, costume, and fashion hosted in an Art Nouveau villa in Rome. The museum houses numerous paintings, sculptures, furnishings and objects dating between the 18th and 20th century.