Walking

Downtown ROME

A walk from the Spanish Steps to Villa Borghese

This town must be visited walking, without being in a hurry, watching at all what could seems an insignificant sign of the time past: an ancient inscription on a building promising penalty to people who will dirty the street, a stone or a piece of Roman column in between bricks on the wall of an ancient building, a small fountain, the hall of a house.
It's easy to overlook some of the hidden Roman splendours.
In this gigantic open-air museum the history of this city can be found in every monument.
Every old palace of this town, capital of Christianity also hosting a Synagogue, a Mosque and Anglican, Orthodox and Byzantine churches.
Great in the Roman Era and for 2000 years ahead, no other town hosted in the Middle Age 2 millions pilgrims as happened during the first Jubilee in 1300, proclaimed by pope Bonifacio VIII.
Do not forget that in Rome any restaurant or trattoria will be surely a good choice for you, either than a good chance to have a short break. Almost improbably you will have a bad experience because the Roman Cuisine is tasty, simple and various.
If you want to try the special (but heavy) dishes of the traditional ancient Roman cooking, ask for Bucatini all'Amatriciana, La Sghiscia, La Carbonara, La Coda alla vaccinara, La Pajata or the marvellous Fritto Misto all'Italiana that only the Roman trattorias can do special.

Almost every turist spending his holidays in Rome start his tour from:
P.zza Di Spagna
This is the beautiful, well known, almost theatrical square with the lovely Spanish steps leading up to the church of Trinità dei Monti. Top on the steps, the Hassler Villa Medici Hotel dominate the city and from his roof garden restaurant, an astonishing view on the city gives one of the best spectacle in the world.
Who did not see on the television the fashion shows held here, one of the most important, the steps being used as a skywalk?
In

the 18th Century, close to Porta Flaminia (Piazza del Popolo), the main entry to the city, this was the Rome's periphery, where the Ciociaras, girls from nearby villages and towns, coming to Rome, dressed up in their finery loitered on the Spanish Steps, waiting to be catch as model by a painter, or to catch a rich but lonely foreigner or pilgrims themselves.
At that time, to catch the milord and rich spenders from the West Europe, came shops, restaurants, hotels, many of which with foreign name, to create the district as it is now.
Giuseppe Vasi published between 1747 and 1761 ten books of etchings on the monuments of Rome.
The plates were grouped by subject: churches, gates, bridges, palaces, villas, etc.. The books became a bestseller among the foreigners visiting Rome. Vasi then wrote a guide for visiting Rome in eight days and driven by the success of this guide he published in 1765 the grand View of Rome. In 1781 he completed his work with a Map of Rome.
The square became an international meeting point, to day a beautiful, central and pedestrian spot. The steps are a permanent meeting place for the young Romans and tourists.
In spring the steps are decorated with hundreds of coloured azaleas.
The square heads off several famous streets such as via del Babuino, dei Condotti, Via Frattina and Via Borgognona with their luxurious boutiques, recent and antique shops.Urbano Barberini commissioned the fountain known as the 'Barcaccia' (the boat), to commemorate the alliance with the King of France, whose coat of arms can be seen on the steps of Trinità dei Monti together with the ones of Pope Innocent III.
Alessandro Specchi and Francesco de Sanctis designed the Spanish Steps. They connect Piazza di Spagna to the French church of Trinità dei Monti. The name of the square come from the nearby Spanish Embassy but these beautiful stairs, a sweeping Baroque river of stairs projected by Giacomo della Porta in 1564 on the hill that was a private vineyard, were financed by the French King Louis XV.
Two bell-towers at the sides give a Gothic touch. Via del Babuino connects, in a few metres walking, Piazza di Spagna to:

Piazza del Popolo

The Porta del Popolo (or Porta Flaminio) on the north side of the Piazza is the ancient entrance to the town, while the East is dominated by the passeggiata del Pincio. This piazza served as an exposition hall, a stadium, and a theatre for popular plays. The aspect of the square changed from the 1400's to the 1800's, with the reconstruction of the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, the construction of St. Maria dei Miracoli and St. Maria di Montesanto, the placement of the Flaminian obelisk at the centre of the piazza, and the addition of neo-classical elements by Giuseppe Valadier.
During the Middle Ages, the square formed the main entrance to the city to pilgrims and travellers arriving on the Via Flaminia - and the via Francigena, running - for pilgrims - from France and Western Europe to Rome

The favourite architect and town planner of two Popes, Giuseppe Valadier, reshaped the existing square during four years, 1816 - 1820, to give an impressive gracious first vision to the pilgrims and tourists coming into Rome through the Porta Flaminia gate, its main entrance open in the 3rd Century Aurelian walls.
He enlarged the square into a large, oval, surrounding the central obelisk with four lion fountains, with St. Maria dei Miracoli and St. Maria di Montesanto, two identical churchesbuilt by Carlo Rainaldi in 1679 just in front of the Porta Flaminia gate, opposite side on the elegant square. Three streets begin in the square, at side of these two churches: Via del Corso, Via di Ripetta and Via del Babuino.
On the two opposite sides of the square there are two ancient cafés: Rosati and Canova, where to sit and admire all the beauty of this place, overlooked by the terrace of Pincio, part of the big park of:

Villa Borghese

This is an example of a villa belonging to a great Roman family at the beginning of the seventeenth century.
The best known entrances to the park of Villa Borghese are: Piazzale Flaminio, Porta Pinciana, the Pincio Gardens, Viale Belle Arti next to the Modern Art National Gallery.
Villa Borghese today in the heart of Rome, was the suburban residence of the Prinz Borghese family.
Built by the Cardinal Scipio Borghese between 1613 and 1615 outside the Aurelian walls between the Porta

Pinciana and the no longer existing Porta Salaria in an area then occupied by orchards and vineyards, it was surrounded by large and varied gardens, which are still populated by eagles and dragons, the heraldic symbols of the family.
It was extended towards the Muro Torto and thus the villa was refurbished to also include an English garden landscape.
The Borghese, who owned the Villa until the end of the XIXth century, decorated the gardens with little buildings in neoclassical style.
The gardens were opened to the public

and on special occasions the Romans were entertained in Piazza di Siena a sort of open air theatre.
In 1902 it became a city property. With numerous acres of woods, lawns and gardens in the centre of the city, it is a lovely place for a walk, picnic, or visit to one of the Villa's several important museums, the Casino that today is where the Galleria Borghese and the Borghese Museum stand and the National Etruscan Museum.
There are many beautiful items worthwhile noticing: The Casina Valadier, the Italian gardens near the

Casino Borghese, the Casino alla Meridiana and around the aviary;avenues and paths embellished by statues and fountains; the Garden of the Lake, stretched around an artificial lake; the little pond with the temple to Aesculapius on a islet and a 17th century copy of the arch of Septimius Severus.
J. W. Goethe was one of the many foreigners who enjoyed walking in the gardens. In particular he liked to sit in a spot near the aviary, which is called after him Rotonda di Goethe.
The Emperor William II of Germany erected a Monument to Goethe, where he is shown with Mignon, Iphigeneia and Faust.

Piazza di Siena is one of the most famous places which have always been used for races and horse shows. At present time, in the end of May a famous steeplechase - a society event - take place every year.The villa also hosts the zoo, which was set up in 1911.
The Museum includes works of Raffaello, Antonio Canova, Pietro e Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Giulio Romano, etc.

The Casino

The architect of the Casino was Jan Van Santen, a Dutchman known also as Giovanni Vasanzio. He completed a design by Flaminio Ponzio.

The building now hosts the Gallery of statues and paintings which was hosted in the Palazzo Borghese in town. However the statues by Gian Lorenzo Bernini inside the gallery were sculpted for the Casino.
The gardens to the north of the Casino are a fine example of a XVIIth century Italian garden, with statues and fountains.

The gardens to the south of the Casino were redesigned in the XIXth century when the Borghese acquired other adjoining land and built a new entrance in front of Porta Flaminia.The original sculptures and paintings in the Borghese Gallery date back to

Cardinal Scipione's Renaissance, antique sculpture and contemporary art collection, and of Francesco Caffarelli, though subsequent events over the next three centuries entailing both losses and acquisition have left their mark.
Cardinal Scipione also promoted the creation of new sculptures to rival antique works, such as the statue of Pauline Bonaparte, executed by Canova between 1805 and 1808.
Camillo Borghese sold Napoleon 154 statues, 160 busts, 170 bas-reliefs, 30 columns and various vases, which constitutes the "Borghese Collection" in the Louvre.

The National Etruscan Museum

The Museum is set in the former Villa of Pope Julius III: Villa Giulia, built between 1551 and 1553 by Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola.
In the Villa Giulia National Etruscan Museum are collected all the pre-Roman antiquities of Latium, southern Etruria and Umbria. It mostly contains Etruscan and Faliscan civilizations finds excavated between the Tiber and the sea.

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