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

15. Starting from the base of the "Fountain of the Four Rivers" in the Piazza Navona.

With your back to the fountain and the Church of St Agnes in Agone, head for the small pedestrian only laneway Corsa Agonale, ahead and slightly left.

This will bring you out an the small Piazza Madama on the busy Corso Rinascimento.  Directly ahead is the Palazo Madama, home of the Senate of the Italian Republic.

It was completed in 1505, atop the ruins of the ancient baths of Nero, for two of the Medici family, who lived here until they became popes Leo X and Clement VII, respectively.  Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte, patron of the artist Caravaggio, lived here until his death in 1627.

The palace takes its name from Madama Margherita of Austria, illegitimate daughter of Emperor Charles V, who married another illegitimate son, Alessandro de' Medici and, after his death, Ottavio Farnese. After the Medici family died out in 1743, the palace was handed over to the House of Lorraine and, later, to Pope Benedict XIV, who made it the seat of the Papal Government. In 1849, Pius IX moved the Ministries of Finances and Public Debt here, as well as the Papal Post Offices. In 1871, after the unification, the palazzo became the seat of the Senate.

If the Senate is sitting there will be grandly uniformed guards at the door, complete with plumes and swords. If not sitting, the Caribineri will be lounging against their cars.

16. To the right along the Corso Rinascimento is the Church of Saint Ivo, notable for Borromini's elaborately twisted spire on top of its dome. The church is only open Sunday mornings.

Beyond that you can see the side of the Mussolini era building we first saw from the Church of St Andrea.

Cross the Corso Rinascimento and enter the Via degli Staderari between the government building and Saint Ivo's.

There is the small Fontana dei Libri fountain (the water is fine to drink) set into the wall on the right.

17. A little further on is the Fontana Vasca Romana. This is an ancient Roman basin, dating back to the 1st. C. and probably once part of the Baths of Nero complex. It was found in 8 fragments in 1985 during some excavations inside the Senate building next door.

You next come to the Piazza di Sant Eustachio, an ordinary square notable only for the Cafe S'Eustachio, made famous by Frodder in his "$5 a day" books as the best coffee in Rome.  It is hardly so, despite the queues of tourists still hanging about. (We will get to where I believe is the best coffee shortly.)

18. Don't bother with S'Eustachio, turn left into Via della Dogana Vecchia and walk one block up to the Church of St Luigi dei Francesi (otherwise known as 'The French Church'), the national church of France in Rome.  Inside are three (yes!... three) Caravaggio's, his wonderful "Calling", "Inspiration" and "Martyrdom" of Saint Matthew. These are some of the only Caravaggio works in Rome that are free to see, the others being at the Church of St Maria in Piazza Popolo and at the Church of Saint Augusto, only a couple of streets away.

19. As you come out of St Luigi dei Franchesi, continue straight ahead along the small Via Giustiniani.  This will take you through to The Pantheon. It is one of my favourite Roman moments to round the corner into the Piazza della Rotunda and have The Pantheon revealed before you across the square... truly a magnificent sight.

Again, enough has been said and written about the Pantheon to fill 1,000 guides... so please consult your guidebook for all the detail. (I have a few pages on the subject as well.)

If the queue is not too long, have a look inside.  It was free entry in May 2018, but rumours of an entry fee coming were rife.

20. Walk through the Piazza della Rounda with five things as an objective ...

• Don't get your pocket picked.
• Don't have your picture taken with Maximus, his wife or any other of the gladiators ... or the horses.
• Don't do anything to encourage (like giving money to) the awful buskers who insist on using electric amplifiers.
• Avoid the mime/clown/gypsies at all costs.
• Don't accept a flower (bracelet or pamphlet) as a 'gift' ... it will cost you.

I said that there would be a good coffee place coming and here it is. With your back to the Pantheon, at the top right of the square is the Via dei Pastini. Only a few metres into this street you will see the “Cassa del Café”, also known as “Café Tasso D’Oro” which roasts its own coffee (have a look at the big roaster in the back) and has the best ‘stand-up’ coffee (i.e. no tables) in the world.  A big claim I realise, but let’s just say I never leave Rome without a couple of kilos of their coffee beans. They even have two vending machines outside ... one dispenses hot coffee and the other dispenses ground or whole coffee beans ... so you can get your fix 24/7.

Now retrace your steps to the Piazza and take the Via della Minerva along the left side of  the Pantheon.

21. In about 100 metres you come to the Piazza della Minerva with Bernini's famous "Elephant with Obelisk" outside the Church of Saint Maria sopra Minerva.

My favourite church in Rome (not just because there is a Fillipo Lippi fresco inside) with a magnificent starred ceiling, rose window and even a Michalangelo statue.

There are interesting things to be known about the church, the elephant statue and the convent to your left, so please see my separate pages on the streets surrounding the Pantheon.

However, standing in the piazza looking at the elephant, think about how Bernini, after some debate with the pope about whether the statue could support the weight of the obelisk, intentionally pointed the elephant's exposed bottom to the entrance of the building to the left.  At that time, that building housed the offices of the Inquisition where Galileo was on trial for heresy.

22. Walk to the right of the church and along the Via Santa Caterina da Siena, then continue along the Via del Pie di Marmo. On the right, at the corner of the Via di Santa Stephano del Cacco, is one of the hidden treasures of Rome .... "The big foot"!   Nobody can quite identify who it was, but it was certainly part of somebody big.

23. Just further long (past a great chocolate shop) turn left into the Via de Sant Ignazio.  At the end you have reached the Piazza San Ignazio, with the Church of Sant' Ignazio di Loyola.

First pause to admire one of the prettiest piazza's in Rome, often described as resembling a theatre set or a chest of drawers.

The interior of the Church has two remarkable sights. First, the false dome by the master of 'trompe' illusion, Andrea Pozzo. Then, the giant fresco covering the entire church ceiling is also by Pozzo and is a supreme example of quadratura ... a three-dimensional perspective on a two-dimensional surface.  The space is heavily inhabited by heavenly beings.

24. Coming out of the church, walk directly away, through the narrow lane that divides the piazza. You emerge onto the Piazza di Pietra. To the right is the "Gran Caffe de Caffeteria", well worth a stop for coffee or a snack.  See if you can get a table in either of the 'salon' rooms inside.

The Piazza itself is dominated by the imposing columns that are the remains of the Temple of Hadrian,  incorporated into a much later building that now houses an art gallery.

Walk along past the columns and one short block after you enter the Via del Pastini (which would take you back to the Pantheon), turn hard right into the narrow Via della Guglia.

25. You emerge into the Piazza di Monte Citorio, with the grand  Palazzo Montecitorio, the seat of the Italian Parliament, before you. This is actually the rear of the building, but the entrance directly ahead is always guarded by smartly uniformed soldiers, complete with capes and swords, when Parliament is sitting, or again by lounging Caribineri when not.

In front of the Palazzo is the Solare Obelisk.

Originally from Heliopolis, it dates back to about year 600 BCE and was made for pharaoh Psamtik II. It was brought to Rome by Augustus in 10 BCE to decorate the Campus Martius where it was the centre of an enormous sundial.

26. To the right of the piazza is the Piazza Colonna, with the Palazzo Chigi, residence of the Prime Minister of Italy, and the Column of Marcus Aurelius, a Roman victory column featuring a spiral relief, built in honour of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius.

Retrace your steps and walk past the Parliament building and enter the Via degli Uffici del Vicario ("the office of the Vicar", though I have never seen wherever he may officiate from). A few shops in on the left is the Gelateria Giolitti, once again made famous by Fromer in his "$5 a day" books.

Take the next street on the right, the Via di Campo Marzio, which leads through to the Piazza del Parlamento, with the front of the Parliament building on the right.

Keep going straight, following the Via di Campo Marzio along a fine shopping street. Note the display window about halfway along that has a marble tablet, upon which is shown meridian lines for the Obelisk of Augusto, seen earlier outside the Parliament.  These are shadow lines that were discovered in-situ in the basement of this building.

27. The Via di Campo Marzio finally emerges into the Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina, with some fine cafes and even finer shops.  If you are game, venture into the Louis Vuitton store, where up the grand staircase they have thoughtfully provided a small cinema to keep husbands amused while their partner shops.

The piazza ends at the Via del Corso, the main road that bisects the heart of Rome. Often full of pedestrians, with buskers and touts a-plenty. Look north to see the obelisk at the Piazza Popolo in the distance, while the other way provides a narrow view of the Vittoriano at Piazza Venezia.

It is remarkable for being absolutely straight in an area characterised by narrow meandering alleys and small piazzas. Considered a wide street in ancient times, today The Corso is approximately 10 metres wide and it only has room for two lanes of traffic and two narrow footpaths. Pause for a moment and imagine what this avenue would have looked like over past years, as it was first set out in 220 BCE. From the 15th.C. the road served as the racetrack during the Roman Carnival for an annual running of riderless horses called the "corsa dei barberi", which is the source for the name Via del Corso.

28. Turn left on the Coso, where after a couple of blocks you come to a small open Largo Carlo Goldoni with the Fendi store on the left. Opposite, the Via dei Condotti stretches to the Spanish Steps in the distance.  Here is one of the world's great shopping streets, with every brand and every fashion house catering to the rich and famous. Keep your hand on your wallet.

Stroll the Condotti, or any of the parallel streets, to admire fashion and excess at its best.

29. At the end of the Via Condotti you emerge into the Piazza de Spagna, with the Fontana della Baraccia and the Spanish Steps before you.

This area is ALWAYS crowded with tourists and all who prey on them. It is perhaps the most popular meeting points in Rome. I have never been past when there have not been multitudes of people sitting, talking, singing, playing, making noise.

To the left along the Via del Babuino, you can see the obelisk in the Piazza Popolo in the distance.

30. Having admired the steps, and perhaps even the great view over the rooftops of Rome from the top, turn right along the Via del Babuino. About 100 metres along is the Collona del'Immacolata, Column of the Immaculate Conception.

The column was dedicated on 8 December 1857, though the Corinthian column itself was sculpted in ancient Rome, and was discovered in 1777.  Atop the column is a bronze statue of the Virgin Mary. The standard imagery of the immaculate conception is used: a virgin on a crescent, atop the world, stomping a serpent (a symbol of the original sin assigned to all humans since Adam and Eve, except the Virgin Mary).

Note the statue of Moses with horns, another example of the mis-translation by St Jerome of the "rays of light" coming from Moses as he descended with the 10 Commandments.

Every December 8, the day of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a ceremony is held here, often with the Pope in attendance, where the Italian fire department uses a fire truck to place a bouquet around the right arm of the Virgin Mary statue.

31. Lunch beckons!  In the back corner of the piazza to the left of the statue, nestled under the body of the steps, is a restaurant "Alla Rampa", a classic Italian restaurant that won't break the bank. Sit outside if the weather permits, or inside where the kitch decorations will make you smile.  Try the antipasti "all you can fit on a plate" for about 12 euro, or the best carbonnara in Rome.