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APARTMENTS FOR RENT IN THIS QUARTER
"THREE COINS" (Vicolo del Forno): A one bedroom attic with ample
sitting-dining room, and a panoramic patio overlooking old Rome's roofs and the
Trevi Fountain (2-3 persons).
"VALENTINO" (Via Sistina): an upscale panoramic top floor apt., with master
bedroom, sitting room, separate dining room, two bathrooms, a patio and a large
terrace overlooking all Rome (2-3 persons).
"LEONARDO" (Via della Croce), a three bedroom, sitting room, 2 bathrooms,
terrace apartment in an 18th century palazzo (2-7 persons).
"ANITA" (Via delle Carrozze): a large upscale suite with three bedrooms,
sitting-dining room, three bathrooms, large kitchen, remarkably equipped (3-6
persons).
"REGINA" (Via San Giacomo): a large upscale suite with three bedrooms,
sitting room, separate dining room, three bathrooms, large roof garden,
balconies (3-6 persons).
You will find the map of the quarter,
with precise location of the properties, in the section B1 and in the section B2 of the map of Rome.
For a complete presentation, please visit the specific pages on the streets of the
quarter:
- Via Sistina and
Piazza Trinita' de' Monti
- The Borghese Gardens
- Via della Croce
- Via del Babbuino, Via
San Giacomo, Via dei Greci, Via del Corso
- Via Mario Fiori
and of Via Frattina
| The area was called
in the 18th century Roman slang "er ghetto de l'inglesi" (the English ghetto),
because it was the dwelling area of the penniless English artists. It was Pope Sixtus V,
the great town planner, who set the architecture layout. Rome's icon, the Spanish Steps (Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti) by Francesco De Sanctis (1723-1726), is made by twelve flights of steps of varying width moving upwards towards the Piazza Trinità dei Monti. Before the steps there is a fountain, the ingenious large boat "Barcaccia", spouting water while it sinks. |
What a Rom...antic place! |
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Via Condotti |
| At the end of the
steps you find the scenic Franciscan Church of Trinità dei Monti, by
architects Carlo Maderno and Domenico Fontana, with in front the Sallustian
Obelisk, taken from the ancient Sallustian Gardens. John Keats and Percy B. Shelley lived in the palazzo to the right of the Steps, and their home is presently a memorial museum. In the photo to the right you see a view of the quarter from the windows of the Franciscan nuns of the Church. In the background you can see the Church of San Carlo al Corso, and behind it St. Peter. |
View from the windows of the nuns of the convent adjoining the Church of Trinita' dei Monti. |
| Quite near the Trevi
Fountain can be found. The imaginative concept, the theatrical
composition, the sober and imposing beauty of the statues make it a masterpiece of
sculpture and architecture. Its history dates back to ancient Rome (it was built where a virgin found the spring intersecting "tre vie" - three ways). Built and rebuilt in the millennia (including contributions of Bernini), it was finished by Nicola Salvi between 1732 and 1751. |
 Trevi Fountain |
It is indeed a symbolic celebration of the Mediterranean civilisation. An Arch of Triumph with a large niche (the palace of Neptune) is flanked by two series of Corinthian columns. The statues represent Abundance, Agrippa approving the plans of the Aqueduct, Salubrity, the Virgin showing soldiers the where the water should be found. Neptune firmly guides a chariot drawn by sea horses, guided by the two tritons.
| The setting around consists of rocks, which together with the roar of the water of the fountain give you the impression of being at the seaside. Nobody forgot the famous scene in Fellini's movie "Dolce Vita" (1961) with Anita Ekberg immersing herself in the water. |  |
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Via Condotti: the Caffè Greco |
| Via del Babuino
leads from the Spanish Steps to the Piazza del Popolo square, and to the Borghese Gardens.
Two other famous streets (Via del Corso e Via di Ripetta) lead to Piazza del Popolo. The
three streets form the so called "Tridente". These streets, together with those
intersecting them (Via della Croce, Via Margutta etc.) form the neighbourhood of art
houses, antique shops, craftsmen and artists. Poussin and Wagner lived here. In Via dei Greci there is
the most famous musical conservatory of Rome: Santa Cecilia and the
"Lion Bookshop", the oldest English bookshop in Rome. |
Piazza del Popolo seen from the Pincio |
In Piazza del Popolo you find the Northern
gate of ancient Rome, an obelisk taken from the Circus Maximus surrounded by 4 lions, two
fountains (Neptune and the Tritons, Rome between the Tiber and Aniene River). The simple
yet elegant design of the square is by the Italian - French architect G. Valadier (1793).
In the Piazza there are three churches, the most important is Santa Maria al
Popolo, with famous paintings of Caravaggio (St. Peter crucified head down, and
the Conversion of Saint Paul). One finds here also the fashionable cafes Rosati
and Canova (Fellini's favourite).
The piazza is surmounted by the Pincio Garden, a very ancient part of the
Borghese Gardens, where from you can have one of the best views of Rome at sunset.
Piazza di Spagna: Collegio De Propaganda Fide |
Gian Lorenzo Bernini's house |
In the quarter you also find the Spanish Embassy, giving
the name to the square and to the Steps since many centuries. With a quite bizarre
combination, you also find MacDonald's and the Palace for the Defence of the Holy Faith by
Borromini, face to face. You will be surprised to find out that MacDonalds' has quite
elegant interiors, with a Roman mosaic at the entrance, and newly made frescoes. Fast food
as usual includes fats, cholesterol and loads of meat, yet you will also find the only
public toilets in the area.
The Palace of the Defense of the Holy Faith (i.e. Catholicism) is by
architect Borromini, with a peculiar genial concave facade. Near to it in
Via della Mercede you find the home of his great rival Bernini (as the
marble slab reminds). Adjacent is the charming church of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte.
Ara Pacis |
Mausoleum of Augustus |
Finally, just after Via del Corso, on the way to the Tiber, one can find the Mausoleum of Augustus, a huge (40 Mt. diameter) circular grave of the the emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty (Augustus, first Roman emperor, and also Tiberius). Nearby, encased in glass, is the magnificent Ara Pacis, or Altar of Peace, one of the most artistically distinguished monuments of ancient Rome. It was erected in 9 BC to celebrate the wealth and security that Augustus victories in Spain and Gaul brought. It was rebuilt from ancient fragments amassed through a daunting, difficult excavation.
| - back to top - Spanish Steps Regina apartment - Spanish Steps Leonardo apt. - Spanish Steps Valentino penthouse |
- holiday rentals apartments - rome guide - rome map - |
To visit the adjacent quarters, click on these addresses-URLs:
- Rome
with a view!
- The Pantheon quarter
- The Navona quarter
- The Campo de' Fiori
quarter
- The Trastevere quarter
- The Jewish quarter
-
The Monti-Colosseum quarter
- The Roman Forum
- The Vatican quarter
- The Janiculum
