Rome – Around Town : Around the Pantheon (part 2) – Best of the Rest, Shops

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A Morning Stroll around the Pantheon

Start with a cappuccino at

Caffè Sant’ Eustachio
. Follow Salita de’ Crescenzi into Piazza della Rotonda and the stunning beauty of the
Pantheon
. Head down to Piazza di Minerva, with Bernini’s Elephant Obelisk and the façade of
Santa Maria sopra Minerva
, hiding masterpieces by Filippino Lippi and Michelangelo inside.

Via S Caterina da Siena
becomes Via Pie’ di Marmo (look right to see the famous ancient marble
foot). The street spills into the long piazza in front of
Galleria Doria Pamphilj
. After paying homage to works by
Caravaggio, Tintoretto and Bernini continue out the east end of the
piazza on Via Lata, then on to the Corso to
Santa Maria in Via Lata
. Turn left up the Corso to the Baroque Piazza Sant’ Ignazio, backed by Rome’s best trompe-l’oeil frescoes in Sant’Ignazio di Loyola. Work your way behind the square’s mini palaces onto Piazza di Pietra. A narrow alley leads to the Column of Marcus Aurelius. Head to
Giolitti
 for a delicious ice cream.

Walk west on Via del Leone into Piazza Borghese, home to an antiques print market and the
Palazzo Borghese
. Two blocks north it opens out on to Piazza Augusto Imperatore, home to many churches,
Augustus’s Mausoleum
 and the Ara Pacis. End your morning with lunch at trendy
‘Gusto
.

Best of the Rest




  1. Hadrian’s Temple

    Eleven huge, worn columns still stand from a Temple to Hadrian built in AD 145 by his son.

    • Piazza di Pietra 9A

    • Free




    Hadrian’s Temple

  2. Santa Maria Maddalena

    The church is an elliptical Baroque gem. The 1735 façade by Giuseppe Sardi is Rome’s best Rococo monument.

    • Piazza della Maddalena

    • Open 7:30am–noon, 5–8pm Mon–Sat; 9am–12:30pm, 5–8pm Sun

    • Free

  3. Pie’ di Marmo

    This large sandalled marble foot belonged to an unidentified ancient statue.

    • Via S Stefano del Cacco, Via Pie di Marmo




  4. San Lorenzo in Lucina

    Founded
    in the 5th century, and overhauled in 1090–1118. Guido Reni did the
    Crucifixion altarpiece, Bernini the second chapel on the right.

    • Piazza S Lorenzo in Lucina

    • Open 9am–8pm daily

    • Free




  5. Palazzo di Montecitorio

    Bernini’s palace has housed Parliament’s Chamber of Deputies since 1871. The south façade is original; the north is Art Nouveau.

    • Piazza di Montecitorio & Piazza del Parlamento

    • 06 676 01

    • Open 10am– 5:30pm 1st Sun of month

    • Free

  6. Piazza di Montecitorio

    The square’s obelisk was once part of the Augustus’s giant sundial, which used to be flanked by the Ara Pacis.




  7. Palazzo Borghese

    The oddly shaped “harpsichord of Rome”, begun by Vignola in 1560, was finished with a Tiber terrace by Flaminio Ponzio.

    • Via Borghese & Via di Ripetta

    • Free

  8. Santa Maria in Via Lata

    Pietro
    da Cortona designed the façade and vestibule (1660); Bernini the high
    altar (1639–43). Its 6th-century frescoes are now in the Crypta Balbi.

    • Via del Corso 306

  9. Fontanella del Facchino

    This small wall fountain (probably from the 1570s) is fashioned as a water-seller whose barrel forever spouts fresh water.

    • Via Lata, off Via del Corso




    Fontanella del Facchino

  10. Piazza Sant’Eustachio

    A lovely square, home to two cafés competing for Rome’s “best cappuccino” title, as well as an 1196 bell tower, and an excellent view of Sant’Ivo (see A Morning Stroll around the Pantheon).




Shops




  1. Davide Cenci

    Men’s
    and women’s clothes designer since 1926. Their own slightly
    conservative but eminently fashionable line is sold alongside
    international labels such as Ralph Lauren, Church’s, Brooks Brothers and
    Fay.

    • Via di Campo Marzio 1–7




    Davide Cenci

  2. Vittorio Bagagli

    Purveyor of fine houseware since 1855, including design-led Alessi kitchen gadgets and Pavoni espresso machines.

    • Via di Campo Marzio 42

  3. M Simotti Rocchi

    Specialist
    in Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquities, selling everything from coins
    to vases to statuary at a fraction of the prices auction-goers pay
    (simple coins or terracotta heads start at around €75).

    • Largo Fontanella Borghese 76

  4. Mercato dell’Antiquariato

    Lovely antiquarian market consisting of about 17 stalls specializing in antique prints and books.

    • Piazza Borghese

  5. Città del Sole

    Part of an Italian chain of high-class toy stores with the very best in educational playthings.

    • Via della Scrofa 65

  6. Pane & Company: Forno

    This tiny bakery sells an array of local pastries and sweets. The delicious pistachio biscuits are a house speciality.

    • Via della Stelletta 2

  7. Il Papiro

    Rome branch of the renowned Florentine chain, selling marbled paper products, souvenir pens and calligraphy tools.

    • Via del Pantheon 50




    Il Papiro


  8. Campo Marzio Design

    Here they sell
    their own line of fountain pens, covered in silver plating, as well as
    other writing and calligraphy utensils. Beautiful leather-bound
    notebooks make great presents.

    • Via di Campo Marzio 41

  9. Maria Teresa Nitti Valentini

    This
    lovely shop sells stunning antique jewellery from the 1800s up to the
    1940s, as well as original brooches based on the design of older pieces.

    • Via della Stelletta 4

  10. Amarena Chic

    Stylish
    women’s shoe shop selling good quality boots and shoes at affordable
    prices. The unique designs are highly distinctive and are available in a
    wide selection of colours.

    • Via di Campo Marzio 9