It is one of the most important works of the late Baroque in Rome. The architect Nicola Salvi, who had won a public competition, was commissioned by Pope Clement XII ( 1730-40 ) to build it. The fountain was inaugurated for the first time in 1740 under Benedict XIV and then when it was finished…
Piazza del Popolo There are two identical Piazza del Popolo churches and an obelisk: this is the Piazza del Popolo, the apex of the so-called trident because from here originate three long and straight street: via del Babuino, where are many antique shops, which leads to Piazza di Spagna ( flanked by via Margutta, a…
Its original name, Flavian Amphitheater, commemorated the name of Vespasian who commissioned the building in 72 AD and inaugurated it by sacrificing 5000 animals. At least until 523 AD ( under Theodosius’s reign ), fights between gladiators and wild beasts were held here periodically. There is no historical evidence that Christians were martyred in the…
The Appian way This is the most famous, the longest, the straightest of the old Roman roads, and also the best preserved. It starts, more or less, from the Baths of Caracalla and in an almost straight line, a good ninety kilometers, joins Terracina, Capua ( in Campania ), then goes through Benevento until it…
We are in the center of ancient Rome. Here, Rome built after having dried up the marshlands its Forum where all the political, religious, and commercial activities were held, between the Palatine, the Capitol, and the Esquiline hills. It is not easy to move about these ruins without having some knowledge of the ten centuries…
The Piazza di Spagna A church, a flight of steps, and a fountain form the most elegant and complex Roman urban site of the 18th century. The Church of Trinita dei Monti was started in 1502 and consecrated eighty years later, at the wish of the French kings who dedicated it to a saint dear…