Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( Piazza della Chiesa Nuova; 7.30am-noon & 4.30-7.30pm; Corso Vittorio Emanuele II)
Not exactly
nuova
(new) as the name would suggest, this imposing landmark church overlooking
Corso Vittorio Emanuele II boasts a fine 17th-century facade and an impressive baroque
interior decorated by the likes of Rubens and Pietro da Cortona.
Built in 1575 as part of a complex to house Filippo Neri's Oratorian order, it was ori-
ginally a large plain church in accordance with Neri's wishes. But when Neri died in 1595
the artists moved in - Rubens painted over the high altar, and Pietro da Cortona decorated
the dome, tribune and nave. Neri was canonised in 1622 and is buried in a chapel to the
left of the apse.
Next to the church is Borromini's
Oratorio dei Filippini
and behind it is the
Torre dell'Orologio
, a clock tower built to decorate the adjacent convent.
MUSEO DI ROMA
MUSEUM
( 06 06 08;
www.museodiroma.it
; entrances Piazza di San Pantaleo 10 & Piazza Navona 2; adult/reduced €8.50/
6.50; 10am-8pm Tue-Sun, last admission 7pm; Corso Vittorio Emanuele II)
The baroque Palazzo
Braschi houses the Museo di Roma's eclectic collection of paintings, photographs, etch-
ings, clothes and furniture, charting the history of Rome from the Middle Ages to the
early 20th century. But as striking as the collection are the palazzo's beautiful frescoed
halls, including the extravagant Sala Cinese and the Egyptian-themed Sala Egiziana.
Among the paintings, look out for Raphael's 1511 portrait of Cardinal Alessandro
Farnese, the future Pope Paul III.
CHIESA DI SANT'IVO ALLA SAPIENZA
( Corso del Rinascimento 40; 9am-12.30pm Sun; Corso del Rinascimento)
Hidden in the porticoed
courtyard of
Palazzo della Sapienza
, this tiny church is a masterpiece of baroque architecture.
Built by Francesco Borromini between 1642 and 1660, and based on an incredibly com-
plex geometric plan, it combines alternating convex and concave walls with a circular in-
terior topped by a twisted spire.
Palazzo della Sapienza, seat of Rome's university until 1935 and now home to the Itali-
an state archive, is often used to stage temporary exhibitions.
CHURCH
