Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
From here it's merely a few steps to
Hotel de Russie
(
Click here
), favoured by the artistic avant garde in
the early 20th century. Jean Cocteau stayed here with Picasso, and wrote a letter home in which he described
plucking oranges from outside his window.
Running parallel to Via del Babuino is
Via Margutta
(
Click here
). Famous for its artistic and cinematic
connections, this picturesque cobbled street was where Truman Capote wrote his short story
Lola
about a raven
who lived with him at his apartment. Fellini, Picasso, Stravinsky and Puccini all lived here at some point, and
Gregory Peck's character in
Roman Holiday
had his apartment here.
Next make your way to Via del Corso, to see the
Casa di Goethe
(
Click here
), where Goethe had a whale
of a time from 1786 to 1788. Head down Via del Corso then turn left up into Via dei Condotti, stopping for some
refreshment at
Caffè Greco
(
Click here
), a former haunt of Casanova, Goethe, Keats, Byron and Shelley.
Leaving here, you're almost at the
Spanish Steps
(
Click here
), which Dickens described in his
Pictures
from Italy
with some amusement, seeing the characterful artists' models waiting to be hired here. Just south of the
steps is the apartments where Keats died of tuberculosis, aged just 25. The
Keats-Shelley House
(
Click here
) is now a small museum devoted to the Romantic poets.