ITALY - Best of Europe 2014 - page 958

headquarters of the Jesuits in Rome (free, daily 7:00-12:30 & 16:00-19:45, interesting daily
service at 17:30).
▲ Galleria Doria Pamphilj
This underappreciated gallery, in the heart of the old city, offers a rare chance to wander
through a noble family's lavish rooms with the prince who calls this downtown mansion
home. Well, almost. Through an audioguide, the prince lovingly narrates his family's story
asyoutourthepalaceanditsworld-classart.Don'tmissVelázquez'sintense,majestic,ultra-
realistic portrait of Pope Innocent X (1574-1655), patriarch of the Pamphilj (pahm-FEEL-
yee) family. It stands alongside an equally impressive bust of the pope by Bernini. Stroll
through a mini-Versailles-like hall of mirrors to more paintings, including works by Titian
and Raphael. Finally, relax along with Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, and let the angel serenade
you in Caravaggio's Rest on the Flight to Egypt.
Cost and Hours: €10.50, includes worthwhile 1.5-hour audioguide, daily 10:00-17:00,
last entry45minutes beforeclosing, elegant café,fromPiazza Venezia walk2blocksupVia
del Corso to #305, tel. [phone], www.dopart.it/roma .
Piazza di Pietra (Piazza of Stone)
The square was actually a quarry set up to chew away at the abandoned Temple of Hadrian,
dedicatedtotheemperorresponsibleforbuildingthePantheon(lookforhisbustandamodel
of the temple in a window on the square). You can still see the holes that hungry medieval
scavengerschippedintothecolumnstostealthemetalpinsthatheldtheslabstogether.Look
over the railing to see ground level 1,900 years ago (two blocks toward Via del Corso from
Pantheon).
▲ Trevi Fountain
The bubbly Baroque fountain, worth ▲▲ by night, is a minor sight to art scholars...but a
major nighttime gathering spot for teens on the make and tourists tossing coins. The coins
tourists deposit daily are collected to feed Rome's poor (for more on the fountain, see here ) .
Palazzo del Quirinale
This presidential palace, the former home of several popes and the Italian royal family,
feels like a combination of the White House and the Palace of Versailles. Guided tours—on
Sundays only—take you through its opulent public rooms. Named after the highest of
Rome's seven hills, the square in front offers fine views of St. Peter's Basilica.
CostandHours: €5,Sun8:30-12:00only—closedrestoftheweek,expectaline,square
always open, 200 yards east and up the hill from Trevi Fountain on Piazza del Quirinale, tel.
06-46991, www.quirinale.it .