Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
classy locals (open daily until past midnight, Via Uffici del Vicario 40); get your gelato in a
cone
(cono)
or cup
(coppetta).
PiazzaColonna
featuresahugesecond-centurycolumn.Itsreliefsdepictthevictoriesof
EmperorMarcusAureliusoverthebarbarians.WhenMarcusdiedin
A.D.
180,thebarbarians
began to get the upper hand, beginning Rome's long three-century fall. The big, important-
looking palace houses the headquarters for the prime minister's cabinet.
Noisy
Via del Corso
is Rome's main north-south boulevard. It's named for the Berber
horseraces—withoutriders—thattookplacehereduringCarnevale.Thiswildtraditioncon-
tinued until the late 1800s, when a series of fatal accidents (including, reportedly, one in
frontofQueenMargherita)ledtoitscancellation.Historicallythestreetwasfilledwithmeat
shops. When it became one of Rome's first gas-lit streets in 1854, these butcher shops were
banned and replaced by classier boutiques, jewelers, and antiques dealers. Nowadays the
northern part of Via del Corso is closed to traffic, and for a few hours every evening it be-
comes a wonderful parade of Romans out for a stroll (see the “Dolce Vita Stroll,” earlier).
• Cross Via del Corso to enter a big palatial building with columns, which houses the Gal-
leria Alberto Sordi shopping mall (with convenient WCs). Inside, take the fork to the right
and exit at the back. (If you're here after 22:00, when the mall is closed, circle around the
right side of the Galleria on Via dei Sabini.) Once out the back, head up Via de Crociferi, to
the roar of the water, lights, and people at the...
TreviFountain:
TheTreviFountainshowshowRometookfulladvantageoftheabund-
ance of water brought into the city by its great aqueducts. This watery Baroque avalanche
by Nicola Salvi was completed in 1762. Salvi used the palace behind the fountain as a the-
atrical backdrop for the figure of “Ocean,” who represents water in every form. The statue
surfs through his wet kingdom—with water gushing from 24 spouts and tumbling over 30
different kinds of plants—while Triton blows his conch shell.
The magic of the square is enhanced by the fact that no streets directly approach it. You
can hear the excitement as you draw near, and then—
bam!
—you're there. The scene is al-
ways lively, with lucky Romeos clutching dates while unlucky ones clutch beers. Romantics
toss a coin over their shoulder, thinking it will give them a wish and assure their return to
Rome. That may sound silly, but every year I go through this tourist ritual...and it actually
seems to work.
Take some time to people-watch (whisper a few breathy
bellos
or
bellas
) before leaving.
There's a peaceful zone at water level on the far right.
• From the Trevi Fountain, we're 10 minutes from our next stop, the Spanish Steps. Just use
a map to get there, or follow these directions: Facing the Trevi Fountain, go forward, walk-
ing along the right side of the fountain on Via della Stamperia. Cross busy Via del Tritone.
Continue 100 yards and veer right at Via delle Fratte, a street that changes its name to Via
Propaganda before ending at the...
