Squares & Fountains

The magic of water

Squares & Fountains

The tour begins at Piazza Farnese, in the heart of Renaissance Rome. In the middle of the piazza is the Palazzo Farnese, designed by Michelangelo Buonarroti which is now home to the French Embassy.  A few steps away is one of the most characteristic and lively markets in Rome: Campo dei Fiori, active since the fifteenth century and mentioned in many literary and pictorial works.  Right next door is Piazza Navona, built on the Stadium of Domitian and known for the wonderful Fountain of the Four Rivers by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Through  classic Roman alleys you can walk to the Pantheon, which is some of the best architecture of ancient Rome. Inside there are  tombs of important artists such as the painter Raphael and also some of the tombs of the sovereigns of the Kingdom of Italy.

A few minutes walk from the Pantheon is the Trevi’s Fountain designed in the late Baroque by architect Nicola Salvi. It is the most famous of all of the  Fountains in Rome and represents the ocean and its divinities. If you throw a coin in its great basin you should have a happy return to Rome.

The tour ends in the most famous piazza of Rome: Piazza di Spagna. The Spanish Steps is monumental staircase of 135 steps built by Francesco De Sanctis (1723-26) to connect the piazza to the church of Trinità dei Monti built by the King of France Louis XII in 1502. Today the presence of the boutiques and show-rooms of many famous designers has made it the center of Rome’s fashion world.

Duration: 3 hours