Completed in 1762, the Trevi Fountain stands as a grand example of Baroque art and architecture in Rome. The design by Nicola Salvi features an impressive scene from mythology. At the center is Neptune, the god of the sea, surrounded by two Tritons. One Triton struggles to control a wild sea-horse, while the other has a calm creature by his side. This display symbolizes the changing moods of the world’s oceans.
The site of the Trevi Fountain was not chosen by chance. It marks the endpoint of the ancient Aqua Virgo aqueduct, which was built in 19 BCE to supply water to the Baths of Agrippa. The name “Trevi” comes from its location at the meeting of three roads, an important spot in the city for centuries.
Many people visit the Trevi Fountain to take part in a special tradition. According to legend, anyone who throws a coin into the fountain will one day return to Rome. This custom has inspired visitors for generations. Coins are tossed with the right hand over the left shoulder, and each throw is said to bring a different kind of luck: one coin means a return to Rome, two coins can lead to romance, and three coins promise marriage in the city.
The Trevi Fountain has had its moments of fame on the big screen. The 1954 movie "Three Coins in the Fountain" and the unforgettable scene in Federico Fellini’s "La Dolce Vita" have both helped make the fountain famous around the world. The coins collected from the fountain are put to good use, as they are regularly gathered to support local charities.
Today, the Trevi Fountain is one of Rome’s most visited attractions. The square around the fountain is much smaller than St. Peter’s Square, so it often fills up quickly with crowds. With so many people gathering in a small area, visitors are reminded to be careful and keep an eye on their belongings, as the fountain area is also known for pickpocketing.
Source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevi_Fountain
A lovely, if somewhat run-down park (parts of it are blocked due to the poor state of the roads) with statues and a great view on the city.
Like Pasquino, the Facchino is one the so-called "speaking figures" which are peculiar to Rome. He is looking out of the Banco di Roma building. The man depicted is holding a barrel in his hands and is carrying water. It is sometimes said that he is looking similar to Martin Luther, but more probably a porter who died while carrying a barrel is depicted here.
This palace of the 16th century was erected by the famous Medici family. It was the residence of Cardinals Giovanni and Giuliano Medici, later Pope Leo X. and Clement VII. Catherine de Medici, Pope Clement VII's niece lived here until her marriage in 1553 with Prince Henry, the son of King Francis I of France. The palace is named after Madama Margerita of Austria, the illegitimate daughter of Emperor Charles V. Since 1871 it has been the seat of the Italian Senate.
The museum is dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte and his family. After Napoleon's death in 1821 the Pope gave permission to his family to settle down in Rome. His sister married Prince Camillo Borghese.
The Ghetto lies between the island in the River Tiber and the Theatre of Marcellus and includes Rome’s synagogue. It was established in 1555 as a result of a Papal Bull by Pope Paul IV that required all Jews to live in the area, considered one of the least desirable quarters of the city, as it was subject to constant flooding by the river. The area was originally enclosed by walls and gates that were only open during the day. With the end of the Papal States in 1870, the requirement that Jews live in the Ghetto came to an end. The walls were torn down in 1888 and much of the ghetto was demolished. However, there is still much to see, including walls of buildings that incorporate Roman ruins, and there are several good Jewish restaurants.
On the other side of the Via dei Fori Imperiali to the Roman Forum. Well-preserved market area that doubled as a way of stopping the Quirinal Hill from collapsing. Below in the Forum is Trajan's Column, built in 113 with reliefs depicting the Emperor Trajan's vistories in battle.
Perhaps the most fascinating building in Rome. The core of the structure began life as the mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian, built between 135 and 139 AD. Subsequent strongholds built on top of the mausoleum were in turn incorporated into a residence and castle by medieval Popes. The building was used as a prison until 1870 but now houses a museum. Opera buffs will be exhilarated to visit the balcony from which Tosca leaps to her death. Film buffs will recognise it as a setting from Angels and Demons.
On top of the Capitoline hill. The piazza was designed by Michelangelo. The Capitoline Museum is housed in the palaces flanking the piazza. You can walk behind the Palazzo Senatorio, where Rome's government meets, to a wonderful viewpoint which overlooks the entire Roman Forum. In the centre of the square you can admire an exact copy of the Statue of Marcus Aurelius on horseback; the original is kept in one of the two museums, to preserve it from pollution.
An ethnographic collection of around 60,000 pieces from European indigenous cultures. Documents evolution from the Palaeolithic age to the Iron Age.
This impressive villa covers 23 hectares. It can be accessed from the Via Appia Nuova (Bus 118) or through Via Appia Antica 251. Parts can be seen from the Appian Way at around the 5th mile just after No 251. The villa was built by Maximus and Condinus Quintilii. The emperor Commudus liked it so much that he put the brothers to death in 182 AD and took it for himself. A museum has friezes and sculptures from the villa. The nypheum, the tepidarium and the baths may also be visited. At Appia Antica 251 is Santa Maria Nova, a farmhouse that has undergone many reincarnations since being built on top of a Roman cistern that was probably used by Villa dei Quintilii.
Beautiful park, the 2nd largest in Rome (after Villa Doria Pamphili) at 450 acres/182 hectares. Hosts concerts on summer evenings. former summer residence of Italian monarchs. Also known for it's bunker.
A 19th-century addition to the square, made to balance the Fontana del Moro.
If it is sunny, you'll catch a few young people and older gentlemen sitting at the base of a statue in the middle of the open space. The statue is a brooding, hooded Giordano Bruno—an excommunicated Dominican monk and one of the earliest cosmologists who held the idea of an infinite universe. He was burnt at the stake for heresy on this spot on 17 February 1600. The piazza is used as a marketplace during the day, and party central for college students and tourists at night. When the sky gets dark and the street lamps go on, the Campo de' Fiori fills with people and lovers wander arm in arm in the crowd. Over the buzzing of conversation and the occasional burst of laughter you may hear a young vocalist belt out O Sole Mio at the top of his lungs as change plunks into his accordion case.
In the Middle Ages pilgrims on their way to St. Peter's had to pass through the Via dei Coronari in order to cross the Tiber at Ponte St. Angelo. The street got its name from the people who sold rosaries to the pilgrims. It follows the ancient Via Recta which led from what is today Piazza Colonna to the Tiber. In the 15th century Pope Sixtus IV initiated the construction of private buildings. Today, several houses dating back to the 15th and 16th century may be seen. House nr. 156/157 is said to have been the House of Fiametta, the mistress of Cesare Borgia.
According to an inscription Emperor Augustus dedicated the obelisk to the sun in the 11th year of his consulate (10BC), after he had annexed Egypt to Rome. The obelisk is 24 m high. It was erected in Heliopolis in Egypt and was dedicated to Pharao Sethos I (1313-1292 BC) and Pharoa Ramses II (1292-1275 BC). Augustus brought the obelisk to the Circus Maximus, where it was rediscovered in 1587, broken into three pieces and was relocated to Piazze del Popolo on the orders of Pope Sixtus V in 1589.