Wander the narrow, winding streets of Rome.
I am an absolute shutter bug. I love to just wander around and take photos. It’s probably the cheapest entertainment you can find while visiting a new place. That also means I have way too many photos from my four trips to Rome. Most of these photos were taken in Dec. 2016, with a few from Dec. 2011 and June 2009. (This post was written before my 2019 visit to Rome.)
When I first visit a new place, I often take a ton of pictures of the streets and architecture. Hell, I do that every time I visit a place. Wandering is the best way to truly experience a city and the local culture. If you get on one of those tour buses, you often miss a lot. Central Rome is tiny in comparison to American cities. It’s amazing how many gems you miss, if you are not paying attention to the city.
I have walked many of Central Rome’s streets and this is what I found:
One of the sites I saw everyday the last time I was Rome was the Piazza della Repubblica. This is a perfect place to set out on explorations of Rome. It has a convenient metro stop, bus stops and it’s on the road to the Roman Forum (as seen in my last Wandering Rome post).
Following Via Nazionale, it is a straight shot to the Roman Forum. It is a wonderful street full of late 19th century buildings. I absolutely love these doors.
Near the Roman Forum you will find the Victor Emanuele II Monument or what the Romans affectionately call the “wedding cake.” It houses a military museum and great views. I have never actually climbed to the top, only up the first set of stairs.
Nearby is this cool little apartment building snuggled inside a side alley.
I can’t remember where this is but this is a super cool building. Love the tower.
Piazza del Popolo is a large plaza in northern Rome near the city’s northern gate. Adjacent to the plaza is the Villa Borghese gardens with a grand overlook over the plaza. There is also a giant Egyptian obelisk here. (Featured in Wandering Rome: the Ancient City.)
The Tiber River cuts the city almost in half. Most of the attractions are south or east of the River except for a few things. On my 2016 trip, I had time to do much more exploring along the river than ever before. In the distance, you see St. Peter’s Basilica and the Ponte Sant’Angelo.
Just east of the huge Castel Sant’Angelo is the Corte di Suprema Cassazione which houses the Italian Supreme Court. I love all the detail on this building. Just so fancy.
Further down the river is the only synagogue in the city, the Tempio Maggiore di Roma.
On the opposite side of the river is the Trastevere neighborhood. While visiting Santa Maria in Trastevere, I found this gem. I love how they adapted this old tower house for modern usage.
We’ve already seen two tower houses. I found a couple more wandering the streets. I found this one block away from Piazza Navona.
Here’s another cool tower that was incorporated into the adjacent building. I love when Italians reuse old buildings. This is located somewhere not far away from Piazza Navona.
The very tiny church of Santi Bartolomeo e Alessandro at Piazza Colonna, which also features the Column of Marcus Aurelius. (Featured in Wandering Rome: the Ancient City.)
The winding streets of the medieval city is one of my favorite places to roam in Rome. Here you can find awesome tower houses, churches and feet. This is the Piè di Marmo, an ancient foot just sitting on a tiny, narrow street. This odd relic from Ancient Rome used to belong to a statue of the Egyptian goddess Isis, whose temple was nearby.
This area also features beautiful dead end streets such as this.
Or this really elaborate building built in the Tuscan style.
Even further away you can find gems like Palazzo Montecitori used by the Italian Parliament.
Even more “modern” buildings in Rome are gorgeous as well, like this building near Santa Maria Maggiore.
Apparently I took three pictures on different days of this same balcony on Via Cavour near San Pietro in Vincoli.
Rome is full of fountains. The Quatrro Fontane (Four Fountains) are late Renaissance fountains located on each corner of an intersection. This one is said to represent the River Tiber.
Not far away is the famous Fountain of Moses or the Fontana dell’Acqua Felice. It was built by Pope Sixtus V in 1585. He restored old Roman aqueducts to bring fresh water into the city. This fountain marked the end of the Acqua Felice. It was the first monumental wall fountain in Rome since antiquity.
You can’t go to Rome without seeing the famous Trevi Fountain. This is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and the most visited. Finished in 1762, it marks the end of the Acqua Vergine, one of the old restored aqueducts. This picture was taken on Christmas Eve 2016.
I have visited Rome twice over Christmas (A must do!). The following pictures were taken in 2011 and 2016. It was a bit rainy on Christmas Eve 2011 so many people were not out and about. It was completely different in 2016. It was warm, dry evening. I loved all the Christmas decorations out and the festival atmosphere.
The best time to see the crowded Spanish Steps is a rainy evening apparently. There was no one out and about here in 2011.
I love this picture of Piazza Barberini. Bernini’s Fountain of Triton and the more modern hotel behind it all lit up for Christmas.
Last but not least, is one of my favorite photos from Rome. This was actually a random shot I took the first time I visited and it turned out awesome. I didn’t even notice the guy sitting there, just that there was a hidden old garden behind.
Rome is absolute fantastic place to go explore. Skip the tour buses (that have very limited range), the bus and the metro and just walk around. The city is a lot smaller than you think.
Explore the breathtaking churches of Rome in my next post in the Wandering Rome series..
This is why I love Italy. There’s always something amazing around every corner.