Rome: East of the Via del Corso and the Quirinal

Victor Emmanuel Monument, whose Winged Victories
let tourists all over Italy know where to find free restrooms.

The Via del Corso is the straightest and widest street in central Rome, probably because it was laid out by the ancient Romans. It runs from the Capitoline Hill (now the site of the Victor Emmanuel monument) to the northern city gates (now the Piazza del Popolo), with the Campus Martius on the west side of the street. According to Goethe's Italian Journeys, the was used for riderless horse-races during the Roman Carnival in early 19th-century Rome, hence the name "Corso" (race-course). Because of its size, the street today is home to many large chain stores and is a major artery for foot traffic through north-central Rome. Therefore, what's interesting isn't the street itself but what's on the side streets on the eastern side of the Corso.

Spanish Steps.

One of the side streets leads to the Piazza di Spagna and the Spanish Steps, immortalized in countless photographs and movies (Roman Holiday and The Talented Mr. Ripley to name just two). This is one of the most touristy parts of Rome because everyone has to see the steps for some reason. It was amazingly crowded when we visited on the first day and, since we hadn't gotten used to the street-vendors by that point, we were hustled into buying some roses. While the process of buying them was annoying, at least I bought my wife flowers on our honeymoon!

Trevi Fountain.

Another side street leads to the Trevi Fountain, the biggest and one of the most famous fountains in a city full of them. (Incidentally, Lisa and I greatly appreciated the many free public drinking fountains located throughout the city, very unlike anywhere we've been in France where finding free drinking water is nearly impossible! These numerous fountains are largely due to the fact that Rome has had an amazingly well-functioning and ample supply of water for thousands of years. Except, you know, when the barbarians destroyed the aqueducts in the early Middle Ages!) Like the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain is one of the "must-see" tourist stops for some reason and the day we went was like any other. The piazza was crowded with tourists looking at the fountain and taking pictures. This means that, unlike my first stay in Rome, we were unable to get close enough to the fountain to throw in a coin which supposedly guarantees that one will return to Rome. I think we'll be okay, though.

Barberini Fountain. Click to
enlarge so you can see the bees!

I also took Lisa to see another fountain east of the Via del Corso in the Piazza Barberini, the Fontana del Tritone. This was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII, a member of the Barberini family, and carried out by the famous sculptor Bernini. The fountain is quite lovely, but the main reason I wanted to show it to Lisa is because it includes the Barberini coat of arms and part of that is a series of three bees, one of Lisa's favorite animals.

Marble inset from San Andrea--the
only image we've seen in a church
where someone is holding a mirror!

While walking from here back towards the Piazza Venezia, we walked along one side of the Presidential Palace on the Quirinal Hill and stopped in the church of San Andrea al Quirinale. It was a lovely little round church, but we had not studied up on the Secret Rome book we had been lent and so (apparently) missed the best parts of the church: the sacristy, the relics of St. Stanislas Kostka, and a black-and-white marble statue of the saint on his deathbed. Let this be a lesson to you: read guidebooks in advance!

The Anglican Church even had the requisite kneelers
cross-stitched by church ladies!

Another church we visited east of the Corso was the Anglican All Saints Church, mainly because I know Lisa enjoys visiting Anglican and Episcopal churches when she has the chance. As we entered the church, I had a strange feeling that I had been there before, and then it hit me. I had been there before, during my time at the Centro! The church is very close to the Italian national academy for opera singers and the students regularly perform opera pieces (without all the sets and costumes, of course) in the church. Early in my time at the Centro, a number of us had gone to the church to see a student production of the highlights of Verdi's La Traviata - but I had no idea it was in the Anglican Church until I returned there! At any rate, the church was unlike the many Catholic churches we saw, which is understandable. There was a lot less marble, a lot more wood, and a more English Gothic feel (rather than an Italian Baroque feel) to it.

Between the church and the Corso, we passed an English-language bookstore (The Lion Bookstore) and decided to stop in. As Lisa commented to the cashier (a nice British fellow about our age), we've really missed browsing in English bookstores here, something we didn't realize till we were there. I picked up a copy of some of Joseph Conrad's shorter fiction which was heavily discounted as part of a moving sale. The cashier was very pleasant and in fact, on our last morning in Rome, before heading to the airport, we were wandering near the Campo de' Fiori again when we ran into him on his bike. He stopped and said hello, asked how much longer we were staying, wished us a safe trip, and invited us to come back to the store next time we're in Rome (although we'll have to figure out where it's moving, since he wasn't sure himself where they'd be going!). He was another in a line of very friendly and welcoming residents of Rome who helped make our time there so enjoyable.

Bonus picture: The Last Supper alla Barbie (seen near the
Print Fair).