A Walking Tour Through Rome
By Karen Beishuizen
So you are visiting Rome and you just arrived at Roma Termini, the big train station.
Where do you go when you have never been to Rome before?
I can help with a walking tour that you can do without a guide.
Here we go!
You come out of the main station entrance with the glass windows and you see a square.
This is Piazza dei Cinquecento.
Cross the square and walk west and look for Viale Luigi Einaudi.
Walk along this street and you come to a roundabout that looks familiar:
Piazza della Republica
This is where Princess Anne got out of the laundry van after she escaped the embassy in “Roman Holiday”!
There is a lovely church here worth visiting:
Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri
Pass the church and look for Via Barberini.
Walk this very long street which becomes Piazza Barberini at the end.
Look for Via delle Quatro Fontane and further down this street you see something familiar again:
Palazzo Barberini which was used as The Embassy and where Princess Anne escaped from in “Roman Holiday”!
This is an art museum so if you want to visit it, by all means! It is great!
Walk back to Piazza Barberini and look for Via Sistina.
Stroll along this street till you get to the back of the world famous Spanish Steps!
You see the church Trinità dei Monti and you can walk down the steps to get to Piazza di Spagna!
Again you know this from “Roman Holiday” where Gregory Peck meets Audrey Hepburn.
When you are down at the steps, turn right, walk across the piazza and look for Via del Babuino.
Walk down here and take first street on the right (Via Alibert) and then first left:
Via Margutta
I hear you think “I know this name” and yes you do!
Gregory Peck tells the cab driver “Via Margutta 51” after he found Audrey sleeping on a bench at Forum Romanum.
Walk down Via Margutta till you get to 51 and you will recognize it instantly! This is where Gregory lived in the movie.
When you are lucky the doors are open and you can walk up the stairs and have a look around the courtyard and see Gregory’s apartment.
When you are done here, walk back to Piazza di Spagna.
Walk east this time and stroll down Via di Propoganda, cross the street at the end and look for the signs for the Trevi Fountain.
When you are at the famous fountain and looking at it, on your right you see a tiny street with bag shops and some double wooden doors.
This is Via della Stamperia where Princess Anne had her hair cut!
Now we are going to The Pantheon, another famous landmark in Roma.
Look for the signs and follow them. It’s about a 15 minute walk.
When you are in front on the Pantheon with its columns, you see the clothing store Replay to the right of it.
This location was used as Rocca’s, the cafe where Audrey and Gregory had coffee and champagne in ‘Roman Holiday”!
Now look for the signs of Castel Sant’Angelo and follow it.
You will recognize it straight away.
It is where the dance party was in “Roman Holiday”!
Have a look around because it is well worth a visit.
When you are done here, look for Via della Concilliazone: it is a big boulevard with a world famous dome at the end of it:
Yes That Is The Dome of The Vatican!
Walk around St. Peter’s Square and if you look at the Vatican and you see doors open to left on top of the stairs, just go in there. They won’t stop you.
You are inside The Vatican now and can walk around just like I did during my visits to Rome.
When you are done here, walk back the big boulevard where you came from and cross the Vittorio Emanuel II bridge and stroll down Corso Vittorio Emanuele II till the end and look for the Vittorio Emanuele II Monument.
You can’t miss it as it is this huge marble ugly thing that doesn’t fit in Rome at all.
When you are standing in front of the monument, facing it, walk around it on the right side.
You are now on Via del Teatro di Marcello.
You pass many churches and some have many stairs to climb to the top. Feel free.
The street changes into Piazza della Bocca Verita (The Mouth of Truth).
This sounds familiar right?
It’s where Audrey and Gregory stuck their hands in the lion’s mouth!
The church is well worth a visit too.
When you are done here, walk back up to the Vittorio Emanuele II monument and now walk around it on the left side.
You are now on Via dei Fori Imperiali.
You pass by the Forum Romanum which you can visit. It is fascinating!
At the end of Fori Imperali you see what you came to Rome for:
The Colosseum!
If you want to visit it, get a pass for the Colosseum and Forum Romanum. Saves you money.
When you are done here, look for Via degli Annibaldi.
Walk up and take a right on Via Cavour.
The street splits in two and you follow Via Giovanni Lanza.
Take a left on Via Merulana.
At the end you see the stunning basilica where Pope Francis is buried:
Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore
Go visit Francis’s his grave and the basilica herself. It is wonderful!
When you are done here, take Via Gioberti which leads you straight back to Termini Station.
Now you have been around Rome and have seen a lot of famous landmarks:
The Spanish Steps,
Trevi Fountain
Pantheon
Castel SantÁngelo
The Vatican
The Mouth of Truth
Forum Romanum
The Colosseum
Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore and Pope Francis’s grave.
At the end you will be like Princess Anne and say:
“Rome! By all means, Rome. I will cherish my visit here in memory as long as I live”
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