Bolsenatravel.com is your guide in Rome – Part I

Bolsenatravel.com invites you to discover Rome – the Eternal City – that is only 2 hours away from Bolsena Lake.

Bolsenatravel.com recommends you to start your journey with a long walk in the old town along the historic Via del Corso. On Via del Corso you will discover the fascinating beauty and the unique historical heritage of Rome.

Bolsenatravel.com is in Piazza del Popolo

Bolsenatravel.com recommends you to start your tour in the beautiful Piazza del Popolo in front of the Lyons Fountain crated by the architect Giseppe Valadier. In the middle of the fountain you can admire the ancient Egyptian Obelisk brought by the Romans. Piazza del Popolo is the heart beat of the Italian people. Here the people gather for protests, to attend concerts or to start the marathons.

Bolsenatravel.com is in Piazza di Spagna

As you take a walk from Piazza del Popolo on via del Corso, take the left street to Piazza di Spagna with its marvelous Spanish Stairs. The Roman architect Francisco de Santis created the Spanish Stairs that are the meeting place of the Romans.

In the upper end of the Spanish Stairs you will notice the beautiful church Trinita del Monti built in 1495. In the center of Piazza di Spagna you can admire the beautiful fountain Barcaccia, the masterpiece of Pietro Bernini.

Barcaccia fountain reminds us of the flooding of river Tevere. During the flooding the high waters pushed the boats on Tevere river near the church Trinita de Monti.

Bolsenatravel.com recommends Il Vero Alfredo Restaurant

We recommend you to have a delicious lunch in the historical restaurant Il Vero Alfredo, where you can enjoy the famous Fettuccine all’ Alfredo.

Take the right side street from Via del Corso after GAP store and you will get to Il Vero Alfredo in Piazza Augusto Imperatore.

The restaurant Il Vero Alfredo is famous since 1920 when the famous couple of American actors Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks gave Alfredo the golden cutlery. The most famous guests ate with the golden cutlery: the fulcrum of the Roman sweet life.

The “Il Vero Alfredo” restaurant housed the most famous personalities of the world: Kirk Douglas, Silvester Stalone, Sofia Loren, Yves Montand, Shirley McLain, Ringo Star, Pele, Liz Taylor, John Wayne, Dean Martin, Jack Lemon, the Spanish Royal Family and the Swedish Royal Family.

Enjoy the delicious Fettuccine all’Alfredo and let us know your opinion in the comments. Buon Appetito!

Piazza Colonna

From Il Vero Alfredo you can return to via del Corso and walk in the direction of Piazza Venezia. As you walk, on the right hand side you will notice Piazza Colonna with the imposing marble column of 30 m high dedicated to the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The column stands here since AD 193 and is decorated with bas-reliefs that celebrate the victory of the Emperor in the Marcomannic Wars.

The original bas-reliefs of the column were lost during the restoration in 1589 and the statue of Marcus Aurelius was replaced with Saint Paul’s statue.

A beautiful marble fountain by Giaccomo della Porta stands in the centre of the Piazza. The fountain depicts marble dolphins in the water.

Bolsenatravel.com is at Fontana di Trevi

Follow us on via del Corso and after a while take the left hand side to Fontana di Trevi, the most romantic and famous fountain in Rome. Fontana di Trevi is a masterpiece of Italian baroque by Nicola Salvi. It depicts Neptune in a shell shaped chariot ridden by seahorses and tritons.

Fontana di Trevi covers the entire facade of a building and became internationally famous due to the movies: Three Coins in the Fountain in 1954 and La Dolce Vita in 1960. In La Dolce Vita the main characters were bathing in the fountain in the night.

Fontana di Trevi has a legend saying that if you stand with your back to the fountain and throw a coin in the water with your right hand over the left shoulder you will surely come back to Rome.

Another legend says that if you throw a coin in the fountain and you make a wish, your wish will surely come true.

I personally verified both legends of the Fontana di Trevi and I can say they both were true.

Palazzo Colonna

In the neighborhood of Fontana di Trevi you can admire the amazing Palazzo Colonna dating back to 13 century. Colonna became an imposing baroque Palace in 1600 and the majestic Gallery Colonna was constructed. The Gallery has 76 m in length and hosts the Art Collections of the Colonna family including masterpieces painted by Italian and foreign artists between XV and XVI century. The Art Collection includes famous paintings by Ghirlandaio, Bronzino, Tintoretto, Cortona, Carracci, Guercino, Veronese, Pinturicchio and other famous painters.

You can visit Palazzo Colonna every Saturday between 9 am and 1:15 pm. The entrance is from Via della Pilotta 17.

Bolsenatravel.com recommends you Palazzo Doria Pamphilj

On the right side of Via del Corso you can admire the aristocratic 16th century Palazzo Doria Pamphilj. Palazzo Doria Pamphilj is in rococo style and is the biggest palace in Rome in private ownership. You can visit the palace that hosts an incredible collection of Caravaggio paintings, medieval and Byzantine art. After you visit the palace we recommend you to relax and have a coffee in the Coffeeshop of the Palace. In the Coffeeshop you can admire more Caravaggio paintings and the beautiful water fountain with dolphin.

Pantheon

As you continue your walk from Palazzo Doria Pamphilj to Piazza Venezia, on the right hand side you can walk to the Pantheon.

Pantheon is the oldest and best preserved building in Rome. It was a temple dedicated to all Gods. Pantheon was built by Emperor Hadrian between 118 AD – 125 AD on the remains of the temple of Agrippa.

În 609 AD the Pope transformed the Roman temple in a Christian church named Santa Maria ad Martyrs. He transferred here 28 chariots with the bones of anonymous martyrs from the catacombs of Rome.

The cupola of the Pantheon is a masterpiece of ancient architecture in the shape of a semi-sphere. The cupola is made of concrete with no support structure. The weight of the cupola decreases as the hight increases. The circular opening of the cupola called Oculus is the only window of the Pantheon that illuminates the interior. The oculus makes the cupola lighter, has a spiritual significance and is a solar clock.

The Pantheon shelters several tombs of important personalities of Italian society such as: Vittorio Emanuele II, Umberto I, Rafael Sanzio and Annibale Carracci.