Piazzas and Highlights of the Campus Martius Part 2

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Length: 1.4 miles / 2.3 km
Duration: 1-3 hours

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Overview: Beyond the most famous places in Rome there are some quiet places with fewer tourists. This tour will guide you through cute ancient streets before ending at the popular Piazza Navona.

You may also want to take a look at part one of the Campus Martius tour to see the more popular attractions such as the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain.

The Campuis Martius ("Field of Mars" in English or "Campo Marzio" in Italian) was an area of ancient Rome covering about two square kilometers. During Roman times, the area was outside the city walls, but was eventually filled with buildings. By the Middle Ages it had become one of the most populated areas in Rome. Today it is filled with many popular tourist destinations such as the Piazza Navona, and Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and others.

During the Middle Ages, barbarian invasions cut the water source to the aqueducts leading into the center of the city, forcing the population to abandon the surrounding hills and to congregate in the Campus Martius. Since it is near the Vatican, the area became the most crowded part of Rome in the Middle Ages, with plenty of pilgrims bringing wealth to the inhabitants.

Rome's architecture has been influenced by Roman emperors (for 1,300 years) as well as Christian popes (for 300 hundreds years). Due to the Campus Martius' location, about half way between the Vatican and the center of ancient Rome, it is filled with treasures with both Roman and Christian times.

The letters SPQR written on the Roman monuments stand for Senatus Populusque Romanus ("The Senate and Roman People"), symbolizing the Roman republic and the power that is shared between the senate and the people. According to legend, the senate was founded with the city in 753 B.C. by the first king of Rome, Romulus, and 100 of his friends. Senate members were always patricians (nobles) and direct family relatives of these 100 original senators.

Tips: With traffic jams and sparse subway stations, traveling by bus, taxi or subway is not ideal in this area. The best way to see this area is on foot, so grab a good pair of walking shoes and hit the streets.

Points of Interest

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Piazza Venezia

Start your tour in the large square of the Piazza Venezia, named after the Palazzo Venezia, the former embassy of the Republic of Venice.

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Chiesa del Gesù Church

The Chiesa del Gesu is the mother church of the Jesuits, founded in 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola as a reaction against the theories of the Protestant reformers (such as Luther and Calvin). The atypical style of the front is a precursor of the famous Baroque style.

Luxurious decoration were added to the interior 100 years after St. Ignatius of Loyola during the 17th century.

The giant fresco ("Triumph of the Name of Jesus") on the ceiling was painted by Baciccia in 1679. This trompe l'oeil (optical illusion that makes the depicted objects appear in three dimensions) is one of the most famous Baroque-style paintings.

In the middle of the church on the left you will find the St. Ignatius Chapel, designed by A. Pozzo between 1696 and 1700. The lapis lazuli representing the earth is thought to be the largest piece in the world. The statue of the saint is actually a copy, as Pope Pius VI had the original silver statue melted down to pay war reparations to Napoleon.

During daytime the statue of St. Ignatius is hidden behind a painting, but every day at 5:30pm the painting slides away to reveal the statue.

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Area Sacra del Largo Arentina

This cute, small place contains Roman remnants that are among the oldest of the city and were not discovered until 1929. This place was busy during ancient times as it was surrounded by two theaters and the baths of Agrippa and Saepta.

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Via dei Chiavari

Be sure to check out this old medieval street. Do not miss the passage depicted on the picture--without a doubt the best and most romantic way to access the market of the Campo dei Fiori.

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The Piazza Campo de' Fiori

Until the 13th century, this area was an unused space between Pompey's Theatre and the Tiber until the Orsini established themselves here during the 13th century. Nevertheless, the square remained a wild field until the 15th century.

In 1456 Cardinal Trevisani paved the area, triggering its development. During the 16th century it was a seedy place surrounded by bars, one of which--the Hostaria della Vacca--was owned by Vanozza Cattanei (1442-1518), the mistress of Pope Alexander VI (with whom she raised four children).

The statue in the middle of the piazza commemorates the execution of the Franciscan monk Giordano Bruno, who was burned.

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Piazza and Palazzo Farnese

The Palazzo Farnese was built in 1534 by Pope Paul III, a member of the Farnese family.

Since 1635, the building has been the embassy of France and has received plenty of famous people, including Gen. de Gaulle in 1959, the French poet Joachim du Bellay in 1553, who wrote "les Antiquités de Rome," and the queen of Sweden in 1655. The difference between the architecture of the first and second/third floor is due to a change of architect. The famous Michelangelo built the second and third floors. Unfortunately, it is not possible to go inside this building.

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Piazza della Cancelleria

This small palace was built between 1483-1513 by Pope Sixtus IV; the building still belongs to the Vatican and is not open to visitors.

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Piazza Navona

The Piazza Navona is a large public square surrounded by stores and restaurants and one of the more crowded areas in the city. It was built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian (which was built in the first century), which was the home of athletic games for many years. The circus (circle or ring) was surrounded by bars and packed with prostitutes to entertain the Romans as they watched the games. Women slaves were exhibited entirely naked, but higher-class prostitutes had private halls with paintings at the entrance depicting them.

The piazza seen today was built in the 16th century. At the end of the piazza you will find the ancient "speaking" statue. Erected in 1501, Romans could leave lampoons attached to the statue.

Pope Innocent X decided to build the central fountain, the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of Four Rivers) in 1651 and chose Bernini to design it. The fountain represents the Nile, the Ganges, the Danaube and the Rio de la Plata.