Girls
dig out your cropped pants & shades a la Audrey Hepburn for we are off on
our very own Roman Holiday - ideally this will take place any weekend in June
Friday
We start at the Forum/Colosseum
– No need to purchase tickets for Forum/Colosseum
as from a ‘Roman Holiday’ point of view all is visible from outside. However if
you would like to view both in more depth then make sure that you purchase your
tickets from the Forum entrance on Via dei Fori Imperiale as the queue will be
much shorter. If you are not purchasing tickets then make your starting point
Piazza del Campidoglio . Walk up
Michelangelo’s great staircase & admire his geometric paving & building
facades. Walk towards the gap between
the centre building (Palazzo Senatorio) & the right hand building
(Palazzo del Campidoglio). Carry on walking to see an amazing view of the Forum
opening up in front of you. Retrace your steps in front of Palazzo Senatorio
& take the road on the other side (Via di San Pietro in Carcere) for a good
view of the Arch of Septimius Severus. It was on a stone bench with the arch in the background where Joe
Bradley & Princess Ann first met.
Continue downVia dei Fori Imperiale for an exterior view of the Colosseum
Assuming it is now lunchtime you could take a
break at Nerone, Via delle Terme di Tito 96 (Tel 06 474 5207)
Once you are refreshed resume walking uphill along Viale
del Monte Oppio until you reach Via Merulana. You will see the Museum of
Oriental Art, also known as Palazzo Brancaccio. Several rooms in this Palazzo
were filmed as the interior of Princess Ann’s Embassy notably he Baroque room
where the Reception ball was held. Romantics amongst you might like to know
that you can get married here!
Time
for a gelato. Take a ten minute walk from here to Fassi Gelateria, Via Principe
Eugenio 65. Also known as Palazzo del Freddo this is one of the oldest
gelaterias in Italy & the place to try a classic gelato. I can recommend
limone!
Maybe now you are ready for some ‘down time’. Vittorio Emanuele
is your closest metro station or take a bus to Termini to connect all over the
city.
Be ready for your 8.00pm date with a vintage Vespa (or
Fiat 500 for the faint hearted!) A three hour escorted city tour follows. See Nerone Tours for details.
Well , it wouldn’t be a Roman Holiday itinerary without a Vespa ride now would
it!?
Saturday
First
stop this morning is Palazzo Colonna.( Piazza dei Santi Apostoli, 53-66 - Via
della Pilotta, 17www.galleriacolonna.it
)
The
entrance fee to the palazzo includes a chance to see the Sala Grande where Princess Ann meets the press in Roman Holiday. Indeed, in a small room before you reach the Grand Hall
you will see that very scene played on a flat screen TV. Note how the production
team very cleverly hide the cannonball embedded in one of the steps!
Walk towards Piazza Venezia & then along Via
Teatro di Marcello to Bocca della Verita also known as the Mouth of Truth,
situated in the portico of Santa Maria in Cosemedin (15-20 minute walk or you
could take bus 81 or 628 from Piazza Venezia ) This is the location of one of the most famous scenes in the film. Supposedly
Audrey Hepburn was genuinely surprised when Gregory Peck pretended to lose his
hand as it wasn’t scripted that way .
Head off in the direction of Via
San Teodoro to the Farmers Market and pick up supplies for a picnic lunch which may be
supplemented by cake or pastries from Cristalli di
Zucchero at the end of Via di San Teodoro (near Via dei Cerchi )
Take your provisions & enjoy lunch in the
delightful surroundings of the Municipal
Rose Garden (off Piazzale Ugo La Malfa)– a feast for all your
senses. Look out for ‘Audrey Hepburn’ – a light pink tea rose. It may not be
included in the planting but you will see many gorgeous rose bushes whilst
searching!
Refreshed,
begin your climb up the Aventine hill at Via Valle Murcia, continiuing on Via
di Santa Sabina until you reach the Giardini degli Aranci (orange garden) Walk
to the terrace at the end of the garden & take in the magnificent view that
is before you.
One
more surprise awaits before you descend
for a well earned gelato. Continue on to the Piazza Cavalieri di Malta where
you should peek through the keyhole in the green door. Before your very eyes is
St Peter’s Basilica framed by a line of trees – perfect!
Retrace
your steps on to Via Santa Sabina, turning right on to Via Raimondo da Capua
then make your way down to Piazza San Prisca. Head towards Via Fonte di Fauno
then take a right on to Via Licinia. Carry on to Viale Aventino & when you
reach there use the crossing to the other side of the road where you will find
Il Gelato di Claudio Torce (Viale Aventino 59) Time to indulge in a well earned
treat.
Carry
on along Viale Aventino until you reach the Circo Massimo metro station. Take
the metro to Barberini (you will need to change at Termini).
As you exit at
Barberini feast your eyes on Bernini’s wonderful Triton fountain. If you look
closely you will see bees make up part of the sculpture . The bee is a
Barberini family symbol.
Head upwards on
Via delle Quattro Fontaine. Very soon you will see a familiar sight from the
film – Palazzo Barberini or in the land of make believe Princess Ann’s Embassy.
Exterior shots only which of course you
now know as we saw Palazzo Brancaccio yesterday. If you have time Palazzo
Barberini is well worth a visit. It contains works by among others, Caravaggio,
Raphael, Titian & Canaletto. The ceiling frescoes are magnificent
especially in the Grand Salon where those bees make an appearance again. If you are
short of time & not able to visit
the interior do try to get a glimpse of the gardens, entrance to which are free. Enter gardens through the grand gates; pass
underneath the building, up a long ramp to the terraces beyond.After enjoying the sights and scents of the garden carry on along Via delle Quattro
Fontaine until you reach the crossroads of the four fountains. Turn right on to
Via del Quirinale and continue on to Piazza del Quirinale. The Quirinale Palace is the home of the Italian
President. Look across the road and you will see the Palazzo della Consulta
which was the site of the police station where Princess Ann & Joe Bradley
were taken after the vespa ride through the city. If you watch carefully in the
film you will see glimpses of the fountain & obelisk in Piazza
del Quirinale
.
Cross
to the right hand corner of the Piazza and take the steps down on to Via
Scalone. Turn left on to Via Lavatore which will bring you to the Trevi fountain
. After you have thrown in your coins to ensure that you will return to Rome,
check out the leather shop at Via Stamperia 65. This was the location of the
barber shop where Princess Ann had a short trendy hair cut. Retrace your steps
in front of the fountain and take Via Muratte which leads to the Via del Corso
from where you can catch a bus to many parts of the city.By now you will be
ready for ‘down time’ in preparation for your final day of Roman Holiday
sightseeing
Sunday
After admiring the
Barcaccia fountain at the foot of the Spanish Steps in Piazza di Spagna take
Via del Babuino & look for Via Margutta on the right hand side. No 51 is
where Joe Bradley has his very small apartment (Princess Ann ‘Is this
the elevator?’ – Joe ‘This is my ROOM!’) You may be lucky enough to peer into
the courtyard itself if the wide wooden gates are open. Via Margutta is a lovely
street in itself with many art & antique shops. Ron in Rome has a really good article on this. Be sure to fill up your
water bottle in the fountain of the artists, so called as it has a pot of
paintbrushes on the top to reflect the crafts in the neighbourhood.
Continue along Via Margutta to Piazza del Popolo.
After admiring this amazing Piazza take the steps on the right hand side
upwards to Viale Trinita dei Monti. Enjoy strolling along and admiring the
views over the rooftops of Rome. Eventually you will come to Cafe Ciampini. Now
you could stop for coffee but an even better idea would be take out gelato
which you could enjoy, as Princess Ann did, whilst descending the Spanish Steps.
Head along Via Condotti, window shopping as you go, until you reach Via del Corso. Turn left & keep
walking until you reach Galleria
Alberto Sordi – you can’t miss this upmarket Art Nouveau shopping arcade but
our interest is that this is where the headquarters of the American News
Service Office in Rome was filmed – Joe reports to Mr Hennessey here. Look out
of the window whilst watching the film & see the column of Marcus Aurelius.
Cross the road and you will see the column up close & personal. Make your
way to the Pantheon. En route you may wish to purchase a Roman Holiday Calendar
from one of the many stores on the way – a fitting souvenir I think!
Take time to visit the
Pantheon. It is worth it for the oculus alone – such a magnificent building
& so amazing that it still stands after so many centuries.
We are here
because this is the location of
Rocca’s cafe. Princess Ann drinks champagne but I suggest we walk a
short distance to Enoteca Spiriti on Via Sant’Eustachio & drink
Franciacorta. This is made by the same method as champagne but it is Italian!
Almost time for lunch
but before we take a well earned rest let us cross the Corso del Rinascimento
& head for Piazza Navonna. Admire Bernini’s fountains & take in the
atmosphere of this busy Piazza then take Via di Pasquini which leads to Piazza
di Pasquini & our lunch spot – Cul de Sac. If you take a seat outside you
will be able to see Pasquini himself on the corner opposite – one of Rome’s
famous talking statues.
Suitably refreshed continue walking along Via dei
Governo Vecchio until you reach the Torre dell’ Orologio. This bell tower will
seem familiar to you as it is the one that Joe sees every morning from his
apartment – strange as it is right across the city from Via Margutta. That is
the magic of film making!
Continue along Via di Banchi Nuovi until you reach Ponte Sant’Angelo
lined with beautiful angels designed by Bernini. . There is Castel
Sant’Angelo before you – the background to the barge scene.
Hopefully you will
be returning here later but now you have a choice. You can return to your
hotel/apartment for ‘down time’ or you could walk over the bridge and along Via
di Conciliazone to St Peters Basilica.
Either way, once it starts to get dark make your way back to the banks of the Tiber. If you have timed your visit right Lungo il Tevere will be taking place where stalls are set up along the riverbank selling all manner of food & drink. Not quite dancing on a barge but atmospheric all the same and a fitting way to end our Roman Holiday
Almost time for lunch
but before we take a well earned rest let us cross the Corso del Rinascimento
& head for Piazza Navonna. Admire Bernini’s fountains & take in the
atmosphere of this busy Piazza then take Via di Pasquini which leads to Piazza
di Pasquini & our lunch spot – Cul de Sac. If you take a seat outside you
will be able to see Pasquini himself on the corner opposite – one of Rome’s
famous talking statues. 
.