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ITINERARY 11 - Church of the Gesù, church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, Contemporary Gallery of Modern Art, Campo de' Fiori, Monument to Giordano Bruno, Palazzo Farnese, Via Giulia.

We now visit the church of the Gesù, which we can reach from Piazza Venezia by taking the Via del Plebiscito until we come to the Piazza del Gesù on which the church stands. Begun by Vignola in the mid-16th century, it presents a wide and handsome facade by Giacomo della Porta. The Gesù, mother church of the Jesuits, has a beautiful interior sumptuously decorated with frescoes, stuccoes, bronzes and polychrome marbles; again, the basic design is by Vignola. Particularly important and very spectacular is the fresco of the vault ovar the nave, representing the Triumph of the Name of Jesus, by Baciccia (Giovan Battista Gaulli), who was also responsible for the frescoes in the dome and chancel. In the left transept is the Chapel of St.Ignatius of Loyola, the richly decorated monument to the founder of the Jesuits, a late 17th century work by Andrea Pozzo. From the Gesù we continue along the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, the wide thoroughfare swept through the city in 1881, and so arrive in the Largo di Torre Argentina, the large square in which have been excavated the remains of the Area Sacra, at one time the centre of the Campus Martius. The archeological excavations which explored the site in the early years of the 20th century revealed one of the most interesting monumental complexes of Republican Rome, consisting of four temples, of which one is circular; their identification is uncertain. Further ahead, on the Corso Vittorio, is the Piazza S.Andrea della Valle, dominated by the church of the same name. Begun in the late 16th century by Grimaldi and Giacomo della Porta, it was later completed by Carlo Maderno, who also designed the large 17th century dome. In the mid-17th century Carlo Rainaldi made alterations to the building, and gave it a sumptuous and imposing appearance especially by the addition of the facade. The church contains the tombs of the Piccolomini Popes (Pius II and Pius III), transferred here from St.Peters, and also magnificent frescoes by Domenichino. Continuing along the Corso Vittorio, we see to the right the Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne, built by Peruzzi in c.1530; the building presents a curving rusticated facade pierced by elegant windows. Its courtyard, embellished with ancient statues and other antiquities, is of some interest. Just after it is the church of San Pantaleo on the piazza of the same name, erected in 1216 but reconstructed in a later period. To one side of the piazza stands the Palazzo Braschi, the seat of the Museum of Rome since 1952; it contains interesting collections of art relating to the history of the city from medieval to modern times. The third floor of the building houses the Contemporary Gallery of Modern Art, in which a rich collection of works by Roman artists of the 19th century is displayed. Crossing over to the other side of the Corso Vittorio we see the Palazzetto della Piccola Farnesina, an elegant 16th century town house which now houses the Barracco Museum (ancient sculptures), the donation of Baron G.Barracco. It is followed by the Palazzo della Cancelleria, built in the Renaissance style, according to some by Bramante, who was probably the architect of the magnificent courtyard. Adjacent is the church of San Lorenzo in Damaso; a church with very ancient origins, it was restored by Valadier in the early 19th century. From the piazza in frontof the church we can enter the Campo de Fiori, a piazza notorius for the sentences of death that were carried out in it and that drew crowds of spectators. Today it is the site of a lively and picturesque fruit and vegetable market. At the centre of the piazza stands the bronze monument to Giordano Bruno, the well-known philosopher who was burnt here as a heretic in 1600. Turning into Via della Corda, we now reach the harmonious Piazza Farnese, decorated by twin fountains by Rainaldi (the huge granite tubs come from the Baths of Caracalla) and dominated by the 16th century Palazzo Farnese. Begun by Antonio Sangallo, it was continued by Michelangelo and completed by Giacomo della Porta. Its majestic facade topped by a magnificent cornice decorated with the Farnese lilies is by Michelangelo. The palace is entered through Antonio Sangallo barrel-vaulted atrium, which leads into the courtyard containing two sarcophagi from the Baths of Caracalla and the Tomb of Cecilia Metella. On the first floor is the Gallery frescoed by Annibale Carracci assisted by his brother and by Domenichino. The sumptuous Salon, occupying two floors of the palace in height, is decorated with a handsome coffered ceiling and tapestry, reproduction of Raphael frescoes; also of interest are Guglielmo della Porta two sculptures of Peace and Abundance. Another room in the palace (the Sala dei Fasti Farnesiani) has magnificent frescoes by Salviati and Zuccari celebrating the exploits of the Farnese family. Nearby is the Palazzo Spada, erected by Giulio Merisi da Caravaggio in 1540, but later transformed by Borromini. It houses the Galleria Spada containing distinguished works of art of the 16th and 17th century, including: Portrait of Cardinal Spada by Guido Reni; Portrait of a Musician by Titian; and Portrait of a Cardinal by Rubens. We now make our way back to the Corso Vittorio Emanuele, and come to the large church of Santa Maria in Vallicella, better known as the Chiesa Nuova. Begun in 1575, it was built over the pre-existing church of San Giovanni (12th century), and designed by the architect Martino Longhi the Elder. The central portal is surmounted by statues. The interior contains, among others, works by Barocci, Algardi and Rubens. Next to it stands the Oratory of St.Philip Neri, erected by Borromini in 1640. At the end of the Corso Vittorio, the Lungotevere dei Fiorentini leads to the bridge over the Tiber river: the Ponte Principe Amedeo Savoia Aosta, close to which rises the elegant elliptical dome (designed by Maderno) of the church of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini (16th century). It looks onto the Via Giulia, which is notable for the many Renaissance palaces by which it is flanked, including the 16th century Palazzo Donarelli and Palazzo Sacchetti. In a side street a little further along is the small church of Sant'Eligio degli Orefici (on the Via Sant'Eligio), built in 1516 and designed by Raphael.

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