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ITINERARY 9 - Doria Pamphilij Art Gallery, Montecitorio, Via del Corso, St.maria del Popolo, Foro Italico.

Starting out once again from Piazza venezia, we find, to the left, on the corner of the Corso, the 17th century Palazzo Bonaparte (where Napoleon mother lived). It is followed, on the opposite side of the Corso, by the Palazzo Salviati, baroque in style, and the Palazzo Odescalchi (19th century). Opposite is the large Palazzo Doria, containing the Doria Pamphilj Gallery: a magnificent private collection of works of art including such masterpieces as: Spain succouring Religion by Titian; portrait of a Prelate by Tintoretto; Rest during the Flight into Egypt and Mary Magdalen, youthful works by Caravaggio; St.Sebastian by Ludovico Carracci; Portrait of Innocent X by Velazquez; Madonna and child by Parmigianino;and Bust of Innocent X by Bernini. Adjacent to the palace is the church of Santa Maria in via Lata, of very ancient origins, but subjected to numerous alterations and restorations during the 11th, 15th and 17th centuries. The existing baroque facade is by Pietro da Cortona. The interior, with a nave and two aisles, is notable for its beautiful high altar adorned with alabaster columns, attributed to Bernini.On the via Lata on the corner of the church is a little fountain known as the Fountain of the Porter, another of the speaking statues of Rome. Continuing along this street we come to the Collegio Romano (16th century). The building, designed by Bartolomeo Ammannati, was in the past an important college run by the Jesuits. The church of San Marcello, situated on the Corso, dates back to the early years of the 4th century, but in the 16th century was devastated by a fire which destroyed every trace of the original building. The existing structure is by Iacopo Sansovino, while the baroque facade was designed by Carlo Fontana. Facing it is the Palace of the Banco di Roma, an 18th century building by Alessandro Specchi. It is followed by the Palace of the Cassa di Risparmio by Antonio Cipolla and, on the opposite side of the Corso, the Palazzo Sciarra Colonna (16th century). Nearby is the church of Sant'Ignazio di Loyola, reachable by taking the via Caravita. It was designed by the Jesuit Father Orazio Grassi, on the basis of earlier designs by Carlo Maderno. The lavish baroque interior was decorated by Andrea Pozzo, who also frescoed the imposing vault over the nave. By way of Via dei Burrò we reach Piazza di Pietra, in which an imposing row of columns is all that remains of the Temple of Adrian. From here we make our way into the nearby Piazza Colonna, dominated by the Column of Marcus Aurelius, similar in structure to the Trajan Column and erected in 180-196. The piazza is flanked by the Palazzo della Galleria Colonna, the Palazzo Ferrajoli and the church of San Bartolomeo dei Bergamaschi; the fountain is by Giacomo della Porta (16th century). At the centre of the adjacent Piazza Montecitorio is the obelisk of Psammeticus II, raised here by Pius VI in 1792. Facing it is the Palazzo Montecitorio, begun by Bernini in 1650 and completed by Carlo Fontana. The building is now the seat of the italian Chamber of Deputies. Returning to the Corso, on the corner of the Piazza Colonna, to our left, is the facade of the Palazzo Chigi, a16th century building which is now the seat of the Prime Minister. Almost facing it, on the corner of via del Tritone, is the church of Santa Maria in Via, dating back to the 10th century, but its facade by Rainaldi is much later (17th century). The Caffè Aragno (now Alemagna) on the Corso is worth mentioning: dating to 1870, was a famous rendez-vous of the intellectual and political elite of the time. In the Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina we can visit the church of San Lorenzo in Lucina, which has very ancient origins: founded in the 4th or 5th century on the site of a roman house, was reconstructed in 1100, the period to which belong the beautiful romanesque bell-tower and the portico. Continuing along the Corso, we see on our left the 16th century Palazzo Ruspoli and, just beyond it, the church of Santi Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso, built by the architect Onofrio Longhi in the period 1612 to 1672 and completed by his son Martino. The huge dome was designed by Pietro da Cortona. Having reached the end of the Corso, we finally enter the Piazza del Popolo: a wonderfully scenic square laid out by Giuseppe Valadier at the beginning of the 19th century. The piazza opens at the confluence of a trident of streets: Via di Ripetta, Via del Corso and Via del Babuino. At its entrance are the two church of Santa Maria in Montesanto and Santa Maria dei Miracoli, erected in the 17th century. After the initial work by Carlo Rainaldi, they were completed by Bernini and Fontana. Two hemicycles enclose the piazza, which on one side is flanked by the Pincian Hill. At its centre is the Flaminian Obelisk: carved out of red granite in Egypt in 1232-1200 B.C., it was transported to Rome by Augustus. The fountains and lions at its base are the work of Valadier. The piazza terminates at the Porta del Popolo. It is flanked by the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, which wonderfully completes the scenic ensemble of the square. The church arose over an ancient chapel built, in the late 11th century,at public expense (according to some, is this fact that gave rise to its name). Following an enlargement in the 13th century, it assumed its present renaissance appearance in the second half of the 15th. The prolongation of the chancel, with its coffered barrel vault and shell apse, is a work of Bramante. The interior with a nave and two aisles divided by travertine columns displays the restorations in the baroque style carried out by Bernini. The church contains works of art of considerable importance: the 1st chapel of the right aisle is decorated with frescoes by Pinturicchio and tombs sculpted by Andrea Bregno, Mino da Fiesole and Francesco da Sangallo. Next to it is the Cybo chapel by Carlo Fontana with a painting by Carlo Maratta over its altar. Over the high altar is the venerated icon of the Madonna del Popolo (13th century), while behind it, in the chancel, are the funerary monuments of Cardinal Girolamo Basso della Rovere and Cardinal Ascanio Sforza, the masterpiece of Andrea Sansovino. In the left transept are Caravaggio two magnificent paintings of the Conversion of St.Paul and the Crucifixion of St.Peter. In the left aisle is the Chigi chapel designed by Raphael, who also designed the mosaics in the cupola. Adjacent to the church is the Porta del Popolo, at one time the ancient roman gateway of the Porta Flaminia. It was reconstructed in 1561, based on a design by Michelangelo and Vignola. The facade looking onto the piazza is by Bernini. The Piazzale Flaminio outside the gate is flanked, to the right, by the main entrance to the Villa Borghese, and marks the beginning of the Via Flaminia, the road that ever since antiquity linked Rome with Rimini on the Adriatic Sea. Facing onto the road, on the corner of the Viale delle Belle Arti, is the Palazzina of Pius IV, whose design is perhaps attributable in part to Vignola. A short distance further along the via Flaminia is the Chapel of St.Andrea by Vignola. Further on is the Stadio Flaminio, erected in 1960 by the architect Nervi on the occasion of the Olympic games. Other sports grounds and facilities were laid out in the same area. In its environs is the modern residential quarter of Parioli. From the Viale Parioli we can reach the source of the Acqua Acetosa, an excellent mineral water. Continuing along the via Flaminia, we come to the Ponte Milvio, the Milvian Bridge, which dates to the 1st century B.C. In the area between Monte Mario and the Tiber river is the Foro Italico, one of Italy largest and best equipped sports complexes. Two stadiums form part of it: the Olympic Stadium and the Stadio dei Marmi.

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