Best of Rome's Piazzas

The Pantheon.  Trevi Fountain. Spanish Steps. Piazza Navona. Campo de Fiori. Iconic monuments of Rome are loved by the world.  Come along as I string together these classic "must-see" places in Rome.

Spanish Steps

The historical centre of Rome has many public spaces that are not only beautiful but are historical treasures.  Wonder at some of the oldest buildings in Rome, marvel at some of Rome's best art, and shop in the coolest neighbourhoods in Rome~all for FREE!   You can easily walk the "famous-five" public piazzas linking them together to make an afternoon or evening stroll.

First on my "to see & to be" list is the Spanish Steps. We have never made it this far North in the center of Rome, and I was very excited to see this neighbourhood.  I love walking in Rome; around every little corner, there is something new to discover. It's still a medieval hodgepodge of windy streets, so unorganized and organic, compared to, say, Paris.  Passing through the neighbourhoods around the Spanish Steps, it becomes very affluent, and the shops were becoming more upscale as I approached the Steps.  Eventually, coming to the main shopping drag, all the Italian lux brands were represented. It was becoming apparent that we would not be stopping here for lunch, as it's WAY too expensive.

Trinitá dei Monti church

Then the gorgeous white staircase appeared before me, crowned by the gorgeous white Church: Trinità dei Monti. We found a spot on the "scala" (steps) and watched all the people soaking in the sun of Piazza di Spagna.  UPDATE: Since August of 2019, you are no longer allowed to sit on the Spanish Steps.  A fine of €400 will be handed out to you if you are caught. Built in 1725, these steps were the traditional spot for beautiful women to sit, hoping to get noticed by Rome's artists to become their muse.  Apparently, centuries of people's bottoms gracing this cultural relic mean they are in danger of being damaged.

Next on to the Pantheon.  I have been to see the Pantheon several times, but never when it has been open to check out the inside. This morning, along with my Roman friend Sara, I decided to take a peek inside this ancient monument. The origin of the Pantheon was a Pagan temple to the Roman Gods (Pan=many + Theos=God) and there were a lot of Gods!  When Christianity became the only legal religion, the building was re-purposed as a Christian church, which is how it survived intact to this day.  The ceiling is a work of art and engineering, using a Roman invented material: concrete. The oculus in the dome is open to the sky to let in the light (and rain) and reminds us that we are always connected to nature.  Victor Emmanuel, the king who unified Italy, is entombed here and the great Renaissance artist Raphael among others.

How Rome Rolls

Tummies are starting to grumble at this point; so we decide to grab lunch at a local restaurant.  TIP: If you can just go off the main drag for a block or two from any major attraction, you can find restaurants that are only open for lunch that caters to locals on their lunch  break=affordable and home cooking.

That's exactly what Sara and I did.  Great pizzas, salads and more stuffed "zucchine" flowers (yum) washed down with a half-litre of the restaurant's house white wine. Bello!  

   

With the tremendous lunch, we had the energy to move on to Piazza Navona. What a grand public square!  Back in ancient Roman times, this piazza was a stadium and known as "Circus Agonales" where people used to watch the "agones" or games. When the stadium was decommissioned, the square was used as a local market, which was then moved to Campo de' Fiori.

Fountain of Four Rivers

OK, crush alert:  I am totally in love with the Baroque period artist; Bernini.  I absolutely love his sculpture even more than Michelangelo.  It is his over the top Baroque essence; the emotion his sculptures convey.  This man was brilliant. Here in Piazza Navona are the famous Bernini statues: The Fountain of the Four Rivers surrounding the Egyptian Obelisk brought to Rome by Emperor Caracalla.  Fontana del Moro balances with Fontana of Neptune on either end of the piazza, created by artist della Porta. Bernini is the Baroque sculpture MASTER, and this piazza does not disappoint.  Pope Urban VIII said to Bernini: "YOU are made for Rome, and Rome for you." I believe that without a doubt.
If you want to see a movie about Rome and Bernini, watch Angels and Demons adapted from Dan Brown's book-it's pure travel porn.

Piazza Navona

While Bernini may have been made for Rome, I was made for gelato.  To eat it, that is. Yes, It was time for my daily gelato, and Frigidarium between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon is a great place to stop in!  The lemon gelato here was delicious!  TIP: the best gelato is not the mountains of super bright coloured stuff that's filled with artificial flavour and colour!

Look for subtitle colours of gelato, a soft, spreadable consistency, packed tightly into a metal tin with a lid, and is scooped out by flat paddles.   You can always tell a good gelato place by looking at the lemon gelato-it should be white instead of yellow.  And really, there is no such thing as "bad" gelato, in my opinion.  So don't worry about it too much. The only way to be a true connoisseur of gelato is to eat your own weight of it while you are in Italy.

  

Campo de' Fiori is Rome's colourful outdoor market.  Everything from fruits and vegetables to souvenirs is sold here, while butchers, bakers and cheesemakers shops surround the market stalls.  There are many historic buildings in the area that date back to the Rennaisance period of Rome.  Campo de' Fiori is my favourite area in Rome because of the bohemian vibe and its people-watching potential.  For more about Campo de' Fiori, check out my blog post: Rome's Outdoor Market.


 

Enoteca

 

 Aperitivo hour in Rome is 5:30-7:00pm (ish), grabbing a table in a piazza or heading out to an enoteca.  An enoteca is a wine bar where you can order wine by the glass, from opened bottles of wine; sometimes, they are special vintages.  If you like the glass of wine, you can buy the bottles to take home. My favourite enoteca in Campo de' Fiori is called Il Goccetto. HEAVEN.  Along with wine, they have marvellous cheeses and sausages to share around the table.  You can bring your teenager there, no problem.    The best part of this experience: we were the ONLY tourists there!

 

TIP: dinner hour in Italy starts at about 8:00 and continues to 10:00 or 11:00 at night.  That's why it's handy to have a larger lunch or a small snack at 5:00, so you can make it to the late dinner time.  I  conveniently grabbed some bottles of wine to go from the enoteca, to have on hand for the remainder of my time in Rome.

Rome at night has a different pace and atmosphere than during the daytime.  Check out my blog post: A Night Stroll Through Rome to all the same piazzas, including the famous Trevi Fountain.  The evening stroll in Italy before and after dinner is customary and called the passeggiata. There are far fewer tourist crowds at night, so you will be able to get close enough to the fountain to actually toss the customary coin in the waters.  Be careful, don't try to wade in the fountain like in La Dolce Vida, or you will get slapped with that same €400 fine for sitting on the Spanish Steps!

What are your favourite piazzas in Rome? Perhaps they are a bit off the beaten path? I would love to hear about them in the comments section below!

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Rome's Outdoor Market~Campo de' Fiori

Campo de' Fiori is one of Rome's most vibrant neighbourhoods in the historic centre.  A bustling market by day and rendezvous spot for an evening drink. This is the pulse-point of Rome... 

Campo de' Fiori Market

Campo de' Fiori, translated from Italian, literally means "Field of Flowers" because, until the middles ages, this spot remained a grassy field.  Located next to the floodplains of the Tiber River, the Christian pilgrims coming into Rome to see the Pope stopped at the open meadow, which served as a thriving marketplace.  The field was paved over in the mid-1400s to make a piazza or square, as Rome expanded to make room for Renaissance palaces.  The piazza is rustic and cobblestoned, yet there are elegant palaces such as Palazzo Farnese located steps away.

Via dei Cappellari

TIP: IT'S ALL ABOUT LOCATION, LOCATION LOCATION!  When choosing a place to stay in a new city, I try to find a neighbourhood that is in the oldest part of town but a few streets over from the main drag.  I like being in a historical center close to restaurants and bars, but far enough away that loud laughter from an outside patio doesn't keep me awake at night.

Campo de' Fiori is a Renaissance-style neighbourhood located between Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and the Tiber River.  With it's narrow, winding, cobblestoned streets, you can imagine being in Medieval Rome.  The roads are little alleyways of residential apartments over charming small independent businesses. This area has been a commercial zone for centuries; many of the shops have bee run by the same family for generations.

I often choose an Airbnb apartment on Via dei Cappellari when I come to Rome. Via dei Cappellari means "street of the hat makers" and is one of my favourite streets in the Campo de' Fiori neighbourhood because of the funky architecture and bohemian vibe of the locals.  Campo dei Fiori has a long history worth seeking out, including its sad share of public executions.  In the center of the piazza, you will notice an imposing statue of a hooded figure looking towards the Vatican.  This is Giordano Bruno, who was burned in 1600 on the very spot the statue sits on today.








Bruno was a philosopher, mathematician, poet and cosmological theorist.  He had views that built on Copernicus's theory that the Sun is the centre of our Solar System.  Bruno's idea was Pluralism; that each star in the sky was a Sun just like ours that it had its own set of planets revolving around them.  He believed that these distant planets may also have life, and the Universe was infinite and could have no centre.  Giordano Bruno was also a Dominican friar, and he should have known better;  the Pope did not like his theories.  Bruno was tried by the Vatican starting in 1593 and then burned at the stake seven years later in 1600.  He became a martyr to science and, at the base of his statue, reads, "A BRUNO-IL SECOLO DU LUI DIVINATO-QUI DOVE IL ROGO ARSE"  which means "To Bruno, From The Age He Predicted, Here Where The Fire Burned."

Trying to purchase food in Italian!

The statue of Bruno was erected in 1889, much to the protest of the Vatican. But the freethinking residents of Campo de Fiori rallied for the figure of Bruno to be erected. This all may sound like a grim memory of the past, but to me, it captures the rebellious and anti-authoritarian, free-spirit of the Campo neighbourhood.  As for the Campo de' Fiori market itself, it's a parade of seasonal bounty! For you foodies out there, the market has it all;  flowers, fruits, vegetables, spices, fresh pasta, oils, and a bunch of tourist trinkets all mingled in this lovely piazza.

It's lots of fun to try and buy your food at the market, speaking in Italian.  Luckily, I had my Roman friend, Sara, to guide me.  Sara lives in the Campo de' Fiori neighbourhood, so she shared her favourite veggie stands, salumeria, cheese shop, and bakery.  TIP: DONT TOUCH THE MERCHANDISE!  This is a big no-no in Italy.  Your vendor will either pick out your produce for you or hold up the produce for you to approve.  If you are feeling brave, and you would like to try before you buy your "go-to" phrase, is "Posso provare?" I can try?

Cheese Shop

This phrase also works well in the cheese shop, sausage shop, bakery or pastry shop.  Here you will want to say, "Posso provare una fetta"  A "fetta" is a slice, so you are asking to try a piece.  Most of the time, I forget my Italian words; if you just ask "Posso?"  and mime an eating motion, the vendors are happy to oblige!  The best cheese shop in the neighbourhood is the Formaggi di Gianna & Paola.  This is a fantastic cheese shop that also sells other milk products and some gourmet grocery items. The shop is located on the corner of Vicolo del Gallo and Via dei Cappellari as it spills out into the market.

Across the street from the cheese is my favourite bakery, hands down; Forno Campo De' Fiori.  Not only do they make excellent bread, cookies, breakfast rolls, but amazing pizza too!  The building that houses the Forno is the historical place where Vanozza de' Cattanei ran an inn while she was the mistress of Pope Alexander VI, who was a Borgia.  This bakery is where the infamous Lucrezia Borgia was born!  Lucrezia was the famous femme fatal who poisoned husbands and lovers while she ruled as the Governor of Spoleto.  Check out my blog post on Spoleto, Umbria.

Another staple of the neighbourhood is the Norcineria Viola butcher shop located at #43 Campo de'Fiori.  The "Purple Norcineria" has been selling their delicious Umbrian style sausages from this location since 1890.  A Norcineria is a butcher who makes pork products in the traditional Norcia, Umbria style, including wild boar sausage, fennel sausage, liver salami with orange peel and the most famous, round Umbrian sausage nicknamed Coglione di Mulo or "donkey's balls."

Mobile Treat

After shopping all those market stalls, cheese vendors, bakeries, pasta shops, pastry shops, butcher shops and wine shops of the Campo de' Fiori, its time for a treat! What would a day in Italy be without gelato!?!  
One of the best gelaterias in the Campo is FLOR.  Located at the far end of the square from the bakery  51 Piazza Campo de' Fiori.  Here you will find authentic artisanal gelato without the addition of artificial colours and flavours that you see in some gelaterias catering to tourists.





  





Of course, the tradition in Campo de' Fiori is once the market winds down, to enjoy an aperitivo or pre-dinner drink and snack overlooking the square.  You may pay more for your glass at a table on the piazza, but you are paying for scenery and the ambiance~ basically, you pay more for the real estate.  But if you some of my money-saving tips I provide in my blog posts (like buying products at the market to prepare in your Airbnb kitchen instead of eating out every meal), you can afford to splurge on a romantic glass of wine on one of Rome's most dynamic piazzas.  
Salute!

Do you have any favourite shops in Campo de' Fiori?  Or perhaps you have a special memory of the Campo; I would love to hear about it in the comments below!


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Saturnia Hot Springs, Tuscany

Tuscany is blessed with numerous thermal baths called "terme" in Italian.  Hot water springs from deep within the Earth, holding healing properties that make this area of Italy a spa lover's paradise!


The Maremma region in Southern Tuscany is dotted with delightful thermal waters, resulting in both natural outdoor pools and spa resorts.  Southern Tuscany's sulfuric Terme waters also boast some of the most healing properties in all of Italy.  One of the best places to experience Terme in Tuscany is the quiet village of Saturnia, in the deep south of Grosetto Province near the border of Lazio.  

The settlement at Saturnia was called Aurinia by the Etruscans. A settlement here has existed since pre-Etruscan times and is thought to be one of the oldest cities in Italy, most likely because of the abundance of the thermal springs.  There are Pre-Etruscan tombs in the area, like the Necropoli del Puntone (1 KM North of Saturnia on the road to Poggio Murello) that establish Saturnia as a Pelasgi settlement which was the region's indigenous people.

Etruscan and Roman structures around the village of Saturnia include the Etruscan walls dating back to the 3rd and 4th century BCE, which incorporate the "Porta Romana" Roman-era city gate.  The Via Clodia, a Roman road that leads to the Porta Romana, was built on an existing Etruscan Route linking Pitigliano, Sovana and Sorano incorporating some of the mysterious Vie Cave.  Check out my blog posts on these nearby attractions.  There are also remains of the ancient Roman baths at the far end of town on Via Italia.  There is also a picturesque castle in Saturnia called the Rocca di Saturna or Castello Ciacci by locals.  This was an Aldobrandesca Fortress built in the 1100s along the fortifying city walls by the original rulers, the famous Aldobrandeschi family of Sovana.  While in Saturnia, check out the small but interesting archeological museum. 

The name Saturnia came from the Romans, who settled this area in 183 BCE.  Legend has it that the Roman God Saturnus (Saturn) was tired of all the warring of the humans in the area.  In a rage, Saturnus threw a thunderbolt from the heavens down to Earth, and where the thunderbolt stuck, a magical spring of warm water was created to pacify humankind.  This is the main attraction of Saturnia today.


There are two terme areas in Saturnia, a posh hotel spa and a natural thermal waterfall;  both of these originate from the same source.  The Terme di Saturnia Natural Spa and Golf Resort is a 124 room Five-Star hotel resort for those who want to pamper themselves.  You can book a full-day (€ 29) or half-day package(€ 25) at the resort without having to stay overnight in the hotel, which is an excellent alternative to the busy free hot springs.  Check out the resort website termedisaturnia.it and go to the "Reservations & Gift Vouchers" at the top right of the homepage to book a day package.

The more popular destination attracting locals and tourists alike is Gorello Falls.  An ancient stone mill sits atop Gorello Falls, or as the locals call it "Cascatelle del Mulino" or Miller's Falls.  This is where one can sit outside in a cascade of warm water...  FOR FREE!!! 


Gorello falls can be a hectic place, even in the offseason.  Follow the Strada Provinciale SP10 south from Saturnia towards Montemerano for about 2km, and you will see signs for the falls.  There are two parking lots for the springs, both are free.  The first and closest is a large dirt parking lot at the end of Via della Follonata that can be quite rough in spots where there have been seasonal washouts.  The overflow parking lot is also on the SP10, just past the falls and is a bit of a farther walk to the springs. 

I visited Gorello Falls on a Sunday afternoon in late September, and the place was absolutely packed! Robust Russians were padding around in bathrobes, sexy Italian couples on their Vespas, German families camping out in Westfalias, and even locals with horses tied up in the shade of the treed parking lots!  It was a smorgasbord of people watching, and everyone was having a wonderful time.




You can smell the waters before you see them, the slightly sulfuric scent emanates from the healing waters that are a perfect temperature between 37-38 degrees Celcius.  Cobalt blue calcium-rich water cascade down layered basins of smooth, white limestone at a rate of 800 litres per second.  Each of the little pools can hold about 3-5 adults quite comfortably.  Sitting in one of these stacked pools gives you the feeling that you are a giant pigeon in a warm Italian fountain!  The healing properties of the water are said to help cure vascular diseases and ease muscle tension and pain.  The mineral-rich black mud found at the bottom of the falls is known to alleviate skin disorders such as eczema and psoriasis, so it's common to see people smearing the dark clay all over their faces and bodies.  Remember, there are no storage facilities here at Gorello Falls, so lock all your valuables in the trunk of your car and only bring your towel to the falls.

Gorello Falls In The Evening

Further upstream behind the old mill, the hot water runs in a swift-moving channel.  Older kids can ride the stream like a waterslide but keep your eye on smaller children that can easily be swept up in the swift-moving current.  Even further upstream, there are spots where ropes are tied across the narrow river channel just below the water surface that are not visible to the eye;  be cautious to not get hung up on them!  

The best times to visit Cascate del Mulino in the busy tourist season from April through October are early in the morning before 10am or in the evening after 5pm.   There is a cafe/bar located close to the falls that serve hot and cold light snacks, sandwiches, gelato and desserts, beer and cold beverages, as well as providing shower and washroom facilities.  The Bar Cascate di Saturnia opens daily at 8 am and closes late.  

Saturnia's hot springs have something for everyone; from elegant spas to free family fun, to romantic midnight dips under the moon and a blanket of stars❣

Have you visited Saturnia, Tuscany?  Which Terme did you prefer; the Spa or the free natural springs?  Let me know in the comments below.

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This post first appeared in September 2013 as Saturnia Tuscany; Saturn's Bathtub 

Sorano~Southern Tuscany's Best Kept Secret

Part of the group of three villages that make up the "Città del Tuffo," Sorano is a dramatic, fairy-tale Italian town that is Southern Tuscany's best-kept secret...until now.

Entrance To The Hotel Castle

Sorano is my favourite place in all of Italy.  Its red-tiled roofs are reminiscent of Siena in northern Tuscany but without the polish and refinement. Sorano doesn't have the history of Rome,  the art of Florence, or the serenity of Assisi.  Sorano isn't nearly as pretty as the Amalfi Coast or the Cinque Terre, but there is something so bewitching and mysterious about this rustic little Tuscan village. The Città del Tuffo include the towns of Sorano, Sovana and Pitigliano.








The town was considered a "dead" community by the government in 1923. Many of the homes and buildings have slid into the Lente River gorge since 1801.  But the Soranese have persisted, and Sorano is making a vibrant comeback in the past decade.  I haven't written about this enchanting village or told anyone about Sorano so that I could keep it my secret Tuscan getaway. But now the secret is out-BIG TIME.  The Netflix Original Series Luna Nera (Black Moon)  has filmed many scenes in Sorano.  The Netflix show is based on a book series about a group of 16th-century witches by Italian writer Tiziana Triana.  Most of the show is filmed in Rome at the Cinecitta studios and on various locations in Lazio and Southern Tuscany.  In the series, Sorano is transformed into the fictitious medieval village of Serra. Look out;  season 2 of Luna Nera is filming now!





We ended up in Sorano because my eleven-year-old son practically  begged to stay in a "real castle."  So then I did my research on castle stays in Tuscany and found Hotel della Fortezza in Sorano.  Castle hotels in Italy are quite costly, but the Hotel della Fortessa is an affordable luxury in an authentic piece of Italian medieval history!  Everything about this hotel is outstanding; the service, the rooms each with spectacular views, and the complimentary continental breakfast, which includes home-baked cakes and confectionaries.  The Fortezza became our home base for exploring the surrounding area like Pitigliano, Sovana, Saturnia and hiking the Vie Cave. Also housed in the Fortress is the Museum of the Middle Ages.  
  

View Of The Fortress From Masso Leopoldino

The Hotel della Fortezza sits upon the hill above the village of Sorano and dominates the skyline.  Most people coming into Sorano are driving and approach from the SP73 road that has a hairpin turn offering an outstanding view of the entire town, so be sure to pull over to snap a photo!  There is a  free city parking lot on Via San Marco next to the hotel parking, just follow the signs to Hotel della Fortezza.   The views of Sorano below from the hotel rooms are phenomenal!  The castle was initially built by the Aldobrandeschi family in the 13th century as a military stronghold.  Niccolò Orsini renovated it in 1552 around the same time as he rebuilt the fortress in Pitigliano to defend against the wars with Siena and Orvieto.

Passageway From The Castle To The Village

Sorano spread below the castle begs to be explored! You can take a pathway from the fortress down to the village via the arched walkway.  This town has been inhabited since the Villanovan people who predate the Etruscan culture.  This is evident in the number of caves carved into the tufa rock along the Lente River at the base of Sorano.  The Latin name for Sorano was Soranus. This is referring to the village as a "the city of the dead," because all of the columbaria or caves the Romans found. First, these caves were used as a resting place for the ashes of the dead. Later, as the inhabitants moved up the cliffs, and these caves became dwellings, then shelter for livestock.  The caves are still used today as storage for farm equipment.

Another commanding feature of Sorano is the Masso Leopoldino.  This elevated area was carved from natural tuff stone to form a fortified panoramic terrace.  Built in the 17th century, Masso Leopoldino was named after Duke Leopold of Lorraine.  The fort was constructed over an existing set of medieval structures to improve the fortified city walls of Sorano.  The views from the balcony of Sorano; the Orsini fortress on one side and the Lente river gorge on the other is phenomenal.   When enjoying the views from Masso Leopoldino mind your young travellers, there are no extra special guard rails to keep them from tumbling over the edge! 





Clinging to the side of Masso Leopoldino is the remnant of Sorano's Jewish Ghetto. Like Pitigliano, Sorano had a substantial Ebraic community after the Jewish people left the Papal lands of Lazio in the late 1500s.  Wandering through this maze of pathways leads you to the most magnificent Medieval gate, the Porta dei Merli.  Also known as the Porta del Sotto, this massive gate is made of ashlar stone construction from the Lente riverbed and is crowned with an impressive coat of arms.  

This path leads down to the Lente River and on into the forest where the trail becomes a mysterious Etruscan pathway called a 'Via Cava.'  Every year at dawn on the Spring Equinox, the residents of Sorano hold a candlelight procession from the church above, along this trail to the Lente riverbed. 








Another ancient tradition in Sorano involves food.  The delicious Sorano ham is known throughout Italy and is celebrated in the first week of August every year during the "Festa of Ham."  Also, sample the local sheep milk ricotta cheese and the caciotta with a glass of the delicious local white wine!
Local artisan shops are lined down the main street of the historical centre.  Olive oil, leather items and olive wood products from Sorano are highly prized.  There is a fantastic woodcarving shop called  "La Bottega Del Lengo"  just past the historic centre city gate, called the Porta di Sopra.  Follow the street from Sorano's panoramic Piazza Pietro Del Lengo through the city gate, and the shop is just beyond on Via Giovanni Selvi #4.  La Bottega Del Lengo makes fantastic olive wood cutting boards, utensils & household items, even jewelry!








Honestly, the best part of Sorano is just wandering around the village and taking in the views of the red-tiled roofs, ancient stonework and soaking in the rustic atmosphere.  Get lost amongst the labyrinth of alleyways, staircases and underpasses that give Sorano that medieval atmosphere.  



Don't forget to visit all the friendly cats! 😻     

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