Tour 1 of 5
The Baroque Kings
Fountains, palaces and the Rome of papal power
Trevi Fountain
The starting point. Designed by Nicola Salvi in 1762, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the world. The god Oceanus commands the scene on a chariot drawn by sea horses, surrounded by Tritons. The water still flows from the Aqua Virgo aqueduct, built in 19 BC and still functioning today. Toss a coin over your left shoulder with your right hand — legend says it guarantees a return to Rome. Over one million euros are collected each year and donated to charity.
Via delle Quattro Fontane
Climbing toward the Quirinal, this street is one of the most scenic in Baroque Rome. At the intersection with Via Sistina, four 17th-century corner fountains depict the rivers Tiber and Arno and the goddesses Juno and Diana. Pope Sixtus V designed it as a visual axis linking three obelisks: looking in the four directions you can still spot Porta Pia, Santa Maria Maggiore, Trinità dei Monti and the Quirinal — a remarkable feat of Baroque urban planning.
Palazzo Barberini
A masterpiece commissioned by Pope Urban VIII for the Barberini family in 1625. Two great Baroque rivals worked here simultaneously: Bernini designed the rectangular staircase and the façade, while Borromini created the extraordinary oval helical staircase. Today it houses the National Gallery of Ancient Art: Raphael's La Fornarina, Holbein's portrait of Henry VIII, and multiple Caravaggios including the mesmerising Narcissus. Pietro da Cortona's frescoed ceiling is among the most spectacular in all of Rome.
Piazza del Quirinale
Set on the highest of Rome's seven hills, this square offers a breathtaking panorama over the city's rooftops all the way to St Peter's dome. At its centre stands an Egyptian obelisk flanked by colossal statues of the Dioscuri — Castor and Pollux — brought from the Baths of Constantine. The Quirinal Palace served as the popes' summer residence for three centuries, then as home of Italy's kings, and today is the official seat of Italy's President. The changing of the guard ceremony is well worth catching.
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Tour 2 of 5
Gods, Emperors & Coffee
From the eternal temple to the beating heart of Baroque Rome
Trevi Fountain
Starting point. Take a moment to admire it before the crowds thicken — early morning light is magical here.
Column of Marcus Aurelius
Erected at the end of the 2nd century AD, this 42-metre column celebrates the victories of the philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius over Germanic and Sarmatian tribes. A spiral frieze winds around the shaft with over 100 battle scenes carved in Carrara marble — a stone comic strip before its time. On the north side of Piazza Colonna, Palazzo Chigi is the seat of the Italian Prime Minister's office.
The Pantheon
Built by Emperor Hadrian around 125 AD, it is the best-preserved monument of ancient Rome. Its dome — 43.3 metres in diameter, equal to the interior height — held the world record for the largest dome for over 1,300 years. The 9-metre oculus at the top is the only source of light; when it rains, water falls directly onto the floor and drains through Roman channels that still work perfectly. Raphael and the kings of Italy are buried here. Booking in advance is strongly recommended.
Caffè Sant'Eustachio
Founded in 1938, two minutes from the Pantheon, it is considered by many Romans to be the city's finest coffee. The "gran caffè" is prepared using a secret artisanal technique with top-grade arabica beans and selected water, producing an exceptionally dense, fragrant crema unlike anything found elsewhere. The vintage counter with chrome machines, the walls covered in awards, and the chatter of local regulars make this a genuinely authentic slice of Roman daily life.
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Tour 3 of 5
Water, Art & Piazzas
Three great Baroque squares at the heart of Rome
Trevi Fountain
Starting point. Head west toward the Pantheon.
Pantheon — Piazza della Rotonda
The square in front of the Pantheon is a spectacle in its own right: dominated by a fountain with an Egyptian obelisk (Giacomo della Porta, 1575), ringed by historic cafés with outdoor tables. Even pausing here briefly, reading the inscription "M·AGRIPPA·L·F·COS·TERTIVM·FECIT" on the portico, gives a sense of how Rome layers two thousand years of history into just a few square metres.
San Luigi dei Francesi
Founded in 1518, this is the French national church in Rome. In the Contarelli Chapel, at the end of the left aisle, hang three monumental canvases by Caravaggio depicting the life of Saint Matthew: the Calling, the Inspiration and the Martyrdom (1599–1602). These paintings revolutionised Western art with their dramatic chiaroscuro — the light seems to come from a hidden spotlight, illuminating faces with a realism never seen before. Entry is free; a small coin in the slot lights up the paintings.
Piazza Navona
Built in 1651 on the exact footprint of Domitian's Stadium from the 1st century AD. The centrepiece is Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers (1651): four colossal figures represent the Nile, Ganges, Danube and Río de la Plata, topped by an Egyptian obelisk. The charming legend — false but irresistible — claims that the figure shielding its eyes does so to avoid looking at the rival church by Borromini. Street artists, historic cafés, restaurants and an unmatched atmosphere at any hour.
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Tour 4 of 5
La Dolce Vita
In Fellini's footsteps — glamour, history and memento mori
Trevi Fountain
The most cinematic starting point in Rome. Fellini filmed the most iconic scene in Italian cinema history right here: Anita Ekberg wading through the fountain in La Dolce Vita (1960), shot on a cold January night. That scene transformed Trevi forever into a global symbol of Roman glamour.
Via Veneto
Rome's most elegant boulevard, immortalised by Fellini as the drawing room of the economic boom. From the late 1950s through the '60s, paparazzi, film stars and aristocrats crowded the Doney and Harry's Bar cafés. Today it is home to grand historic hotels like the Excelsior and Westin Flora, the US Embassy and luxury boutiques. Walking its tree-lined pavement feels like leafing through a 1960s issue of Vogue.
Capuchin Crypt
Beneath the church of Santa Maria della Concezione (1626), five chapels are decorated entirely with the bones of around 4,000 Capuchin friars who died between 1528 and 1870. Chandeliers made of vertebrae, arches of ribs, niches with robed skeletons — all arranged with precise spiritual and decorative intent. An inscription reads: "What you are now, we once were; what we are now, you shall be." Not for the claustrophobic, but utterly unforgettable.
Piazza Barberini — Triton Fountain
A lively hub of central Rome, dominated by Bernini's Triton Fountain (1643): the sea god blows water through a conch shell, balanced on four dolphins supporting the papal coat of arms of the Barberini family. One of the most dynamic sculptures of the entire Baroque period. Tucked into a corner wall nearby, the small Fountain of the Bees — also by Bernini — features three bees, the heraldic symbol of the Barberini popes.
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Tour 5 of 5
Steps, Obelisks & Panoramas
Climbing Rome to find the city's finest viewpoints
Trevi Fountain
Starting point. Head northwest toward Piazza di Spagna.
Spanish Steps & Trinità dei Monti
Built between 1723 and 1726 by Francesco de Sanctis, the Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti is the largest staircase in Europe: 135 steps in 12 flights. In spring the steps are blanketed in blooming azaleas. At the top stands the Sallustiano Obelisk, of Egyptian origin but carved in Rome in the imperial age. At the foot of the steps, the Barcaccia Fountain (1627) was designed by Pietro Bernini, father of the more famous Gian Lorenzo — its half-submerged boat shape recalls a legend about a Tiber flood barge stranded here.
Pincio Terrace
A 10-minute walk from the top of the Steps through the Villa Borghese gardens brings you to the Pincio belvedere — what many consider the finest viewpoint in Rome. Piazza del Popolo unfolds below with its twin churches, and on the horizon the dome of St Peter's floats above the rooftops. At sunset the raking light over Rome creates a spectacle no photograph fully captures. Benches and a small café make it the perfect spot for a pause.
Villa Borghese Park & Gallery
Even without entering the museum, strolling through the park is a treat: 80 hectares of Italian gardens, small lakes and neoclassical temples make this the green lung of central Rome. The Galleria Borghese inside — with Bernini sculptures, Caravaggios and Titians — ranks among Italy's most important museums, but requires mandatory advance booking and sells out weeks ahead. If you have the chance, book it: it is unmissable.
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