Accademia

Piazza Accademia di San Luca 75. Phone: 6992 2607. Fax: 678 5897. Price: L.210000 ($133) with breakfast. All major cards. 58 rooms. (C2).

Centrally located, af few steps from the Trevi fountain. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Campo de’Fiori

Via del Biscione 6. Phone: 687 4886 & 654 0865. Price: L.150000 ($95) with breakfast. All major cards. 27 rooms. (B3).

Small and cosy hotel in the old center. It is on an alley leading off the market square of Campo de’Fiori, 10 meters from the square.

There is no lift, but a nice roof garden with views to all directions. Breakfast is served in a mirrored room in the cellar, a romantic mock-up of an ancient temple.

Room no. 106 is rather large, with a high ceiling, strangely romantically furnished with exposed brickwork and roofstones over the bathroom and corridor. A brick arch frames the bed. The bathroom is small, nicely tiled and well outfitted, with a shower closet. There is neither a TV set nor a direct phone line to the outside.

Cardinal

Via Giulia 62. Phone: 654 2710. Price: L.240000 ($152) with breakfast. All major cards. 73 rooms. (B3).

Old palace from 1400 built around a court on the well known pedestrian Via Giulia near Tevere river, loaded with antiques. Once it was a city courthouse.

The public rooms are obtrusively wallpapered in mysterious and cardinal red alternating with exposed brick and stone from Forum Romanum, especially behind the original bar.

Room no. 216 had become rather tired, with flaky wallpaper. It is big, with antique and respectable furniture. A private writing room is in front of the bedroom.

Carriage

Via delle Carrozze 36. Phone: 679 4106 & 679 3152. Fax: 678 8279. Price: L.230000 ($145) with breakfast. All major cards. 27 rooms. (C2).

Endearing small hotel, well situated near the beginning of The Spanish Steps in a street running parallel to Via Condotti. It is not easily recognised from the outside, in spite of being only 100 meters from the Steps.

It is a human hotel with lots of antiques. Among them is a hotel bar converted from a 17th Century church altar. The staff was exemplary.

Room no. 102 is well endowed with epoch furniture, including a triangular wardrobe, a beautiful writing cabinet, and an antique telephone. The bathroom is fully tiled and was in good working condition.

Cesàri

Via di Pietra 89a. Phone: 679 2386 & 684 0632. Fax: 679 0882. Price: L.145000 ($92) with breakfast. All major cards. 50 rooms. (C3).

Historic hotel near the parliament and Piazza Colonna, 10 meters from the Corso traffic artery. It has been continuously a hotel for almost three centuries and sports a special licence from the pope, dated in 1787.

Garibaldi and Mazzini, heroes of the independence movement, stayed here, also well known writers. At that time it was one of the best places in town. Now it is one of the cheapest of those who got through the needle’s eye of this database.

Room no. 20 is simple, with linoleum on the floor and old furniture, somewhat skewed. Everything is clean though and in working condition, except for the air condition and the spring bed. A tiny bathroom is adequate.

Colosseum

Via Sforza 10. Phone: 482 7228 & 482 7312. Fax: 482 7285. Price: L.175000 ($110) with breakfast. All major cards. 49 rooms. (D3).

A relatively modern building 200 meters from the Santa Maria Maggiore church and near the central railway station.

A fine sitting room adjoins the lobby. The view from the upper floors includes the famous Colosseum.

Room no. 74 is very small, but has the addition of a balcony with chairs, a table and a good view. The quality furniture includes a secretary desk. There is no TV set.

Columbus

Via della Conzialiazione 33. Phone: 686 5435. Fax: 686 4874. Price: L.230000 ($145) with breakfast. All major cards. 115 rooms. (B2).

Cardinal’s palace, Palazzo dei Penitenzieri, and temporarily a monastery, now a hotel, stern and aloof on the outside. It is very well situated for those who are mainly interested in St Peter’s (San Pietro) and the Vatican. It is on the main street leading up to the Piazza San Pietro, just 150 meters from the piazza.

The 15th century palace was built for cardinal Domenico della Rovera, who later became Pope Julian II. It has much of the original furnishings and wall paintings in the drawing rooms behind the lobby. Breakfast was as ancient as the sour waiter. The front desk staff was efficient.

Room no. 446 is ample with choice furnishings in antique style, with leaded window panes, an exquisite carpet and soft wallpaper. The bathroom is completely tiled, with old equipment in perfect condition.

Condotti

Via Mario de’Fiori 37. Phone: 679 4661 & 679 0484. Fax: 679 0457. Price: L.225000 ($142) with breakfast. All major cards. 19 rooms. (C2).

A preferred hotel of ours, a very small and an unobtrusive hotel in a pedestrian street in the fashion shops district below The Spanish Steps, 200 meters from them.

It has recently been completely renovated and has moved up our ratings list. The staff was friendly and knew the answers to our questions.

Room no. 102 is big and cosy, with modern decor in blue cloth, pink plastic and bright pine, divided by a wardrobe into a sleeping part and a sitting part with a deep sofa. Everything in the room and bathroom was in mint condition and very clean.

De la Ville

Via Sistina 69. Phone: 67 331. Fax: 678 4213. Price: L.500000 ($316) with breakfast. All major cards. 192 rooms. (C2).

One of the best known luxury hotels in Rome, conveniently located above the Spanish Steps. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Duca d’Alba

Via Leonina 14. Phone: 484 471 & 484 712. Fax: 464 840. Price: L.190000 ($120) with rather good breakfast. All major cards. 25 rooms. (D3).

Small and cosy hotel with a modern look in an old building on a small square in the district Suburra, the ancient slum adjoining the Fori Imperiali, 500 meters from the ruins. This central district resembles a village.

Room no. 201 is beautifully designed in green shades, with quality furniture and soft wallpaper, sparkling of freshness. The air condition is unusually efficient and the bathroom very good.

Fontana

Piazza di Trevi 96. Phone: 678 6113 & 679 1056. Price: L.200000 ($126) without breakfast. All major cards. 28 rooms. (C3).

A 13th C. monastery opposite the Trevi fountain. It does not advertise its existence as the tiny entrance is unobtrusively marked with the letters HF.

Many rooms have a nice view to the fountain and the tourist horde. They are rather noisy for a prolonged stay. There is a roof garden. Front service is excellent.

Room no. 207 is small but clean, with greenish blue flower wallpaper and steel furniture. The small bathroom is well equipped. The view to the fountain is breathtaking. The din from it echoed in the ceiling when the window was open. The phone does not have a direct line to the outside.

Forum

Via Tor de’Conti 25. Phone: 679 2446. Fax: 678 6479. Price: L.330000 ($208) with breakfast. All major cards. 81 rooms. (D3).

Dignified hotel just above Fori Imperiali with a view over the ancient Forum Romanum up to the imperial Capitolum hill.

It is a Renaissance palace built of stones from the Forum. Downstairs there are some beautiful saloons in British Edwardian style. The top floor has a breakfast room with views. Service is good.

Room no. 205 is big and nice, with a real writing table, an easy chair, parquet floor, fine small rugs, bright walls with antique paintings. The bathroom is well fitted out.

Gregoriana

Via Gregoriana 18. Phone: 679 4269. Fax: 678 4258. Price: L.240000 ($152) with breakfast. No cards accepted. 19 rooms. (C2).

One of our favorities, a stylish and tasteful hotelet in an old convent in a side street leading off the top of The Spanish Steps, 200 meters from the Steps. It is so popular that booking far in advance is recommended.

It is the home of discerning fashion models when shows are in season. The hotel itself sparkles with cleanliness and comfort. The rooms are marked with letters, not with numbers.

Room F is very relaxing, light and airy, with a balcony overlooking the quiet private garden. Furnishings are matching in pale red. There are bamboo chairs, a writing cabinet, a rocking chair and a thick carpet. The bathroom is big, with soft and flowery wallpapers, even over the bathtub.

Hassler – Villa Medici

Piazza Trinità de’Monti. Phone: 678 2651. Fax: 678 9991. Price: L.590000 ($372) without breakfast. All major cards. 100 rooms. (C2).

One of the top hotels in the world, proudly standing at the top of The Spanish Steps, beside the Trinità de’Monti church, one of the landmarks of Rome. The hotel of spacious rooms is of medium size.

It is decorated with immaculate taste, quiet as a country mansion in the center of a world city. It is almost too relaxed as it took a lot of time to deliver the baggage to the room. Breakfast is served in a top floor restaurant with breathtaking views.

Room no. 523 is one of the finest lodgings we have tested, almost an apartment. It has an anteroom, a giant bathroom and a big bedroom, all in bright colors. Former times are reflected in beams and pillars and in murals above the beds and in the bathroom. Mirrors are everywhere, the carpets are thick, as are the towels and the bathrobes.

Inghilterra

Via Bocca di Leone 14. Phone: 672 166. Fax: 684 0828. Price: L.340000 ($215) without breakfast. All major cards. 105 rooms. (C2).

Traditional hotel of writers and the intelligenzia since 1850 just below The Spanish Steps on a small square in a pedestrian part of the fashion district. H. C. Andersen, Anatole France, Earnest Hemingway, Henry James, Alec Guinness and many others stayed here.

It has been carefully renovated and its many antiques have been preserved.

Room no. 138 is rather small, well equipped, with soft wallpapers, dissimilar and relaxing furniture. The bathroom is marbled and well appointed, including a bathrobe.

Madrid

Via Mario de’Fiori 95. Phone: 699 1511. Fax: 679 1653. Price: L.210000 ($133) with breakfast. All major cards. 19 rooms. (C2).

A tiny hotel a few steps from the Spanish Steps. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Majestic

Via Vittorio Veneto 50. Phone: 48 6841. Fax: 488 0984. Price: L.500000 ($316) with breakfast. All major cards. 88 rooms. (D2).

Probably the best hotel on the famous fashion street. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Margutta

Via Laurina 34. Phone: 322 3674. Price: L.134000 ($85) with breakfast. All major cards. 21 rooms. (C2).

Between Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Piccolo

Via dei Chiaviari 32. Phone: 654 2560. Price: L.85000 ($54) without breakfast. All major cards. 15 rooms. (C3).

Quaint and tiny hotel in the old center, midway between the squares Campo dei Fiori and Largo di Argentina.

There is no elevator and no breakfast. But it is the cheapest hotel in the city of those included in this database.

Room no. 8 is big, with an extra bed and a desk, tiled floor and rosy bedspreads. There is neither a TV set nor a direct phone line to the outside. The bathroom is fully tiled and quite well endowed.

Portoghesi

Via dei Portoghesi 1. Phone: 686 4231. Fax: 687 6976. Price: L.130000 ($82) with breakfast. All major cards. 27 rooms. (C2).

Well known hotel in the part of the old center, where the alleys are most narrow and twisted. It is 200 meters from Piazza Navona and beside the church of Sant’Antonio.

This is Renaissance Rome. One of the old towers of noblemen, Torre dei Frangipane, is opposite the hotel. To get to the breakfast room you have to exit the elevator at the top and continue up stairs on the outside of the house.

Room no. 83 is small, with weary furnishings, flowery wallpaper and a carpet on the floor. The price is the second lowest of the included hotels.

Raphaël

Largo Febo 2. Phone: 650 881. Fax: 687 8993. Price: L.390000 ($246) with breakfast. All major cards. 85 rooms. (B3).

A fine hotel patronised by members of the Italian parliament. It is situated just off the northern end of Piazza Navona, under police protection night and day. Many fallen angels lived there in the Dolce Vita years before the clean-up of Italian politics.

The quiet abode is hidden behind a cover of luxuriant foliage, a real oasis in a tiny square with trees. It has atmosphere and style. It is full of antiques and modern paintings, even in the corridors. The roof-garden gives good views. The staff was exceptionally helpful.

Room no. 104 is very well furnished, with a parquet floor, abstract paintings, a giant cupboard and big windows overlooking the square. The bathroom was immaculate down to the bathrobes.

Santa Chiara

Via Santa Chiara 21. Phone: 687 2979. Fax: 687 3144. Price: L.250000 ($158) with breakfast. All major cards. 93 rooms. (C3).

Centrally located a few steps from Pantheon. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Scalinata di Spagna

Piazza Trinità de’Monti 17. Phone: 679 3006. Fax: 684 0896. Price: L.225000 ($142) with breakfast. All major cards. 14 rooms. (C2).

One of the smallest hotels we know of in the central city. It is just above the Spanish Steps opposite the famous Hassler Villa Medici hotel.

It is homely and beautifully furnished with antiques, resembling an old country inn.

Room no. 3 is small and amusingly skewed, endowed with antique and comfortable furniture, including a secretary desk. An old chandelier hangs from the ceiling which is painted with flowers. The plumbing is visible. The bathroom is small and includes a shower closet.

Senato

Piazza della Rotonda 73. Phone: 679 3231. Fax: 6994 0297. Price: L.190000 ($120) with breakfast. All major cards. 51 rooms. (C3).

Directly in front of the Pantheon. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Sole al Pantheon

Piazza della Rotonda 63. Phone: 678 0441. Fax: 684 0689. Price: L.250000 ($158) with breakfast. All major cards. 29 rooms. (C3).

A small hotel directly on the square in front of the Pantheon. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Teatro di Pompeo

Largo del Pallaro 8. Phone: 6830 0170. Fax: 6880 5531. Price: L.210000 ($133) with breakfast. All major cards. 12 rooms. (C3).

A tiny hotel a few steps from the corner of Corso Vittorio Emanuele og Corso del Rinascimento. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Torre Argentina

Corso Vittorio Emanuele 102. Phone: 683 3886. Fax: 6880 1641. Price: L.210000 ($133) with breakfast. All major cards. 52 rooms. (C3).

On the main throughfare in the old city. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Agata e Romeo

Via Carlo Alberto 45. Phone: 733 298 & 446 5842. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.140000 ($88) for two. All major cards. (E3).

Classy restaurant 200 meters from the Santa Maria Maggiore church, near the main railway station. Agata Paricella is in charge of the kitchen and Romeo Caraccia directs casually in the dining rooms, hands in pockets (his own).

The restaurant is small and refined with good and dignified service. The guests sit in wicket chairs at well spaced tables in nooks between arches under vaults. A good wine list. Specialises in Roman cooking, such as innards.

• Zuppa di scarola e borlotti = salad and bean soup.

• Rigatoni alla pagliata = pasta tubes with tomato sauce, parmesan and kidneys.

• Merluzzo con zabaione = poached cod in red wine sauce.

• Agnello di Abruzzo = rack of lamb with potatoes and mushrooms.

• Mousse de ricotta con salsa di canelle = cheese soufflé with cinnamon.

Innards:

• Animelle = sweetbreads.

• Cervella = brains.

• Coratella = lamb lungs.

• Fegato = liver.

• Pagliata = kidneys.

• Rognoni = kidneys.

• Trippa = tripe.

Ai Tre Scalini

Via di Santissimi Quattro 30. Phone: 70 96 309 & 70 02 835. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.160000 ($101) for two. All major cards. (D4).

Small and distinguished top-class restaurant, 200 meters from Colosseum. It combines traditional cooking with innovations. The owner-chef is a construction engineer, Rosanna Dupré, designing a new menu each day.

Unassuming on the outside, comfortable on the inside, with a big cupboard for glassware, somber paintings, parquet floors and an old chandelier. Ms. Dupré experiments with marinated fish, such as Spigola al sale.

• Spigola al sale = lightly salted, raw, delicate slices of sea bass.

• Ravioli al radiccho = radishes in pasta envelopes.

• Filetto di manzo en crusta = spiced veal with broccoli in crust.

• Piccioni farciti = stuffed duck.

• Spume de melone = melon cake with marzipan cream.

Alberto Ciarla

Piazza di San Cosimato 40. Phone: 58 18 668 & 68 84 377. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.250000 ($158) for two. All major cards. (B4).

One of the main gourmet paradises in the city, heavily decorated in an eclectic style, at the Piazza San Cosimato in the upwards mobile district of Trastevere on the left bank of the river Tevere. It carries the name of the chef-owner.

The room is high and dark, in blue shades. Mirrors at both ends make the place unreal and a few aquariums make it lika a luxury submarine. Reality is closer in framed currency bills and certificates on the walls. Three-armed candle-stands decorate each table. It specialises in gastronomic menus, such as an Etruscan menu.

• Insalata di gamberi = lemon marinated shrimp with mushrooms.

• Bomolotti allo sparacreddo = giant pasta tubes with a strong broccoli & seafood sauce.

• Zuppa di pasta e fagioli ai frutti di mare = pasta soup with shellfish and red beans.

• Filetto di pesce alle erbe = sea trout with herbs.

• Frutti di sottobosco = blueberries with ice cream.

Andrea

Via Sardegna 28. Phone: 48 21 891 & 47 40 557. Hours: Closed Sunday & lunch Monday. Price: L.180000 ($114) for two. All major cards. (D2).

One of the top culinary addresses in Rome, in the splendid Ludovisi district of established wealth, just 100 meters from the Borghese gardens and just off the Via Veneto.

A Spartan place with greenish walls, pictures of carriages, big mirrors, marble floor, bamboo chairs and big chandeliers. Offers excellent cheeses.

• Tagliolini con porcini = pasta ribbons with boletus mushrooms.

• Linguine al nero di seppie = pasta threads with black octopus sauce.

• Rombo griglia = grilled brill.

• Scampi alla griglia = grilled prawns.

• Formaggi = cheese from the trolley.

• Fragoline di bosco con panna liquida = wild strawberries with cream.

Italian cheese:

• Bel paese = mild and soft cheese.

• Gorgonzola = rather soft and strong blue cheese.

• Grana = very hard cooking cheese.

• Mozzarella = rubbery young cheese.

• Parmiggiano = parmesan cheese, a type of grana.

• Pecorino = hard and strong Roman ewe cheese.

• Provolone = strong cheese.

• Ricotta = fresh ewe cheese.

• Taleggio = mild & creamy cheese.

Buco

Via Sant’Ignazio 8. Phone: 679 3298. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.90000 ($57) for two. All major cards. (C3).

Near the Pantheon. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Campana

Vicolo della Campana 18. Phone: 686 7820 & 687 5273. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.95000 ($60) for two. All major cards. (C2).

An inexpensive restaurant in the old center, 400 meters from the north end of Piazza Navona, with refreshingly well made Roman everyday food.

This is a simple and neutral place , bright and clean, with close tables and attentive waiters in perfect Italian style.

• Penne con carciofi = big pasta tubes with artichokes.

• Pappardelle in salsa lepre = broad pasta reams with hare sauce.

• Involtini di manzo con puré = skewered veal slices with mashed potatoes.

• Filetto di tacchino = turkey with mushrooms and two types of cream sauce.

• Fragole di bosco con panna = wild strawberries with cream.

Roman cuisine:

• Abbacchio = baby lamb.

• Alla romana = (usually) with tomato and sometimes red wine.

• Asparagus.

• Mint.

• Pecorino cheese.

• Ricotta cheese.

• Stracciatella = egg and cheese soup.

• Trippa = veal tripe.

Camponeschi

Piazza Farnese 50. Phone: 687 4927. Fax: 686 5244. Hours: Closed lunch & Sunday. Price: L.175000 ($110) for two. All major cards. (B3).

Directly in front of Palazzo Farnese. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Cannavota

Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano 20. Phone: 775 007. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: L.65000 ($41) for two. All major cards. (E4).

A good restaurant with low prices, beautifully designed, on the square in front of the cathedral San Giovanni in Laterano. It is the best known seafood restaurant in Rome, offering traditional cooking.

The interior resembles a mountain hotel. Massive wooden columns and beams and panels, high chairs, lots of paintings and pictures.

• Fritto misto di mare = deep fried seafood with lemon.

• Linguine alla reviglio = spaghetti with tomato shrimp sauce.

• Risotto alla Cannavota = rice with tomato, cream and lobster.

• Filetto di tacchino = turkey breast under a roof of mushrooms and cheese.

• Scaloppe alla verbena = veal slices under a roof of mushrooms and cheese.

• Insalata mista = mixed salad.

• Macedonia di frutta = marinated mixed fruit.

Roman seafood:

• Antipasto di mare = cold seafood platter.

• Fritto misto di mare = deep fried seafood with lemon.

• Insalata di mare = seafood salad.

• Risotto di frutti di mare = fried rice with seafood.

• Zuppa di pesce alla romana = shellfish soup.

Cesare

Via Crescenzio 13. Phone: 686 1227 & 686 1912. Hours: Closed Sunday evening and Monday. Price: L.110000 ($69) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Behind the Palace of Justice and the Mausoleum of Hadrian, a very Roman restaurant, convenient for visitors to St Peter’s and the Vatican museums.

A long row of a few rooms connected with arches and exaggerated in length by a mirror at the end. Wooden panelling and bright walls. A noisy and a happy place frequented by regulars.

• Breasola = dry salt meat with grana cheese with oil and lemon, similar to prosciutto.

• Penne al’arrabiata = short pasta tubes with tomato, lobster and pepper sauce.

• Saltimbocca alla romana = thin veal and ham slices, fried in butter and then cooked in Marsala wine.

• Fragolini con panna = wild strawberries with cream.

Cesarina

Via Piemonte 109. Phone: 488 0828 & 460 828. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.140000 ($88) for two. All major cards. (D1).

Big and popular in country style with Bologna cuisine, in the refined Ludovisi district to the west of Via Veneto, 200 meters from the Borghese gardens and 500 meters from Via Veneto.

Brick arches divide the restaurant in sections. Lots of paintings decorate the walls. Clients talk business loudly, Italian style.

• Mortadella = unsalted pork sausages Bologna style, cooked in white wine.

• Carpaccio = thin slices of raw beef with oil, lemon and parmesan cheese.

• Tagliatelle bolognese = egg pasta with Bologna sauce, made of ground beef and pork, mushrooms, tomato, vegetables, spices and garlic.

• Filetto di bue Toscana = steak with lemon.

• Semifreddo Cesarina = ice cream with pudding and chocolate sauce.

Checchino dal 1887

Via Monte Testaccio 30. Phone: 574 6318. Fax: 574 3816. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner & Monday. Price: L.155000 ($98) for two. All major cards. (C5).

One of the few real gourmet restaurants in Rome, between the Tevere river and Stazione Ostia. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Convivio

Via dell’Orso 44. Phone: 686 9432. Fax: 686 9432. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.160000 ($101) for two. All major cards. (C2).

Between Piazza Navona and the Tevere river. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Costanza

Piazza del Paradiso 65. Phone: 686 1717 & 654 1002. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.100000 ($63) for two. All major cards. (C3).

Steak and seafood restaurant with traditional, solid Italian cooking in an alley just 100 meters from the Campo de’Fiori square in the old city center.

Unassuming as it is on the outside it is as exciting on the inside. The main room is a romantic cave with vaulted ceiling and antiques in niches, such as amphorae and column stumps. Illumination is indirect and stylish. On the side there is a panelled room with a fireplace.

• Crepes funghi e tartufi = very hot pancakes with mushrooms and the expensive white truffles grown in Northern Italy.

• Entrecote griglia = grilled beef.

• Asparagi = fresh asparagus in oil.

• Tiramisu = Venetian chocolate pudding with coffee chocolate.

Tartufi: The Italian type of tuber, the underground mushrooms dug up with the help of trained dogs and pigs. This type is white and almost as expensive as the French black ones. They have a pungent aroma and are always used uncooked, usually in small amounts with some other food. Tartufi is one of the things essentially Italian.

Crisciotti

Via del Boschetto 30. Phone: 474 4770. Hours: Closed Saturday. Price: L.100000 ($63) for two. No cards. (D3).

Typical, busy and devoid of tourists, in a side street 100 meters from Via Nazionale and 600 meters from Fori Imperiali. The food is simple, typical Roman fare, based on vegetable soups, mixed salads and fresh fruits of the season.

Local regulars sit in three small rooms under rustic decorations, where brown paintings hang on red-painted walls above heavy stone masonry. Fish are on view in a big refrigerator of glass.

• Zuppa did verdura = a filling soup of colorful vegetables.

• Agnello = lamb straight, with nothing on the side.

• Insalata mista = mixed salad.

• Frutta de stagione = fresh fruits of the season.

Galeassi

Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere 3. Phone: 580 3775 & 580 9898. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.95000 ($60) for two. All major cards. (B4).

On the main square in the fashionable Trastevere district, not as expensive as neighbouring Sabatini, but also specialising in seafood.

This is a clean and cosy place with dark panelling and dark wooden ceiling, but otherwise bright. The smaller streetside room is the better one.

• Fettucini con funghi porcini = Broad pasta reams with boletus mushrooms.

• Risotto creme di scampi = rice with scampi chunks.

• Mazzancolle al forno = king prawns oven-fried in the shell.

• Saltimbocca alla romana con funghi = veal and ham slices with sage and mushrooms.

• Ananas = fresh pineapple.

• Macedonia di frutta = fresh fruit salad.

Shrimp: There are several Italian types of shrimp:

• Gamberi.

• Scampi.

• Gamberoni (big).

• Mazzancolle (very big).

Galeone

Piazza San Cosimato 27. Phone: 580 9009. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: L.160000 ($101) for two. All major cards. (B4).

Interestingly decorated seafood restaurant on the San Cosimato market square in the Trastevere district, which is the part of the city center on the other side of Tevere river.

It has a high wicket ceiling. The guests sit in carved chairs on a stone floor under leaded window panes and wooden columns and beams.

• Linguine alle vongole = pasta threads with small shells.

• Tagliolini all’aragosta = pasta reams with crab chunks and tomato sauce.

• Spigola alla griglia = freshly grilled sea bass with lemon.

• Misto di frutti di bosco = fresh wild berries, including wild strawberries.

Italian fish:

• Bonito = tuna.

• Merlano = whiting.

• Merluzzo = cod.

• Rombo = turbot and brill.

• Rospo = monkfish.

• Sogliola = sole.

• Spada = swordfish.

• Spigola = sea bass.

Giarrosto Toscano

Via Campania 29. Phone: 482 1899 & 482 3835. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: L.140000 ($88) for two. All major cards. (D2).
An agreeable place beautifully designed in a basement opposite the Borghese gardens, about 100 meters from the upper end of Via Veneto. It offers Tuscany cooking from the Florence area.

Arches and vaults divide the restaurant into several parts. The walls are brightly panelled all the way up to the arches. Where panel and arches meet there are rows of bottles. mainly with Tuscany wine such as Chianti.

• Grand’antipasto = a collection of starters, including devilled egg with potato chunks, filled pumpkins and artichokes, meat dumplings with tomato sauce, white ricotta cheese dumplings, sausages and ham, raw prosciutto ham, smoked salmon and melon.

• Bistecca alla Fiorentina = coal grilled and salted beefsteak with spinach.

• Frutta con gelato = fresh fruit with ice cream.

Ricotta: Soft, unsalted cheese, reminiscent of Greek feta cheese, eaten fresh. Usually it is put into pasta envelopes or used in sweet bakery, but here it is served in wet and soft dumplings.

Girone VI

Vicolo Sinibaldi 2. Phone: 6880 22831. Hours: Closed lunch & Sunday. Price: L.135000 ($85) for two. All major cards. (C3).

A few steps from Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Mario

Via delle Vite 55. Phone: 678 3818. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.80000 ($51) for two. All major cards. (C2).

Very lively and rather inexpensive place with Tuscany cooking in the district of fashion shops beneath the Spanish Steps, about 400 meters from the steps and 200 meters from the traffic artery of Corso.

The decorations are simple. Small paintings and photos are tightly hung on the walls above the panelling. Most of the photos show Mario with thick brows in the company of famous and beautiful people. The restaurant is divided by arcades into three rooms with tightly set tables. Chianti in 1,5 liter bottles are put on the tables and drunk out of water glasses. The waiters are very busy and effective.

• Risotto con funghi = rice with mushrooms.

• Ribollita = vegetable soup.

• Ravioli verde = small pasta envelopes with spinach, cheese, egg and parmesan cheese.

• Due quaglie arrosto = two soft quails.

• Castagnaccio = hot and soft chestnut cake with whole nuts.

Tuscany cuisine: Generally considered the top of Italian cooking. The Queens of France were often brought from Florence, bringing with them their chefs, starting what is now called classical French cuisine. The best pasta in Italy comes from Tuscany: ravioli and gnochi. And Tuscany is one of the best wine regions in Italy.

Montevecchio

Piazza Montevecchio 22a. Phone: 686 1319. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.130000 ($82) for two. All major cards. (B3).

Tiny gourmet temple of 28 seats on a tine square in the densest and most inaccesible part of the old city, 100 meters to the west from the north end of Piazza Navona. Its speciality is game.

Earlier it was known as the restaurant Pino et Dino. Master chef Antonio Civello has changed it into a gourmet temple of the French type. The front door is locked and reservations are obligatory. The ceiling is high, the wine rack cupboard is huge, the single wall painting is huge and the wrought iron chandelier is huge.

• Strudel di funghi = Mushroom dumpling.

• Crepes al gorgonzola e noci = pancakes filled with gorgonzola cheese and almonds.

• Anitra alle noci = duck with almonds.

• Capretto d’Abruzzo al forno = oven-baked venison.

• Tiramisu = Venetian chocolate pudding with coffee chocolate.

• Creme brulée = caramel crusty pudding.

Italian game:

• Allodole = lark.

• Beccaccia = woodcock.

• Capretto = kid.

• Capriolo = roebuck.

• Cervo = venison.

• Chinghiale = wild boar.

• Lepre = hare.

• Quaglie = quail.

• Starna = partridge.

• Uccelletti = small birds, such as sparrows.

Moro

Vicolo delle Bollette 13. Phone: 68 40 736 & 67 83 495. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.120000 ($76) for two. All major cards. (C3).

Hidden in a side street about 100 meters from the Trevi fountain and other 100 meters from the main traffic artery Corso, you find this essential Roman restaurant offering true Roman food. It is mainly patronised by elderly local people even if travelers are also welcomed.

The furnishings are old-fashioned but not antique. Wooden panels cover the lower walls and above them there are discordant paintings. There are two dining rooms, the front one is better. Specialises in everything alla Romana = in the Roman way, which in fact can mean anything; and in antipasti assortiti = small and sundry appetisers.

• Spaghetti alle vongole = spaghetti with small shellfish in the shell.

• Ricotta = soft cheese.

• Abbacchio alla romana = a slice of lamb leg with pan-fried potatoes.

• Vitello cacciatora = veal with mushrooms and tomatoes.

• Insalata mista = mixed salad with oil and vinegar.

• Fragoline di bosco = wild strawberries.

Alla Romana:

• Abbachio alla romana = lamb cooked in egg, lemon and white wine sauce.

• Gnochi alla romana = mashed potato dumplings with tomato sauce and cheese.

• Pizza alla romana = pizza with mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese and basil.

• Piselli alla romana = beans fried with onion, ham and butter.

• Pollo alla romana = chicken pieces fried in oil and butter with onion, ham, pepper and tomato.

• Saltimbocca alla romana = thin veal covered in ham.

• Trippa alla romana = tripe in tomato mint sauce, accompanied with pecorino-cheese.

• Zuppa alla romana = shellfish soup.

Nerone

Via delle Terme di Tito 96. Phone: 474 5207. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.65000 ($41) for two. All major cards. (D4).

Unpretentious and inexpensive, very Roman, about 200 meters north of the Colosseum. Its speciality is beef and French fried, so it is frequented by many foreign visitors. Many Italian places have inferior steaks for tourists, so seek out places which are used by local regulars, like this one.

This is a lively place with happy locals mixed with curious travelers, sitting in two rooms on comfortable wood chairs under vaulted ceilings and high panels, big and small paintings. The kitchen is in plain view.

• Anitpasto misti = a cold buffet of 34 items.

• Antipasto di mare = a choice of seafood from the cold buffet.

• Filetto de bue ai feri con patate fritta = thin and wide beef steak from the pan, with French fried.

• Gelati misti = three types of ice cream.

• Frutta di stagione = fresh fruit of the season.

Orso ’80

Via dell’Orso 33. Phone: 686 4904 & 686 1710. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.95000 ($60) for two. All major cards. (C2).

Strangely resembling a skiing hut in the old city center, 300 meters from Piazza Navona. An inexpensive restaurant with cuisine from Abruzzi, the mountainous region east of Rome.

An arch divides the restaurant in two parts. The front room is panelled with light pine in Nordic skiing style with inlaid cupboards of wrought iron. Many kinds of incidental paintings decorate the walls.

• Zuppa pavese = egg, bread and cheese soup.

• Risotto alla pescadora = rice with tomato and squid.

• Spaghetti alle vongole = spaghetti with shellfish in the shell.

• Filetto di bue alla griglia = grilled beef filet.

• Polla toscana arrosto = oven baked chicken.

• Frutta mista = mixed fruit.

• Creme caramel = caramel pudding.

Italian soups:

• Brodo = clear soups.

• Minestrone = clear soups with pasta.

• Minestre = thick soups with rice or pasta.

• Egg soups such as zuppa pavese and stracciatella.

Pancrazio

Piazza del Biscione 92. Phone: 686 1246. Fax: 686 1246. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: L.120000 ($76) for two. All major cards. (C3).

Build from the ruins of Teatro di Pompeo, a few steps from Campo de’Fiori. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Papà Giovanni

Via dei Sediari 4. Phone: 868 5308. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.165000 ($104) for two. All major cards. (C3).

Old family friend, amusingly tastelessly decorated restaurant with a locked front door, excellent cuisine and an ever-changing menu. It is 150 meters south of the Senate in Palazzo Madama and 50 meters north of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II.

It is divided into long corridors with sofas and low tables on one side and bottle racks on the other. Naked bulbs hang from the old ceiling of carved wood. The walls show the varied brickwork. The wine bottles have not been dusted for decades.

• Misticanza con neretti = sea-urchin salad.

• Farfalla di spigola = marinated sea bass.

• Tagliolini alla cardinale = pasta reams with mushrooms.

• Vermicella pomodoro verde = green spaghetti with cheese.

• Portafoglio con funghi = broccoli and Brussels sprouts enclosed in veal slices.

• Granatina di filetto = veal dumplings with small tomatoes on salad.

• Creme brulée allo zenzero = crispy caramel pudding.

• Pastiera di castagne = chestnut paté with whipped cream.

Paris

Piazza San Callisto 7a. Phone: 581 5378. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner & Monday. Price: L.130000 ($82) for two. All major cards. (B4).

A few steps from Santa Maria in Trastevere. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Passetto

Via Zanardelli 14. Phone: 654 0569. Hours: Closed Monday lunch and Sunday. Price: L.140000 ($88) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A solid piece of the old block. Real Italian waiters of the old school serve food from plates as in the days before World War II. It is in the old city, 100 meters from Piazza Navona.

A long front room with a high ceiling, big mirrors on one wall and strange paintings on the other. Cork floor and panelling. A more conventional back room.

• Pasta e fagioli ai frutti di mare = pancake with chopped fish, baked with cheese and tomato sauce.

• Zuppa di cozze = mussel soup with the shells.

• Filetto al pepe verde = pepper steak with asparagus.

• Creme brulée = caramel pudding.

Zuppa di cozze: Oil, onion and tomatoes are heated in a pan, water is added and finally the mussels are added, opening on the way to the table.

Pianeta Terra

Via dell’Arco del Monte 95. Phone: 686 9893. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.300000 ($189) for two. All major cards. (B3).

One of the main cuisine temples in Rome, behind locked doors which are difficult to find in a pedestrian alley 200 meters away from the Campo de’Fiori square. The name means: The Planet Earth. Roberto Minetti cooks and Patrizia Minetti directs the service.

There is a bar and a sitting room downstairs. A dark dining room is upstairs, with different dark shades in the panelling. The ceiling is vaulted. There are special menus, taste menu, seafood menu, Roman menu and a conventional menu. The meal starts with four different breads.

• Criole al oeli di pomodoro e basilico = eel in basil and tomato sauce.

• Paté de foie gras in salsa di Recioto = goose liver in white wine sauce with redcurrant berries, wild strawberries and raspberries.

• Zuppe di lenticchie con gamberi = lentil soup with big prawns.

• Vermicelli alle mezzancolle = pasta with big giant prawn chunks in strong tomat sauce.

• Risotto au zuchine e zafferano = fried rice with zucchini, saffron and grana cheese.

• Pesce con cicoriette fritte = turbot with chicory.

• Insalate di carne = marinated beef slices with apple slices.

• Dolche di Patrizie e Roberto = fine desserts of the house.

Piccola Roma

Via Uffici del Vicario 36. Phone: 679 8606. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.80000 ($51) for two. All major cards. (C2).

Always busy, full of parliamentarians and pressure specialists, journalists and bureaucrats in a hurry, with their overcoats ready on the big pegs at the tables. Near the parliament, 200 meters from Corso.

As many exemplary restaurants in Rome this one tries not to be obvious on the outside. When inside it is rather big, in a few rooms on the first floor. The walls have brick up to the middle. Above that there are strange and accidental paintings and posters. A wine shelf goes through the restaurant.

• Prosciutto di San Daniele = lots of smoked ham, thinly sliced like Parma ham, only better, served with figs.

• Risotto pescatore = rice with squid and mussels.

• Abbachio forno = lamb, well done, with grilled potatoes.

• Gelato, three types of ice cream, with chocolate mint, vanilla and mocha.

Prosciutto is typically Italian. The best internationally known smoked ham comes from Parma. In Italy the one from San Danieli is considered at least equal to the one from Parma. The ham is always cut in very thin slices. Out of Italy it is usually accompanied with melon, but Italians like figs better.

Piperno

Via Monte de’Censi 9. Phone: 654 0629 & 654 2772. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner & Monday. Price: L.110000 ($69) for two. All major cards. (C3).

In a shady alley in the Jewish ghetto, beautiful and comfortable, with very good food, just under the walls of the Censi palace, about 50 meters from the Tevere river bank.

This is a big dining room with a circular buffet in the middle. There is wood everywhere, in the floor, in the panelling and in the ceiling. The furniture is of good quality. Enormous paintings of ancient ruins decorate the walls. There is also a simpler back room.

• Carciofi alla giudia = artichokes fried in oil in Jewish style.

• Filetti di baccalà = deep fried salt-cod.

• Le palle de nonno fritte = deep fried ricotta cheese with chocolate in butter pastry.

Carciofi alla giudia: The artichokes are opened and flattened, cut in pieces and deep fried in an oil mixture of secret ingredients. After cooking they are golden and look like flowers. This is a speciality of the Jewish ghetto.

Preistorici

Vicollo Orbitelli 13. Phone: 689 2796. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.120000 ($76) for two. No cards. (B3).

In the west end of the renaissance center of the city, in a pedestrian alley leading off Via Giulia near its northern end. A cosy restaurant with a locked door and a small doorbell sign and no other identification. It is run by one of the most adventurous chefs of the city, Luigi Frizziero.

The restaurant is in a few small rooms with vaulted ceilings. It is heavily panelled and decorated with big paintings. There is no menu.

• Prosciutto = thin slices of raw veal.

• Risotto di mare = rice with giant prawns.

• Filetto al pepe = pepper steak.

• Filetto griglia = grilled steak.

• Creme brulée = caramel pudding.

• Fragole = strawberries.

Risotto: A rice dish from the Po valley, generally connected with Milan and Venice. The rice is first fried in oil or butter, often with onions, and then cooked in a small amount of liquid, wine or the juice of the food, which then is mixed into the rice when it is served. Often butter and grana cheese are added.

Quinci Gabrieli

Via della Coppelle 6. Phone: 687 9389. Fax: 687 4940. Hours: Closed lunch & Sunday. Price: L.200000 ($126) for two. All major cards. (C3).

About 100 meters from the Pantheon. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Romolo nel Giardino

Via di Porta Settimiana 8. Phone: 581 8284. Fax: 580 0079. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.100000 ($63) for two. All major cards. (B3).

Enchanting garden restaurant in Trastevere, near the river. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Rosetta

Via della Rosetta 8-9. Phone: 686 1002 & 654 8841. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday. Price: L.180000 ($114) for two. All major cards. (C3).

The best seafood restaurant in Rome and one of its gourmet temples, in the old city, 100 meters north of Pantheon. You have to sound the bell to get in. From humble beginnings this Sicilian restaurant of the brothers Riccioli has gradually evolved into the refined place it is today. When we discovered it a decade ago it was much more basic than it is now.

The furnishings are elegant, with a big buffet overflowing with flowers, fruit and wine bottles. On the inner wall of the room there is a fish artwork in mosaic. The only discordant note is the piped music, which is happily absent in most Roman restaurants.

• Cappesante ai carciofi = scallops with artichokes.

• Spigola macinata al arancia = marinated sea bass in orange and lemon juice.

• Scampi insalata = prawn salad with grana cheese.

• Rombo griglia = grilled brill.

• Polipa griglia = grilled octopus.

• Macedonia di frutta = mixed fresh fruit.

• Sorbetto = lemon sorbet.

Shellfish:

• Arselle and vongole = small shells.

• Cappe and cappesante = scallops.

• Cozze and muscoli = mussels.

Sabatini

Vicolo Santa Maria in Trastevere. Phone: 581 8307. Hours: Closed Tuesday. Price: L.130000 ($82) for two. All major cards. (B4).

A popular place with travellers, but good in spite of that. In a pedestrian alley leading off Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, about 10 meters from the square. The district is a former slum that is changing into a fashionable one. There is a sister establishment with the same name on the square itself, equally good. Both have atmosphere and good seafood cuisine.

The center of the restaurant is the grill oven and buffet which we pass when we are shown to our tables in one of the side rooms. In the middle there is a traffic congestion of hurrying waiters and cooks. The side rooms are more quiet, with old, painted ceilings with wooden beams. This restaurant has been used as a location in a Fellini movie.

• Trippa alla romana = pan-fried tripe in tomato sauce with mint and pecorino cheese.

• Crespolini = pancakes with spinach, cheese, egg and liver.

• Costata di bue = steak.

• Tiramisú = chocolate dessert.

• Trippa: Can be soft and tasty when it is correctly cooked. It is a national dish all the way from Rome to Florence.

• Pecorino: A hard ewe cheese reminiscent of grana or parmesan.
•
Sans Souchi•
Via Sicilia 20/24. Phone: 482 1814. Fax: 482b 1771. Hours: Closed lunch & Monday. Price: L.220000 ($139) for two. All major cards. (D2).

A quality restaurant a few steps from Via Veneto. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Taverna

Via Massimo d’Azeglio 3f. Phone: 474 4305. Hours: Closed Saturday. Price: L.90000 ($57) for two.,. All major cards. (E3).

Comfortable and unassuming, with quick and solid service in a cellar, about 100 meters from the square in front of the central railway terminal. It offers solid cooking in the Roman style.

There are two rooms, with high panels alternating with light walls and coat-hangers. Above the panelling there are rows of wine bottles.

• Prosciutto di Parma = raw ham with melon.

• Filetto di bue con carciofi = beef filet with artichokes.

• Torta al ciocolato = chocolate tart.

Taverna Giulia

Vicolo dell’Oro. Phone: 686 9768 & 656 4089. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.95000 ($60) for two. All major cards. (B3).

A cosy place with Ligurian cuisine at the west end of the old city center, near the bridges to the Vatican and St Peter’s.

Several small rooms and low panelling beneath rustic walls. Wrought iron rails are in arches between the rooms. Guests sit in comfortable wicket chairs.

• Trenette al pesto = flat pasta with Ligurian sauce.

• Lasagnette ai funghi porcini = small pasta plates with boletus mushrooms.

• Ravioli genovese = pasta envelopes with lamb and calf innards.

• Tagliatelle al gorgonzola = pasta strings with blue cheese.

• Vitello straccotto alla Genovese = broad and thin veal slices cooked in white wine with onion sauce.

• Faraoni di Giomnes all’arancio = guinea hen with a thin orange sauce and pan fried celery.

• Pacciugo = fresh fruit and berries with sorbet.

Pesto: A famous, strong sauce from Liguria, generally greenish, made of basil, nuts, garlic and lots of grana cheese. Liguria is the name of the coastal area around Genua.

Toulà

Via della Lupa 29b. Phone: 687 3498 & 687 3750. Hours: Closed Sunday & lunch Saturday. Price: L.190000 ($120) for two. All major cards. (C2).

In the old center, about 300 meters from the corner of Corso and Via Condotti, the refined and glamorous restaurant of international business gives good service to busy clients talking into pocket phones. In spite of that it is one of the best restaurants in the city, mainly because of chef Danaiele Repette, who cooks in Venetian style.

The place looks airy and spacious. From the entrance there are some steps down to the restaurant level, which is divided by arches into several sections with well-spaced tables. Waiters abound. At the end of the meal all guests get candy drops and a very hard frigolotta bisquit which has to be smothered with an hammer.

• Carpaccio di’vitello con pate di olive mere e pinoli = thin slices of raw veal with olive paté, grana cheese, lemon juice and oil.

• Medaglioni d’astice con insalata novelle e punte d’asparagi = freshwater crab salad with asparagus tips.

• Ventaglio di petto d’anitra alle nerue aroccasti = duck breast.

• Cotelette di’capriolo a la ginepro con polenta = venison cutlets in ginger with mashed corn.

• Budino di nocciole con mousse di cioccolato = nut putting coated with chocolate.

Vecchia Roma

Piazza di Campitelli 18, Via della Tribuna. Phone: 686 4604. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: L.130000 ($82) for two. All major cards. (C3).

Corn is the speciality of this well-known restaurant in the middle of the Jewish ghetto, 300 meters from the steps up to Capitolum. There are many places with this name, but this is the real one.

The restaurant is in several small rooms with bright wooden panelling, big paintings from the history of Rome, iron bars in the windows and table candlesticks of wrought iron.

• Calamaretti affogati all’uvetta = a few whole octopuses fried in oil, with tomato.

• Polenta ghiottona = corn porridge looking like mashed potatoes, corny and salty, made in the Jewish way.

• Polenta boscaiola = corn porridge with boletus mushrooms.

Polenta: Corn porridge made by boiling maize in water until it becomes thick and chunky. Then it is cooled and cut in slices which are usually fried, baked or grilled. The porridge form in Vecchia Roma is rather unusual.

Teatro dell’Opera

Via Firenze 62. (D3).

The venue of great popular operas. In summer it operates in the Baths of Caracalla.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Bernasconi

Largo di Torre Argentina 1. (C3).

Famous café beside the Argentina theatre.

Café de Paris

Via Veneto 90. (D2).

Famous sidewalk café

Caffè Greco

Via Condotti. (C2).

In the main street of fashion shops, just beneath The Spanish Steps.

It is the best known café in Rome, founded in 1760, and has ever since been the haunt of writers and artists. H. C. Andersen was there, Berlioz, Browning, Goethe, Tennyson, Thackeray and Wagner. Local people drink their coffee standing in the small front room, and travellers sitting down in the narrow back room.

Canova

Piazza del Popolo 16. (C1).

Famous sidewalk café

Colombia

Piazza Navona 88. (C3).

Famous sidewalk café

Doney

Via Veneto 145. (D2).

Famous sidewalk café

Om Shanti

Piazza Campo dei Fiori. (B3).

Famous sidewalk café. Probably the best coffee in Rome.

Rosati

Piazza del Popolo 5a. (C1).

Famous sidewalk café

Sant’Eustachio

Piazza Sant’Eustachio. (C3).

Famous sidewalk café

Tre Scalini

Piazza Navona 28. (B3).

Famous sidewalk café

Azienda Agricola

Vicolo della Torretta 3. (C2).

A tiny shop in the old center, with many types of olive oil, truffle paté and other delicacies.

Cisterino Cooperativa

Vicolo del Gallo 20. (B3).

A cheese shop near Campo de’Fiori, with many special cheeses, such as ewe and buffalo cheese.

Rizzoli

Largo Chigi 15. (C2).

The largest book shop in Rome has many English and other foreign books.

Via dei Capellari

(B3).

Furniture restorers and other craftsmen work out in the open in this alley in the old center.

Via dei Condotti

(C2).

Via dei Condotti runs from the Spanish Steps to Via del Corso. It is the axis of the fashion shops district.

This quarter of baroque buildings has overtaken Via Veneto as the fashion street in town. Almost all known Italian fashion houses have shops there, and some of the most famous are directly on the Via dei Condotti.

Via del Pellegrino

(B3).

Book shops and art shops cluster in this street near Campo de’Fiori.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Papal Rome

St Peter’s is the main attraction of Rome and the Vatican museums with the Sistine Chapel are also in the group of main attractions. The Vatican museums reflect the fact that the Papal state was for centuries one of the main centers of the world.

We start our walk on the Tevere river bank at the Ponte Umberto bridge, opposite one of the most conspicuous buildings in Rome, the national courthouse.

Palazzo di Giustizia

(B2).

The national courthouse is an enormous, cream-colored, ornate pile in historical style, designed by Gugliemo Calderini, built 1889-1910, dominating the river view.

We walk downriver along Lungotevere Castello to the next bridge, Ponte Sant’Angelo

Ponte Sant’Angelo

(B2).

The most beautiful bridge in Rome is from antiquity, built by emperor Hadrian in 136 to connect the Martian Fields (Campus Martius, Campo di Marzo) with his mausoleum on the other side of the river.

The three central arches are original and the two bankside arches are 17th C. The statues of St Peter and St Paul on the southern end of the bridge are from 1530. The other ten statues are by Bernini, from 1667-1669.

At the northern end of the bridge the imposing mausoleum of emperor Hadrian lies open before the eye.

Mausoleo Adriano

(B2).

The circular building is predominantly original, built by emperor Hadrian in 135-139 to contain his ashes, completed by emperor Antonius Pius. It is in the Etruscan mausoleum style, originally with a conical earth mound on top of the building, crowned by a statue of Hadrian himself.

When emperor Aurelian fortified Rome in 270 he included the mausoleum as a fortress in the city wall. Pope Gregorian I built a chapel on the mound in 590, dedicated to archangel Michael (Sant’Angelo) whose statue replaced the one of emperor Hadrian. Later the mausoleum was converted into a papal castle which has up to now carried the name of Castel Sant’Angelo.

Pope Nicolas V built a brick building on top of the circle in mid-15th C. Pope Alexander VI built the Passetto escape corridor between the castle and the Vatican in 1493 and the octagonal defence towers around 1500. The castle withstood an attack by the French king Charles V in 1527 during his sack of Rome. Pope Clementine VII fled through the Passetto to the castle. Later the castle became a barracks and a prison.

The mausoleum is now a castle museum which we enter from the river side.

Castel Sant’Angelo

Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 9-14, Sunday 9-13, Monday 14-19. (B2).

We walk up ramps and stairs to get into the main courtyard with the original statue of Sant’Angelo from 1544. A 18th C. bronze statue by Pieter Verschaffelt has replaced it at the top of the castle. The ramp is mostly original, with black and white mosaics, ending in Hadrian’s burial chamber.

The museum is mainly of military nature. On the top floor there are apartments of three popes, Pius IV, Julian II and Paul III. Bramante decorated the apartments of Julian II where there is an excellent view over the city. The library and archives of the Vatican is also on this floor.

The main garden, Cortile di Onore, laid out by Pope Alexander VI of Borgia, is on the level below the apartments, also the main courtroom, a few prison cells and the chapel of Pope Leo X, built by Michelangelo in place of the old chapel. One of the most famous prisoners was the monk and scientist Giordano Bruno.

We turn right from the castle and walk the avenue Via della Conciliazione all the way to Piazza San Marco in front of St Peter’s. From the piazza we turn right along the Vatican buildings.

Vaticano

(A2).

This is not Italy, we are in the papal state of the Vatican. Here the post boxes are blue, ensuring swift delivery of your letters. But you have to use Vatican stamps, not Italian. This is a separate state with special ambassadors to the capitals of the world, the papal nuncios.

Building started in 500 and got an impetus after 1377 when the Pope moved back to Rome from Avignon. At that time the Vatican took over as papal headquarters from the Lateran palace which had been destroyed in a fire. Most of the buildings are 15th and 16th C.
The buildings were gradually filled with artworks and antiques which now make up the Vatican museums.

We continue along the Vatican buildings on Via did Porta angelica, Piazza del Risorgimento, Via Michelangelo and Viale Vaticano to the entrance of the Vatican museums.

Musei Vaticani

Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 8:45-13, last Sunday of month 8:45-13. (A2).

Well organised and much visited, most famous for the Sistine Chapel, which sparkles after the recent cleanup. We can take four differently long walks through the museums, marked in different colors. We should choose the longest walk if we can possible manage.

We start in the Egyptian Collection with the 13th C. B.C. statue of Queen Tuia, mother of Ramses II and the 21st C. B.C. bust of Pharaoh Mentuhotep. Then we continue to the Greek-Roman Collection with the famous Belvedere garden of the original 1st C. violent-dynamic Late-Hellenic Baroque statue of King Laocoën and his sons fighting with snakes, found in the ruins of Nero’s Golden House.

Next comes the Etruscan Collection showing artefacts from the tomb of an Etruscan couple. The collections shows well the special position of Etruscan culture which often is considered to have originated in Asia Minor and was certainly different from the Greek and Roman ones. Etruscan civilisation preceded the Latin one in the area around Rome.

We continue along a long corridor with carpets, geographic maps from 1580-1583 and extensively decorated ceilings and arrive at the Rafaello Rooms.

Stanze di Rafaello

The collection shows Rafaello’s frescos from 1508-1517, including The Fire in the Borgo, The School of Athens, The Dispute of the Holy Sacrament, The Mass at Bolsena and The Liberation of St Peter.

Pope Julius II liked Rafaello’s work and commissioned him to decorate four rooms of his apartment, replacing earlier artworks. Rafaello died before he could finish his work.

This part of the Vatican museums probably ranks behind the Sistine Chapel as one of the main attractions.

We next pass the Chapel of Nicolas with frescos by Fra Angelico from 1447-1451 and the Borgia apartments with frescos by Pinturicchio from 1492-1503 and arrive at the Sistine Chapel.

Capella Sistina

(A2).

Built in 1475-1480, famous for the Michelangelo ceiling frescos, painted in 1508-1511 and the altar wall fresco painted in 1533. The ceiling frescos depict scenes from the Old Testament, like Creation of the Sun and Moon, Creation of Adam, Original Sin, and The Deluge.

The altar wall fresco depicts The Last Judgement. It is a dynamic picture marking a historical departure from the Renaissance style into the emerging Baroque style.

Several artists painted the 12 frescos on the walls of the chapel, Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Michelangelo, Perugino, Rosselli and Signorelli. These frescos show episodes from the lives of Moses and Christ.

We visit the Pinacoteca with famous paintings by 15th and 16th C. artists like Rafaello, da Vinci, Caravaggio and Bellini. Finally we come to the Archaeological Museum with mosaics from Caracalla’s Baths. We leave not by foot but in a special bus that traverses the Vatican gardens every half an hour between the Vatican museums and Piazza San Pietro. It is the easiest way to get to see the gardens.

Piazza San Pietro

(A2).

The elliptical piazza with colonnades of four rows of columns, designed by Bernini, built in 1656-1667. The purpose of the ellipse is to draw attention to the front of St Peter’s and to act as an embrace for the believers when they listen to the Pope.

On top of the colonnades are 140 statues of angels. A 1st C. obelisk from Heliopolis is in the middle of the piazza, brought to Rome during the reign of Caligula. The fountains are by Maderno to the right and Bernini to the left.

Preceding St Peter’s was the Old St Peter’s, built during the reign of Constantine the Great in early 4th C., probably in 326. The old cathedral was the main cathedral of Rome but not a papal church. It was built in this place because St Peter is said to have been crucified here during the reign of Nero.

We observe the front of the cathedral before we enter St Peter’s.

San Pietro

(A2).

Originally a Greek cross church designed and mostly built by Michelangelo in 1547-1564 and extended into a Latin cross basilica by Maderno and Bernini in early 17th C. The majestic dome was finished by Giacomo della Porta after Michelangelo’s death. In all it took a century and a half to build St Peter’s, from the first designs by Bramante in 1506 to the finishing of the piazza by Bernini in 1667.

St Peter’s is built in Renaissance style and decorated in Baroque style. The front is rather diminutive, designed by Maderno and built in 1607-1614. It largely hides the masterpiece of Michelangelo, the enormous dome. Statues of St Peter and St Paul are in front of the church. On top of the front there are statues of Christ and all his disciples except for Peter. The balcony of the pope is beneath the pediment.

The church is one of the biggest in the world, with 450 statues, 500 columns and 50 altars, heavily decorated with marble and artworks. It can take 60.000 people at the same time. It is just over 200 meters long with a central dome of 140 meters in height and 40 meters in width, modelled on the Pantheon. It is lighter in appearance than envisioned by Michelangelo, completely set with mosaics.

We observe some of the most beautiful artworks in the church, such as Pietà.

Pietà

To the right of the entrance we see the crown of Michelangelo’s work. It is Pietà, from 1499-1500, showing the sorrow of Maria after the death of Christ.

We go to the altar in the middle of the cathedral.

Baldacchino

The papal altar is in the middle of the nave under the dome. It is a throne from 1592-1605, overlooking the crypt where St Peter is supposedly buried. An enormous baroque baldacchino rises 20 meters on spiral columns above the altar, built by Bernini in 1624 from bronze that Pope Urban VIII robbed from the Pantheon.

In front of the altar to the right there is a bronze statue of Jupiter, originally from the Capitolum, but now said to depict St Peter. The foot of Jupiter has become shiny of believers’ kisses who do not know that this is a pagan god. In the apse there is the heavily baroque Throne of St Peter in Glory from 1666 by Bernini.

From the church entrance to the right we can access an elevator to the roof with good views over Rome and with stairs up to the dome with views down to the church. From the south side of the church there is an entrance into a 1th-4th C. graveyard which has been excavated. You have to book beforehand if you want to inspect it.

But this walk is over.

Imperial Rome

The classical center of Rome was in the valley west of the Capitolum hill and north of the Palatinum hill. It was Forum Romanum which was the central square of Rome in republican antiquity and Fori Imperiali which was a series of central squares in imperial antiquity.

During centuries these squares were the center of the Western world, from the time that Romans took over from Greeks as the standard-bearers of the west and until the popes moved the center a kilometer and af half to the south-east, to the Laterano square.

Most of the glory of the past has disappeared. There are broken columns and remains of walls which give an idea of the classical grandeur. Much of the Trajan Market and the Maxentian Basilica is still standing. There are some remains of imperial palaces, a few whole triumphal arches and the Curia, the meeting room of the senate. The enormous Colosseum is now the center-stage of this part of Rome.

We start the walk at the northern end, on the central square of modern Rome, on Piazza Venezia, where we can clearly see the Column of Trajan. We approach the column.

Colonna Traiana

(C3).

The Trajan column is surprisingly intact, having been standing here for nineteen centuries. Emperor Trajan built it in 113 to commemorate his victories in two wars against the Dacians in Romania. The column is 40 meters tall, including the pedestal.

The story of the wars is told in 100 marble reliefs spiralling up the column. They would cover 200 meters if they were laid out in a straight line. As many monuments of antiquity it was originally painted in bright colors. Originally the column was surrounded by library buildings from whom people could observe the marble reliefs at close hand.

For centuries a statue of Trajan stood at the top of the column. In 1587 it was replaced with a statue of St Peter. Behind the columns we see the remains of Basilica Ulpia, bearing the family name of Trajan. We see that in antiquity the level of the land was much lower than it is nowadays.

We pass the ruins and go uphill by way of the stairs of Via Magnanapoli up to Via Quattro Novembre, where the entrance is to the Trajan Forum.

Foro di Traiano

Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 9-13 & 15-18, Sunday 9-12:30, closed Monday. (C3).

The largest market or mall of imperial Rome was built in a semicircle at the bottom of the hill. It was built in 107-113 by Apollodorus of Damascus, the architect of Trajan. It is a complex of 150 shops and offices on several storeys, considered at that time to be one of the wonders of the classical world.

The shops are grouped together according to the merchandise. There is a mall of wine shops and spices, Via Biberatica. The cool shops at the bottom of the complex probably sold vegetables and fruit. On the second floor there were shops for olive oil and wine. Higher up there were shops of less perishable goods and distribution offices for the corn dole.

Above the ruins of the Trajan market there is a military tower from 1227-1241, one of the best preserved remains of medieval architecture in Rome. It is Torre delle Milizie.

We return down the steps and walk along Via Alessandrina by the railing separating us from the Trajan forum, past Casa dei Cavalieri di Rodi, the palace of the Rhodos or Maltese knights, built in 1464-1471 in Venetian Renaissance style as we can see from the oriel balcony facing the forum. We now come to the Augustus Forum.

Foro di Augusto

(D3).

This market was built in 31 B.C. by emperor Augustus to celebrate his victory over Brutus and Cassius at Philippi in 41 B.C. In the middle there are remains of the Temple of Mars the Avenger (Martius Ultor), which thereupon became the family temple of Augustus’s descendants.

On both sides of the temple there are remains of basilicas. Between the basilicas and the temples are steps which led the way to the ancient slum of Suburra, which was directly behind the wall. Half of the Forum of Augustus is hidden below the modern road of Via di Fori Imperiali.

We continue along the railing and come next to the Forum of Nerva.

Foro di Nerva

(D3).

The last part of the excavations on the other side of the railing, directly behind the Hotel Forum. This long and narrow market was opened by emperor Nerva in 98, adjoining the ancient street of Argiletum, which lead from Forum Romanum, along the Curia, to the suburb of Suburra.

Little can be seen of the ancient temple of Minerva which was in the center of this forum. The stones were used by Pope Paul V to build a fountain on Janiculum hill. Northeast of the forum there is a 13th C. tower, Torre de’Conti.

At that time there was yet another forum on the other side of the forum of Nerva. It was the Forum of Peace built by emperor Vespanian in 70. This forum is almost completely covered by Via dei Fori Imperiali and Via Cavour. It had a temple of peace and a library where now the church Santi Cosma e Damiano stands.

We now pass Via dei Fori Imperiali which was laid by Mussolini straight through the antique ruins. It should be removed to enable new excavations and will probably be, sooner or later. We return by the other side of the street and arrive at the Forum of Caesar.

Foro di Cesare

(C3).

Two thirds of this forum are visible, including three columns from the temple of Venus Genetrix, which the Julian family considered to be their ancestor, and broken columns from the money-changing market of Basilica Argentaria, which was alongside the ancient road of Clivus Argentarius. Julius Cesar built this forum in 51.

We take a detour from the south end of the forum into the alley of Via Tulliano in the direction of the Arch of Septimus Severus. On our right we see steps into a church cellar. These steps lead to the Mamertine Prison.

Carcere Mamertino

Hours: 9-12:30 & 14:30-18. (C3).

The prison is on two levels. In antiquity it housed famous prisoners such as Jugurta, King of Africa, in 104 B.C., and Vercingetorix, Chief of the Gauls, in 46 B.C. There are stories that St Peter and other Christina martyrs were also incarcerated here.

From here we have a good view of part of Forum Romanum, which we shall soon visit. First we have to retrace our steps along Via dei Fori Imperiali or along the footpath of Via della Salara Vecchia, to the entrance to the Roman Forum.

Foro Romano

Hours: Open daily 9-14, Monday, Wednesday-Saturday -30 min. before sunset. (C3).

The main square of republican Rome was originally a shopping center with brick buildings, but was then transformed into a marbled square of politics and religion up to the migration of tribes in the Middle Ages, when the Roman empire disintegrated.

Excavations have opened up this place so that we can imagine the layout of the city center in ancient times, if we take our time to stroll through the area. The western part was dominated by the two main basilicas, Basilica Aemilia and Basilica Julia, the oratorical platform of Rostra and the senate of Curia. The eastern part was dominated by several temples and the Basilica of Constantine and Maxentius.

The Roman Forum was a kind of a living room for political citizens during the Roman republic. All major political and religious activity was concentrated there, also the major financial transactions and much commerce. Originally the area was a sump that was drained by Cloaca Maxima to make buildings possible.

When we enter the area we have the base of Basilica Aemilia on our right side and the Temple of Antonius and Faustina on our left side.

Antonio e Faustina

(D3).

The temple was built by Antonius Pius in 141 and dedicated to his late wife Faustina. The six frontal columns are the original obelisks and the steps up to the temple are also original.

The front itself is a baroque addition from 1602. The temple had already been converted into a church in the 11th C., dedicated to San Lorenzo. The building is now closed to the public.

We turn our attention to Basilica Aemilia on the other side of the entrance.

Basilica Aemilia

(D3).

This basilica from 179 B.C. was named by the family that built it and was responsible for its upkeep. The remains are mainly from the 1st C. It was burnt down by the Goths when they sacked Rome in 410.

The basilica was a rectangular building with colonnades. It was a meeting place for politicians, financiers and businessmen all the way to its demise.

Between Basilica Aemilia and Basilica Julia on the other side of the Forum, is the Via Sacra.

Via Sacra

(C3).

The street of religious, political and military processions, the most important avenue in ancient Rome. When victorious generals came back from their successful campaigns they rode along this street in triumphal processions to the Capitoline hill to give thanks to Jupiter.

Triumphal arches were later built across this road, the Arch of Septimus Severus, the Arch of Titus and the Arch of Constantine.

We walk Via Sacra past Basilica Aemilia and come at its end to the ancient street of Argiletum, which lead to the Suburra. On the other side of Argiletum is the Curia.

Curia

(C3).

The meeting place of the Roman senate was built approximately here in 80 B.C. and restored in this place several times in ancient history. The present building is a restoration of Emperor Diocletian’s Curia in the 3rd C., built on its ruins.

This is a rather dour brick building. The original was more beautiful, as it was clothed in marble. The Curia was robbed of its famous bronze doors by Pope Alexander VII for use in San Giovanni in Laterano and are still there. The bronze doors to the present Curia are replicas.

Two relief panel decorations from the Rostra in Trajan’s time are on show inside the Curia building.

Outside the Curia we see the Arch of Septimus Severus.

Arco di Severo

(C3).

The arch was built in 203 by Septimus Severus after his and his sons’ victory over the Parthians to celebrate his decade in power. When his son Caracalla became emperor after the death of Severus he had his brother Geta killed and removed his names from the arch. The holes are still visible.

This is first triumphal arch with the columns separated from the wall behind them. It is one of the best preserved monuments in the forum. During the Middle Ages it lay half-buried in earth. Since then it has been excavated and has regained some of its older splendor, except for being rather eroded.

Beside the arch we see the Rostra.

Rostra

(C3).

A podium or a dais for Roman politicians. Such a platform was here all the way back to 338 B.C., and the present one is from Caesar’s time, 44 B.C. The name comes from a decoration made of ships’ prows (rostra), captured in the Battle of Antium in the 4th C. B.C.

Behind the Rostra there are some remains of temples, the Temple of Saturn, the Temple of Vespasian and the Temple of Concord.

Tempio di Saturno

(C3).

The most prominent of the remains of the temples at the western end of the Roman Forum are eight Ionic columns of the Temple of Saturn with a section of the entablature. A temple dedicated to Saturn was here since 497 B.C., the first temple in the forum. These remains are from the 4th C. Saturn was the god of the masses. Every year the Saturnalia revelries were held in his honor in December.

Beside these columns there are three Corinthian columns from the Temple of Vespasian. It was built in 79 by his son and grandson after his death.

Beside the Saturnine columns there a platform from the Temple of Concord, built in memory of the concord between the Roman patricians and plebeians in 367 B.C. Behind the Vespasian and Saturnine columns there are twelve Corinthian columns from a portico that Emperor Dominitian built at the end of the 1st C. for the twelve main Roman gods.

Behind all this temples the massive wall of Tabularium dominates the scene.

Tabularium

(C3).

The austere building was built of peperine in 78 B.C. as national archives and national treasury, filling the depression between the Capitolum and Palatinum. The portico and six of the nine pillars are original. The building on top of them is the Senatorial Palace which was built upon the ruins of the Tabularium.

We turn back from the Rostra. In front of us is the Column of Phocas.

Colonna di Foca

(C3).

The slender, Corinthian column is 13,5 meters high, built in 608 to thank the Byzantine emperor Phocas for visiting Rome and giving the Pantheon to the pope. It is the last monument known to be erected in the forum before its demise.

On the right side we see the foundation of Basilica Julia

Basilica Giulia

(C3).

The basilica was enormous, measuring 82 meters by 18 meters, with five aisles and three storeys, fronting Basilica Aemilia on the other side of Via Sacra. This basilica was built by Julius Cesar in 55 B.C. and finished by emperor Augustus in 12. It has been almost completely destroyed. Standing are the steps, the pavement and some column stumps.

The purpose of this basilica was to be a courthouse, where the 180 centumviri or magistrates tried cases in four courtrooms in public.

The remains of a row of columns are in front of the basilica. The columns were built in 300 to honor some Roman generals. On the side of the basilica, a little to the back, there are three white and slender columns from the Temple of Castor and Pollux, built in 484 in memory of a victory in the battle of Lake Regillus against the Tarquinian kings. The present remains are from a restoration in 12 B.C.

The Temple of Julius Caesar, erected by Augustus, is next to the basilica on the Via Sacra. On the far side of the temple we come to the Temple and the House of the Vestal Virgins.

Vestae

(D4).

The circular temple, originally surrounded by 20 columns, is from the 4th C., based on earlier Vestal temples which had been in the same place since the 6th C. B.C.

The Vestal virgins kept alight the sacred flame of Vesta, the goddess of the hearth, and guarded the other holy items of the Roman state, such as the Palladium statue.

The Vestal virgins lived in the building behind, the Vestae. We can still see the garden with two ponds of water lilies and eroded statues of the virgins. Originally the house had 50 rooms on three storeys. Some of the rooms around the garden have been preserved.

We leave the Vestae and cross Via Sacra to Antonio e Faustina on the other side. On the way we pass the back side of the scant remains of the Regia, the office of the Pontifex Maximus, the High Pries of Rome. On the other side of the Via Sacra we turn right and see on our left side the Temple of Romulus.

Tempio di Romolo

(D4).

The circular temple from the early 4th C. is possibly dedicated to Romulus, son of emperor Maxentius. It is a brick building with a cupola on top, flanked by two rooms and with a concave porch in front with heavy and original 4th C. bronze doors.

This temple has been preserved as an entrance to the 6th C. church of Santi Cosma e Damiano, built into a part of the Vespanian Forum of Peace. Nowadays the church is entered from the Via dei Fori Imperiali side.

We continue on Via Sacra to the imposing Basilica of Constantine and Maxentius.

Basilica Constantino e Maxentius

(D4).

This giant basilica is partly still there, 35 meters high. It was the largest building in the forum and has three immense vaults, built by emperor Maxentius in 308-312 and finished by emperor Constantine.

This last basilica of antiquity covered an area similar to the Julian and Aemilian basilicas and is higher than they were. It was used for judicial and business purposes. Originally the roof was covered with gilded tiles which were stolen in the 7th C. to cover the roof of the old St Peter’s.

It bears witness to the feats of Roman engineers. The technique was the same as in the building of the vast baths of Caracalla and Diocletian in Rome.

Via Sacra continues to the Arch of Titus.

Arco di Tito

(D4).

A triumphal arch of classic proportions on a ridge in the Via Sacra. It was erected in 81 by emperor Dominitian to honor the victories of his brother Tito and father Vespanian in the war against the Jews.

The beautifully carved marble reliefs show Roman soldiers carrying off the booty, including the seven-armed chandelier from the temple in Jerusalem.

Here we turn right off the Via Sacra and climb uphill to the Palatine hill on the Clivus Palatinus path.

Palatino

(C4).

The oldest village of Rome was on the cool slopes of the Palatine hill. Emperor Augustus built his imperial palace in a wealthy suburb on the hilltop. The following emperors continued to build palaces there and the last emperor of the Flavian dynasty, Dominitianus, converted the whole hill into an imperial palace, Domus Flavia.

Little can now be seen of the former splendor of antiquity but many gems must be hidden under the Farnese-gardens that now occupy the major part of the hill. Excavations are going on in the area of Domus Livia. In addition the Augustinian and Flavian palaces, remains have been found of the Tiberian and Severan palaces.

With the change from republican to imperial Rome, the political center of the Western world gradually moved from the Forum Romanum beneath the hill up to the imperial Palatine hill. It then gradually began to decline in the 3rd C., when the emperors left Rome for other places in the far-flung empire. And the Christian popes never took a liking to this hill.

If we walk toward the modern archaeological museum we pass Domus Augustana on our left and Domus Flavia on our right. We start with the latter.

Domus Flavia

(D4).

The remains of the family temple of Domus Flavia are nearest to the road down to the Forum Romanum. Then comes the throne room and finally the judicial basilica, where the emperor distributed justice.

A courtyard, peristyle, is behind the remains of these buildings, originally surrounded by a colonnade. An octagonal pond in the middle is still there. Subterranean rooms are below the buildings and the garden.

Beyond the peristyle there was the triclinium, the dining room of the emperor, the most beautiful part of the palace. A part of the multi-colored marble floor has been preserved. Around the triclinium were drawing rooms, nymphaea. The one on the right has been partly preserved.

To the west are the remains of Domus Augustana.

Domus Augustana

(D4).

The palace was built around two gardens. The higher garden was in front of the present museum house and the lower one was behind it and to its left. The lower floors of the palace still rise in a concave form above Circus Maximus on the other side of the hill.

To the left of the palace is a stadium from the time of emperor Dominitian, originally surrounded by a giant colonnade. The ellipse at the southern end is an addition from the time of the Ostrogothic king Theodoric in the 6th C. A balcony is on the far side, probably for observing games in the stadium.

On the other side of the stadium are the remains of the baths of Septimus Severus and to the south the remains of his palace, which partly stands on arches stretching up from the Circus Maximus lowland.

We turn back to Domus Livia and pass through it to get to the excavation area around the House of Livia.

Domus Livia

(C4).

This was the relatively modest palace of emperor Augustus and his wife, Livia. Archaeologists have removed frescos from some rooms and put them outside for people to see.

The remains of a temple that emperor Augustus built for Apollo are in this area. Also the so-called huts of Romulus, which are remains of prehistoric dwellings. And the Temple of Cybele, where we can still see a few column stumps.

We continue into the Farnese gardens where the Tiberian palace was.

Domus Tiberiana

(C4).

The Farnese gardens were laid out in the middle of the 16th C. on the ruins of the former palaces of emperors Tiberius, Caligula, Trajan and Hadrian. The palace of Tiberius, Domus Tiberiana, was adjacent to Domus Livia. Then came the palaces of Trajan and Hadrian and on the far western tip was the palace of Caligula.

Nothing can be seen from above of these palaces but remains of outer arches can be seen from the Roman Forum below. Excavations would probably bring important things to light.

We return down to the Arch of Titus and there turn right on Via Sacra along a few columns from the Temple of Venus and Rome, which emperor Hadrian built in 121-136 and continue in the direction of the Colosseum. Once the entrance to the golden palace of Nero was here. We go to the right to observe the Arch of Constantine.

Arco di Constantino

(D4).

The triumphal arch was erected in 315 to commemorate the victory of Constantine over his co-emperor and rival Maxentius. It is beautifully designed and heavily decorated with marble reliefs.

Some of these were robbed from older 2nd C. monuments of Trajan, Hadrian and Aurelius. Already in the time of Constantine the practice had started to erect new and lesser monuments by spoiling older and better existing ones. This continued for centuries. Popes and cardinals were especially damaging, as can clearly be seen on the ruins of the Colosseum.

We now turn our attention to the enormous Colosseum.

Colosseo

Hours: 9-19, except Wednesday & Sunday 9-13. (D4).

The symbol of classical Rome. The elliptical circus is 188 and 156 meters in diameter and could seat 50.000 spectators when it was built in 72-96 during the reigns of the Flavian emperors Vespanian, Titus and Dominitian. Much of the outer walls are still there, but devoid of the marble and other decorations that made this building one of the wonders of the world.

Four storeys are on the outside, a Doric arcade at the bottom, then a Ionic arcade and a Corinthian one. The outer wall of the top floor was massive, originally covered with bronze shields. This order of the Greek column styles has since been an example for later architects. A canopy was stretched over the arena to protect spectators against the sun.

This engineering feat had 80 entrances and a complicated system of staircases to enable 50.000 spectators to leave in a hurry. The underground city of officials, slaves and animals below the arena is now visible. The games stopped in the 6th C., and in the 13th C it became a fortress. In the 15th C the popes started to rob it of material for St Peter’s. This malpractice was halted in the 18th C.

After making the rounds inside the Colosseum we cross the Piazza del Colosseo and climb the Esquiline hill to a few remains of the ancient Golden House of Nero.

Domus Aurea

(D4).

Colosseum was built in the former palace pond of the Golden House of emperor Nero. He built this palace in 64 after a major fire in Rome. The palace only existed for a few years and was famous for the bottomless luxury, including the piping of scents. The main dining room was rotated by slaves.

The emperors who succeeded Nero tore his palace down. The floor was used for the Baths of Trajan, which also has disappeared. Some remains of the Golden House can be seen in the slope down to the Colosseum.

We next take a taxi or walk for a kilometer and a half from the Arch of Constantine to the south on Via di San Gregorio and then to the south-east on Via delle Terme Caracalla. The imposing walls of the Caracalla Baths soon become visible.

Terme di Caracalla

Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 9-18, Sunday-Monday 9-13 . (D5).

The ruins give a good picture of a major bathing house from Roman times. It was built around three bathrooms in the middle. One room was hot, caldarium, one was tepid, tepidarium, and the third was cold, frigidarium. Clothing rooms are on both sides of the of the frigidarium and gymnastic halls are on the other side of the clothing rooms. A dry sauna, laconicum, is on either side of the caldarium.

The baths were based on a complicated system of waterways and heating. They were built by Caracalla and his successors in 212-235 and was at that time the largest ones in Rome. 1600 people could use it concurrently. The buildings were laid in marble and mosaics. It was in use for over three centuries until barbarians destroyed many of Roman aqueducts that brought fresh water to the city.

We can walk around the enormous rooms and inspect beautiful mosaics in the floors. Important concerts and operas are performed in the caldarium and in the garden in front of it. On the outskirts of the gardens there are gymnastic buildings and libraries.

We cross Via delle Terme Caracalla, turn right along it and then turn left into Via Druso and again turn left from Via Druso on Via della Navicella and then right on Via di San Stefano Rotondo with a church on the right hand side.

San Stefano Rotondo

Hours: Open Monday-Friday 9-12. (D4).

The biggest circular church of early Christianity, built in 468-483 and was then meant to be an exact replica of the mountain church in Jerusalem. This church was for a long time one of the main churches in Rome and has seen better times. In the 16th C. Pomarancio painted gruesome frescos of several martyrs on the church walls.

It was originally 45 meters in diameter with two concentric ambulatories around an altar and four chapels making the shape of a cross. The roof is carried by Ionic columns and lighted by 22 high windows. Pope Nicolas V spoiled the church by walling up the outer colonnade and removing the outer ambulatory.

We continue on Via di San Stefano to the Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano.

Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano

(E4).

The highest obelisk in Rome is in the middle of the piazza. It is from the 15th C. B.C. brought to Rome during the reign of Constantine II.

The baptistery, Battistero, is on our right. It is from the early 4th C. In that century all Christians in Rome were christened there. It got its present octagonal shape in 432 and has since then been a model for other baptisteries in the world.

The Lateran Palace is in front of us. This palace replaced an earlier one and dates from 1586. It is the official palace of the Archbishop of Rome, alias the Pope. For centuries it was the political center of papal power.

We walk around the palace to get to the main entrance of San Giovanni in Laterano.

San Giovanni in Laterano

(E4).

Behind a baroque facade from the 18th C. is an original Romanesque church with parts from 314 when it was built by Constantine the Great. Originally it had five aisles. It was damaged in barbarian attacks in the 5th C., in an earthquake in 896 and a fire in 1308. This church was the cherished end of endless pilgrimages to Rome during ten centuries, 314-1309. It still is the cathedral of Rome.

Behind the vestibule we see the majestic bronze doors that were robbed from the Curia when the church was built. On the inside the church is mainly baroque, designed by Borromini and built from the older church in 1646-1650, incorporating the 16th C. timber roof and the big mosaic in the apse. Giant statues of the twelve apostles, made by Bernini’s disciples, dominate the cathedral.

Parts of the big mosaic in the apse is from the original church. It survived a renovation in the 5th C. and another in the 13th C. Borromini left it in peace in the 17th C. but then it was damaged in the 19th C. It is difficult to estimate how much of it is original.

From the main entrance we cross the Piazza di Porta San Giovanni to Scala Santa.

Scala Santa

Hours: Open daily 6-12. (E4).

The staircase and the chapel on top of it are parts of the old Lateran Palace and were moved here by Sixtus V when the new palace was built. The Sancta Sanctorum is the private chapel of the pope and the Scala Santa of 28 steps is believed by the faithful to have been brought from Pontius Pilate’s palace in Jerusalem by St Helena, mother of emperor Constantine.

The holy steps are covered with boards. Devout Christians climb the staircase on their knees, especially on Good Friday.

We continue downhill on Piazza di Porta San Giovanni to Porta Asinaria.

Porta Asinaria

(E4).

The Gate of the Donkeys is a minor gateway from the 3rd C. Aurelian city wall. It has played a part in the vicissitudes of Roman History.

In 546 barbarian mercenaries opened this gate for the army of Goth Totila who thereupon sacked the city. In 1084 emperor Henry IV entered it with an anti-pope to oust Pope Gregory VII. Later that year the gate was damaged by Robert Guiscard from Normandy, when he came to the rescue of the pope and burned down the Lateran district.

One of the flea-markets of Rome is held in the area around the gateway.

This walk is over.

Ancient Rome

On the last walk through Imperial Rome we saw many sights that date from the classical Roman times. On this walk we continue to inspect what remains of ancient Rome in the historical center of the city.

We start on the Aventine hill, the stronghold of the ancient plebeian party and end on the Capitoline hill, the ancient stronghold of the patrician party. On the way we pass through the area of the ancient riverside markets between those hills.

We take a taxi to Santa Sabina. It is on a viewpoint on the Aventine hill, where Caius Graccus made his last stand against the Roman senate of patricians.

Santa Sabina

Hours: Open daily 7-12:30 and 15:30-18. (C4).

One of the oldest basilicas and the first Romanesque church in Rome, from 422. with a nave and two aisles. After several alterations the church has now been restored to its original appearance.

Its beautiful Corinthian colonnades are the first Roman example of rows of columns replacing arches. The rifled columns come from a Roman temple. The mosaic above the entrance is the remnant of many pictures that originally extended around the church above the colonnades.

The original doors of cypress are from the 5th C. with 18 panels showing woodcuts from the life of Jesus and Moses. One of the oldest extant pictures of the Crucifixion in a public place is above the panels on the left side. From the garden beside the church there is a view over central Rome and to the San Pietro cathedral in the Vatican.

When we leave the garden we turn right and walk Via di Santa Sabina and continue along Valle Murcia. After 500 meters we come to Piazzale Romolo e Remo, where we have a view over the ancient Circus Maximus and behind it to the ruins of the imperial palaces of the Palatinum.

Circo Massimo

(C4).

This is now an esplanade with slopes of grass in the valley between the hills of Aventinum and Palatinum. It shows well the contours of the original and magnificent track, which was used exclusively for chariot racing. The teams were known by their colors of blue, green, etc.

The circus was the biggest track of Rome, originally measuring 500 meters and later 600 meters, having place for 150.000 spectators in the Julian period, growing to 250.000 spectators in the Dominitian and Trajan periods.

We walk to the left along Via dei Circo Massimo and continue along Via Greca down the hill to Piazza Bocca della Verità, in all 400 meters. Santa Maria in Cosmedin dominates the square on our right side.

Santa Maria in Cosmedin

Hours: Open daily 9-13, 15-18. (C4).

The elegant Romanesque church tower and the portico is from the 12th C., but the church itself is from the 6th C., one of the most beautiful Romanesque churches in existence, originally a Greek church. After many alterations it was restored to its ancient charm in the 19th C.

The church has many works by Cosimati, especially the mosaic floor, the bishop’s throne, the choir and the canopy over the main altar.

We look at the drain cover on the left side of the portico of the church.

Bocca della Verità

(C4).

The ancient drain cover on the left side of the portico of Santa Maria in Cosmendin is called Bocca della Verità. It is a frightening face which is supposed to bite the hand off people with a bad conscience.

The piazza outside, the Piazza Bocca della Verità occupies approximately the same area as Forum Boarium, the ancient meat market of Rome. Forum Holitorium, the fruit and vegetable market, adjoined it on the north side.

Facing the church on the other side of the square is the circular Temple of Vesta.

Tempio di Vesta

(C4).

A temple from the 2nd C. B.C., incorrectly named after the Vestas, possibly because it resembles the Vestan temple in Forum Romanum. Probably it was a temple for the god Hercules.

It is one of the oldest surviving marble temples in Rome, built of imported marble from Greece. The Corinthian colonnade is from the reign of Tiberius, who had the temple restored. It was spared in the Christian period as it was converted to a church.

Beside this temple is the Temple of Fortuna Virilis.

Tempio della Fortuna Virile

(C4).

The temple is now attributed to the luck of male people, but was in fact probably dedicated to the river god Portumnus. It is from the 2nd Century B.C., quadratic in design, supported by rifled Ionic pillars.

It is the best preserved temple in Rome was like Tempio di Vesta spared during the centuries because it had been converted to a Christian church.

Behind the temple there is Casa dei Crescenzi, an 11th C. fortress built from columns and capitals from ancient temples.

We go to the other side of the square, to the Arch of Janus.

Arco di Giano

(C4).

This arch is unique in having four sides with arches, not only two. It was built in the 4th C over cross-roads at the northern end of Forum Boarium, the ancient meat market of Rome. It honors the god Janus.

Behind the arch is a 7th C. church, San Giorgio in Velabro, with a Romanesque bell tower from the 12th C. It has a ionic portico in front.

In a side street leading off the square there is San Giovanni Decollato from 1490, the burial church of executed people.

We walk this street, the Via di San Giovanni Decollato, to Piazza della Consolazione, where we face the Tarpeian Rock.

Rupe Tarpea

(C3).

The rock is named after Tarpeia who secretly let the army of Sabines up the cliff and into Rome in a war in the 8th C. B.C. After that episode traitors were executed by throwing them off the same cliff.

At the top end of the piazza there is a church built in 1470 with a baroque front from the 16th C. It is Santa Maria della Consolazione, built to provide consolation to prisoners before their execution.

We go past the cliff down Vico Jugario to the avenue of Via di Tetro di Marcello. We cross that street to visit San Nicola in Carcere.

San Nicola in Carcere

Hours: Open 7:30-12, Monday-Saturday 16-19, Sunday 10-13. (C4).

The church is built on the ruins of three temples that were side by side above the Forum Holitiorum, the ancient fruit and vegetable market. From the outside we can see columns from the old temples incorporated into the side wall of the church.

The bank of the river Tevere at Forum Boarium and Forum Holitorum was the Roman harbor in antiquity. Ships came here to unload their goods from faraway countries. The harbor included the whole area from Santa Maria in Cosmedin to San Nicola in Carcere and had many temples.

Adjoining the harbor to the north was the military harbor of Rome. Both these harbors became unusable due to silting in the river. In imperial time the harbor was moved out to Ostia which was on the coast in those times, but has in turn also become silted and unusable.

We go behind the church and walk along the river bank, Lungotevere dei Pierleoni to the Fabricio river bridge.

Ponte Fabricio

(C4).

v
The only bridge that has been preserved intact from classical times. It was built in 62 B.C. and is thus over 20 centuries old. It connects the island of Tibur to the center of Rome.

Its broad arches show how competent, daring and sure of themselves Roman engineers were in matters of weight suspension and how well some of their works have withstood earthquakes, floods and wars.

The Tiber island is the site of a monastic order which specialises in caring for the sick. In antiquity this was the island of medicine. Where now the church stands there was at that time a temple of Aesculapius, the god of healing. The buildings on the island are now mostly part of a hospital.

After inspecting the island we return over Ponte Fabricio and walk between San Nicola in Carcere and Teatro di Marcello to Via di Teatro di Marcello where we turn right along the Theater of Marcellus.

Teatro di Marcello

(C3).

The building of the theater started during Caesar’s reign and was finished in the year 11, during Augustus’s reign, dedicated to his nephew Marcellus. The lowest tier has Doric columns, the second done Ionic ones, and the third one is believed to have had Corinthian ones. This architecture probably influenced the design of the Colosseum.

These columns are a part of the semicircular spectator stands. This was the largest theater in Rome next after the Pompeian amphitheater in the Martian Fields. It was 120 meters in diameter and could place 20.000 spectators. It was a venue of plays, concerts, readings and oratory.

Two tiers of arcades out of three are still there. The ruins were converted in 1150 to a castle and then to a palace. The additions are visible on the top floor.

We see columns in front of the theater.

Tempio di Apollo

(C3).

Three Corinthian columns stand in front of the arcade, the remains of a famous Temple of Apollo, built in 433-431 B.C. and renovated in 34 B.C. The Greek god Apollo was revered by many Romans, especially in fighting illness.

We pass the columns and turn left into Piazza di Campitelli, pass the heavily arcaded church of Santa Maria in Campitelli from 1661 and then turn left on the corner of restaurant Vecchia Roma into Via Tribuna di Campitelli and walk it and its continuation, Via di Sant’Angelo di Peschieria, all the way to Via Portico d’Ottavia, where we see the Portico of Octavia.

Portico d’Ottavia

(C3).

The portico is all what remains of an extensive complex, built by Caecilius Metellus in 146 B.C. The portico is part of a wall around two temples dedicated to Juno and Jupiter.

Emperor Augustus renovated the temple complex in 27-23 B.C. and dedicated it to his wife Octavia. Emperor Severus renovated it again in 203. The present portico is from that time.

Two of the columns in the portico were replaced in the Middle Ages by a brick arch which is in contrast to the rest of the monument.

We walk along Via Portico d’Ottavia to the west in the direction of Via del Progresso. We are in the Jewish Ghetto.

Ghetto

Jews first lived in Trastevere on the other side of the river. They were made to move to this area in the 13th C. Pope Paul IV built a wall around the district in the middle of the 16th C. It was then torn down again in the middle of the 19th C.

This area still retains some ghetto atmosphere. It has several restaurants with Jewish cuisine.

We turn right into Via Sant’Ambrogio to Piazza Mattei. There is a tortoise fountain in the square.

Fontana delle Tartarughe

(C3).

The tortoise fountain was designed by Giacomo della Porta, built in 1581-1588, and the bronze figures are by Taddeo Landini. Later the tortoises were added by an unknown artist. This is one of the most beautiful fountains in Rome.

From the square we continue into Via Paganica. We come to a big square with excavations in the middle.

Largo di Torre Argentina

(C3).

Excavations in the square show how much lover the level of the land was in classical times. The remains are of the oldest temples that have been found in Rome. They date from the republican age, partly from the 5th C. B.C. A tower from the Middle Ages is on the corner, giving its name to the square.

Nearest to the tower is the oldest temple, in Etruscan style. Then comes a circular temple from the 2nd C. B.C. Finally there is a temple that was built and rebuilt several times from the 4th C. B.C. to the 1st C. B.C. It is partly entwined with the remains of a church from the Middle Ages. Behind the temple there is a wall of a public toilet building from ancient Rome.

Behind the ruins, on the other side of the square, is the Teatro Argentina, where Rossini’s Barber of Seville debuted catastrophically in 1816. The famous café Bernasconi is beside the theater.

We walk east from the square on the avenue of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and soon came to the imposing church of Gesú.

Gesú

Hours: Open daily 6-12:30, 16:30-19:15. (C3).

The first baroque church of Rome, built in 1568-1575, compactly designed by Vignola for the new order of Jesuits. It still is their head church. The majestic and dynamic front is by Giacomo della Porta in 1573-1584. The giant order of columns and the powerful scrolls became a model for many churches around the world.

The compact church was an expression of the Catholic counter-reformation led by the Jesuit order. It only has one nave, and chapels replaced the usual transepts. This made it easier for the congregation to see and hear the priests. It is also designed with acoustics in mind.

The extensive decorations inside are from the 17th C. when the baroque style had matured. Giovanni Battista painted frescos in 1672, including one of Jesus in the vault over the apse. The most extensive decorations are in the third chapel to the left, dedicated to Ignazio Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order. They were made by Andrea Pozzo in 1696-1700 using marble with inlaid lapis azuli.

We continue along Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and its continuation, Via del Plebiscito all the way to Piazza Venezia.

Piazza Venezia

Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 9-14, Sunday 9-13. (C3).

This is the traffic center of Rome. It is the crossing point of its main traffic arteries, the supreme piazza of traffic jams. All taxi trips seem to cross this piazza.

On the Palazzo Venezia balcony Mussolini made some of his speeches. The most popular rendezvous point in the city is below that balcony.

We enter the palace on the piazza, the Palazzo Venezia.

Palazzo Venezia

Hours: Open 9-14, 9-13 Sunday, closed Monday. (C3).

Built in 1455-1471 by Pope Paul II who had his apartments here. Later many popes lived here, also Charles VIII, King of France. Mussolini had his offices here. The name of palace derives from the time that the Venetian ambassador in Rome lived here.

It is the first secular Renaissance building in Rome. Parts of it are older in style such as the massive corner tower. The Renaissance elements are obvious in the fenestration and in the double portico of the palace church beside the tower.

The church itself is older than the palace, originally from 336 and renovated in the 9th C. It is decorated in many styles. The palace is also much decorated in spite of its austere outer appearance. There is a famous palace garden and a museum of medieval art.

We leave the museum, walk into the piazza and turn our attention to an imposing monument

Monumento Vittorio Emanuele II

(C3).

The imposing, creamy-white monument dominates the Venetian square and spreads out in front of the Capitolum hill, obscuring the view to the ruins of ancient Rome. This is the absolute top of the wedding-cake variety of the Historic style in the latter half of the 19th C., designed in 1884 by Giuseppi Sacconi, but not finished until 1922.

An equestrian statue of king Vittorio Emanuele II is in front of the monument. He was the first king of a united Italy after its freedom wars. The national altar and the monument of the unknown soldier are in front of the statue.

We pass the monument to the right. When we come to the Capitolum steps we observe ancient ruins on our left side.

Insula

(C3).

In imperial time the poor people of Rome lived in barrel-vault Insulae like this one, which dates from the 2nd C. The Insulae were big apartment blocks. This one is the only survivor in Rome. It had at least six storeys and housed 380 people in its heyday.

The living conditions in such tenements were mostly squalid and more so the higher you were in the building.

Part of the upper storeys was converted into a church in the 14th C. The church tower is still visible.

Now we can choose either to climb the Aracoeli stairs or the Cordonata steps up to the hill of Capitolum. We take the first one which leads us to the church of Santa Maria d’Aracoeli.

Santa Maria d’Aracoeli

Hours: Open daily 7-12, 16-18. (C3).

The steps are from 1346, 122 in number. From the top of them, in front of the church, there is a good view over the medieval city center with the dome of St Peter’s in the background. This was once the most holy place in Rome with the Temple of Juno and the castle of Arx.

The church is from 1250, with Gothic rose windows. It contains many works of art from the Middle Ages, including a marble floor and stone tombs at the entrance, also frescos by Pinturicchio in the right corner chapel at the entrance.

The most famous item in the church is Santo Bambino, an olive-wood figure in the left transept, believed to have miraculous powers.

From the church we walk down steps into Piazza Campodoglio.

Piazza Campodoglio

(C3).

Michelangelo designed this piazza and the steps leading up to it. He also was influential in the design of the three palaces around the piazza. The piazza is beautifully laid in stone according to his designs. Old statues from imperial times of Castor and Pollux with their horses, found in the Martian Fields, are at the edge of the piazza, moved to this place in the 16th C.

Capitolum was the hill of gods in Rome. Already in Etruscan time, in the 6th C. B.C. a temple of Jupiter was standing here. Later the temples were three, dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. When Michelangelo started his work, the fame of ancient times had disappeared long ago and goats were grassing in the holy place.

A replica of an equestrian statue of emperor Aurelius is in the middle of the piazza. The original was moved to here from the Lateran piazza, where it had been allowed to stand as people thought it depicted the Christian emperor Constantine. The original was recently moved from the piazza to protect it from pollution.

We turn our attention to the palaces and start with the one in the middle, Palazzo Senatorio.

Palazzo Senatorio

(C3).

Built in 1143 upon the ruins of the ancient Tabularium and was the city senate at that time, towering over the Roman Forum behind. It is now the city hall of Rome.

Michelangelo spared the walls and only designed a new front, which was realised in 1582-1605 by Giacomo della Porta.

Now we turn to the palace on the north side of the piazza, Palazzzo Nuovo.

Palazzo Nuovo

Hours: 9-13:30 Tuesday-Sunday, Tuesday also 17-20. (C3).

Designed by Michelangelo and finished in 1654. In 1734 it became the world’s first museum. It specialises in ancient sculpture.

Among the sculptures are busts of most of the known philosophers and poets of ancient Greece and of all of the rulers of ancient Rome. The original equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, that formerly was in the square, is now in this museum. It also contains the Venus from Capitolum and a replica of the Dying Galatian by the Greek sculptor Praxiteles.

The third palace on the piazza is Palazzo dei Conservatori.

Palazzo dei Conservatori

Hours: 9-13:30 Tuesday-Sunday, Tuesday also 17-20. (C3).

Built in the 15th C. for the magistrates of the city. Michelangelo redesigned it in the same style as Palazzo Nuovo and it was then rebuilt by Giacomo della Porta. It combines painting and sculpture from ancient and medieval times.

The most famous statue is an Etruscan 5th C. B.C. bronze of the wolverine that mothered the brothers Romulus and Remus. There is also Spinario, a 1st C. B.C. bronze showing a boy taking a thorn out of his foot. And a 3rd C. bust of Junius Brutus, the founder of the ancient Republic of Rome.

The paintings are in Pinacoteca Capitolina. Among them are works by Caravaggio, Veronese, Tintoretto, Cortona, Rubens, Titian and Van Dyck.

From the piazza we can walk down steps to the Roman Forum on the left of Palazzo Senatorio. Or we can walk to the right of the palace on Via del Campidoglio where there is a good view over the Roman Forum. This is the ancient Clivus Capitolinus, the road of processions from the Forum up to the Capitolum. This walk ends here.

Renaissance Rome

The district covers the ancient Martian Fields and their surrounding plain between the river and the hills of Capitolum, Quirinal and Pincius. It still retains some of its Renaissance character with narrow streets and winding alleys, barely or not passable by cars. It is also the most pleasant part of present Rome.

This part of the city center is where the action is. Many of the best restaurants cluster in this district around Piazza Campo dei Fiori, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and the parliament.

We start by taking a taxi to the other side of the river, to the church of San Pietro in Montorio on the hill Gianicolo just above the district of Trastevere. In the church garden we see the Tempietto.

Tempietto

Hours: Open daily 9-12, 16-18. (B4).

The small temple designed by Bramante is one of the most beautiful works of art in Rome. It is circular and classic, with a Doric colonnade of 16 columns, built in 1502. Above the colonnade there is a frieze and a balustrade. Then comes a second floor topped by a dome.

This small building of harmonious proportions showed the way to the high Renaissance period in architecture and is often used to decorate books on the history of architecture.

From the square in front of the church we have a good view over Rome, from Castel Sant’Angelo to the left, to the Vittorio Emanuele monument, Capitolum and the Basilica of Constantine and Maxentius in the middle and San Giovanni in Laterano to the right.

We walk down the stairs and the hillside road of Via Garibaldi to the next crossing and then down Via Memeli until we come to a staircase leading us down to Via della Paglia in Trastevere. We walk that street to the main square in Trastevere, Piazza Santa Maria di Trastevere. There we see the church by the same name.

Santa Maria in Trastevere

Hours: Open daily 7:30-13, 16-19. (B4).

The church is from 341, rebuilt in 1140 and furnished with the present bell tower. The colonnade in front is much more recent, from 1702.

It is famous for the mosaics in front and inside. The picture in the higher apse depicting Jesus and Maria is in Byzantine style by Greek masters in the 12th C. The six pictures below are by Pietro Cavallini in the 13th C.

We are in the district of Trastevere.

Trastevere

This district is not part of the ancient Rome. It was built by Etruscans and later also Jews and Syrians. Emperor Augustus made it a part of the city. The Aurelian city wall included it.

Since then it has been a district of tradespeople and artisans, who worked in the nearby harbor. Lately it has become fashionable and has been invaded by prosperous people. Restaurants are everywhere and street life is vivid in the evening.

We walk from the piazza on Via della Lungaretta to Piazza Sonnino, where San Crisogno is on the corner, built in the 5th C. and renovated in the 12th C. On the square we turn left, and walk to the Anguillara Tower.

Torre degli Anguillara

(C4).

A typical city tower from the Middle Ages, built in the 13th C., adjoining the Anguillara palace. It got its name from one of the most influential families in Rome in medieval times. Now it is an institute for studies in Dante.

We cross the river on the Garibaldi bridge. On the other side we turn left on Lungarotevere de Vallati, until we come to Piazza Pallotti, where we enter the pedestrian Via Giulia.

Via Giulia

(B3).

The main street in Renaissance Rome. It was the street of proud palaces of cardinals such as Palazzo Farnese and Palazzo Sacchetti. It has been rehabilitated in present times as a street of art and antique galleries.

It may be the only straight street in this old part of Rome and it is a street for pedestrians only. This makes is unique and pleasant for visiting strollers.

The garden wall around the Farnese palace is especially beautiful, with cascades of ivy falling over it.

We arrive at a fountain on the left side of street.

Fontana del Mascherone

(B3).

The grotesque fountain was put up in 1626 but has probably been stolen from a nearby building from classical times, now lost and forgotten. It combines an ancient mask and a granite basin to make a baroque whole.

We pass the Farnese palace and turn right on the next corner to get to the front of the Farnese palace

Palazzo Farnese

(B3).

The main work of Antonio Sangallo jr, designed in 1514. The building started in 1534 and was more or less finished by Michelangelo in 1546 and finally by Giacomo della Porta in 1589. Its outer form is often considered to be a perfect example of the Renaissance style in Rome. It is now the French embassy.

The proud palace is free-standing and rectangular. It has a courtyard with arcades and pairs of columns in the Romanesque style. On the outside it has horizontal Renaissance lines. On the first floor triangular and circular pediments alternate, after an example in the Pantheon.

Two giant stone tubs are in the square in front of the palace. They were robbed from the Caracalla baths in 1626.

We walk Via dei Venti to another palace, Palazzo Spada.

Palazzo Spada

Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 8:30-14, Sunday 9-13. (B3).

The palace was built in 1540 in the late Renaissance style of Mannerism. The walls are not smooth and strict but laden with friez

Villa Adriana

Hours: 9:00 – 90 minutes before sunset.

The vacation town of Tivoli is 30 km east of Rome, at the root of the Sabian hills. In 126-134 emperor Hadrian built a summer palace in a garden of 5 km in length about 5 km from Tivoli. Hadrian designed the area himself and copied buildings and monuments that he had seen on this travels. The ruins have been excavated and are now a museum.

We walk from the entrance through a wall remaining from an Athenian gateway called Pokile. We continue on the banks of a pond and pass a small and a big bath house, arriving at a long pond. On its other end there is Canopus, a copy of an Egyptian temple for Seramis. On our way back we cross the ruins on the right, first the barracks of the guards, Praetorium.

Then we continue past the fish pond to the real summer palace. On the highest ground there is a square, Piazza d’Oro. Below it are the ruins of the emperor’s residence, such as a dining room and a sitting room. Still lower are the ruins of a library. To the left of the libraries is a colonnade around a circular pond. We have again arrived at the Pokile.

The daily sightseeing buses to Villa Adriana also include a visit to the cardinal Villa d’Este.

Ostia Antica

Hours: Open daily 9 – 1 hour before sunset.

The old harbor city of Rome is 25 km south-west of the capital. It is reachable by a train from Porta San Paolo, which is connected with the metro system of Rome. The ruins have been excavated and are now a museum. They are mainly from the 2nd C. River silt closed the harbor and the city was abandoned, hidden by silt and has thus been preserved.

The ruins are 1,5 km in length. From the entrance we walk the main street, Decumanus Maximus, part the graveyard to the bath house of Neptun with beautiful mosaics. Beside it is a well preserved theater and further on a square of shops and offices of merchant and transport companies.

On the main street we continue to the main square, Forum, with the main temple, Capitolum, from early 2nd C. The marble has disappeared, but parts of the walls are still there. There are many remains of Insulae, residential apartments of 3-4 storeys, often built around a courtyard. We can spend a lot of time to stroll around the side streets and alleys before returning by the main street.

Castelli Romani

The generic name of a few towns in the hills 25 km south of Rome. They include Castel Gandolfo, Rocca di Papa, Grottaferrata and Frascati.

They are accessible by sightseeing buses from Rome. They usually stop first at a catacomb and at Via Appia Antica.

Via Appia Antica

This ancient road was built in 312 B.C. and led from Rome to Capua, Benevento and Brindisi. Tombs were early placed alongside it, as it was forbidden to bury people inside the city limits.

We can still drive on parts of this road, past the major Christian catacombs, the tomb of Romulus, the arena of Maxentius and the tomb of Cecilia Metella, in addition to lots of smaller tombstones.

We visit one of the catacombs signposted from the Via Appia Antica.

Catacombe

Three catacombs are open on the Via Appia Antica. They are all conveniently open Monday when most of the museums in Rome are closed. Catacombe Callisto is closed Wednesday, Catacombe Domitilla is closed Tuesday and Catacombe Sebastiano is closed Thursday.

The catacombs were not a hiding place for Christians. Most of them were dug in the 3rd and the 4th C, when Christianity had become an acceptable religion. They were normal Christian graveyards, usually a few storeys down, as the early Christians had to dig deeper down when the space filled up.

We drive on to Castelli Romani and start with Castel Gandolfo.

Castel Gandolfo

The village is on the edge of the big crater that created Lago di Albano. The summer residence of the Pope and his astronomy observatory are in this town. In front of the entrance there is a balcony with a good view over the lake of Albano.

We next drive to Rocca di Papa

Rocca di Papa

This town is perched on the slopes of Monte Cavo. The streets are steep and the alleys are twisted. It is the highest town in the Castelli Romani area.

Next we drive to Grottaferrata.

Grottaferrata

A beautiful monastery is behind a moat in this town. It is a Catholic monastery with some Orthodox rituals. It has a church tower from the 12th C.

Our last stop on this trip is in Frascati.

Frascati

The center of vineyards and of wine making in the area around Rome.

The majestic Villa Aldobrandini towers over the central square.

After seeing Frascati we drive back to Rome.

Napoli

Napoli is no more a beautiful city. It is a noisy city of congested car traffic, dominated by the Italian crime society of Camorra. Robbery and theft is common.

On the other hand the city is a convenient starting point for those visitors to Rome who want to visit the ghost towns of Herculanum and Pompeii, climb the Vesuvius volcano, drive along the Amalfi coast or visit the island of Capri.

Most of the sights in the city are clustered in the center by the old harbor, including the city castle and the royal palace.

Napoli is 219 km from Rome. The trains are good and punctual. We do some sightseeing in Napoli, starting with the harbor castle.

Castel Nuovo

The giant harbor castle was built in 1282, surrounded with a wide and deep moat. The city entrance is in the shape of a triumphal arch of two storeys, built in 1467.

Adjacent to the castle is the royal palace of Napoli, Palazzo Reale. On our way we pass Teatro San Carlo, an opera house and a theater from 1737. Opposite the theater there is an old mall.

Galleria Umberto I

The oldest shopping mall in Naples, in the form of a crucifix, with an enormous glass and iron dome over the crossing.
We continue to the front of the royal palace.

Palazzo Reale

Hours: Open in the morning.

The royal palace of the kings of Napoli was built in the beginning of the 17th C. It has been renovated several times, but always according to the original style. It is now a museum.

The semicircular Piazza del Plebiscito is in front of the royal palace.

We walk further on the coastal hotel street to a sailboat harbour and a seaside castle.

Porto di Santa Lucia

This is the tiny Santa Lucia harbor, made famous by a Napoli song. It is now a sailboat harbor, nestling under a castle. From the jetty there is a good view of Vesuvius and the Napoli bay.

The Castel dell’Ovo is a Norman castle sitting on a seaside rock. It got its present look in 1274.

Opposite the harbor and castle is the main hotel street of Napoli.

This is the end of our walk in Napoli.

Miramare

Via Nazario Sauro 24. Phone: (081) 427 388. Fax: (081) 416 775. Price: L.240000 ($152) with breakfast. All major cards. 30 rooms.

The nicest hotel in Napoli is on the coast south of the city center, just 500 meters from the old royal palace.

It is in an old townhouse and has a good view over the bay to the Vesuvius volcano. It is modern and tasteful. A breakfast room is on the top floor with good views.

Room no. 107 is big, decorated in light blue colors, with a good writing desk, trouser press, coffee machine and an enormous mirror over the headpiece of the bed. From a big window there is a good view to Vesuvius. The bathroom is big and splendid, all done in marble, with a jacuzzi bathtub.

Royal

Via Partenope 38. Phone: (081) 764 4800. Fax: (081) 764 5707. Price: L.240000 ($152) with breakfast. All major cards. 273 rooms.

This practical hotel is round the corner on the coastal road from the Naples royal palace, opposite the sailing boat harbor of Santa Lucia. A group of hotels line this part of the seaside, Excelcior, Santa Lucia, Vesuvio, Continental and Royal.

This large hotel is rather functional, lacking in charm.

Room no. 810 is big and comfortable, in modern business decor. It has a good view to the sailing boat harbor Santa Lucia and the Castel d’Ovo castle. It has a giant mirror and a parquet floor. It is well outfitted, including a fully tiled bathroom.

Ciro a Santa Brigida

Via Santa Brigida 71-73. Phone: (081) 552 4072. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.70000 ($44) for two. All major cards.
A traditional and inexpensive place for business lunches and luxury shopping lunches adjoining the architecturally interesting shopping mall of Galeria Umberto I, but entered from the outside.

This is a big and noisy place, but also comfortable and clean, with good service in a few rooms on two floors.

• Penna mozzarella e malanzane = pasta tubes with cheese and aubergine.

• Pizza marinara = shellfish pizza.

• Magro di vitello ai ferri = pan fried veal slice with egg.

• Fritto calamari e gamberi = deep fried squid and shrimp.

• Zuppa inglese = sponge cake with whipped cream.

• Cannoli = butter pastry filled with sugared ricotta cheese, sugared orange peel and cocoa.

La Cantinella

Via Cuma 42. Phone: (081) 404 884 & (081) 405 375. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.100000 ($63) for two. All major cards.

The best restaurant in Naples, on the hotel beach road leading from the royal palace, beside the Miramare hotel.

The main dining room is dominated by huge and bright pillars. Along the street there is a long and narrow room decorated in blue, with velvet walls and ceiling.

• Linguine alla cantine = pasta threads with shrimp and spinach.

• Insalata di mare = cold seafood salad.

• Filetto di manzo = beef filet.

• Medaglioni de manzo = beef medallions.

• Mozzarella = Italian soft cheese.

• Macedonia di frutta = marinated fresh fruit.

Sbrescia Ciro

Rampe San Antonio a Posillipo 110. Phone: (081) 669 140. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.70000 ($44) for two. All major cards.

A lively place with a view, rather inexpensive, in Positano, a rich residential suburb on a peninsula north from the Naples center. It is on a steep road that winds up a hill.

Enormous windows give a good view to the Mergellina suburb and the castle of Uvo, all they way to Vesuvius.

• Linguine casa nostra = pasta threads of the house.

• Vermicelli alle vongole = spaghetti with small shells.

• Scaloppa alla Sbrescia = veal slices.

• Spigola = grilled sea bass.

• Uva = grapes.

• Gelato = ice cream.

Campania

The area around Napoli and the Vesuvius bay is the ancient Campania, a fertile crescent with lots of things to see. A one day drive south from Napels will take in the ghost cities of Herculanum and Pompeii, the volcano Vesuvius, the Sorrento peninsula and the Amalfi coast.

We start from Napoli on our first leg of 10 km to Herculanum.

Herculanum

Hours: Open daily.

A ghost town of 5000 people that drowned in 12 meter deep mud when Vesuvius erupted in the year 79. It was a rather poor town of fishermen at that time. It is rather well preserved as the wood has partly become ossified in the mud. Whole houses have been preserved, including the wooden structure, cooking utensils and furniture.

The excavation covers 150 x 250 meters. Three major and parallel streets are intersected by smaller streets, all on a rectangular plan. We go first into Casa dell’Albergo just below the stairs down to the ruins, then go to the main street Cardo IV up to the main square and then back again on the main street Cardo V. It is best to rent a guide and tell him how much time you want to spend there.

Among other things we can see mosaics on floors, the town baths with separate areas for the sexes, shops with counters on the street, a sculpture of deer and half-burnt furniture.

We drive the 15 km from Herculanum under the slopes of Vesuvius in the direction of Pompeii.

Vesuvio

One of the few remaining active volcanoes on the continent of Europe. It has two summits, the 1277 meter Vesuvius proper in the south and the 1132 meter Monte Somma in the north. The lower slopes are of fertile lava, supporting the production of Lacryma Christi wine.

Vesuvius had been quiet for a long time when it erupted in 79, burying the towns of Herculanum and Pompeii. During the next millennium it erupted seven times. Then came again a quiet period. In 1631 it started all over again, destroying many towns and killing 3000 people. Since then it has erupted at least eleven times, the last time in 1944.

The mountain is mainly climbed from the south and the west, which is the easier way. The crater is a strange lunar sight and the panorama from the top is unique.

We continue on the main road to Pompeii.

Pompeii

Hours: Open daily.

This was a business city of 25.000 people that disappeared in two days in a 6-7 meter layer of ash when Vesuvius erupted in the year of 79. Its center has been brought again to light in excavations of 2 x 1 km. We can see in a nutshell how life must have been in such a city more than nineteen centuries ago. We still can see election slogans on the walls and pornographic pictures in the brothel.

The central square is surrounded by the temples of Jupiter, Apollo and Vespanian, and a 67 meter basilica for commerce and courts. There are two theaters, one for 5000 people and the other for 800. Also two well-designed bath houses, including Terme Stabiane where we can see ossified mummies. The amphitheatre is one of the oldest preserved, from 80 B.C. There are many bars lining the main street.

We can see lots of Insulae apartment buildings with inner courts. Casa dei Vettii has frescos and gardens with sculpture and fountains. Rent a guide to make the most of your time. If you have extra time you can take a detour to Villa dei Misteri with big frescos showing the cult of Dinoysios.

We seek out the Casa dei Vettii.

Casa dei Vettii

Most of the best mosaics in Pompeii are in Casa dei Vettii, the best-preserved house, the home of two merchant brothers.

We now drive to the town of Sant’Agata sui due Golfi on the Sorrento peninsula, about 40 km from Pompeii. We can find lodgings in Hermitage, tel. (081) 878 0062 or in Jaccarino, tel. (081) 878 0026. Both have views to Napoli and Vesuvius. Then we prepare for dinner in the best restaurant in southern Italy, Don Alfonso. Next morning we take the Amalfi coast road, stopping first in Positano.

Don Alfonso

Corso Santa Agata 11, Sant’Agata. Phone: (081) 878 0026. Price: L.180000 ($114) for two. All major cards.

The best restaurant in southern Italy, including Rome, is in the little town of Sant’Agata which is perched on the peninsula between the Vesuvius and Salerno bays. It is on the main street, near the central square.

The couple Alfonso and Livia Jaccarino own this bright and beautiful restaurant and the adjoining Jaccarino hotel. He does the cooking and she directs the service. The tasting menu is especially good. The room is divided by a brick wall into two parts. The decorations are in hunting style.

• Involtino di pesce con rughetta e semi di finocchio selvatico = marinated fish with vegetables and egg sauce.

• Treccine di pesce azzurro agli ortaggi = hornfish with carrot, onion and celery.

• I paiceri della pasta = pasta threads with shells and pumpkin.

• Filetti di boccadoro ai cetrioli e rosmarino = poached small fish with rosmarin, mashed potatoes, tomato and cheese.

• Infuso alle erbe = lemon sorbet.

• Braciole di annecchia con pinoli e uvetta = raisins and nuts enclosed in beef.

• Scelta di formaggi = three types of cheese, gorgonzola, provolone and caciocavallo.

• Dolce e piccola pasticceria = green pistachio marzipan with mango sauce and filled with a cheese mixture.

Positano

Positano is the first village on the Amalfi coast, a fishing village transformed into a hotel town. The slope is so steep that in some cases there are cliffs between rows of houses. The white houses remind us of Greek or Spanish islands.

We continue on the scenic road on the Amalfi coast to the town of Amalfi.

Amalfi

The Amalfi coast is one of the most beautiful coastlines in Italy. Small fishing villages cower where deep gorges meet with tiny estuaries. Wealthy villas perch on steep slopes.

The tourist town of Amalfi has given its name to the coast. The houses are white as in Positano, but the landscape is not as wild, so there is room for a city center with a church in Byzantine style.

Vallone di Furore is the wildest part of the landscape on the coast. A small fishing village is hiding under vertical cliffs and steep slopes.

We drive on to Salerno and continue 60 km straight to Napoli.

Capri

Just off Sorrento peninsula, a vertical cliff island, 6×3 km. It has a mild climate and an abundant flora and has been a coveted place for relaxing all the way back to the time of Roman emperors. The main village is Capri, sitting in a saddle between mountains, with harbours on both sides.

There are no private cars in Capri, just small buses, taxis and electrical cycles which are used for transporting goods. Most streets in the village are pedestrian, some of them with no houses at street level, but with steep steps up and down to the houses.

From the main square, Piazza Umberto I, there are short walks to viewpoints, such as Cannone Belvedere, Tragara Belvedere and Giardini Augusto, also a long and steep path to the ruins of the palace of emperor Tiberius on a mountain top.

We start our visit in the harbor

Marina Grande

There are two harbors in Capri on either side of the town, both accessible by car. Marina Piccola is a tiny fishing harbor with beaches in the South and Marina Grande is the main harbor the North, nestling under steep cliffs. The latter is the embarkation point for visitors.

Next we take a bus or taxi to Anacapri.

Anacapri

The second village on the island, on its eastern part. It lies much higher than Capri and is accessible by a road through steep cliffs.

Anacapri is not as full of tourists as Capri. From there you can take a chair lift to the top of Monte Solaro, the highest top of the island, from where you have in good weather an unforgettable view over the whole island, the bay of Napoli and the Appenia mountain range. The road to the Blue Grotto also leads from Anacapri.

From Anacapri we can take a taxi down the slope to the Blue Grotto.

Grotta Azurra

The main attraction of Capri. It can be reached either by boat or car. From the boats and cars you embark into small rowing boats that are used for entering the cave. It is famous for its mysterious blue color reflected up from the sea.

There are organised boat trips to Grotta Azzurra from Marina Grande, partly in connection with trips around the island. On such trips you can see other caves, such as the Green Cave and the White Cave, which you can enter by foot. You also sail through the Faraglioni cliffs.

Palma

Via Vittorio Emanuele 39. Phone: (081) 837 0133. Fax: (081) 837 6966. Price: L.300000 ($189) with breakfast. All major cards. 80 rooms.

One of the best hotels in Capri, well situated on a pedestrian street leading from the central Piazza Umberto I, about 100 meters from the piazza.

Pineta

Via Tragara 6. Phone: (081) 837 0644. Fax: (081) 837 6445. Price: L.120000 ($76) with breakfast. All major cards. 52 rooms.

A nice little hotel, about 10 minutes walk from the central Piazza Umberto I. We walk past the hotels Palma and Quisisana and turn left on Via Camerelle. Where it ends we walk a few steps up to Via Tragara, where the hotel is on the right.

Room no. 41 is enormous, with a big balcony with sun-deck chairs and with a very big bathroom in mint condition. The room has pleasant quality furniture in modern style, including an amusing painting of fish. It has good view to the ocean.

Quisisana

Via Camerelle 2. Phone: (081) 837 0788. Fax: (081) 837 6080. Price: L.400000 ($253) with breakfast. All major cards. 150 rooms.

The main luxury hotel is about 200 meters downhill from the central Piazza Umberto I.

La Tavernetta

Via Lo Palazzo 23a. Phone: (081) 837 6864. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.120000 ($76) for two. All major cards.

The best restaurant on Capri is in the narrow pedestrian street which is parallel with the main street, Via Roma, near the end that is farther away from the central Piazza Umberto I.

The restaurant is divided by arches into sections. The kitchen is in view.

• Ravioli alla caprese = pasta with tomato sauce and Capri-cheese.

• Risotto al gamberi = fried rice with king prawns.

• Filetto di manzo alla griglia = grilled beef filet.

• Capriccio-parfait = ice cream.

Moscardino

Piazza Umberto I. Price: L.70000 ($44) for two. All major cards.

A simple, good seafood restaurant with a convenient location in an arcade between Piazza Umberto I and the bus stop.

It has pine walls, decorated with incidental photos. It offers paper napkins and paper table-covers.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Art

Venetian painters, born there or living there, were for centuries among the best artists of Italy. They did not introduce e Gothic style or the Renaissance style, but they took them up and made a tradition of them.

Venetian art was born of Constantinopel roots and mixed the Byzantine style with the Gothic one. Mosaics and gilding characterize the first Venetian artists such as Paolo and Lorenzo Veneziano. Then came Jacopo Bellini, the brothers Gentile and Giovanni Bellini, Andrea Mantegna, Bartolomeo Vivarini and Vittoro Carpaccio with sharp paintings at the early Renaissance.

The heyday of Renaissance can be seen in the play of light and shade in the paintings of Tiziano, Tintoretto and Paolo Veronese. The main Venetian artists during the Baroque and Rococo periods were Canaletto, Pietro Longhi, Giambattista Tiepolo and Giandomenico Tiepolo. In almost all the many churches in Venice there are works of art by these world famous artists.

Carnivale

The Venetian carnival is the oldest carnival in the world, started in the 11th C. Originally it was an on-going feast of a two-month duration, but now it goes on for ten days before the start of Lent in February. People wear masks and costumes and try to go wild. Many costumes are fantastic and the masks are a main souvenir item of Venice.

Gondolas

Gondolas are one of the main characteristics of Venice, built according to a thousand year old design. They are asymmetrical, with a leftward curve, to compensate for having only one oar. They are all black, 11 meters long, exactly built from nine woods, and cost £10000 each. When they were the main transport in town they numbered about 10,000 but now they are only 400.

When Venice became a tourist city the role of the gondolas changed from being a means of transportation into a romantic institution, where the oarsman sang arias for couples in love. The third stage was reached with Japanese tourists who sail in groups in several gondolas on Canal Grande with an accordionist and a retired opera singer. That is the main use of gondolas nowadays.

History

Venetians descend from the Veneti who lived in the Po delta in Roman times. Attacks during the great European migrations drove the people out in the lagoon fens, where the city was founded on 100 islands, in 421 according to Venetian tradition. They drove piles into the mud, built their houses on them and connected islands with the characteristic canals and bridges.

They faced the sea and soon became great sailors and merchants. Impassable fens defended the city on the land side and their ships on the sea side. They soon started trade with Constantinople, the main city of the world at that time and were influenced by Byzantine art. In the Middle Ages they expanded their power in the Mediterranean and were victorious over Byzantium in 1204.

When other Italian cities fought civil wars during the Renaissance, Venice was a stable republic of ca. 2000 nobles who elected a Doge. This aristocracy survived more or less intact for 11 centuries, until Napoleon put an end to it without battle at the end of he 18th C. Venice had started to decline in the 16th C. when the Atlantic Ocean surpassed the Mediterranean in trade.

Life

Venice is unique. The main traffic artery is a wide river lined with elegant palaces. Boats are used for all public transport and transport of goods. The rest of the traffic is pedestrian. There is no noise or air pollution from cars, which are none. The refreshing air from the ocean fills up with the natural sounds of waves and people’s conversation. There is no modern stress.

The city has become a single, giant museum of the great centuries of Venice. Still dozens of thousands of people live there, about half the population during the golden ages. Also dozens of thousands come in to work every morning and leave at night. The tourists add to these numbers. Venice is thus a living city, even if it has been on the decline for the last centuries.

The city is a continuos artwork and history of arts. Every church has some jewels by the old masters. Some of the old palaces have been converted into museums and other into hotels. It is full of restaurants offering good Adriatic seafood. It is full of boats, from the slow gondolas to the speedy water-taxis. It is a constant relaxation for culturally minded travelers.

Palazzi

Hundreds of palaces line the canal banks of Venice. Usually they have decorative fronts to the water and simple rear sides to pedestrian alleys. Usually they have four floors. On the ground floor were storerooms and offices. Reception rooms were on the first floor, the piano nobile. The family lived on the second floor and the servants on the third.

The oldest and most enchanting palaces are from the 13th C., in Byzantine style, with light and high arcades on slender columns, covering the entire width of the first floor. Palazzo Loredan is a good example. Most numerous are the Gothic palaces, from the 13th-15th C., characterized by pointed arches, pointed windows and lace windows. Palazzo Foscari is a good example.

There are heavier palaces in Renaissance style from the 15th-16th C., symmetrical and mathematical in design, with fluted columns and Corinthian capitals. Palazzo Grimani is a good example. From the 17th C. are finally very heavy Baroque palaces with exaggerated decoration and deep windows on the front sides. Ca’Pesaro is a good example.

Preservation

Venice has been sinking, especially in the 20th C. This results from the drying of land for the expanding industry in the neighboring towns of Mestre and Porto Marghera and from excessive use of fertilizer in the Po valley. The use of motor boats has also disturbed the canals and weakened the foundations of buildings. Preventive action has now slowed down the sinking.

Germany

Sottoportego Giustinian, Accademia. Phone: 522 5100.

United Kingdom

Palazzo Querini, Accademia, Dorsoduro 1051. Phone: 522 7207.

Accident

Phone: 113.

Ambulance

Phone: 523 0000.

Complaints

It is generally useless and a waste of time to complain in Italy. Instead try to look at the bright side.

Fire

Phone: 115.

Hospital

Ospedale Civile, Campo Santi Zanipolo. Phone: 523 0000.

Medical care

Phone: 118.

Pharmacy

Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30-12:30 & 16-20, Saturday 9-12.

Closed pharmacies have signs on their doors to point out where there is night duty. Opening times are also in Un Ospite di Venezia. Many minor drugs are available without prescription.

Police

Phone: 112.

The city police, Vigili urbani, wear blue uniforms in winter and white in summer. The state police, La Polizia, wear blue uniforms with white belts and berets. The military police, Carabineri, wear red-striped trousers. You can ask all three types for help.

Precautions

Don’t use a handbag. Keep money in inside pockets. Use cards as much as possible. Don’t keep passports in the same place as money. Don’t leave valuables in a locked car. Beware of gypsy children, especially in groups. Petty crime abounds, but there is very little violent crime in Rome.

Banks

Banking hours are Monday-Friday 8:30-13:30 & 14:45-15:45. Change foreign money in banks or at “cambio”-offices, not in hotels. Some banks only change foreign money during the morning hours. A bank is open 24 hours a day at the central railway station but often there is a long queue. At Marco Polo airport at Venice an exchange office is open all day.

Credit cards

Credit cards are widely accepted in hotels, restaurants and shops. Visa and Eurocard (Access, MasterCard) have the largest circulation. Their emergency freephone is 167 82 80 47. American Express has 722 82 and Diners Club has 167 86 40 64 (freephone).

Electricity

Italian voltage is 220V, same as in Europe. Plugs are continental.

Hotels

Venetian hotels are generally clean and well maintained, including plumbing, if they have three or more official stars. But two-starred hotels can also be very good, even if they do not have TV sets in guest rooms. A bathroom is taken for granted nowadays. Some hotels have been set up in famous palaces, which are still decorated with antiques.

It is more expensive to stay in Venice than elsewhere in Italy. You can stay inland and go by train or car to Venice in the morning, but this also costs some time and money.

Breakfast in Italian hotels is usually worthless, just as in French hotels. It is better to get a freshly pressed juice, newly baked bread and cappuccino at a corner café.

Money

The currency in Italy is the lire (L.). Paper money is dominant, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10000, 50000 and 100000 lire (L.), increasing in size with their value. Coins are for 50, 100, 200 and 500 lire.

Prices

Prices in Venice are unusually high by Italian standards and are increasing on par with Western Europe.

Shopping

Shops are generally open 9-12:30, 15:30-19:30 in winter, 16-20 in summer. Sometimes they close earlier on Saturday. Many tourist shops are open all day and Sunday.

Street numbers

Houses in Venice are not numbered according to streets, but to districts. A hotel at the street of Calle largo 22. Marzo has the address of San Marco 2159. This can be frustrating for strangers who do not have further information on locations.

Tipping

A service charge is generally included in restaurant bills. Some guests leave a few thousand lire extra. Gondoliers do not expect tips. Taxi drivers expect at least 10% from foreigners. Porters expect L. 1000 per bag.

Toilets

There are some public toilets in the center. The toilets in cafés are sometimes not up to standard, but generally they are acceptable in restaurants. Many of them are for crouching and not for sitting. Bring the paper if you are not visiting a restaurant.

Tourist office

Piazza San Marco 71c. Phone: 522 6356.

Uffici Informazioni.

Water

Tap water is usually clean and tasty in Venice. In restaurants most people drink bottled water.

Accommodation

Tourist offices at the Marco Polo airport at Venice and at the Piazzale Roma car park building in Venice find hotel rooms for travelers. Rooms with “twin bed” are often larger that those with “double bed”. Rooms on the canal side are often quieter and brighter that those on the street side. Rooms in Venice proper cost more than others, but you save time and transportation costs.

Airport

Marco Polo. Phone: 260 9260.

A taxi takes 15 minutes from Marco Polo airport to Piazzale Roma in Venice and a bus takes 30 minutes, costing L. 5000. A public boat, Vaporetto, is 50 minutes to San Marco, costing L. 15000. A water taxi is 25 minutes to any location in the city, costing L. 130000

News

International Herald Tribune and some other foreign newspapers are available at many kiosks in Venice. The main Venetian newspapers are Gazzettino and Nuova Venezia. There are three TV channels, Uno, Due and Tre, and additionally cable channels in many hotel rooms, including CNN. Information on what is on in Venice is in the free booklet, Un Ospite di Venezia.

Phone

The Italian country code is 39 and the local code for Venice is 41. The foreign code from Italy is 00.

Post

Fondaco dei Tedeschi, Rialto.

The Italian postal service is inefficient. The main post office in Venice is in the Fondaco dei Tedeschi palace beside the Rialto bridge.

Railways

Ferrovia Santa Lucia. Phone: 71 5555.

The Italian railway system is inexpensive and effective. The Santa Lucia railway station in Venice is near Piazzale Roma at the west end of Grand Canal. The public water transportation system is centered on the station.

Taxis

Phone: 522 2303.

Water taxis is the fastest way and the most expensive way to get around in Venice.

Traffic

The simplest way of exploring Venice is by foot. The city is only 5 km x 2 km. The next best transport is by water bus. Line 1 stops almost at all stations in Grand Canal. A three-day pass to all lines costs L. 30000 and a seven-day pass costs L. 55000. The romantic way of travel is by gondola, which costs L. 70000 per 50 minutes in daytime and L. 90000 at night.

Coffee

Italians are the first-class nation of coffee culture. They drink all their coffee freshly ground in espresso machines. Most often they drink espresso or caffè = very strong; doppio = double the size of an espresso; cappuccino = espresso mixed with air-whipped milk. Bad coffee for tourists is called americano. Italians usually have their coffee standing at the bar.

Cuisine

Foreigners often think that Italian cooking consists mainly of pastas after pastas. In fact this is more complicated. Italians do not talk of Italian cooking, but of Venetian, Tuscan, Ligurian, Latin and so on. In this database we concentrate on Roman cooking, even if we include restaurants representing other types of Italian cooking.

Eating habits

Italians do not eat much in the morning. They may have an espresso and cornetto at the corner café or bakery. Lunch often starts at 13:30 and dinner at 20:30. Both lunch and dinner are hot meals and are equally important. Italians like food and consume it with abandon.

They are on the other hand careful with the wine and some only drink water. Tap water is very good and clean in Rome, coming in ducts from the mountains. In restaurants most people have bottled water though, aqua minerale, often with gas, gassata.

Menus

An Italian menu typically has five sections: Antipasti = starters; pasti or asciutti or primi platti = pasta courses; secundi piatti = fish or meat; contorni or verdure = vegetables and salads; dolci and frutti and formaggi = sweets, fruit and cheeses.

There are no rules on the number of courses in a menu. Some have a starter and then two pastas, one after the other. The usual thing is to have three courses. It could be a starter, a pasta and a meat course. Or it could be a pasta, a meat, a side course. Or a pasta, a meat and a dessert.

The price of a starter, pasta or a bottle of the house wine is usually two times the price of a side course or a dessert; and the price of a main course is usually three times the price. The prices in this database are usually calculated on the basis of a starter, a second course, a side course, a dessert, mineral water and coffee. All prices are for two persons.

Restaurants

Lunch hour is 13:30-15, dinner 20:30-23. In most places the owner or some waiters understand English. Venetian restaurants are generally small and clean, sometimes accidentally decorated. They usually have linen tablecloths and linen napkins, most often white.

Nowhere in the world is the service in restaurants better than in Italy. The waiters are generally quick and effective. They hurry with the courses until you arrive at the last course. Then everything slows down. It seems that Italians like to eat in a hurry and then to linger on over the wine glass or coffee. Quick service does not mean that the waiter wants to get rid of you.

Seafood

Many Venetian restaurants specialize in Antipasto di frutti di mare = mixed seafood as a starter. It offers samples of many tasty things such as:

Aragosta = lobster;

Calamari and Seppie = squid;

Cappe and Vongole = shellfish;

Cappesante = scallops; Folpi and Polipo = octopus;

Gamberi = big prawns;

Granceola = spider crabs; and

Scampi = Dublin Bay prawns.
Popular with locals is

Baccalà mantecata = plucked stockfish, mixed with olive oil, parsley and garlic. Common fish from the Adriatic are

Branzino = sea bass;

Rospo = angler fish;

Orata = gilt head;

Rombo = brill;

San Pietro = John Dory;

Sogliola = sole; and

Spigola = sea bass.

Generally they are best grilled.

Specialities

Seafood is the most important aspect of Venetian cooking. Otherwise one of the main specialties is Polenta = maize puré, often sliced and grilled. Another is Fegato alla veneziana = pan-fried calf liver with onions. Popular is Carpaccio = thin slices of raw beef with olive oil and salad. A classic course is Insalata mista = mixed salad, usually very good.

The most famous dessert of Venice is Tiramisù, a kind of a cheese truffle, spiced with coffee and chocolate. It derives from Byzantium and has spread from Venice through the West. Cheeses from the Veneto area are Asiago, Fontina and Montasio. Most restaurants also offer Grana, Taleggio and Gorgonzola.

Wine

The house wine is usually well chosen and economical, either bianco or rosso, white or red. Connoisseurs can have a look at the list to find something unusual, as no country in the world has as many different labels. Italian wine is generally good, sound and simple, but lacking in great growths. Italians do not take their wine as seriously as the French do.

The wine areas north and west of Venice are Veneto and Friuli. The best wines have both area denomination and grape variety on the etiquette. Some Merlot comes from Colli Euganei. Other good Veneto districts are Breganze, Piave, Gambellara, Pramaggiore and Conegliano-Valdobbiadene. In Friuli are Aquileia, Collio Goriziano, Colli Orientali, Grave del Friuli, Isonzo and Latisana.

Farther west, in the hills around Verona, there are still better known wine districts, such as Bardonlino, Valpolicella, Soave, and inside them still smaller and better areas, called Superiore and Classico at the top end.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Accademia

Fondamenta Bollani, 1058. Phone: 523 7846. Fax: 523 9152. Price: L.210000 ($133) with breakfast. All major cards. 27 rooms. (A2).

Near the Accademia museum in the Dorsoduro. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Agli Alboretti

Rio Terra Sant’Agnese, Dorsoduro 884. Phone: 523 0058. Fax: 521 0158. Price: L.182000 ($115) with breakfast. All major cards. 20 rooms. (B2).

An amusing little hotel in an old and creaky house alongside the main museum in Venice, the Accademia. From the boat landing in front of the museum we go to the left of the museum. The hotel is in that street, about 100 meters from the landing.

The reception is small and quaintly old. There is no lift. The rooms either face the unusually large back garden or the rather wide street between the hotel and the Accademia.

Room no. 3 is rather small and simple, with a window to the garden, very clean, in mild colors, with a direct phone line and a hair dryer, but no TV set. The furniture is old-fashioned, almost antique. The bathroom is very small, but well equipped and fully tiled. The shower occupies a third of the space.

Ala

Campo Santa Maria del Giglio, 2494. Phone: 520 8333. Fax: 520 6390. Price: L.220000 ($139) with breakfast. All major cards. 85 rooms. (B2).

On a large square on the main street between Piazza San Marco and the Accademia bridge. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Astoria

Calle Fiubera, 951. Phone: 5422 5381. Fax: 520 0771. Price: L.160000 ($101) with breakfast. All major cards. 28 rooms. (B2).

About 100 meters from Piazza San Marco. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Ateneo

Calle Minelli, 1876. Phone: 520 0777. Fax: 522 8550. Price: L.285000 ($180) with breakfast. All major cards. 20 rooms. (B2).

In a cul-de-sac few steps from the Fenice opera. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Danieli

Riva degli Schiavoni, Castello 4196. Phone: 522 6480. Fax: 520 0208. Price: L.770000 ($486) with breakfast. All major cards. 221 rooms. (C2).

An excellent luxury hotel in the beautiful Gothic mediaeval former palace of the Dandolo family on the promenade alongside the lagoon, almost beside Palazzo Ducale. The hotel is in three parallel palaces and it is possible to stay for two thirds of the stated price, but the best luxury rooms in the oldest palace are those of interest, if you stay in a palace like this one.

The public rooms are extremely luxurious, in marble and precious hardwood, especially the reception and the spacious drawing room. The servants are variable, some are excellent and others should be brought down to earth. There is life music in the drawing room at British tea time and there are singers in the bar in the evening.

Room no. 33 is excellent, large and opulent, with a window facing the lagoon, the monastery island San Giorgio Maggiore and the pedestrian commotion on the promenade beneath. It has a creaky parquet and is in mild, green colors in soft wallcloths, curtains, bedcovers and a bar. The bathroom is unusually luxurious, all laid in the exquisite marble and extremely well equipped.

Do Pozzi

Calle larga 22. Marzo, San Marco 2373. Phone: 520 7855. Fax: 522 9413. Price: L.160000 ($101) with breakfast. All major cards. 29 rooms. (B2).

Our favorite hotel, small and cozy, in a main street, about 400 meters from Piazza San Marco, has the best quality to price ratio in town. From the southwestern corner of the piazza we walk Salizzada San Moisè, cross a bridge and continue on Calle larga 22. Marzo, where several alleys lead left off the street to Canal Grande. The signposted hotel is in the westernmost alley.

From a small and comfortable reception we can go through corridors to the Rafaele restaurant, which is in the same ownership. Long and narrow corridors to the guest rooms are decorated with drawings and paintings. The service is dexterous.

Room no. 75 is comfortable, rather small and bright, with a window to Calle larga 22. Marzo and creaks cozily when we pace the floor. The old furniture of quality is light and in mild summer colors. There is a TV set, a direct line and a minibar. The fully tiled bathroom has also a window and is well equipped, including a large bathtub and a hair dryer.

Europa e Regina

Calle larga 22. Marzo, San Marco 2159. Phone: 520 0477. Fax: 523 1533. Price: L.565000 ($357) with breakfast. All major cards. 192 rooms. (B2).

One of the elegant Canal Grande hotels has a broad canal front, offering many choices of canalview rooms, opposite the Salute church on the other bank. It is on the main Calle large 22. Marzo, about 300 meters from the southwestern corner of Piazza San Marco. We walk Salizzada San Moisè, cross a bridge and immediately turn left through an unmarked alley past the gondoliers.

The reception is in the building of the former Europa hotel and the best rooms are in the former Regina hotel. There are large public rooms downstairs, including the Tiepolo restaurant which doubles as the breakfast room. Service is excellent and fits the style and price of the hotel.

Room no. 456 is large and handsome, exuding quality and dignity. The light green walls demand larger paintings. Two doors lead out to a large private balcony with a splendid view over Canal Grande. The furnishings are beautifully old. The fully tiled bath has all the amenities. This is truly a luxury room.

Fenice et des Artistes

Campiello de la Fenice, San Marco 1936. Phone: 523 2333. Fax: 520 3721. Price: L.250000 ($158) with breakfast. All major cards. 65 rooms. (B2).

A well-known namesake of the main theater, which is on the same square, about 500 meters from Piazza San Marco. From the southwestern corner of the piazza we walk Salizzada San Moisè and continue on Calle larga 22. Marzo, where we turn right into Calle delle Veste to Campo San Fantin in front of the theater. To the right of the theater is another square where the hotel is.

The reception is in a kind of a garden house between the two separate buildings of the hotel. The older building does not have an elevator, but the staircase and corridors are carpeted and decorated with antiques. The staff is not well informed about goings-on in town.

Room no. 312 is of medium size, warm and neatly equipped with old furnishings, a TV set and a direct line, with green colors in wallpapers, ovens, the carpet and the ceiling. The window overlooks a back garden. The fully tiled bathroom is well equipped and spacious, with a seat-bathtub.

Firenze

Salizzada San Moisè, 1490. Phone: 522 2858. Fax: 520 2668. Price: L.260000 ($164) with breakfast. All major cards. 25 rooms. (B2).

Centrally located a few steps from Piazza San Marco. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Flora

Calle larga 22. Marzo, San Marco 2283a. Phone: 520 5844. Fax: 522 8217. Price: L.210000 ($133) with breakfast. All major cards. 44 rooms. (B2).

A traditionally fine hotel and not expensive, well situated in a main street near Piazza San Marco, about 400 meters from the southwestern corner of the piazza. We walk Salizzada San Moisè, cross a bridge and continue on Calle larga 22. Marzo, where we turn left into the third alley from the far end of the street. The hotel is clearly signposted at the entrance of the alley.

Behind the Art Nouveau entrance there is a lot of leather and hardwood. A dignified staircase leads to the upper floors, decorated with mirrors and curtains, which characterize the hotel. The efficient staff is very pleasant and courteous. Those who are not addressed as “professore” are addressed as “dottore”.

Room no. 2 is old and worn, clean and comfortable, furnished with antiques, a TV set, direct line and a hair dryer. The windows face a well-tended garden behind the lobby. A fully tiled and modern bathroom has the usual amenities.

Giorgione

Santi Apostoli, 4587. Phone: 522 5810. Fax: 523 9092. Price: L.260000 ($164) with breakfast. All major cards. 70 rooms. (B1).

A modern hotel about 100 meters from the street between Rialto and the railway station. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Gritti

Campo Santa Maria del Giglio, 2467. Phone: 79 4611. Fax: 520 0942. Price: L.700000 ($442) without breakfast. All major cards. 93 rooms. (B2).

One of the world famous luxury hotels of Venice, situated on Canal Grande. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Londra

Riva degli Schiavoni, 4171. Phone: 520 0533. Fax: 522 5032. Price: L.410000 ($259) with breakfast. All major cards. 65 rooms. (C2).

A luxury hotel on the lagoon promenade in the city center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Luna Baglioni

Calle larga dell’Ascensione, 1243. Phone: 528 9840. Fax: 528 7160. Price: L.500000 ($316) with breakfast. All major cards. 109 rooms. (B2).

Very centrally located, a few steps from Piazza San Marco. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Marconi

Riva del Vin, San Polo 729. Phone: 522 2068. Fax: 522 9700. Price: L.283000 ($179) with breakfast. All major cards. 26 rooms. (B1).

An amusing and well situated hotel on the Canal Grande bank, a few steps from the Rialto bridge. From the Rialto boat landing we cross the bridge and turn left on the relatively spacious Riva del Vin.

Behind the entrance qualified people staff the small and neat reception. A complicated system of stairs leads to the upper floors, from which another staircase leads down to a breakfast rooms, where a buffet breakfast is served, unusual for Italy.

Room no. 11 is large and well equipped with antique furniture, a TV set and a direct line, hair dryer and minibar, a carpet on a terrazzo floor. It has quaintly ugly glass chandeliers in Rococo style on the walls. The fully tiled bathroom is large and modern, with a heated towel frame.

Monaco e Grand Canal

Calle Vallaresso, San Marco 1325. Phone: 520 0211. Fax: 520 0501. Price: L.400000 ($253) with breakfast. All major cards. 70 rooms. (B2).

A precious hotel with a broad front and perfect view over Canal Grande to Santa Maria della Salute, unusually well located about 100 meters from Piazza San Marco. From the southwestern corner we walk a few steps along Salizzada San Moisè and turn left into Calle Vallaresso, where the hotel entrance is on the right side almost on the bank of the canal.

A plus of the hotel is that the majority of the rooms faces the broad and busy canal. The staff is very pleasant.

Room no. 306 is well equipped with solid and old furniture of lathed hardwood, a hand painted cupboard and a respectable writing desk, a TV set and a direct line. The fully tiled bathroom is modern and well furnished. The window faces Canal Grande.

Paganelli

Riva degli Schiavoni, Castello 4182. Phone: 522 4324. Fax: 523 9267. Price: L.160000 ($101) with breakfast. All major cards. 22 rooms. (C2).

An economical hotel on the broad promenade on the lagoon bank about 300 meters from Palazzo Ducale. The San Zaccaria boat landing station is directly in front of the hotel which is in two parts. One is on the bank and the other in a side alley. The reception is in the former part where the rooms cost a little more, and the breakfast room is in the latter part.

The hotel is very small and tight, clean and comfortable, without an elevator, run by straightforward staff which does not try to hide its mistakes. Breakfast is rather good and includes fruit.

Room no. 23 is in the alley, very small, furnished with matching antiques, including a hand-painted writing desk. There is a direct phone line but no TV set. The old beams of the structure decorated the ceiling. The fully tiled bathroom is modern and well equipped. It includes a heated frame for its unusually large towels.

Rialto

Riva del Ferro, 5149. Phone: 520 9166. Fax: 523 8958. Price: L.290000 ($183) with breakfast. All major cards. 71 rooms. (B1).

A perfect Canal Grande location with a view to the Rialto bridge. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

San Moisè
Piscina San Moisè, 2058. Phone: 520 3755. Fax: 521 0670. Price: L.270000 ($170) with breakfast. All major cards. 16 rooms. (B2).
A tiny hotel a few steps from the Fenice opera house. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

San Zulian
Piscina San Zulian, 535. Phone: 522 5872. Fax: 523 2265. Price: L.180000 ($114) with breakfast. All major cards. 18 rooms. (C2).
Near the San Zulian church, 100 meters from Piazza San Marco. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Saturnia e International
Calle larga 22 Marzo, 2398. Phone: 520 8377. Fax: 520 7131. Price: L.400000 ($253) with breakfast. All major cards. 95 rooms. (B2).
On the main street from Campo San Marco to the Accademia bridge. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Serenissima
Calle Goldoni, 4486. Phone: 520 0011. Fax: 522 3292. Price: L.190000 ($120) with breakfast. All major cards. 34 rooms. (B2).
Between Piazza San Marco and Ponte Rialto. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Sturion
Calle Sturion, San Polo 679. Phone: 523 6243. Fax: 522 8378. Price: L.180000 ($114) with breakfast. All major cards. 11 rooms. (B1).
A quaint and amusing hotel, only 100 meters from the Rialto bridge. From the Rialto boat landing we cross the bridge and turn left on the Riva del Vin bank and then right into the alley Calle Sturion, where the hotel is on the left side. From the entrance a very long and straight staircase leads up to the fourth floor.

A hotel by this name was in the building for five centuries, from the end of the 13th Century to the end of the 18th Century, known from old paintings and documents. After a pause of two centuries an hotel was opened again, but only on the top two floors of the building. It is a family business with a good breakfast room that has a view to Canal Grande. Two rooms share this view.

Room no. 10 is very quaint. It is really a long corridor with a tiny bathroom in front, then a foyer and a corridor with a sink and finally a bedroom in the inner end. From one small window there is a view over the roofs of the San Polo district. The furniture is old and clean. There is a TV set and a direct phone, a minibar and an hair dryer.

Torino

Calle della Ostreghe, 2356. Phone: 520 5222. Fax: 522 8227. Price: L.220000 ($139) with breakfast. All major cards. 19 rooms. (B2).

Centrally located on the main street from Piazza San Marco to the Accademia bridge. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

A la Vecia Cavana

Rio terra SS. Apostoli, Cannaregio 4624. Phone: 523 8644. Hours: Closed Tuesday. Price: L.116000 ($73) for two. All major cards. (B1).

A gourmet place about 600 meters from Rialto bridge. From the eastern bridge-head we follow a signposted route in the direction of Ferrovia, the railway station. After 500 meters we arrive at Santi Apostoli. We turn right on the left side of the church, walk Salizzada del Pistor to Giorgione hotel where we turn right and walk to the end of the street, where we turn left.

Behind the entrance a seafood counter leads to a Romanesque arch which divides the restaurant into two bright dining rooms. The quality interior has lots of hardwood walls and modern paintings, dense beams in the ceiling, large windows, tiled floor, flowers, candlelights and yellow table linen. In addition to the carte there are several four- and five-course menus.

• Antipasto misto di pesce Vecia Cavana = red shrimps and two varieties of gray prawns, half an octopus and sliced squid.

• Insalata di polipi e sedano = celery and octopus salad.

• Penette di grancio = crab pasta.

• Insalata mista = mixed salad with lots of red-leaved endives.

• Gamberi imperiali alla griglia = four grilled large prawns.

• Filetto di San Pietro = grilled St Peter’s fish.

• Parmigiano e gorgonzola = parmesan and blue Gorgonzola cheese.

• Macedonia di frutta fresca = sliced fresh fruit with whipped cream.

Agli Alboretti

Rio Terra Sant’Agnese. Dorsoduro 882. Phone: 523 0058. Hours: Closed lunch & Wednesday. Price: L.150000 ($95) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A gourmet restaurant of experimental menus in an a creaky, old building at the side of the main museum in Venice, Accademia. From the boat landing in front of the museum we walk to the left of the museum. The place is in that street, alongside an hotel with the same name, about 100 meters from the landing.

This is a rather plain hotel dining room with dense beams in the ceiling, furniture of quality, including lathed chairs, white walls and gallery posters on the walls, a tiled floor and blue linen. When we were there last time an Israeli week was on, with old Hebrew recipes from the Italian book: “La cucina nelli tradizione ebraica”.

• Uova ripiene de avocado = poached egg whites, filled with avocado puré, served with chopped tomato and cucumber.

• Falaffel con houmus e theina = hot and round pea dumplings, crisp outside and soft inside, with whole cooked onions and puréed sesame seeds.

• Zuppa di pesce = seafood soup.

• Mazzancolle in salsa verde = large prawns in green sauce.

• Avocado gratinado con scampi e curry = gratinated and curried avocado with scampi.

• Carciofi alla giudia = artichokes fried in oil in the Jewish manner.

• Gnochi de zucca con ricotta affumicata = pumpkin dumplings with smoked ricotta cheese.

• Arista di aiale al latte = roasted pork loin in milk sauce.

• Manzo a la greca = cooked beef cuts with pumpkins and artichokes.

• Selvaggina di valle in salme = lagoon game stew.

• Frutta di stagione = apple, pear and kiwi.

• Golosità al Muffato della Sala = hard Venetian cookies soaked in Muffato della Sala wine.

• The coffee of the house served in a glass.

Agli Amici

Calle Botteri, 1544. Phone: 524 1309. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: L.105000 ($66) for two. No cards. (B1).

In the San Polo district, abou 400 meters from Ponte Rialto. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Ai Gondolieri

Fondamenta Zorzi Bragadini, Dorsoduro 366. Phone: 528 6396. Hours: Closed Tuesday. Price: L.170000 ($107) for two. All major cards. (B2).

An engaging restaurant in an old building in a nice place in Dorsoduro, on the way between Accademia and Santa Salute, about 300 meters from Accademia. From the boat landing we go to the left of Accademia and turn left at signposts for the Cini and Guggenheim museums. When we come to the canal Rio della Torreselle we turn right and cross a bridge to the restaurant door.

From the entrance bar there are a few steps up to a small and busy dining room with a terrazzo floor and gallery posters on fully paneled walls, with candles and flower arrangements. In front there is a table with tempting desserts. A wide vase of glass, full of raw, uncut and colorful vegetables is served while waiting. Groups are put into a tight room off the bar.

• Sformati = raw vegetables, two types of pepper, cuccumber, chicory, celery etc.

• Petto de pollo tartufo con radiccio = chicken breast with truffles, chicory and tiny tomatoes.

• Tagliere de polenta con funghi freschi = corn puré pasta with mushrooms.

• Risotto di secole = chopped beef on fried rice Venice styles.

• Verdure freschedi stagione = mixed salad of various vegetables.

• Specialità del giorno = lightly salted leg of lamb with lightly vinegary sauerkraut and a clear vegetable sauce.

• Filetto de angus ai ferri = broiled filet of beef.

• Scelta di formaggi freschi = hard cheeses, grana and taleggio.

• Varietà di dolci della casa = desserts from the cart.

Al Campiello

Calle dei Fuseri, San Marco 4346. Phone: 520 6396. Fax: 520 6396. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.180000 ($114) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A restaurant for theatergoers between Piazza San Marco and Ponte Rialto, about 300 meters from the piazza, near the Fenice and Goldoni theaters, named after the best known comedy of Goldoni. From the west end of Piazza San Marco we walk to the shopping street Frezzeria, turn into it, cross a bridge and continue on Calle dei Fuseri, where we turn left into an alley.

The modern restaurant is in three parts with openings between them. Pink and lightly brown wallpapers cover the empty-looking walls between a few modern paintings. The walls are lined with soft benches. Comfortable and solid chairs with curved backs are on the green terrazzo floor. Servants in black smoking jackets know their profession.

• Polenta con porcini e gorgonzola = mushrooms with corn puré, mixed with blue-veined gorgonzola cheese.

• Mazzancolle con porcini all’aceto balsamico = large prawns with porcini mushrooms and spiced vinegar.

• Risotto di seppie = squid on pan-fried rice.

• Fegato alla veneziana con polenta = calf liver with onion and corn puré in Venice style.

• Insalata capricciosa = mixed salad.

• Coda di rospo alla siciliana = pan-fried angler with pan-fried vegetables, tomato, olives and potatoes.

• Rombo alla griglia = grilled turbot.

• Frutta fresca di stagione = diced melons and pears.

• Dolci al carrello = desserts from the cart.

Al Conte Pescaor

Piscina San Zulian, San Marco 544. Phone: 522 1483. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.120000 ($76) for two. All major cards. (C2).

A lively romantic seafood restaurant near Piazza San Marco, 200 meters from the piazza. We walk along the north side of San Marco and turn left into Calle dei Specchiere, pass the back side of San Zulian and continue onwards until we arrive at the place. It is in two buildings and on a porch in front of one of them. We go into the other house.

Tempting first course carts inside the entrance lead to a clean restaurant of two rooms at an angle, with light walls, beautifully decorated with antique household things. Enchanting chandeliers of wrought iron are over the tables, multicolor tiles on the floor and white linen on the tables. Guests sit at benches along the walls, on lathed chairs or in wooden bays.

• Gamberetti olio e limone = red shrimp in oil and lemon juice.

• Cicale di mare e cappesante = mantis prawns and scallops.

• Zuppa di pesce e crostini = fish and shellfish soup.

• Risotto con gli scampi = scampi on pan-fried rice.

• Insalata verde = green salad.

• Orata ai ferri = pan-fried gilthead.

• Scampi alla griglia = grilled scampi.

• Fegato alla veneziana con polenta = calf liver with onion and corn puré in Venice style.

• Macedonia di frutta fresca = diced fresh fruit.

Al Graspo de Ua

Calle Bombaseri, San Marco 5094. Phone: 520 0150. Fax: 523 3917. Hours: Closed Monday and Tuesday. Price: L.160000 ($101) for two. All major cards. (B1).

A busy and a lively restaurant a few steps from the Rialto bridge. From its southern side we cross the eastern bank and walk directly into the Bembola alley and take a right turn into the next alley. Inside there is a food buffet with cooked and uninteresting vegetables in warm containers. A cooler with raw vegetables, fruit and desserts is more interesting.

The dining area is on platforms around the buffet, opening into the kitchen beside the entrance. Hanging wine racks and large black beams painted with golden sayings characterize the place. Two walls are covered with parquet, lots of small paintings cover another wall. Otherwise the place is decorated with paintings and incidental photos. Waiters are efficient and informal.

• Avocado con gamberetti in salsa rosa = avocado and shrimp in mild tomato sauce.

• Granceola de bragoseto al limone = crab with lemon.

• Tagliolini alla pescatora = shellfish pasta.

• Insalatina = salad.

• Coda di rospo al forno = baked angler with white potatoes and baked tomato.

• Sogliola di porto ai ferri = baked soli in port wine.

• Frutta del bosco = raspberries and blackberries.

• Sacher mandorla = Austrian chocolate cake.

Alla Madonna

Calle della Madonna, San Polo 594. Phone: 522 3824. Fax: 521 0167. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: L.115000 ($73) for two. All major cards. (B1).

A very good and busy restaurant, popular with locals, only 100 meters off Rialto bridge. We walk from the west bridgehead to the left along Riva del Vin and turn right into an alley, where the restaurant is on the left hand side.

People sit tight in several crowded, small rooms. The place is simple, with lots of paintings on the bright walls, comfortable chairs and white linen. Quick and knowledgeable waiters must thread roundabouts between the tables where noisy customers are all talking at the same time. The atmosphere is appetizing.

• Gamberetti = red shrimp in oil and lemon juice.

• Zuppa di pesce = fish soup.

• Sarde in saor = sardines in vinegar.

• Risotto pescatore = seafood on fried rice.

• Pasta e fagioli = pasta and peas.

• Insalata mista di stagione = mixed salad of the season.

• Rospo alla griglia = grilled angler.

• Rombo alla griglia = grilled turbot.

• Macedonia di frutta = diced fresh fruit.

Antica Bessetta

Calle Savio, San Polo 1395. Phone: 72 1687. Hours: Closed Tuesday & Wednesday. Price: L.95000 ($60) for two. No cards. (A1).
One of the best and nicest restaurants is remotely situated in San Polo, about 200 meters from the Riva del Biasio boat landing.

From the landing we walk the bank to the left to its end, turn right and walk Rio Terrà to its end, turn right again and then immediately left into Salizzada Zusto. The restaurant is in the corner where the street meets Calle Savio.

The Volpe couple runs the place, she in the kitchen and he in the clean and simple dining room, where dozens of various paintings decorate the walls. She cooks in traditional Venetian style. There is no menu and Mr. Volpe, who speaks almost no English, explains what is currently available. It is an unforgettable experience to devour whole spider-like soft-shelled crabs.

• Antipasto misto di pesce = two types of shellfish, shrimp, two small octopuses, squid slices and a sardine.

• Risotto al pesce = shellfish on fried rice.

• Moleche = deep-fried soft-shelled crab, a Venetian specialty.

• Insalata mista = mixed salad.

• Rospo ai ferri = baked angler.

• Brizzola alla griglia = grilled sea bass.

• Tiramisù = Venetian coffee cheesecake with cocoa.

• Frutta fresca di stagione = fresh fruit of the season.

Antica Carbonera

Calle Bembo, San Marco 4648. Phone: 522 5479. Hours: Closed Tuesday. Price: L.125000 ($79) for two. All major cards. (B1).

A lively and popular eatery about 200 meters from the Rialto bridge. From the eastern bridgehead we walk south on the Riva del Ferro bank and turn left into Calle Bembo, where the restaurant is on the right side. A loaded food buffet greets visitors at the entrance.

Behind the buffet and to the left are the tables, some of them in bays on platforms along the walls and others on the middle of the floor. The bay sitting is vertical and rather uncomfortable, but the chairs are comfortable. Quality wood reaches up to photos of visiting personalities and accidental paintings. Old, limping and charming waiters are relaxed and familial.

• Granceola = spider crab in a shell, with lemon and red cabbage.

• Gamberetti alla limone = red shrimp with lemon.

• Scampi alla griglia = grilled scampi in the shell.

• Risotto di pesce = shellfish on fried rice.

• Spaghetti alla seppie = squid on spaghetti.

• Legume di stagione = various pan-fried vegetables.

• Coda di rospo alla griglia = grilled angler.

• Rognoncino trifolato = chopped kidneys in wine.

• Fegato alla veneziana = calf liver and onion.

• Parmigiano = parmesan cheese.

• Frutta fresca = apple, pear and clementines.

Antica Locanda Montin

Fondamenta di Borgo, Dorsoduro 1147. Phone: 522 7151. Fax: 520 0255. Hours: Closed Tuesday & Wednesday. Price: L.120000 ($76) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Well-known and off the beaten track, but in spite of that only 400 meters from the major Accademia museum. From the Accademia boat landing we walk a signposted track to Piazzale Roma in the west. After about 300 meters there is a signposted alley to the left to the Rio della Eremite canal, where we turn left along the canal to reach the restaurant.

The charming dining room is elongated. Behind the far end there is a garden for outdoor dining in good weather. Bright walls above the panel are covered with rows of paintings. There is pink linen on the tiny tables that are moved asunder or together according to the size of incoming companies. The service is good. The minus is the owner’s family hanging about the table at the bar.
• Granceola all’olio e limone = shredded crab, mixed with vegetables, olive oil and lemon, served in a shell.

• Insalata di gamberoni e rucola = shrimp salad.

• Rigatoni ai quattro formaggi = pasta with four types of cheese.

• Insalata mista = lots of mixed salad.

• Branzino ai ferri = pan-fried sea bass.

• Orata della corona ai ferri = pan-fried gilthead.

• Bocconcini di pollo al curry con riso = chopped chicken in curry on rice.

• Formaggi = gorgonzola, taleggio and grana cheeses.

• Macedonia di frutta fresca = apple, grapes and kiwi.

• Tiramisù = Venetian cheesecake flavored with coffee.

Antico Martini

Campo San Fantin, 1983. Phone: 522 4121. Fax: 528 9857. Price: L.230000 ($145) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Well-known luxury restaurant beside the entrance to the Fenice opera. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Antico Pignolo

Calle dei Specchieri, 451. Phone: 522 8123. Fax: 520 9007. Hours: Closed Tuesday. Price: L.160000 ($101) for two. All major cards. (C2).

A few steps from Piazza San Marco. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Arcimboldo

Calle dei Furlani, Castello 3219. Phone: 528 6569. Hours: Closed Tuesday. Price: L.190000 ($120) for two. All major cards. (C2).

Amusingly furnished and remote restaurant about a kilometer from Palazzo Ducale. We walk on the Riva degli Schiavoni promenade about 600 meters to the Pietà church. Beyond it we turn left and continue northward along several alleys until we reach Calle del Lion, where we turn right and continue over a bridge into Calle dei Furlani.

The walls are decorated with oversized replicas of paintings by Arcimboldo, who did human faces in the likeness of vegetables and fruit in the 16th C. Green and soft sofas line the walls. The ceiling is green and the linen is pink. A buffet table in the middle of the tiled floor is loaded with desserts and appetizers. Service is professional and good, the guests are Italian.

• Scampi in saor = marinated scampi with sauerkraut.

• Folpetti alla veneziana = octopus soup.

• Zuppa di cozze e vongole in crosta = shellfish soup with toast.

• Insalata verde = green salad.

• Branzino alla griglia = grilled sea bass with grilled aubergine, pumpkin and red pepper.

• Sogliola ai ferri = pan-fried sole.

• Sorbetto alla frutta = fruit sorbet.

• Frutti = fresh fruit plate.

Bruno

Calle del Paradiso, 5731. Phone: 522 1480. Hours: Closed Tuesday. Price: L.90000 ($57) for two. All major cards. (C1).

Near the Santa Maria Formosa square. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Cantinone Storico

San Vio, 660/661. Phone: 523 9577. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.110000 ($69) for two. All major cards. (B2).

About 100 meters from the Accademia museum in the Dorsoduro district. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Cipriani

Isola della Giudecca 10. Phone: 520 7744. Fax: 520 3930. Price: L.340000 ($215) for two. All major cards. 92 rooms. (C2).

The best hotel restaurant in town, on the island of Giudecca on the far side of the San Marco lagoon. From the Zitelle boat landing we walk to the left on the bank almost to its end and turn right into an alley to the hotel, which is on the eastern tip, opposite the San Giorgio Maggiore island. We can also sail directly to the hotel with the hotel boat or a water taxi.

The hotel is reserved and unassuming on the outside and opulent on the inside. Dinner is served in a dignified and mirrored dining room in the southern end of the hotel and lunch is served in the open on a platform at the peaceful swimming pool garden. The atmosphere is quiet and the service is unusually courteous.

• Crespelle ai asparagi e taleggio = pancake with fresh asparagus and taleggio cheese.

• Cozze in salsa piccante = scallops in anchovy and white wine sauce.

• Tagliatelle con salsa di noci = pasta with walnut sauce.

• Sogliole al marsala = butter-fried sole in Marsala red wine.

• Nocette di agnello = pan-roasted lamb.

• Sorbetto di frutta = fruit sorbet.

• Fragole di bosco con panna = wild strawberries with cream.

Corte Sconta

Calle del Pestrin, Castello 3886. Phone: 522 7024. Hours: Closed Sunday & Monday. Price: L.170000 ($107) for two. All major cards. (C2).

A plain looking gastronomic temple for local Venetians in a remote location about 1 km from Palazzo Ducale. We walk the Riva degli Schiavoni promenade past the Pietà church and cross the next bridge, pass the long front of the maritime palace, turn left into Calle del Forno and its continuation in Calle del Pestrin, which we walk all the way to the restaurant on the right side.

A few tables are behind the front bar, some more in a parallel room and most in a room to the back of that. The place looks down-market but clean. The old tables are bare, with paper napkins. The walls are bare above the black paneling. There is no menu and the hostess orders some house wine for the table when she describes the main courses of the day.

• Zuppa di vongole = shell soup.

• Antipasto misto di pesce = grilled seafood, including two types of sardines, scampi, red shrimp, octopus and squid cuts.

• Gnochi di gamberetti e asparagi = pasta with shrimp and asparagus dumplings.

• Insalata mista = mixed salad.

• Secundo = large prawns, sole and angler, grilled.

• Triglie alla griglia = grilled red mullet.

• Tiramisù = Venetian cheesecake.

• Grana = hard, Italian cheese with red currants.

• The house coffee served in glass.

Da Mario – alla Fava

Calle Stagneri, 5242. Phone: 528 5147. Price: L.130000 ($82) for two. All major cards. (B1).

About 100 meters from the Rialto bridge. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Da Silvio

Calle San Pantalon, Dorsoduro 3748-3818. Phone: 520 5833. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.80000 ($51) for two. All major cards. (A2).

An unrefined neighborhood restaurant for local gourmets on the street between the churches San Pantalon and Frari. From the latter we walk the second alley to the left of Scuola Grande di San Rocco for about 100 meters, almost all the way to San Pantalon, to find the restaurant on the left side.

The front dining room is simple, small and cozy, with good paneling, but the inner one is rather bare. Behind the rooms there is a garden with a few tables. The linen is white and the napkins are of paper.

• Sfilacci di cavallo = red threads of spiced sausages with salad.

• Breasola con scaglie di parmigiano = dried salt beef with grana cheese from Parma.

• Spaghetti alla vongole = shellfish on spaghetti.

• Insalata capricciosa = fresh salad.

• Sogliola ai ferri = pan-fried sole.

• Braciola ai ferri = pan-fried cutlets.

• Scaloppe parmigiana = escalopes of veal with melted cheese.

• Frutta di stagione al pezzo = two varieties of apple, mandarines and grapes.

• Parmigiano = parmesan.

Do Forni

Calle dei Specchieri, San Marco 457/468. Phone: 523 7729. Fax: 528 8132. Hours: Closed Thursday. Price: L.170000 ($107) for two. All major cards. (C2).

Well-known restaurant in two rooms near Piazza San Marco. We walk along the north side of San Marco and turn left into Calle dei Specchiere which leads us to the restaurant.

One of the rooms is rustic, with antiques on the walls, the other is modern and simple in design. Service is quick and rather good but suffers from the size of the establishment. A drink is on the house at the beginning of the meal and sweet biscuits at the end.

• Prosciutto San Daniele = raw San Danieli ham.

• Baccalà mantecato con polenta = plucked stockfish with corn puré.

• Risotto di frutti di mare = seafood on pan-fried rice.

• Tagliolini all’astice = pasta with lobster sauce.

• Insalata verde = green salad.

• Scampi giganti alla griglia = grilled scampi.

• Branzino al forno con patate = oven-fried sea bass with potatoes.

• Lamponi = raspberries.

Fiaschetteria Toscana

San Crisostomo, Cannaregio 5719. Phone: 528 5281. Hours: Closed Tuesday. Price: L.140000 ($88) for two. All major cards. (B1).

A good and charming restaurants on the way between Rialto and Ferrovia, about 300 meters from the Rialto bridge. We walk from the eastern bridgehead on a signposted route to Ferrovia. After 300 meters we come to San Crisostomo, which is approximately opposite the restaurant.

The preferable ground floor has lively furnishings. A buffet with starters, desserts and wine is at the entrance. The tables are on both sides and behind the buffet. A row of columns divides the place in parts. Many small paintings are grouped together in frames on the walls. The waiters are divergent, some are not above insisting that the flour sauce is the black butter you ordered.

• Moscardini con polenta = small octopuses in fish sauce on corn puré.

• Schie condite con polenta = gray shrimp with corn puré.

• Rombo al burro nero e capperi = pan-fried turbot with black butter, capers and potatoes.

• Caparozzoli alla marinara = shellfish with parsley and garlic.

• Tagliolini con la granzeola = crab on pasta.

• Anguilla alla griglia = grilled eel.

• Filetto al barolo = beef filled spiced with red Barolo wine from Piemont.

• Formaggi = gorgonzola, taleggio and montasio cheeses.

• Tiramisù = Venetian cheesecake spiced with coffee.

Fiore

Calle del Scaleter, 2202. Phone: 72 1308. Fax: 72 1343. Hours: Closed Sunday & Monday. Price: L.160000 ($101) for two. All major cards. (B1).

In the middle of the San Polo district. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Galuppi

Via Galuppi, Burano. Phone: 73 0081. Hours: Closed Thursday. Price: L.116000 ($73) for two. All major cards.

A lively, popular restaurant on the main street on Burano. From the boat landing we walk a very short street to the main street that leads to the left to the church. The restaurant is midways on the right side.

A long and narrow, clean-cut and heavily decorated with paintings. Guests sit mainly in bays with plastic seats. In spite of the tourists in the street most of the customers are local.

• Gamberi = prawn in oil and lemon.

• Scampi e calamari fritto = deep-fried scampi and squid.

• Risi e bisi = thick Venetian soup with ham, onion, peas, rice and grana cheese.

• Tagliatelle verdi con funghi = green pasta with mushrooms.

• Polenta e fontina in torta = oven-baked layers of corn puré and cheese.

• Polipo alla luciana = poached octopus.

• Tiramisù = Venetian cheesecake spiced with coffee and topped with cocoa.

Giardinetto da Severino

Ruga Giuffa, 4928. Phone: 528 5332. Hours: Closed Thursday. Price: L.95000 ($60) for two. All major cards. (C2).

A garden restaurant between San Zaccharia and Palazzo Querini Stampalia. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Gritti

Campo Santa Maria del Giglio, 2467. Phone: 79 4611. Fax: 520 0942. Price: L.280000 ($177) for two. All major cards. 93 rooms. (B2).

A venerable restaurant in an old palace hotel on the Canal Grande, about 100 meters from the Santa Maria del Giglio boat landing. We walk the alley from the bank, turn right at the first opportunity and then again right.

Along the whole front of the hotel there is a broad tea verandah on the Canal Grande. Behind it the dignified dining room is in Rococo style. Chairs, frames and chandeliers are matching. The dense beams are decoratively painted and there is gleaming marble on the floor. Guests sit on deep cushions in easy-chairs at tables with white linen. Service is extremely civilized.

• La breasola con rucoletta e cetriolo = air dried beef with rucola salad and small cucumber cubes.

• Il capricio di mozzarella con pomodoro e basilic fresco = mozzarella cheese with tomato and fresh basil.

• Il risotto al nero di seppia = black octopus sauce on fried rice.

• Le insalate preparate del carrello = salad mixed at the trolley.

• Gli scampi al forno con carciofi = butter-fried scampi with white potatoes, string beans and artichokes.

• I calamari al vapore con sedano, cetrioli e crema di melanzane = steamed calamari with celery, cucumber and eggplant cream.

• La pescatrice alla brace con verdure e salsa tatara = grilled angler with fried vegetables and tartare sauce.

• Frutti di bosco = wild strawberries, cultivated strawberries and cherries with cream.

• Semifreddo alle zabaione = ice cream with whipped egg yolks mixed with Marsala red wine.

Harry’s Bar

Calle Vallaresso, San Marco 1323. Phone: 528 5777. Fax: 520 8822. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.360000 ($227) for two. All major cards. (B2).

The most famous bar in the world is also a restaurant, a few steps from the southwest corner of Piazza San Marco. We walk into Salizzada San Moisè and turn left into the first alley. The bar is on the waterfront on the left side. The atmosphere of the place is based on its position in American literature and on the Venetian aristocracy which has adopted it as its own.

Rich Venetians outnumber American travelers who are reviving Hemingway’s: “Across the River and Into the Trees”. We prefer to dine at the coffee-tables downstairs at the simple and unassuming bar rather than in the pedestrian and crowded dining rooms upstairs. Incidental travelers are well received and are not made to feel second class.

• Spremuta di pesce = pressed fish juice.

• Asparagi = green asparagus with egg sauce.

• Carpaccio alla Cipriani = marinated beef of the house.

• Tagliolini con prosciutto = pasta with smoked ham.

• Tagliatelle seppie = pasta with squid.

• Tournedos rossini = beef tournedos with goose liver paté.

Hemingway: “Then he was pulling open the door of Harry’s bar and was inside and had made it again, and was at home” (Across the River and Into the Trees).

La Caravella

Calle larga 22. Marzo, San Marco 2396. Phone: 520 8901. Price: L.200000 ($126) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A sumptuous dining room in the best location in town, on the main street between the southwestern corner of Piazza San Marco in the direction of Accademia bridge. It is on the right side where it is widest and the fashion shops most expensive. It is advisable to book well in advance.

An imitation of an aristocratic dining room in a Venetian galley, completely clothed in hardwood, with marine antiques on the walls, leaded windows, a rudder and a mast, a compass and a bell in the middle. It is usually packed and people wait at the bar to be seated. Waiters run back and forth in a perfect serving organization. This is a fine place and not extremely costly.

• La zuppe di pesce alla pescatora = clear seafood soup with shellfish, shrimp and fish.

• La breasola della valtellina con rucola = dried salt beef with salad.

• Le linguine alle cappesante = scallops on pasta.

• I gnochette al gorgonzola = dumplings of gorgonzola blue-veined cheese.

• Insalata servita con crostacei e pesce = traditional mixed salad.

• Gli scampi giganti ai ferri salsa lucifero = oven-baked giant prawns.

• Il rombo ai ferri al burro fuso e capperi = oven-baked turbot with white potatoes.

• Il filetto di bue all’arancio alla bigarade = beef filet with orange rind sauce.

• Formaggi = gorgonzola, taleggio and bel paese cheeses.

• Il sottobosco di stagione = five different kinds of wild berries.

• Il gelato allo champagne = champagne ice cream.

La Colomba

Piscina di Frezzeria, San Marco 1665. Phone: 522 1175. Fax: 522 1468. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: L.270000 ($170) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A dignified restaurant with paintings by modern artists near Piazza San Marco. From the west end of the piazza we walk 50 meters west to Frezzeria, turn right into that street and then left into Campo di Piscina, which soon changes its name to Piscina di Frezzeria, where the restaurant is on the right side.

The quality furnishings are tasteful and comfortable. Large paintings dominate the walls in the dining rooms. In front there are several tables on the pavement. Service is professional and well-dressed.

• Baccalà mantecato con polenta = plucked stockfish, mixed with eggs and herbs, served with pan-fried corn puré.

• Seppioline alla griglia con polenta = grilled squid with pan-fried corn puré.

• Tagliolini con scampi e zucchine = pasta with scampi prawns and zucchini.

• Legumi di stagione = salad of the season.

• Coda di rospo alla Colomba = pan-fried angler.

• Tagliata di bue con verdure alla griglia = grilled beef fillet with grilled potato slices, egg plant, pumpkin and tomato.

• Frutta di stagione = fresh fruit of the season.

• Macedonia di frutta fresca = diced fresh fruit of the season.

La Fenice

Campiello de la Fenice. Phone: 522 3856. Hours: Closed Monday lunch & Sunday. Price: L.250000 ($158) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Indoor and outdoor restaurant on a small square alongside the Fenice theater, in the same building as a hotel with the same name, about 500 meters from the southwest corner of Piazza San Marco. We walk Salizzada San Moisè and then Calle larga 22 Marzo, where we turn right into Calle delle Veste to Campo San Fantin in front of the theater. Finally we go to the right of the theater.

The restaurant is well-known, rather large and predictable in furnishings. A large part of it is outdoor, where guests have more space. Service is rather unorganized, with everybody milling around, trying to be useful.

• Gamberetti di laguna = shrimp in oil and lemon.

• Contorni insalate = mixed salad.

• Tournedos all’americana = beef filet sheathed in ham.

• Dolci dal carrello = desserts from the trolley.

La Furatola

Calle lunga Santa Barnaba. Dorsoduro 2870a. Phone: 520 8594. Hours: Closed Wednesday & Thursday. Price: L.110000 ($69) for two. No cards. (A2).

A very good neighborhood eatery in Dorsoduro, about 400 meters from the Ca’Rezzonico boat landing. From the landing we walk Calle dei Traghetto to the Campo San Barnaba square and directly onwards on Calle lunga Santa Barnaba, where the restaurant hides on the right side.

Interesting photos from old Venice line the walls between all kinds of antiques. The far end of the dining room opens into the kitchen where Bruno takes care of the cooking and from where the good smells emanate. Sandro is in the dining room taking care of the guests. The linen is yellow. In front there are first courses on a buffet. Sandro shows us the fish on offer today.

• Canoice, gamberetti, polpielle = large prawns, red shrimp, octopus and fish cuts, served cold.

• Spaghetti con salsa di pesce = fish cuts in brown fish sauce on spaghetti.

• Insalate miste di stagione = mixed green salad of the season.

• Orata alla griglia = grilled gilthead, sold by weight.

• Branzino alla griglia = grilled sea bass, sold by weight.

• Il formaggio delle colline venete = a choice of cheeses from the Veneto and Friuli districts.

• La frutta di stagione = fresh fruits of the season.

Locanda Cipriani

Torcello. Phone: 73 0150. Fax: 73 5433. Hours: Closed Tuesday. Price: L.220000 ($139) for two. All major cards.

World famous and unassuming gourmet temple in the greenery on the way from the Torcello boat landing to the ancient Santa Maria dell’Assunta. The restaurant sends a motor boat for you to Piazza San Marco, bringing you out in 35 minutes. The scheduled boat takes longer but suits well for a day’s outing in Torcello.

This is primarily convenient for lunch. The dining area is mainly in a large garden behind the kitchen, alongside the famous herb and vegetable garden of the house. In front of the kitchen there is a simple bar for tired travelers who have been inspecting the antique remains on the island. There is a good view from the dining garden to the main attraction of the island.

• Fritto misto = deep-fried mixed seafood.

• Risotto alla Torcello = vegetables from the garden on pan-fried rice.

• Scampi alla griglia = grilled scampi.

• Rombo ai ferri = pan-fried turbot.

• Crostata di frutti = fruit pie.

Nico

Piscina di Frezzeria, 1702. Phone: 522 1543. Fax: 522 1543. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.135000 ($85) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Between Piazza San Marco and Teatro Fenice. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Poste Vecie

Pescheria di Rialto, San Polo 1608. Phone: 72 1822. Fax: 91 3955. Hours: Closed Tuesday. Price: L.160000 ($101) for two. All major cards. (B1).

Combines popularity and quality, well situated just in front of the fish market, Pescheria, about 400 meters from the western bridgehead of Rialto. From the bridge we walk along the market streets Ruga degli Orefici and Ruga degli Speziali to Pescheria and from there over a private bridge to the door of the restaurant.

There are two cozy dining rooms, one of them with a large fireplace. A row of frescos are above the high paneling. Service is excellent.

• Fritto misto di mare = deep-fried mixed seafood.

• Vongole alla marinare = shellfish with parsley and garlic.

• Tagliolini di pesce = seafood pasta.

• Baccalà alla vicentina = oven-baked stockfish with onion, tomato, cucumber, capers and olives.

• Rombo al forno = oven-baked turbot.

• Dolci al carrello = desserts from the trolley.

Rivetta

Ponte San Provolo, Castello 4625. Phone: 528 7302. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.80000 ($51) for two. No cards. (C2).

One of the most charming and liveliest neighborhood restaurants for the local population is hidden under a bridgehead behind the Danieli hotel. From the lagoon promenade Riva degli Schiavoni we walk to the left of the old main palace of the hotel into Calle delle Rasse and turn right into Salizzada San Provolo. We will find the place to the right of the first bridge.

As reservations are not accepted there are often crowds at the entrance. People wait for seating and sip white wine, courtesy of the host. The dining area is tight with tables and chairs, but clean and bright, with light paneling and lots of paintings on the walls, and multicolored art deco chandeliers. The prices are the lowest of gourmet restaurants in town.

• Antipasto di pesce = marinated seafood; two types of shrimp, herring, sardine, octopus, squid and two types of fish.

• Pasta e fagioli = peas in pasta.

• Spaghetti al nero di seppia = black spaghetti with octopus sauce.

• Insalata mista = mixed salad.

• Gamberoni ai ferri = large shrimp grilled on skewers.

• Scampi griglia = grilled scampi.

• Costata di bue alle griglia = grilled beef entrecote.

• Scaloppe di vitello al marsala = calf escalopes in Marsala red wine.

• Formaggi = taleggio, gorgonzola and grana cheeses.

• Tiramisù = Venetian cheesecake spiced with coffee.

Terrazza

Riva degli Schiavoni, Castello 4196. Phone: 522 6480. Fax: 520 0208. Price: L.270000 ($170) for two. All major cards. (C2).

A dignified restaurant with a lagoon view on the top floor of the historical Danieli hotel, about 100 meters from Palazzo Ducale.

The room is L-shaped, simple and noble, white and airy, with large windows and a balcony. A thick carpet covers the floor and Venetian rococo chandeliers decorate the ceiling. The restaurant offers luxury food and luxury service at luxury prices in the Danieli style.

• Medaglioni di astice su soncino all’olio di tartufo = medallions of lobster over greens with truffle oil.

• Insalatina di carciofi rucola e code di scampi = salad of artichoke and rocket with scampi tails.

• Vermicelli alle vongole veraci = spaghetti with clams.

• Tagliatelle alla buranella = gratinated egg noodles with fillets of sole, shrimps and béchamel sauce.

• Risotto del pescatore = seafood on pan-fried risotto.

• Tortino caldo di verdure e ricotta su salsa di pomodoro = warm vegetable pie with ricotta cheese served over tomato sauce.

• Varietà di insalate miste = a variety of salads and lettuce.

• Scampi giganti al profumo di prezzemolo = scampi with parsley.

• Grigliata di pesci e crostacei dell’Adriatico = grilled fish and shellfish from the Adriatic Sea.

• Ventaglio di manzo al dragoncello = thinly sliced sirloin steak with tarragon sauce.

• Carrello di formaggi assortiti = cheese trolley.

• Carrello dei dolci = dessert trolley.

• Crespelle del doge alla fiamma = flambéed pancakes.

Tiepolo

Calle larga 22. Marzo, San Marco 2159. Phone: 520 0477. Fax: 523 1533. Price: L.240000 ($152) for two. All major cards. (B2).

The dignified dining room of the Europe e Regina hotel, with large windows to Canal Grande. From the southwestern corner of Piazza San Marco we walk Salizzada San Moisè, cross a bridge and immediately turn left through an unmarked alley past the gondoliers to get to the hotel entrance. Opposite the reception a smoking room leads to the dining room.

The restaurant is stylish and bright, decorated with plants. Service is very good as is to be expected in this high price class. By ordering the menu of the day we can bring the price down to L. 15000 for two.

• Affettato di cervo e cinghiale affumicato = cold cuts of smoked stag and wild-boar.

• Breasola della valtellina con rucola e spicchi di pompelmo = salted beef with rocket and grapefruit.

• Bigoli in salsa = Venetian spaghetti with onions and anchovy sauce.

• Tagliolini verdi al granchio = green noodles with crab.

• Insalatine degli orti veneti = green salad from the Venetian islands.

• Filetti di orata al tartufo nero = fillets of gilt-head with black truffle.

• Tagliata de manzo ai profumi di stagione = fillet of beef with seasonal vegetables.

• Scelta di formaggi tipici del carrello = cheeses of the region from the trolley.

• Assortimento di frutta di stagione = fruits of the season.

Vini da Gigio

Fondamenta di Chiesa, Cannaregio 3628a. Phone: 528 5140. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.116000 ($73) for two. All major cards. (B1).

An engaging and homey neighborhood restaurant in the Cannaregio district, a few steps from the trail between Ferrovia and Rialto, Strada Nova, about 1 km from Rialto. When we come to the San Felice church we turn right alongside the church and come directly to the restaurant.

It is so popular that it fills up as soon as it is opened for lunch. Most guests seem to know the staff and greet with Italian heartiness. dining is in a few simple and clean rooms. One of them opens into the kitchen. There are ancient beams in the ceiling and stone tiles on the floor, just as in so many other Venetian restaurants.

• Baccalà mantecato con polenta = plucked stockfish with grilled corn puré Venetian style.

• Cappesante alla veneziana = scallops served in shells with herb butter.

• Antipasto di verdure = a vegetable starter.

• Insalata mista = mixed salad.

• Anguilla alla griglia = grilled eel with lemon and corn puré.

• Fegato alla veneziana con polenta = calf liver and onion with corn puré.

• Filetto di manzo = beef fillet slices.

• Castelmagno con miele di Corbezzolo = honey cake of the house.

• Fantasia di formaggi = five cheeses.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Florian

Hours: Closed Wednesday. (B2).

The oldest café in town, from 1720, the most famous in the world after Caffè Greco in Rome. It is in a few parallel rooms at the southern side of Piazza San Marco. The decorations are from the 19th C., lots of mirrors and frescos under glass on the walls and in the ceiling. Guests sit under bronze lamps on well worn, red upholstered banks at marble tables on a creaky parquet floor.

Formerly this was the meeting place of artists from all over the world, especially musicians, who often lived for a while in Venice. In off-season it is cozy to take the morning newspapers to Florian for a prolonged morning coffee. The atmosphere then is peaceful, imbued by earlier centuries. This is the best place for idleness in town. Service is good inside, less so outside.

Quadri

Hours: Closed Monday. (B2).

The other of the two world famous cafés at Piazza San Marco. This one is more refined and a shade less expensive, on the northern side of the piazza. It has table linen, upholstered and soft benches along the walls, and chairs all over the place. Columns divide the room into two parts. It is characterized by painted decorations and mirrors on the wall. Service is good inside.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Piazza San Marco

(C2).

Our first walk in Venice is short. It centers on Piazza San Marco and the buildings around it. This is the center of the city, an imposing piazza in front of San Marco, 175 meters long and 58-82 meters broad, laid with large marble tiles, usually crowded with tourists.

Classical music bands play for cafégoers. From the piazza we enter San Marco, the Campanile, Torre dell’Orologio and a few museums. In the arcades around the piazza there are fashion and souvenir shops, also the famous cafés of the city, Florian and Quadri. The restaurants Al Conte Pescaor, La Colomba, Do Forni, Harry’s Bar and Rivetta are near the piazza.

Sometimes the sea floods the piazza at high tide. Then walking bridges are set up across the piazza to enable people to walk around without wetting their feet. Then we also get some peace from the thousands of fat doves which are the main photo attraction for tourists in Venice.

We start by inspecting San Marco.

San Marco

Piazza San Marco. Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 9:45-17, Sunday 14-17. (C2).

A fairy tale palace from Thousand and One Night, an eastern church in western Christendom, built 1063-1094 in Byzantine style, in the form of a Greek cross with equal arms, with five immense domes. It is the finest Venetian witness to the Medieval connections of the city to the Greek and Byzantine world, the countries in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.

During the centuries it was loaded with decorations inside out. But it did not become the cathedral of Venice until 1807. Until then it was the private chapel of the Doge, often used for the reception of foreign ambassadors and for other secular ceremonies. It was also used for introducing new Doges to the citizens and as the focus of processions in the Piazza San Marco.

Mosaics characterize the church on the outside and inside, on walls, in ceilings and in floors. They date from several periods, most of them from the Middle Ages, mainly by unknown artists. The present appearance is from the latter half of the 15th C and the first half of the 16th C. Famous are the originals of the bronze horses that once were over the central doorway.

We walk into the church through the central doorway.

San Marco interior

San Marco.

San Marco changes according to change in the outside light during the day illuminating the mosaics. It is best to view them from the inside gallery. Over the gallery is the Pentecost dome with the oldest mosaics, from the 12th C. The Ascension dome in the middle is from the 13th C.

The mosaics cover in sum about an acre. They are lively and show interaction between people, distinguishing this church from its stiff Byzantine antecedents where each person lives in its own world. Thus they mark out the start of the leadership role of Venetian artists in Western painting during the following several centuries.

After looking around in the main church we go to the back of the chancel to see the precious altarpiece.

Pala d’Oro

San Marco.

The altarpiece of the church is now behind the chancel, made in the 10th C. by Venetian goldsmiths, three square meters, covered with 250 miniature pictures, each decorated with precious stones and enamels. It is an extraordinary altarpiece, probably the most valuable one in the world. Napoleon robbed a few jewels from it, but otherwise it has survived intact.

Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between the robbers and the robbed in history. Venetians robbed the enamel in the altarpiece in Byzantium in 1204, where they also robbed the San Marco horses. Later Napoleon robbed the horses from Venice in 1797, but they were later returned by the Austrians when he was deposed.

The most holy relics of the church, the remains of St Mark, were proudly stolen by Venetians from Alexandria in 828. In fact they were similar to the Vikings and other maritime nations in being both adept at commerce and robbery. Venetians managed for instance to turn the 4th Crusade into the destruction and plunder if their competitor in Byzantium.

We return from the choir to the entrance. Inside the church, south of the entrance there are stairs up to the gallery, where we enter the Treasury of the church and the balcony above the central doorway. We first go out on the balcony.

Equini San Marco

San Marco.

The four statues of horses above the central doorway are replicas of those that stood there for almost six centuries, from 1204 when Venetians robbed them from Byzantium, and until 1797 when Napoleon robbed them from Venice and brought to Paris. From the balcony there is a good view down to Piazza San Marco and the monuments around it.

The original bronze statues are in a corner room behind the balcony. They were originally at the imperial throne at the Hippodrome in Constantinople. They have seen many things in their time, but now in their retirement they probably miss the view.

Before we leave the church we can reflect upon the fact that the composer Monteverdi became a choirmaster here in 1613 starting a period of Venetian supremacy in Western music, which reached a high point in the beginning of the next century when Vivaldi became the musical director of the neighboring Pietà church.

After inspecting the Treasury we return down the stairs and leave the church. We turn left to the southern side of it. In the middle of that side there is a corner sculpture of the Roman Tetrarchs.

Di Tetrarci

Piazzetta. (C2).

Famous sculpture of 4th C. Egyptian porphyry, probably depicting the Tetrarchs, the four Roman emperors, Diocletian, Maximian, Galerian and Constance, that ruled together in harmony at the end of the 3rd C.

Near the sculpture we enter the Ducal Palace.

Palazzo Ducale

Piazzetta. Hours: Open in summer 9-19, in winter 9-16. (C2).

The characteristic landmark of Venice, proudly on view on the lagoon bank in front of San Marco. The palace is the monument that greets travelers who arrive by water to Piazza San Marco. It was for centuries the political center of Venice, the home of the Doge, the meeting place of the congress and the senate, the office of the high court and the secret police.

In its present form it is á playfully light-built and beautiful Gothic palace from the 14th C. and the beginning of the 15. the C. It is unique in having two floors of arcades on all the public fronts, the upper floor in the lace design that can be seen in many Venetian palaces of that period. Above the arcades there are beautifully designed walls of bright Verona marble.

Now it is a museum, where we can see the dwelling of the Doge, the meeting places of the congress and the senate, and the state prison. These dazzling and sumptuous interiors reflect the wealth and power of the city when it battled with great powers like the Eastern Roman Empire and later the Turkish Empire for supremacy on the Eastern Mediterranean.

We walk into the palace atrium through Porta della Carta, a Gothic portico between the palace and San Marco. When we are inside the atrium we see a triumphal arch on our left, Arco Foscari. In front of us there is an immense staircase.

Scala dei Giganti

Palazzo Ducale.

The giant staircase was designed by Antonio Rizzo and built in the latter half of the 15th C. The name of the staircase comes from the oversized sculptures by Sansovino at the top, depicting Neptune and Marz, the gods of the sea and the land.

The staircase was used for official ceremonies. New Doges were crowned there with the Zogia, the Phrygian cap that was higher in the back than in front, distantly similar to the crown of the Lower Egypt in antiquity.

We enter the palace and go to the stairs that run up from the top of Scala dei Giganti inside the palace walls.

Scala d’Oro

Palazzo Ducale.

The golden stairs lead to the 2nd floor of the palace with the meeting rooms and the rooms of the Doge. The stairs were designed by Sansovino in 1554-1558, with gold decorations by Alessandro Vittoria in the vaulted ceiling. It must certainly have been awe-inspiring for visiting foreign dignitaries.

We walk through the impressive rooms and cross the closed Ponte dei Sospiri that connects the palace with the palace of justice. Back in Palazzo Ducale we reach the high point in the great meeting chamber of the congress.

Sala del Maggior Consiglio

Palazzo Ducale.

A giant meeting room of the congress of almost 2000 aristocratic electors and the banqueting room of the government during Venetian independence. One of the largest paintings in the world, Paradise, by Tintoretto, about 180 square meters, decorates the throne end of the room. The walls and ceiling are covered with paintings, some by Veronese.

Here the formal decisions were made on war and peace between the Venetians and the Turks and between the Venetians and their Italian competitors in Genova. Here a formal decision was made to lead the naval battle of Lepanto where Venice, Genova and other Western powers, under the leadership of Venice, in 1571 put en end to the Turkish expansion on the Mediterranean.

We leave the palace, walk around it and upon the bridge of Ponte della Paglia, from where we see a bridge that we crossed when we were inside the palace. It is the bridge that connects the palace with the palace of justice.

Ponte dei Sospiri

Palazzo Ducale. (C2).

The Bridge of Sighs, connecting the Palazzo Ducale with the judicial palace, was built in the latter half of the 16th C. The name derives from the sighs of prisoners, that were led to the execution chambers and saw through the small windows on the bridge some glimpses of life in Venice for the last time, according to folk history.

We return along the palace and arrive at Piazzetta, the square between the palace and Libreria Sansovina. Near the bank there are the two historical columns of San Marco and San Teodoro.

Colonne di San Marco e San Teodoro

Piazzetta. (C2).

This was the main entrance to Venice in olden times when it was only accessible by sea. The columns were plundered from Byzantium like so many things in Venice. In addition to being a kind of a city gate they also were the venue for public executions in the city up to the middle of the 18th C.

On top of the eastern column is a bronze sculpture of the winged lion of San Marco. it is imported and considered to be Chinese in origin. On the western column is a marble sculpture of San Teodoro who was the patron saint of Venice until the relics of St Mark were stolen in Alexandria and smuggled to Venice in 828.

The antique library palace, Libreria Sansovina, an early Renaissance building designed by Jacopo Sansovino and built in 1537-1588, is to the west of the columns. It includes the entrance to the archeological museum.

Museo Archeologico

Piazzetta. Hours: Open 9-14. (C2).

A small and cozy museum of works of art from Roman times, especially from the 2nd C, a perfect haven of peace, when the crowds outside in the Piazza become overbearing.

We return to the Piazzetta and turn our attention to the great tower.

Campanile

Piazza San Marco. Hours: Open 9:30-19. (C2).

The tower was built in 1902-1912 as an exact replica of a tower from 1173 that collapsed in 1902. It is 98,5 meters high, built as a lighthouse and became a church campanile and a state tower. It has five bells, each of whom had its field, one called the senators for meetings, another the congressmen, the third announced executions and two informed on the hours of the day.

An elevator has been installed for travelers to make it easier for them to reach the panoramic platform which gives excellent views over Venice. There is often a long queue at the elevator during the height of the day, making it advisable to arrive early in the morning or late in the evening.

The Loggetta at the bottom of the tower is designed by the 16th C. architect Jacopo Sansovino, who also designed the nearby Libreria Sansoviana and the palaces Ca’Grande and Palazzo Manin-Dolfin at Canal Grande. All this buildings are in the Renaissance style of that time.

From the tower we cross Piazza San Marco in front of the church and enter the clock tower in the row of buildings on the north side of the piazza.

Torre dell’Orologio

Piazza San Marco. Hours: Closed for restoration. (C2).

The tower is best know for the bronze statues of the two Moors on the top, who ring the bell on the hours, popular for wearing nothing under their capes. High on the tower wall is a relief of the winged lion of St Mark. Below it is a sculpture of the Virgin with the Child and moving images of the magi who come every hour to pay their respects.

The most interesting part of the tower is the lower facade with an astronomic clock in gilt and blue enamel, showing the zodiac and the phases of the moon.

We cross the piazza lengthwise to the palace of Ala Napoleonica at the eastern end from where we climb stone stairs to enter the civic museum of art and history.

Museo Correr

Piazza San Marco. Hours: Open Wednesday-Monday 10-17. (B2).

The paintings in the museum are in chronological order, making it easier to understand who styles changed with time. Two of Carpaccio’s paintings are the best known items in the museum: A Young Man in a Red Hat, and Two Venetian Ladies. The museum has also historical maps, weapons and coins from Venice.

There is a large replica of the heavily decorated and glorious ship of the Doge, Bucintoro. It was used every Ascension Day to bring the Doge out to the Adriatic, where he threw a golden ring into the ocean and said: “Desponsamus te mare in signum veri perpetuique dominii” to mark his marriage to the sea and the supremacy of Venice on the ocean.

We finish this walk in the Piazza San Marco area by having coffee in the piazza, either at Florian or Quadri.

Canal Grande

The main thoroughfare and avenue of the city is really a river. Where Canal Grande swings now there was before a river in the lagoon swamps. The city was born on its banks. From the beginning it has been the main traffic artery of the city. It is lined with about 200 ancient palaces on its way of 4 km through the city.

Canal Grande teems with life from morning to evening. Public boats and taxi boats, police boats and ambulance boats, cargo boats and funeral boats, refuse collecting boats and gondolas are milling around. People wait on the banks for a lift over the water river just as people wait for green lights in other cities.

Boat line no. 1 stops at most public landings at Canal Grande. Most descriptions of walks in this database center on the landings. And there are few places in town which are farther than 1 km away from some public boat landing.

We sail from the train station Santa Lucia which connects Venice with the mainland and go in the direction of Piazza San Marco. We choose line no. 1, the so-called Accelerato, which distinguishes itself by being slower and making more stops than other lines. We immediately come to the first bridge.

Ponte Scalzi

Canal Grande. (A1).

Formerly a bridge of wrought iron crossed the canal in this place, but in 1934 this stone bridge was erected.

We soon come to a broad canal on the left side, Canale di Cannaregio. On that canal, near the confluence, is a palace.

Palazzo Labia

Fondamenta Labia. (A1).

The Labias were a rich family of merchants, which bought its way into the aristocracy in the 17th C. Their palace is from the end of that century.

Giambattista Tiepolo decorated the ballroom with frescos which we can see by attending concerts in the palace.

San Geremia, a church in the form of a Greek cross, is in front of the palace and houses the relics of St Lucy.

Next we come to a low and wide palace on the right bank.

Fondaco dei Turchi

Salizzada dei Fondaco dei Turchi. Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday 9-13. (B1).

A Byzantine palace from the 13th C., one of the oldest and loveliest, and for a long time the largest palace on the Canal, a building of two floors with towers on both ends. The Byzantine style shows well in the sleek columns and high arches.

It was acquired by the Turks in the 17th C. and became their warehouse, hotel and consulate. Its name comes from that time. Fondaco is a corruption of the Arabic Funduk, meaning inn or hotel.

Now the Venetian Museum of Natural History is in the palace.

A little farther on we come to a large palace on the left side, signposted “Casino Municipale” on red satin over the central doorway.

Palazzo Vendramin Calergi

Calle larga Vendramin. (B1).

This palace of three floors is from the beginning of the Renaissance, designed by Mauro Coducci and built around 1500, very clean in style, with Romanesque arches and circular windows.

It is now the city casino, open in winter.

A little bit farther on we come to a church and a boat landing on the left bank.

San Stae

Campo San Stae. Hours: Open 9-12, 16-18. (B1).

A Baroque church from the beginning of the 18th C., clothed in white marble with a front with a giant order of columns and statues.

The chancel houses works of art by Tiepolo and Piazzetta.

From the small square on the embankment in front of the church there is a fine view over Canal Grande to the palaces on the other side.

We continue and come to the right side at a powerful white palace.

Ca’ Pesaro

Calle Pesaro. Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday, Galleria 10-17, Museo 9-14. (B1).

A typical Baroque palace, designed by Baldassare Longhena, built in the latter half of the 17th C. in rough three-dimensional style below and richly decorated front above, with columns and pairs of columns.

It is now the modern art museum, Galleria D’Arte Moderna, and the Eastern museum, Museo Orientale. In the art museum there are works by Miró and Matisse, Klee and Kandinsky amongst others.

On the other side of Canal Grande we see a pink palace.

Palazzo Fontana Rezzonico

Strada Nova. (B1).

This palace is best known for being the birthplace of Count Rezzonico who later became the fifth Pope from Venice. It is a mixture of styles, mostly Byzantine, with high and narrow Romanesque arches, but has no arcade on the ground floor. It is characterized by the pink color.

A little farther on is one of the most beautiful palaces in Venice, the golden palace.

Ca’ d’Oro

Strada Nova. Hours: Open 9-13:30. (B1).

A Gothic palace from the 15th C. with lace-like windows and ogee arches is covered in beautiful marble and has oriental pinnacles on the eaves. The front was originally painted in red and blue and decorated with golden leaves that gave the palace its name.

It is now a museum of painting, including works by Mantegna and Sansovino, Carpaccio and Tiziano, Giorgione and Guardi.

Just a little farther on, also on the left, is a pink palace.

Palazzo Sagredo

Campo Santa Sofia. (B1).

A mixture of Byzantine and Gothic styles. The high and slender columns of the first floor are Byzantine and the pointed arches and lace windows of the second floor are Gothic.

On the other side of Canal Grande we see the fish market building of Venice.

Pescheria

Campo della Pescheria. (B1).

The building itself is a 20th C. imitation of the Gothic style. The ground floor is open through and houses the main part of the fish market, even if it overflows into the neighboring streets.

The fish market has been here for six centuries and is still very lively. Early morning is the best time to be there, when Venetian housewives are shopping.

We inspect it later on another trip through Venice. This time we continue and enter a bend on Canal Grande and pass a very old palace on the left side.

Ca’ da Mosto

Calle della Posta. (B1).

One of the oldest palaces in Venice, from the 13th C., a good example of the Byzantine style in architecture.

In the 18th C. this was the finest hotel in Venice, the abode of the Austrian Emperor amongst others.

When we are almost at the Rialto bridge we pass a wide and bright palace on the left.

Fondaco dei Tedeschi

Calle de Fontego dei Tedeschi. (B1).

One of the largest palaces in Venice, built in 1505, with 160 rooms on four floors around a central atrium, formerly the commercial center, warehouse and hotel of German merchants.

Now it is the main post office in town.

Opposite the palace, at the other bridgehead of Rialto, there is another large palace.

Palazzo Camerlenghi

Ruga degli Orefici. (B1).

Built 1528, simple in style, with high Byzantine arched windows. In olden times it was the Ministry of Finance and the ground floor was a jail.

Now it is time to observe the great bridge over the city thoroughfare.

Ponte di Rialto

Canal Grande. (B1).

The oldest and most interesting of the three bridges on Canal Grande, erected where the focus of economic activity has always been, midways between the railway station and San Marco. A bridge has been in this location from the end of the 12th C, but this bridge is from 1588-1591, designed by Antonio da Ponte who won in a competition against Michelangelo, Palladio and Sansovino.

The bridge spans the canal in one step. Each pier rests on 6000 vertical oak trunks which were driven into the ground. It is so wide that it accommodates two rows of shops with walkways on both sides.

The main shopping areas in town are in the vicinity of both bridgeheads. Fashion and souvenir shops are mainly east of the bridge and food markets to the west. The embankment that leads south from the western bridgehead, Riva del Vin, is the main center of outdoor restaurants. From the bridge there is an excellent view to the south along Canal Grande.

We continue on Canal Grande and pass a light-colored palace on the left side behind the Rialto boat landing.

Palazzo Manin-Dolfin

Calle larga Mazzini. (B1).

A simple and stylish Renaissance palace with a Greek arcade, built by the best-known Venetian architect, Sansovino, in 1538-1540, the home of the last Doge of Venice, Ludovico Manin.

Beside it there is a pink palace.

Palazzo Bembo

Riva del Carbon. (B1).

Beautifully designed Gothic palace from the 15th C. with double window arcades in the middle.

A little farther on, also on the left side, we pass some of the oldest and most beautiful palaces on the canal, the twin palaces.

Palazzo Loredan

Riva del Carbon. (B1).

The light and elegant twin palaces are from the end of the 12th C. or the beginning of the 13th. Loredan is the whiter one, the one on the left, very Byzantine in style, with high and slender Romanesque arcades on verandahs running the entire width of the two lower floors

We turn our attention to the other twin to the right.

Palazzo Farsetti

Riva del Carbon. (B1).

This one is rather wider and darker than its twin. It is also from the beginning of the 13th C., in a clean-cut Byzantine style, a textbook example of the Venetian variant of that style. The high and slender Romanesque arcades also here run the entire the width of the front.

The city council of the city is in these two palaces.

A little farther on we pass a blackened marble palace on the same side of the canal.

Palazzo Grimani

Calle Grimani. (B2).

A typical Renaissance palaces which would be rather beautiful, if the front would be cleaned. It is very strict in form and exact in proportions, with Greek columns and Romanesque arches, sharp horizontal lines between floors and wide eaves. The central entrance on the ground floor, with a large central arch flanked by two smaller arches, is called a Venetian Door.

On the other side of the canal, to the left of the San Silvestro boat landing there is a palace with an outcrop on the ground floor.

Palazzo Barzizza

Corte Barzizza. (B1).

A Byzantine palace from the 13th C. with an original front.

We continue and come to a known Renaissance palace on the other side of the canal, just beyond the Sant’Angelo boat landing.

Palazzo Corner-Spinelli

Ramo del Teatro. (B2).

One of the oldest Renaissance palaces, built 1490-1510, a model for later palaces in that style. The lower part of the front is made of large stones with deep gaps between them and the higher part is relatively delicate and decorative.

We now skip a few palaces and make our next observation at the bend of the Canal Grande where we are confronted with the broadside of three university palaces.

Ca’ Foscari

Calle Foscari. (A2).

This is the largest palace of three connected ones, all in the same Late Gothic style, built in the 15th C. with interlacing ribs and pointed ogee arches. All three have the a central section of arcades balconies, so typical of the Late Gothic style in Venice.
The three palaces now constitute the University of Venice.

Almost opposite the university there is an unusually wide palace.

Palazzo Moro Lin

Calle Ca’ Lin. (B2).

A broadside palace from the 17th C., sometimes called the palace of 13 windows.

Almost next door is a powerful palace.

Palazzo Grassi

(B2).

This heavy white palace was built in 1730 in Historical style.

It is now used for art exhibitions, some of them very good.

On the opposite bank is a famous palace at the side of the Ca’Rezzonico boat landing.

Ca’ Rezzonico

Fondamenta Rezzonico. Hours: Open in summer 10-17, in winter Saturday-Thursday 10-16. (A2).

Heavily decorated and proportional front bears witness to the Baroque style of architect Baldassare Longhena, who built it in the latter half of the 17th C.

The palace is no less decorated inside, loaded with paintings, frescos and antiques. The ballroom runs the entire length of the 1st floor, with golden chandeliers and trompe l’oeil frescos in the ceiling and carved furniture. A few ceilings have frescos by Giambattista Tiepolo.

It is now a museum on the 18th C. Venice and includes paintings by Pietro Longhi, Francesco Guardi, Canaletto and Giandomenico Tiepolo.

A little farther on the same side there is an interesting palace.

Palazzo Loredan dell’Ambasciatire

Calle dei Cerchieri. (A2).

Late Gothic palace with Renaissance intrusions, for a long time the embassy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

We continue and arrive at the Accademia boat landing. Behind it we see an old church in a new role.

Santa Maria della Carità

Campo della Carità. (B2).

A church from the Middle Ages, converted into its present look in the 15th C.

The church and the monastery buildings behind it now house one of the best known museums of art in the world, Accademia, which we inspect further on another trip through central Venice.

Here we have a bridge over Canal Grande.

Ponte dell’Accademia

Canal Grande. (B2).

A wooden bridge built as a temporary solution in 1932, usually loaded with pedestrian traffic.

From the bridge we have a good view in both directions along Canal Grande, mainly in the direction of Santa Maria della Salute.
A little further than the northern bridgehead we pass a beautiful palace with a luxuriant garden.

Palazzo Francetti Cavalli

Campo San Vidal. (B2).

Beautifully designed Gothic palace, well preserved.

Opposite there is a beautiful marbled palace.

Palazzo Contarini del Zaffo

Calle Rota. (B2).

Coated in beautiful marble, one of the first palaces in town to be built in Renaissance style, from the latter half of the 15th C. The colorful marble gives it a lively look contrasting with its formal proportions.

A little farther on we pass a palace with mosaics on the right bank.

Palazzo Barbarigo

Campiello San Vio. (B2).

The front side mosaics are prominent and catch the eye of most of those who travel for the first time through Canal Grande. They are in vivid colors with much use of gilt, relative youngsters in this city, from 1887.

Still further on we pass an enormous palace on its own on the left bank.

Ca’ Grande

Fondamenta Corner Zaguri. (B2).

One of the best and best-known works by Sansovino, the main architect in Venice in the Renaissance period, from 1545. The ground floor has massive stones with deep gaps between them. The first floor has a continuos row of arched windows with pairs of columns between them.

A romantic palace is on the other side of Canal Grande.

Palazzo Dario

Calle Barbaro. (B2).

The front of the palace is not proportional. The windows part is to the one side. This is one of the oldest Renaissance palaces, from 1478. The circular windows with an outer circle of smaller circular windows make this palace stand out, also its multicolored marble coating.

Legend says that the owners of the palace will succumb to ill fate, supported by tales, that reach up to the year 1992.

Near it is a palace with a mosaic on the middle of the front.

Palazzo Salviati

Calle Maggiore. (B2).

A small palace owned by a glass factory. The front glass mosaic is recent.

We continue past the Gritti hotel on the left bank. When we arrive at the Salute boat landing we see on the other side an unobtrusive palace between larger ones.

Palazzo Contarini Fasan

Calle dei Pestrin. (B2).
The most elegant palace of Venice is small and narrow, golden and white, Gothic in style, with delicate decorations in balustrades and Arabic ogee arches.

It is sometimes called the House of Desdemona from the Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare.

On our side of the canal, behind the boat landing, is one of the best known churches in town.

Santa Maria della Salute

Campo della Salute. (B2).

A decorative Baroque cake of white limestone, designed by Longhena, built in 1631-1687 in an prime location at the eastern tip of the Dorsoduro peninsula, where Canal Grande meets the lagoon, a main landmark. The octagonal church is overloaded with extras, such as sixteen giant scallop buttresses which pretend to support a large wooden dome that does not need the support.

Inside the church is more moderate. It has an altarpiece and a ceiling fresco by Tiziano and works of art by other well-known artists, such as Jacopo Tintoretto. The mosaic floor is unusually beautiful, with several variations on a circular theme.

Outside the church, on the tip of the peninsula, is a low building.

Dogana di Mare

Punta della Dogana. (B2).

The present customs building is from the latter half of the 17th C. On its tower there are two bronze giants who carry a golden sphere with the Goddess of Fortune that stands on one foot and turns as a weather-cook.

There is a breathtaking view from the tip of the peninsula to the San Marco campanile, the Palazzo Ducale, the promenade of Riva degli Schiavoni, and the islands of San Giorgio Maggiore and Giudecca.

At this spot the Canal Grande ends and the Venetian lagoon starts. We have finished a comprehensive tour through Canal Grande. We take the boat to the San Marco landing on the other side, where we start a new trip through central Venice.

Sestiere San Marco

The large bend on Canal Grande between Ponte Rialto and Palazzo Ducale delimits a district that is known as Sestiere San Marco and is the heart of the city center. We shall now take a round trip through this district and parts of the neighboring districts.

We start our walk at the southwestern corner of Piazza San Marco, walk less than 100 meters on Salizzada San Moisè where we arrive at the by-paths of Calle Vallaresso to the left and Frezzeria to the right. We first turn into the first one and walk along it about 150 meters to its end on the Canal Grande bank.

Calle Vallaresso

(B2).

One of the main gondola landings is on the juncture of the street and the canal bank. It is a busy corner and there are often queues of tourists waiting for testing the characteristic means of transportation in Venice.

Important institutions are here on the corner, on one side Harry’s Bar, which was made famous by Earnest Hemingway, and on the other side the Monaco hotel which has lots of rooms with views to Canal Grande.

In the street there are also expensive fashion and art shops and a theater.

We return on the street and continue about 100 meters along Frezzeria.

Frezzeria

(B2).

One of the main shopping streets of Venice since antiquity. It is typical for such streets in town. The name means that originally it was known for shops that sold arrows. Now most of the shops are clothing shops.

The restaurant La Colomba is in a byway that leads off Frezzeria.

We return to Salizzada San Moisè, turn right, walk about 100 meters out to Campo San Moisè and observe the church.

San Moisè

Campo San Moisè. Hours: Open 15:30-19. (B2).

The decorous and heavy Baroque church from 1668 would be more appealing if the front would be cleaned.

We continue over the square and the bridge on its far side and have a look along the canal.

Rio San Moisè

(B2).

One of the gondola landings is where the bridge crosses the canal, just in front of the unmarked alley that leads to the famous Europa e Regina hotel. The gondoliers sit here in slack times and play cards while they wait for customers, which nowadays almost invariably are Japanese.

From the bridge we continue into the broad street in front of us.

Calle larga 22 Marzo

(B2).

One of the broadest and busiest street in Venice, with fashion shops and hotels on both sides. At the right side we see hotel Saturnia and restaurant Caravella. Narrow alleys lead on the left to the hotels Europa e Regina, Flora and Pozzi.
The hotel and restaurant Gritti is in the neighborhood.

We take a detour to the right along the Calle delle Veste alley out to the Campo San Fantin square, about 100 meters.

Campo San Fantin

(B2).

Some well-known restaurants are at the square and in its neighborhood. The most famous institution is though the opera and theater Fenice.

We inspect the opera house a little further.

Teatro Fenice

Campo San Fantin. (B2).

The oldest and one of the best known opera houses in the world burned in the beginning of 1996. It was from 1792, in a Renaissance style, simple on the outside and loaded with decorations inside, in pink, red and gilt. The galleries were on five floors in a semicircle around the stage and the pit. At the side of the theater there are the hotel and the restaurant Fenice.

The theater is known for the premieres of famous operas such as La Traviata by Verdi, Tancredi and Semiramis by Rossini, I Capuleti ed i Montecchi by Bellini, Rake’s Progress by Stravinsky and Turn of the Screw by Britten. Many works by Richard Wagner, who lived for a long time in Venice, were and are performed here.

Early in the 17th C. Venice became the opera center of Italy and kept that place for three centuries. Here opera changed from being aristocratic and became a popular art form. The operetta form caught on there. In Venice more emphasis was also put on the musical element than in other opera centers. Giuseppi Verdi premiered several of his works here in Teatro Fenice.

We return on Calle delle Veste, turn right into Calle larga 22 Marzo and continue directly on Calle delle Ostreghe in the direction of Campo San Maurizio, a little less than 400 meters in all. On out way we pass a few canal bridges.

Canals

The curved canals often follow the outlines of the more than 100 islands that were the foundation of the city. They constitute a whole net of communication in the city, independent of the streets, often making the length of trips only a fraction of the equivalent ones on land. The canals have an edge over the streets in that the latter are less suitable for the transport of goods.

The canals are cleaned by the tidal currents. In spite of that they tend to fill up with debris and clayey silt that has to be cleansed every now and then to keep them passable for boats. Then the canal is closed, the water pumped out, and rails laid in the bottom to transport the refuse from the digging and pumping boats to the transport boats.

We continue to Campo San Maurizio where we see the tilted campanile of Santo Stefano behind the buildings on the square. We continue directly on Calle dello Spezier to the next square, about 100 meters in all.

Campo Santo Stefano

(B2).

One of the largest squares in town, formerly the center of carnivals and bullfights, but nowadays a playground for children and a resting ground for travelers at sidewalk cafés.

From the south end there are only 100 meters to the Accademia bridge over Canal Grande. This square thus marks a crossroads between Accademia, Piazza San Marco and Ponte Rialto, as is evident from the bustling crowds.

A church is at the north side of the square.

Santo Stefano

Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 8-12 & 16-19, Sunday 7:30-12:30 & 18-20. (B2).

Built in the 14th and 15th C., with a ceiling shaped like a ship’s keel, carved ceiling beams and gothic arches. A few of Tintoretto’s paintings are in the church. The campanile behind is one of the most tilted ones in the city.

We pass through Calle dei Frati along the west front of the church to the next square, a distance of 100 meters.

Campo Sant’Angelo

(B2).

The skewed tower of Santo Stefano looms over the square behind the houses.

We continue about 200 meters on Calle dello Spezier, Calle della Mandola and Calle della Cortesia to the Campo Manin square, where we turn right 100 meters along Calle della Vida, Calle della Locanda and Corte del Palazzo Risi to the round tower in town.

Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo

Corte del Palazzo Risi. (B2).

The lightly built snail of the external staircase in Lombard style is the main characteristic of this 15th C. palace of the Contarini family. The garden is the main venue for the daily meditation of the neighborhood cats.

Restaurant Al Campiello is in an alley near the palace.

We return on Calle della Locanda and Calle della Vida to Campo Manin, where we turn right and follow a signposted and crooked way in the general direction of the Rialto bridge. After about 200 meters we arrive at San Salvatore on our right.

San Salvatore

Hours: Open 10-12 & 17-19. (B1).

A Renaissance church from the beginning of the 16th C. with beautiful colors in a marble floor and a few paintings by Tiziano.

Restaurant Antica Carbonera is nearby, between the church and Canal Grande.

On the other side of the church we come to Merceria, the shortest way between Ponte Rialto and San Marco, about 500 meters, one of the main shopping streets in town. This time we skip it and continue north from the square along Merceria 2 Aprile about 100 meters to the main rendezvous square in Venice.

Campo San Bartolomeo

(B1).

After work Venetians make appointments on this square to prepare for the evening. People wait for each other under the central statue of playwright Carlo Goldoni. There are lots of cafés in this area.

Restaurant Al Graspo de Ua is nearby.

We turn left from the square along Salizzada Pio X, about 50 meters to Ponte Rialto to have a look into the souvenir shops of the bridge and the surrounding area.

Salizzada Pio X

(B1).

Carnival masks are one of the main souvenir items in Venice. They are made after models from the Commedia dell’Arte theater tradition. Crystal is another main souvenir, preferably handmade in the factories on Murano island. The third one is lace from Burano island, and the fourth is goods from handmade marbled paper. All of this is available in the bridge area.

After having walked up to the bridge to have a look around we return along Salizzada Pio X to Campo San Bartolomeo, where we turn left and walk about 250 meters along Salizzada di Fontego de Tedeschi and Salizzada San Giovanni Crisostomo the church with the same name.

San Giovanni Crisostomo

Campo San Giovanni Crisostomo. Hours: Open 8:15-12:15 & 15:30-18. (B1).

A smallish church shaped like a Greek cross, from 1479-1504 in terra-cotta color, decorated with paintings by Giovanni Bellini and Sebastiano del Piombo. It is a comfortable resting place in the bustle of the neighboring streets.

Restaurant Fiaschetteria Toscana is opposite the church.

We continue over the next bridge where we turn right on Salizzada San Canciano. After 100 meters we arrive at Palazzo Boldú, where we turn right on Calle dei Miracoli, cross a bridge to arrive at a canalside church, a distance of about 100 meters.

Santa Maria dei Miracoli

Campo dei Miracoli. Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 10-12 & 15-18. (C1).

An enchanting small church from the early Renaissance, designed by Pietro Lombardo, beautifully laid with multicolored marble and other polished stones inside and outside. The western front is especially colorful and decorative with Romanesque window arches and round windows. We shall see more of Lombardo’s works on this walk, but this church is the most important one.

The names is derived from the painting by Nicolò di Pietro of the Virgin and Child above the altar. The painting is said to have miraculous powers. In the vaulted ceiling there are paintings of 50 angels and prophets. The church has recently been renovated so that it now is at its most beautiful.

We leave the church, walk around it, cross the bridge behind it, immediately turn right and walk on Fondamenta Piovan and Calle larga Gallina to the square in front of San Zanipolo and Scuola di San Marco. We start by taking a look at the statue on the square.

Colleoni

Campo San Zanipolo. (C1).

An equestrian bronze statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni, showing well the power and movement of a professional soldier and his wartime charger. It is by Andrea Verrocchio from 1481-1488.

Colleoni was a famous 15th C. general of mercenaries, rented by Venice for battles on land, as their specialty was to fight on the seas. They were better sailors than riders. Colleoni was useful to them and both parties profited by the cooperation.

Finally Colleoni bequeathed a tenth of his wealth to the Venetian Republic with the provision that a statue of him should be put up in front of San Marco. The Venetians agreed to these terms and erected the statue not in front of the San Marco church, but in front of the San Marco clubhouse. The statue has been there ever since, a monument to Venetian craft and wile.

From the statue we have a good view to the front of the clubhouse.

Scuola Grande di San Marco

Campo San Zanipolo. (C1).

The lower part of the marbled front and its original trompe l’oeil entrances are by the famous architect Pietro Lombardo and his son, from 1485-1495. The upper part is by Mauro Coducci, also from the end of the 15th C.

The palace was built as the clubhouse of one of the six main gentlemen’s clubs in town. Most of its works of art have been moved elsewhere, but there are still paintings left by Tintoretto and Veronese.

It is now used as an hospital, Ospedale Civile, and is generally not open to the public.

Right-angled to the front of the church there is the west front of a large church.

San Zanipolo

Campo San Zanipolo. Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 7:30-12:30 & 15:30-19. (C1).

One of the two main Gothic churches in Venice, about 100 meters long and correspondingly high, with a simple and powerful west front, built at the end of the 13th C. and the beginning of the 14th C. as the monastery church of Dominicans. The doorway is younger, from the early Renaissance period.

The full name of the church is Santi Giovanni e Paolo, but always pronounced shortened in Venice. It houses famous works of art, especially by Pietro Lombardo, Giovanni Bellini and Paolo Veronese.

Capella del Rosario is to the left of the chancel. It has several paintings by Paolo Veronese, including the Adoration of the Shepherds, on the northern wall, opposite the chapel entrance. We shall go into more details about Veronese in another walk, when we visit the Accademia art museum.

This time we turn our attention first to works by Lombardo.

Pietro Lombardo

San Zanipolo.

The tombs of 25 Doges are here, including the tomb of Pietro Mocenigo on the right side of the entrance, a well-known artwork from 1481 by Pietro Lombardo. To the left of the main altar is the tomb of Andrea Vendramin from 1476-1478, also by Lombardo, who is the author of other works in the church. The altar is much younger, by Baldassare Longhena, from the 17th C.

Lombardo also designed the lower part of the unusual front of Scuola Grande di San Marco and all the enchanting Santa Maria dei Miracoli, which we have seen earlier on this walk. He also designed the rood screen of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, which we shall se on another walk in the city.

Lombardo lived 1435-1515 and worked mainly in Venice. He was one of the main proponents of the Renaissance style in the city, when the earlier Gothic style was fading out, later in Venice than in most other Italian cities.

Now we turn our attention to works by Bellini.

Giovanni Bellini

San Zanipolo.

A famous altar by Bellini is in the right aisle of the church, with a few paintings in a golden frame. The large paintings in the middle row show three saints. Above them are paintings from the life of Christ and below are paintings from the life of St Vincent.

On another walk we shall visit the Accademia and see several other works by Bellini, including paintings of the Virgin with the Child and other holy persons. A famous Virgin altar by him is in Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari and his Pietà is in Museo Correr, which we shall also be seeing. Also by him are paintings in San Giovanni Crisostomo, which we saw earlier on this walk.

Giovanni Bellini lived 1430-1516, son of Jacopo Bellini, brother of Gentile Bellini and brother-in-law of Andrea Mantegna, who all were great painters. He was himself a major painter of the earliest Renaissance style, first under the influence of Mantegna, but later showed milder human feelings in his works. They are exact and show a good eye for the play of light and darkness.

We leave the church and go along its south side, cross the square and enter the Calle Bressane alley, cross a bridge and walk along Calle Trévisagna and turn at the next corner to the right on Calle lunga Santa Maria Formosa and arrive after a total of 250 meters at a large square.

Campo di Santa Maria Formosa

(C1).

One of the main market squares of Venice, unusually large in this crowded city. It is lined with small shops, beautiful palaces and the Santa Maria Formosa church. In spite of its proximity to San Marco it is not touristy at all. The atmosphere on the square is local Venetian, just like a world in itself.

We turn our attention to the church.

Santa Maria Formosa

Campo di Santa Maria Formosa. (C1).

Designed in 1492 and was in the building stage during a whole century, contributing to its eclecticism in styles. The side facing the square, with round apses, is completely different from its angular front, facing the canal. The campanile is younger, from 1688, with a well-known grotesque face on its foot.

The best known artwork in the church is an altar in the southern chancel by Paolo il Vecchio, with a central painting of St Barbara and side paintings of saints. St Barbara was the patron saint of soldiers. Other works by Paolo are in the Accademia museum.

We walk around the eastern side of the church and cross a bridge to the doors of the Stampalia museum.

Fondazione Querini Stampalia

Campiello Querini. Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 10-12 & 14:30-23:30. (C1).

The palace was designed and built in the 16th C.

It is now a museum of the painting and book collection of the Querini family. It includes works by Giovanni Bellini and Giambattista Tiepolo.

We return over the bridge and take the next one to our left, walk along Rio del Rimedio, turn right into Calle del Rimedio and then left into Calle dell’Angelo and finally to the right into Calle Canonica, which leads us to Piazza San Marco, a little less than 500 meters in all. This walk is finished.

Castello

Riva degli Schiavoni, the wide promenade on the lagoon bank from Palazzo Ducale to the east towards Giardini Pubblici, is the part of the Castello district that travelers know best. Behind it there are quiet and uncrowded alleys and the ancient shipyard of the city.

We surveyed a part of this district in another walk, the areas around San Zanipolo and Santa Maria Formosa. This time we are inspecting the other parts of this district.

We start on the Molo, the promenade in front of Palazzo Ducale, and walk in the easterly direction, cross Ponte della Paglia over to Riva degli Schiavoni.

Riva degli Schiavoni

(C2).

The western end of it is the landing stage of several scheduled boats in the Venetian area. Many travelers arrive here to the city and walk to Piazza San Marco. Thus the western end is often a bustling place with lots of people on the move between boat and piazza, also swarming with souvenir carts and sidewalk cafés.

This has always been a harbor district. In earlier centuries this was the preferential loading and off-loading harbor of merchants from the Dalmatian coast of the other side of the Adriatic Sea, where we now have Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia. Venetians were influential in that area. They called the inhabitants Schiavoni. The name of the promenade is derived from that.

The promenade lies in a soft curve on the lagoon bank and offers a good view to the San Giorgio Maggiore island and ship traffic on the lagoon. It is a popular place for walking and jogging. It also connects the Biennale area with the central city. Often temporary works of art are put up on the promenade in connection with the Biennale and other exhibitions of art.

We walk past the Danieli hotel, where the Rivetta restaurant is behind the hotel, continue on the bank, cross a bridge, go past the Paganelli hotel to the Londra hotel with an equestrian statue in front.

Vittorio Emanuele II

Riva degli Schiavoni. (C2).

No city in Italy is complete without an equestrian statue of Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of united Italy. This is the Venetian version, made by Ettore Ferrari in 1887.

We return a few steps and find an alley to the left of the Paganelli hotel. After 100 meters in that alley we come to a small square in front of a church.

San Zaccaria

Campo San Zaccaria. Hours: Open 10-12 & 16-18. (C2).

Built in 1444-1515 in a mixture of late Gothic and early Renaissance for a Benedictine convent. Antonio Gambello started the front in Gothic style and Mauro Coducci finished it in Renaissance style.

On the inside the walls of the church are lined with large paintings. In the northern aisle there is a painting by Giovanni Bellini of the Madonna with the Child.

We cross the square to its northern end and then turn right into Campo San Provolo and Fondamenta dell’Osmarin. There we arrive at a canal which we cross on two bridges for a total distance of less than 300 meters. On the other side of the second bridge there is a canalside path to a church with an unusually tilted campanile.

San Giorgio dei Greci

Rio dei Greci. Hours: Open 9-13 & 14-17. (C2).

A 16th C. church with a campanile that seems to be on the verge of falling into the canal. It is a Greek Orthodox church with an inside gallery for the women congregation and a screen of icons between the nave and the chancel.

Restaurant Arcimboldo is in this area.

We return to the two bridges that we crossed before arriving at the church, turn right and walk on Calle della Madonna and Salizzada dei Greci, cross a bridge and continue alongside the San Antonio church on Salizzada Sant’Antonin to Campo Bandiera e Moro and the Bragora church, about 400 meters in all.

San Giovanni in Bragora

Campo Bandiera e Moro. Hours: Open 8-11 & 17-18. (C2).

A simple Gothic church from 1475-1479.

It has many works of art from the late Gothic and early Renaissance periods, including a Gothic Madonna altar by Bartolomeo Vivarini and a Renaissance high altar painting by Cima da Conegliano of the Baptism of Jesus.

Restaurant Corte Sconta is in this area.

From the southern end of the square we walk less than 100 meters on Calle del Doso to Riva degli Schiavoni, where we turn left on the lagoon bank. We continue over two bridges, less than 400 meters in all, until we come to the canal of Rio dell’Arsenale which leads to the ancient military shipyard. We can now take a detour along the canal to look at the entrance of the yard.

Arsenale

(D2).

The two towers at the ancient military shipyards entrance are from the 16th C. They are a part of a crenellated wall. We cannot enter the shipyards, as it is still a military area even if it is now deserted. We can however sail through it by taking a trip with lines 23 or 52 of the local Vaporetto.

The shipyard was the basis of Venetian hegemony on the eastern Mediterranean, founded in the 12th C. It became the largest shipyard in the world, with a staff of 16,000 people. It was the first conveyor factory in Europe and could in 1574 build a whole galleon while Henry III of France was in town at a banquet that lasted 24 hours.
We return the same way to the lagoon promenade, turn right and enter the museum

of naval history, Museo Storico Navale, open Monday-Saturday 9-13. It shows the interesting story of Venetian shipbuilding.

If we are pressed for time we can return from here on the lagoon promenade to Palazzo Ducale. Otherwise we continue on the bank, cross the next bridge and arrive at a narrow corner house between Riva degli Sette Martiri and Via Garibaldi, 200 meters in all.

Ca’ Giovanni Caboto

Via Garibaldi. (D2).

The corner house was the home of father and son, Sebastian and Giovanni Caboto, who discovered Labrador 1497 in the beginning of the Age of Discovery. They were at that time in the employment of the English king.

Via Garibaldi is one of few avenues in the city, laid in 1808 by filling a canal.

We walk Via Garibaldi to its end, less than 500 meters, where a park lies to the south of the street.

Garibaldi

Viale Garibaldi. (D2).

At this end of the park there is a monument to the Italian freedom hero Garibaldi by Augusto Benvenuti from 1895.

We continue on Via Garibaldi to the Rio di Sant’Anna canal, walk on its south side in the direction of Ponte de Quintavalle, about 500 meters in all.

Ponte de Quintavalle

(D2).

The bridge offers a good view over the wide and quiet Canale di San Pietro and the tilted campanile on the other side.

We cross the bridge and immediately turn left on Calle drio il Campanile to the church, about 300 meters.

San Pietro di Castello

Campo San Pietro. (D2).

The original settlement in Venice was here. This was the episcopal and cardinal seat of Venice during all the independent centuries of the city. The church was the cathedral of Venice from the beginning to 1807, when San Marco took over. The present church is from the middle of the 16th C, but the tilting campanile by Mauro Coducci is older, from 1482-1488.

The old cardinal palace is between church and tower.

We return on the canal bank, cross Ponte de Quintavalle again and continue on Fondamenta Sant’Anna until we come to Calle Tiepolo where we turn left and walk south to the Rio di San Giuseppe canal. There we turn right, cross the next bridge and walk south to the gardens of the international Biennale. This is a walk of about a kilometer.

Giardini Pubblici

(D2).

The gardens are extensive on both sides of Rio dei Giardini. On this side they are called Giardini Pubblici and this is where the Biennale is held. On the other side they are called Parco delle Rimembranze.

We leave the gardens on the lagoon bank and walk on the bank about a kilometer and a half, that is most of they way to Palazzo Ducale. Between Rio della Pietà and Rio dei Greci we come to a church front. We can also skip this church and this walk and take a boat from the Giardini landing at the western tip of the gardens.

La Pietà

Riva degli Schiavoni. Hours: Open 9:30-12:30. (C2).

Rebuilt in 1745-1760, with a front from 1906, originally the church of an orphans’ home, but now mainly used for concerts, which are performed at least Monday and Thursday throughout the year.

The orphans’ home became famous for choirs and most famous for the choirmaster Antonio Vivaldi, who composed here numerous oratories, cantatas and other works for choirs. The church is often called Chiesa di Vivaldi and his works are prominent on the repertoire.

Vivaldi was the most famous Venetian composer, born 1678 and died 1741. He became a priest and worked as the choirmaster of the Pietà orphans’ home. He produced over 770 music pieces, including 46 operas, most of them premiered in Venice. His favorite instrument was the violin. He used it extensively as a solo instrument in his works.

We finish this walk by going less than 300 meters on the bank from the church to Palazzo Ducale.

Dorsoduro

The southern part of the peninsula between Canal Grande to the north and the Venetian Lagoon to the south. The name means, that the earth is more dense and solid than at most other places in the city. The focus of the district is the Accademia museum of art and the bridge in front of that museum, connecting the district to other parts of the city center.

To the west of Accademia there is a quiet residential area of affluent Venetians and foreigners. East of Accademia there is a more lively middle-class area and farthest to the west there is a working-class area. The southern bank on the lagoon is a popular relaxation area with sidewalk cafés where people combine sunshine and sea breeze.

We start our walk at the eastern end, at the Salute boat landing, in front of the church.

Santa Maria della Salute

Campo della Salute. Hours: Open 8:30-12 & 15-17. (B2).

A decorative Baroque cake of white limestone, designed by Longhena, built in 1631-1687 in an prime location at the eastern tip of the Dorsoduro peninsula, where Canal Grande meets the lagoon, a main landmark. The octagonal church is overloaded with extras, such as sixteen giant scallop buttresses which pretend to support a large wooden dome that does not need the support.

Inside the church is more moderate. It has an altarpiece and a ceiling fresco by Tiziano and works of art by other well-known artists, such as Jacopo Tintoretto. The mosaic floor is unusually beautiful, with several variations on a circular theme.

Baldassare Longhena was one of the main Baroque architects of Venice in the 17th C. He also designed the Ca’Pesaro palace and started the Ca’Rezzonico palace.

We walk straight into the district to the west of the church. From the piazza we cross a wooden bridge between the church and monastery of San Gregorio.

San Gregorio

Campo della Salute. (B2).

The remains of a rich monastery of St Gregorian, given up a long time ago. Te church is simple and plain, built of bricks in Gothic style.

We walk alongside the church on Calle Abazia and Calle Bastion, cross a bridge and continue on Calle San Cristoforo to the Guggenheim museum, about 300 meters in all.

Collezione Peggy Guggenheim

Calle San Cristoforo. Hours: Open Wednesday-Monday 11-18. (B2).

An exemplary museum of modern art in a palace that never became more than a ground floor. It exhibits works by Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Constantin Brancusi, Max Ernst, Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, Giorgio de Chirico, Kasimir Malevich and Marino Marini.

Peggy Guggenheim was a great connoisseur and avantgardist in art, when she collected works by the painters who later were acclaimed as the main painters of the 20th C. His collection is small and refreshing, exhibiting only the cream of the cream in modern painting. It is a perfect alternative when we get tired of the ancient art which we are seeing all over the place in town.

Plans are for expanding the museum into the old customs building, Dogana di Mare beside the Salute church. It will enable the museum to exhibit more works that are now in its storerooms.

We continue from the museum a few steps to Fondamenta Venier.

Rio della Torreselle

Fondamenta Venier. (B2).

A peaceful canal on the path between Salute and Accademia.

Restaurant Ai Gondolieri is on the canal. Hotel and restaurant Agli Alboretti is a few steps from the Accademia end of the path from the canal to Accademia.

We walk along the canal and then continue directly in Calle della Chiesa and Piscina Fornier, past the Collezione Cini museum of art, which is sometimes open but most often not open, and continue on Calle Nuova Sant’Agnese to the western side of Accademia, about 300 meters in all. We turn right and walk to the front of the museum to find the entrance.

Accademia

Campo dei Carità. Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 9-14, Sunday 9-13. (B2).

The best and the largest art museum in Venice is housed in a monastery and the monastery church of Santa Maria della Carità. It shows the evolution of Venetian painting from the Byzantine and Gothic beginnings to the Renaissance and Baroque periods. As Venetian art is of prime importance in these styles, the Accademia museum is one of the most important art galleries in the world.

Valued works of art from deconsecrated and dismantled churches and monasteries in the city have been moved here, in addition to some of the best known examples of Venetian history of art. The exhibition is in chronological order, making it easy to follow the evolution of Venetian art. The artworks are well-spaced for better visitor enjoyment, especially on a bright day.

Exhibition space increased when the academy moved its premises, enabling the exhibition of more works of art. The museum has works by the Byzantine painters Paolo Veneziano and Lorenzo Veneziano, the Renaissance painters Jacopo Bellini, Gentile Bellini and Giovanni Bellini, Palma and Tiziano, and the Baroque painters Giambattista Tiepolo and Giandomenico Tiepolo.

We are going to have a good look at works by the early Renaissance painter Carpaccio, the late Renaissance painter Tintoretto and the Baroque painter Veronese.

Vittore Carpaccio

Accademia.

Carpaccio (1486-1525) arrived on the artistic scene in Venice in the wake of the Bellini father and sons, used sharp drawing and mild colors, combined with exactitude. The Canal Grande painting of The Healing of the Madman has an historical value in addition to the artistic one, as he even painted the text on the shop signs. It also shows the medieval wooden Rialto bridge.

His works are also exhibited in the museums of Ca’d’Oro and Museo Correr.

Tintoretto is another major painter in Accademia.

Jacopo Tintoretto

Accademia.

Tintoretto (1518-1594) was the main Venetian painter during the Palladian period of the Renaissance style. He extensively used dark areas against very bright areas for contrast, strong colors and contrasting colors. Most of his paintings are of a religious nature.

Accademia has a few of his paintings, but Scuola Grande di San Rocco has far more. His giant painting of Paradise and a few others are in the banqueting and main meeting room of Palazzo Ducale. His paintings are in several churches in the Cannaregio district where he lived.

Veronese is the third painter that we are specially mentioning, the rival of Tintoretto.

Paolo Veronese

Accademia.

Veronese (1528-1588) was one of the main originators of the Palladian Renaissance in art. He was born in Verona but was mainly active in Venice. His paintings are bright and colorful, some are oversized and complicated, with realistic detail. One of them is Feast in the House of Levi, a giant painting in Accademia.

We can see his paintings elsewhere in Venice, such as in the Palazzo Ducale and the Ca’Rezzonico museum.

We leave Accademia, turn right around the museum and walk on Rio terrà Antonio Foscarini to the lagoon bank, about 300 meters. At the end we have a church on our right side.

Gesuati

Fondamenta Zattere ai Gesuati. Hours: Open 8-12 & 17-19. (B2).

A Dominican monastery church from the early 18th C., heavily decorated inside.

It is best known for the ceiling frescos by Giambattista Tiepolo with a play of light and shadow. It also has altar paintings by Tintoretto and Tiziano.

We study the Tiepolo frescos a little further.

Giambattista Tiepolo

Gesuati. (B2).

The Rococo painter Giambattista Tiepolo (1696-1770) came more than a century after Veronese, the very last of the famous Venetian painters. His works are the swan’s song of Venetian painting. He was very popular in his home city and worked also a lot at foreign courts, such as Carlo’s III of Spain.

Tiepolo used light and shado

Padova

An old university city with a lively center, especially in the morning at the market on Piazza delle Erbe at Palazzo della Ragione. In its neighborhood are historical buildings, such as Battistero at the cathedral and the palaces of Corte Capitano and Loggia della Gran Guardia. Other piazzas in this central area are Piazza dei Frutti and Piazza dei Signori.

Caffè Pedrocchi is also in this historical center, the meeting place of intellectuals. The university in the center is the second oldest in Italy, founded in 1222, and students are numerous in the streets. The center has many cafés, restaurants and specialty food stores.

It is difficult to park in the proper center. Therefore we park the car at a car park in via Gaspare Gozzi at the northeastern corner of the urban ring. The car park is in the corner between Via Trieste and the canal Giotto Popolo. From there we cross a bridge over the canal into the center and immediately arrive at the public garden on our left side.

Giardini dell’Arena

Corso Garibaldi.

The remains of the old city wall has in this are been converted into a public park reaching from the city canal to Capella degli Scrovegni and Museo Civico Eremitani. Modern sculpture is exhibited in the garden.

Last time we were there, La Foresta di Birnam (see Macbeth by Shakespeare) by Pino Castagna was exhibited right in front of Cappella degli Scrovegni.

To enter the chapel we have to go through the entrance to the museum in the southwestern corner of the garden.

Cappella degli Scrovegni

Piazza Eremitani. Hours: Open 9-18.

Built in 1303 in Romanesque style to save the soul of an usurer by the name of Scrovegni. It is a single hall inside, covered with frescos by Giotto, painted 1303-1305. It is best to see them in the morning when the buses have not yet arrived.

Giotto was the first master painter of Italy, the standard-bearer of the lively Gothic style, when it succeeded the frozen Byzantine style at the beginning of the 14th C. He was the son of a poor farmer, but soon became a productive artist and the focus of Italian intellectuals at that time. The paintings in this chapel are the best-preserved of his works.

They are on four levels on the walls. The lowest level consists of paintings showing the Virtues and the Vices. Then come two levels of paintings showing episodes from the Life and Death of Christ. The top level has paintings showing episodes from the Life of Mary. The front has a large painting of the Last Judgment, more Byzantine in style than the other paintings.

We next inspect the museum in the same grounds.

Museo Civico Eremitani

Piazza Eremitani. Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 8:15-12 & 15:30-18:30 (-17:30 in winter), Sunday 9-12 & 15:30-17:30 (-17 in winter).

The monastery houses a few museums, such as an archeological museum, a coin museum and a museum of art history. The buildings date from 1276-1306.

The most important part of the archeological museum is the tomb of the Volumni family from the 1st C. It also has mosaics from Roman times. The coin museum has almost a complete set of Venetian coins. The art museum is under development and is meant to show the evolution of painting in the Veneto area. Works by Giotto occupy the honorary positions.

We leave the museum grounds, cross Piazza Eremitani, walk to the northern corner of the opposite block of buildings and them walk 600 meters south on Via Cavour, where we arrive at Caffè Pedrocchi on the right side.

Caffè Pedrocchi

Via 8. Febbraio 2. Hours: Closed Monday.

An immense café from 1831 in Neo-Classic style, one of the main cornerstones of Italian cultural and political life in the unification years, when it broke from the Austrian Empire. Some famous independence heroes held court there. Now it is a combination of a restaurant, a café, a card-playing room and a sitting room, the center of everything of importance in Padova.

From the southern entrance of the café we turn right 50 meters on Via Cesare to Piazza dei Frutti beside the city hall. We pass the eastern end of the hall to arrive at Piazza delle Erbe, from where we observe the city hall.

Palazzo della Ragione

Piazza dei Frutti.

Built 1218 as the court of justice and city hall of Padova.

It houses the largest Medieval hall in Europe, 80 meters long, 27 meters wide and 27 meters high. The walls are covered with 333 frescos by Nicola Miretto, from 1420-1425, replacing earlier frescos by Giotto, which were destroyed in a fire in 1420.

We leave the piazza at its western end, walk less than 100 meters on Via Manin and turn left into Piazza del Duomo, where the cathedral lies before our eyes. A palace is to the right of the piazza.

Palazzo del Monte di Pietà

Piazza del Duomo.

The palace is Medieval and the arcade in front is from the 16th C.

A baptistry is between the palace and the cathedral.

Battistero

Piazza del Duomo.

A cleanly designed Romanesque baptistry from the 4th C, the remains of a church that was here before the 16th C. cathedral was built. Inside the baptistry are lively frescos by Giusto de’Menabuoi from the late 14th C.

Michelangelo started the design of the cathedral, which changed a lot at the hands of his successors.

We walk from the piazza about 50 meters north on via Monte di Pietà að Piazza dei Signori. The old police station is at the western end of that piazza.

Palazzo del Capitaniato

Piazza dei Signori.

Built 1599-1605 for the military police. The tower has an astronomical clock from 1344.

The piazza is lined with beautiful arcades with specialty shops and cafés.

We inspect a palace at the western end of the south side of the piazza.

Loggia della Gran Guardia

Piazza dei Signori.

The palace of the Council of Nobles, built in 1523 in Renaissance style, with a high and slender arcade, now used as a conference center.

We have finished sightseeing, walk east from Piazza dei Signori on Via San Clemente, then Piazza dei Frutti and via Oberdam, 300 meters in all. On the corner of Caffè Pedrocchi we turn left into Via Cavour and walk 600 meters to the public garden, which we cross to get over the bridge to the car park. Next we inspect the hotels in town.

Hotels

A hotel with a central location, 50 meters south of Piazza delle Erbe, is the 29 room Majestic Toscanelli, Via dell’Arco 2, phone 663 244, fax 876 0025, price L. 190000 with breakfast.

Another one beside Caffè Pedrocchi, is the 22 room Leon Bianco, Piazzetta Pedrocchi 12, phone 875 0814, fax 875 6184, price L. 157000.

Next we turn our attention to our chosen restaurants in the center, those which are used by knowledgeable citizens.

Restaurants

Central dining is 100 meters north of Piazza dei Signori, is Belle Parti-Toulá, Via Belle Parti 11, phone 875 1822, price for two L. 160000, closed Monday lunch and Sunday.

Also 50 meters north of the piazza, is Isola di Caprera, Via Marsilio da Padova 11/15, phone 876 0244, price for two L. 120000, closed Sunday.

Or at the western end of the city palace, is Cavalca, Via Manin 8, phone 876 0061, price for two L. 90000, closed Tuesday dinner and Wednesday.

We then leave the town on our way to Vicenza, a trip of 40 km.

Vicenza

The city is best known for the architect Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) who was born there and designed some of the famous buildings in the center, such as Basilica Palladiana, Loggia del Capitaniato, Palazzo Valmarana, Teatro Olimpico and Palazzo Chiericati. The center of Vicenza is often said to be the most beautiful city center in Italy, mainly built during the Renaissance.

Palladio learned Roman architecture of the Imperial Age in Rome. Later he designed many country mansions for Venetian noblemen in the vicinity of the city and a few palaces in Venice itself, the Redentore church on Giudecca island and the monastery and church on San Giorgio island. Most of his works are though in this home town.

We will not only inspect Palladio’s work but also the atmosphere on the piazzas around Basilica Palladiana.

We arrive from Padova in the east, enter the city ring and turn into the center by way of Contrà porta Padova, cross a bridge and immediately turn left into the square in front of Palazzo Chiericati, where we find parking.

Palazzo Chiericati

Piazza Matteotti. Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday.

Built 1550 by Andrea Palladio.

The palace is now a museum of the history of Vicenza, Museo civico. The best known work of art is the Charioteer of the Sun by Giulio Carpione. There are also some Gothic altarpieces.

From the square we cross Corso Andrea Palladio by foot and enter Teatro Olimpico.

Teatro Olimpico

Corso Andrea Palladio. Hours: Open in summer 9:30-12:20 & 15-17:30, in winter 14-16:30.

The oldest theater in Europe with a roof, built 1579-1585, designed by Palladio and his disciple, Vincenzo Scamozzi.

The auditorium is a semi-circle resembling the outdoor theater of Greeks and Romans, with wooden banks in place of stone seats, and a painted sky in the ceiling. The stage set is built in, with Theban streets painted in trompe l’oeils.

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles was the first performance of the theater. Greek playwrights are still represented in the repertoire.

From the theater we climb Corso Andrea Palladio for about 200 meters and turn left into Contrà Santa Barbara, where we arrive after 100 meters at Piazza dei Signori and cannot miss the city tower.

Torre di Piazza

Piazza dei Signori.

An unusually slender tower of brick, built in the 12th C. and increased in height during the 14th and the 15th C, making it 82 meters in all.

It hangs over Piazza dei Signori, lined with 15th C. palaces, including Basilica Palladiana. The piazza is a lively market venue.

We turn our attention to the basilica.

Basilica Palladiana

Piazza dei Signori.

Palazzo della Ragione is the official name of the city hall with the green copper roof. Usually it carries the name of its creator, architect Palladio. The palace itself is from the 15th C. and was starting to subside, when Palladio was employed in 1549 to built supports for it with colonnades on two floors. The balustrade has many statues of Greek and Roman gods.

A statue of Palladio is under the southwestern end of the city hall.

The old police station is on the north of the piazza.

Loggia del Capitaniato

Piazza dei Signori.

Palladio built it in 1571 as the police station of the city. Now it houses the city council.

To the left of the palace is the best-known restaurant in town, Gran Caffè Garibaldi on the 2nd floor, phone 544 147, price for two L. 110000.

To the right of the palace is the street Contrà del Monte. Its continuation on the other side of Corso Andrea Palladio is Contrà Porti. That street is lined with palaces, including some Venetian Gothic ones and some palaces by Palladio in the Classic Renaissance style.

If we have time, we can walk from the southwestern end of the basilica on Calle Muscheria and Contrà Garibaldi about 200 meters to the cathedral.

Duomo

Piazza Duomo.

The apse facing the square is original, as are the outer walls of the cathedral. Other parts of it were heavily damaged in World War II.

From the cathedral square we walk northwest on Via Battisti more than 100 meters and turn right into Corso Andrea Palladino. On the northern corner of the crossing is Palazzo Valmarana from 1566, one of Palladio’s works. Then we follow Corso Andrea Palladio northeast 600 meters to Piazza Matteotti, where we find our parking place. Next we inspect hotels in the center.

Hotels

A central hotel is 300 meters to the southwest from the cathedral, the 35 room Campo Marzio, Viale Roma 21, phone 545 700, fax 320 495, price L. 250000 with breakfast.

Or about 300 meters west off the southwest end of Corso Andrea Palladio, the 33 room Cristina, Corso Santi Felice e Fortunato 32, phone 323 751, fax 543 656, price L. 165000 with breakfast.

Next we turn our attention to chosen restaurants in the center, used by local gourmets.

Restaurants

Central dining is 100 meters south from the eastern end of Piazza dei Signori, in Scudo di Francia, Contrà Piancoli 4, phone 323 322, price for two L. 130000, closed Sunday dinner and Monday.

Also 200 meters west off the cathedral, In Agli Schioppi, Contrà del Castello 26, phone 543 701, price for two L. 110000, closed Saturday dinner and Sunday.

Or 50 meters north off Piazza dei Signori, in Tre Visi, Contrà Porti 6, phone 324 868, price for two L. 150000, closed Sunday dinner and Monday.

Garibaldi

Piazza dei Signori. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: L.110000 ($69) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Old and famous restaurant on the first floor above a pizzeria beside Loggia del Capitaniato at Piazza dei Signori.

It is rather refined and informally large. It has tiles on the floor and wicket seats on the chairs. Service is courteous.

• Olive farcite all’ascolani = deep-fried olives on salad.

• Petto d’oca affumicato con crostini = smoked goose breast.

• Filetto di manzo con tartufi = fillet of beef with boiled vegetables.

We now leave town in the direction of Verona, about 40 km,

Verona

The city is best known as the set of Shakespeare’s play about Romeo and Juliet, lovers from 1302. Many buildings in the center survive from that time and some are even older, such as the famous, 20 centuries old arena. The city was in 1263-1387 one of the Renaissance cities of Italy, governed by the Scaligeri dukes, and in 1405-1814 it was a part of the Venetian empire.

Travelers come to Verona to feel the atmosphere of an open-air opera and get acquainted with a city that mixes the Renaissance style of the Italian mainland with the Byzantine style of Constantinople that characterizes the neighboring Venice. The center is convenient for sightseeing as everything is packed on one square kilometer, surrounded by the river Adige on three sides.

There are famous piazzas, Piazza Brà, Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza dei Signori; famous palaces, Palazzo del Comune, Palazzo di Cangrande; and famous churches, Santa Anastasia and Duomo; famous castles, Castel San Pietro and Castelvecchio. There are also the tower tombs of the Scaligeri dukes and a Roman outdoor theater in addition to the famous Arena.

We start on the piazza in front of Arena.

Piazza Brà

The largest piazza of the center, the venue for public rallies and the forecourt of the majestic and ancient arena. The piazza is lined with Neo-Classic buildings from the 19th C. and the archeological museum, Museo Lapidaro Maffeiano, at no. 28.

We turn our attention to the arena.

Arena

Piazza Brà. Hours: Closed Monday.

The building of this third largest arena in the world was finished in the year 30. It is 139 meters long and 110 meters wide and seats 25,000 spectators in 44 row of seats. It has been conserved more or less intact, except for the outer shell.

From the top there are good views in clear weather over the city to the mountains. Great music festivals are held there in summer.

From the north of the arena we walk into Via Mazzini.

Via Mazzini

A pedestrian axis of the center, connecting the main squares, Piazza Brà And Piazza delle Erbe. The main fashion shops line this street of 500 meters, crossing an old district of narrow pedestrian alleys.

From the northeastern end of the street we arrive at the southern end of the old town square.

Piazza delle Erbe

Enchanting Renaissance buildings characterize this long and narrow piazza that started life as a Roman square, Forum, and has been a living city square for twenty centuries. It is now a market square, covered with street vendors’ parasols, lined with art galleries, fashion shops and sidewalk cafés, considered by many to be the most charming city square in Italy.

In the middle of the piazza is a fountain with a Roman sculpture representing commerce, usually called Madonna di Verona. In the northern end there is a column from 1528 with the lion of St Mark, the Venetian emblem.

The northern end is dominated by Palazzo Maffei, a Baroque palace from 1668, with fashion shops and luxury flats.

There is a castle on the eastern side of the southern square.

Palazzo del Comune

Piazza delle Erbe.

The city hall is an almost windowless Medieval castle with a stern appearance at the piazza.

On the same side a high tower dominates the piazza.

Torre Lamberti

Piazza delle Erbe.

A powerful tower from 1172, 84 meters high, with good views. It is entered from a courtyard that we are going to enter later.

On the same side, a little farther north, is a colorful palace.

Casa dei Mazzanti

Piazza delle Erbe.

A palace from 1301 with facade frescos that have been touched up.

We walk through an alley on the north side of Torre dei Lamberti and go under the Arco della Costa into another large square.

Piazza dei Signori

A rectangular piazza with a Venetian look. In the middle is a statue of the writer Dante Alighieri, who lived in Verona under the protection of the Scaligeri dukes when he was in exile from Florence 1301-1304. He dedicated the last chapter of his main book, La Divina Commedia, to the Scaligeri duke Cangrande I.

On the northern side is the palace of Loggia del Consiglio, on the eastern side Palazzo di Cangrande, and in the southern corner Palazzo di Ragione, which really is the rear side of Palazzo del Comune.

In the southeastern corner the paved remains of the main Roman road into town have been excavated.

We first have a look into the courtyard of Palazzo di Ragione.

Scala della Ragione

Piazza dei Signori.

In Medieval times this square was the main market of the city. A decorative staircase in late Gothic style, built in 1446-1450, leads up to former rooms of the city court. The palace itself is from the 14th C.

We exit the courtyard and observe the palace at the northern side of the square.

Loggia del Consiglio

Piazza dei Signori.

A charming palace from 1493 in Venetian Renaissance style, with a high and slender colonnade on the piazza side and frescos above the balustrade. The eaves are decorated with statues of Roman dignitaries, who were born in Verona, such as Catullus the poet, Plinius the natural scientist and Vitruvius the architect.

At a right angle is another palace.

Palazzo di Cangrande

Piazza dei Signori.

It is named after Cangrande I, the best-known of dukes of the Scaligeri family, who governed Verona 1263-1387. It is now a police station.

We pass the southern side of the palace and arrive at a small square with large memorials.

Arche Scaligere

Santa Maria in Chiavica.

The stone tombs of the Scaligeri dukes are here up in the open sky on decorous 14th C. Gothic towers with sharp-pointed spires in front of Palazzo di Cangrande. Such a burial method is unique in Italian Medieval history.

The Scaligeri dukes were so sure of themselves that they wanted to rest closer to God than other kings and dukes that generally rest in churches.

Behind the tomb towers is a small Romanesque church from the 7th C., Santa Maria Antica. It was the family church of the Scaligeri. The tomb tower of Cangrande I is directly in front of the church entrance.

We continue to the north along the eastern side of Palazzo di Cangrande about 100 meters on Cavaletto and turn right into Corso Sant’Anastasia, which leads us to one of the main churches in the center, about 100 additional meters.

Sant’Anastasia

Piazza Sant’Anastasia.

A large Romanesque church from 1290 with a Gothic portico, decorated with 15th C. frescos, the monastery church of the Dominican order.

From the back of the church we walk north and down the hill to the river Adige and cross it on the Roman bridge, Ponte della Pietra, and walk south along the other bank to the Roman theater, about 400 meters in all.

Teatro Romano

Rigaste Redentore. Hours: Closed Monday.

A Roman theater from the 1st C. B.C., the reign of Emperor Augustus and still used for plays. In ancient times plays by the Roman playwright Plautus were most popular but now it is the venue of an annual Shakespeare festival. The theater is built into the river bank and offers good views from well-preserved semi-circle over the river to the city center.

A lift brings us from the theater to the monastery and castle above.

Castel San Pietro

Rigaste Redentore. Hours: Closed Monday.

The monastery above the Roman theater has been converted into an archeological museum with singular views over the city and district. Among other things there are ancient mosaics in the museum.

We take the lift down, return by way of the Roman bridge to the city center and walk uphill to the cathedral. At the back of it we pass the entrance to the bishop’s palace.

Palazzo di Vescovo

A Gothic entrance to the palace of the bishop.

We go to the front of the church and into the piazza in front of it.

Duomo

The cathedral has been renovated and is beaming of the mild and original stone colors. Its oldest parts are from the 12th C. The front is in a Romanesque Lombard style, designed by Nicolò.

Pink columns support the roof. The main work of art in the church is the Assumption by Tiziano, from 1535-1540, in the first chapel on the left side.

From the church we enter the baptistry, which really s an 8th C. brick church, San Giovanni in Fonte, with a 12th C. marble front.

We leave the church and walk on Via Duomo, turn right and go 1200 meters on Corso Cavour to the old city castle.

Castelvecchio

Corte Castelvecchio. Hours: Closed Monday.

A beautifully designed family castle of the Scaligeri, built 1355-1375, during the reign of Cangrande II, still intact, and now houses a splendidly organized museum of art history. It is easy to go through it in chronological order. It covers late Roman art, early Christian art, Medieval art and Renaissance art, including works by Giovanni Bellini, Tiziano and Veronese.

On the other side of the armor department of the museum is a pedestrian bridge with a view to the nearest river bridge.

Ponte Scaligero

A Medieval bridge, built 1354-1376, during the reign of Cangrande II, nowadays the main promenade of Verona’s citizens. It was damaged during World War II and has been repaired.

From Castelvecchio is a straight way of 600 meters on Via Roma to Piazza Brà where we started this walking tour through Verona. We now turn our attention to hotels in the center.

Hotels

In an alley leading off Corso Porta Nova, about 200 meters from Piazza Brà is the 41 room luxury hotel San Luca, Vicolo Volto San Luca 8, phone 591 333, fax 800 2143, price L. 260000 with breakfast. In a side street a few steps from the central axis of via Mazzini is the 93 room Accademia, Via Scala 12, phone and fax 596 222, price L. 300000 without breakfast.

In a side street a few steps from Corso Cavour is the 38 room Victoria, Via Adua 6, phone 590 566, fax 590 155, price L. 240000 without breakfast. A few steps east off the Arena is the 30 room Giulietta e Romeo, Vicolo Tre Marchetti 3, phone 800 3554, fax 801 0862, price L. 170000 with breakfast.

Almost beside it is the 49 room Milano, Vicolo Tre Marchetti 11, phone 596 011, fax 801 1299, price L. 150000 without breakfast. About 200 meters east from the city castle is the 17 room Cavour, Vicolo Chiodo 4, phone 590 166, price L. 100000 without breakfast, credit cards not accepted.

Next we turn out attention to chosen restaurants in the city center, those which are patronized by knowledgeable citizens.

Restaurants

The best restaurant, about 300 meters straight south of Piazza dei Signori, is Il Desco, Via Dietro San Sebastiano 7, phone 595 358, fax 590 236, price L. 230000 for two, closed Sunday. Second is in the oldest part of the center, 200 meters to the west from Piazza delle Erebe, the very old and charming Dodici Apostoli, Corticella San Marco 3, phone 596 999, fax 591 530, price L. 220000 for two, closed Sunday dinner and Monday.

The best seafood place, a few steps from Arche Scaligeri, is Arche, Via Arche Scaligeri 6, phone 800 7415, price L. 200000 for two, closed Monday lunch and Sunday. The best hotel dining , a few steps from Via Mazzini, is at Accademia, Via Scala 10, phone & fax 800 6072, price L. 180000 for two, closed Sunday dinner and Wednesday. A few steps north from Piazza Brà is Torcolo, Via Cattaneo 11, phone 803 0018, fax 801 1083, price L. 130000 for two, closed Monday.

Only 200 meters in front of Sant’Anastasia is Trattoria Sant’Anastasia, Corso Sant’Anastasia 27, phone 800 9177, price L. 110000 for two, with variable closing on Sunday and Wednesday. A few steps east from the arena is Tre Marchetti, Vicolo Tre Marchetti 19/b, phone 803 0463, price L. 120000 for two, closed Sunday.

Thus ends our trip to Verona and our visit in the Veneto district. If we are now driving back to Venice, it is good to know that the distance is 114 km on the autostrada.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson