Duration: 3 hours
Chiesa del Gesù, Basilica of S. Andrea della Valle, Barracco Museum, Campo dei Fiori, Piazza Farnese
The true land of the Barbarians is not one that has never known Art, but one that, despite the masterpieces, can neither appreciate nor keep them.
This itinerary takes you through the busy Renaissance district of Rome. Everyone is rushing frantically between the Largo Argentina and Corso Vittorio Emanuele, where you will find some of the most beautiful churches in the Eternal City. The Church of the Gesù, as it is known, stands on the square of the same name, and was established by St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit Order, active during both the Protestant Reformation and the successive Catholic Revival. The interior of the church is a triumph of colours and Renaissance imagery. A little further on, you will see the facade of the Basilica di Sant’Andrea della Valle (St. Andrew of the Valley), whose dome is always very visible from the main viewpoints in the city. The dome was built by Carlo Maderno, and is in fact the third largest in Rome, after that of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican and the Church of Ss. Pietro e Paolo (St. Peter and St. Paul) in the EUR district. We will then visit one of Rome’s least famous museums; which houses a really wonderful collection of ancient art: the Museo di Scultura Antica Giovanni Barracco (Giovanni Barracco Museum of Ancient Sculpture). Starting with the extraordinary Egyptian exhibits, you can then move on through the Sumerian, Etruscan, Phoenician and Classical sections.
Our tour concludes with a walk through two of Rome’s most picturesque squares: the Piazza Campo dei Fiori, which until 1400 really was covered by a flowery meadow, and the Piazza Farnese, which is home to the French Embassy and is decorated with two splendid basins from the Terme di Caracalla (Caracalla’s Baths).