Palazzo Olivia apartments are situated in Via dei Leutari, a perfect starting point for delightful walks to discover Renaissance Rome. You can reach all the main points in the city from Via dei Leutari by public transport.

There are different theories on the origins of the Leutari name. Someone says it was the name of an ancient Roman family. Others believe the name comes from the musical instruments workshops present in the street in the past (leutari means lutists). Via dei Leutari begins in Piazza Pasquino and once it had a dead-end on the side of Palazzo della Cancelleria, while it now opens up on Corso Vittorio Emanuele.

Many events have occurred here in the past. As you can see in the section The Barber, at No.35 (just in front of Palazzo Olivia) Gioachino Rossini composed his most important opera, Il Barbiere di Siviglia. The large building marked with Nos. 21 and 23 was property of Cardinal Montalto, who reigned 1585-90 as Pope Sisto V. The noble house has two stone-bordered doorways, with coat of arms animal sculptures.

With the opening of Corso Vittorio Emanuele (in 1880), several buildings were demolished. Among these: the house of Pietro da Cortona; the palazzo of Cardinal Dovizi da Bibbiena, the famous author of one of the first comedies of Italian literature La Calandra and friend of Pope Leo X. Maria Bibbiena died in the same building; she was Raphael's girlfriend, and is now buried in the Pantheon near the famous artist. The legend has it that she died for lovesickness, as the painter abandoned her for other women.

Current exhibitions

The "Rome’s Museums" site lists all the exhibitions and cultural events currently on in Rome. Information, times and maps of museums in Rome hosting the exhibitions.

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Rome Auditorium: music, concerts and events

The Auditorium Parco della Musica has symphony orchestra concerts and chamber music, cinema openings, plays, art exhibitions and literary performances.

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Your holiday in Rome in one of Palazzo Olivia’s apartments will lead you to discover an important area of the city: the Rione Parione. It is symbolised by a winged horse and is one of the most densely populated and richest areas in Rome. It was once an antechamber of the Roman court – a world of palaces, hotels, books, parties and courtesans.

In ancient times, the Codeta Minor area was cleared and enlarged by Julius Caesar; then the Emperor Domitian built here a stadium, still recognizable in Piazza Navona perimeter. A large ruin once stood near the stadium. The rione got his name from that ruin: Parione comes from the Latin word "paries" (wall).

Up until the 15th century, the area kept the aspect of a typical medieval village. Campo de' Fiori was a cluster of ruins, utilized only for animal farming. Then Pope Sisto IV decided to pave the area surrounding the Pantheon, to make it the new city's Forum, a splendid urban centre crossed by the Via Florida. Many Cardinals established here, and during the Renaissance palaces, hotels, typographies and bookshops were built in the rione, making it the gathering point of Roman intellectual bourgeoisie.

The Via Major or Papalis (from Palazzo Orsini to Palazzo Nola), the Vicus Novus in Campo Florae (Via de Baullari), the Platea Parionis (Piazza di Pasquino) and the Via Parionis (Via del Governo Vecchio) were the background to the two famous piazzas, Campo dei Fiori and Piazza Navona. Palaces with beautiful colonnades, majestic atriums, imposing towers, sophisticated loggias, paintings, clock towers.

Bramante's building (the future Palazzo della Cancelleria) reigned since 1486, together with the Piccola Farnesina, built after Raphael's project. Cardinal Condulmieri's Palazzo, house of ambassadors and princes, stood out in Campo de Fiori. The Platea Agonis (Piazza Navona) was dominated by Palazzo Orsini, later demolished to build Palazzo Braschi. The ancient Via Parionis (Via del Governo Vecchio) housed Cardinal Nardini's Palazzo, then sold to the Vatican to make it the seat of the papal government.

Parione was the rione of ambassadors and scoundrels, of courtesans and Jewish merchants, whose flourishing business attracted foreign tradesmen. For example, Via del Pellegrino, named Jeweller Street in the 17th century, was famous for goldsmiths and gunsmiths. Pope Innocent X moved Piazza Navona market to Campo de Fiori, where it still is. In the 19th century Piazza Navona housed the puppet theater, shows and popular games. Since 1829 it was also a famous musical centre, as Palazzo Lancellotti was the seat of the celebrated Filarmonica Romana, then renamed as Accademia di Santa Cecilia.

Current exhibitions

The "Rome’s Museums" site lists all the exhibitions and cultural events currently on in Rome. Information, times and maps of museums in Rome hosting the exhibitions.

Visit Musei in Comune site...

Rome Auditorium: music, concerts and events

The Auditorium Parco della Musica has symphony orchestra concerts and chamber music, cinema openings, plays, art exhibitions and literary performances.

Visit the Auditorium di Roma site...

Palazzo Olivia presents a series of itineraries to discover sites that are symbols of Rome. The starting point for your walk will be your apartment and the interactive maps will help you discover the history and particular features of Rome’s wonders.

For a careful visit, this itinerary should be split in more than one day. When you leave Palazzo Olivia turn left, pass by Piazza Pasquino and have a look at Palazzo Braschi (A). Then devote an adequate amount of time to the glory of Piazza Navona (B). There are so many beautiful things on this piazza! Most important ones are Palazzo Pamphilj and the church of S. Agnese (C) on the left, and the church of S. Giacomo degli Spagnoli (D) on the right.

Then proceed to Corso Rinascimento, pass by Palazzo Madama (E) (seat of the Italian Senate) and stop at the church of S. Luigi dei Francesi (F), where you can admire some of the best Caravaggios. Walk by the rear facade of Palazzo Madama and reach the church of S. Ivo alla Sapienza (G), one of Borromini's most original creations. Then cross Piazza S. Eustachio and have one of the most famous coffee in Rome at the bar on the piazza.

Visit S. Maria sopra Minerva (H), with Bernini's marble elephant, and get to the Pantheon (I), Rome's best-preserved ancient temple. Pass by Piazza di Pietra (L), and reach Piazza Colonna (M) and Via del Corso. From here, in five minutes you can reach the Trevi Fountain (N), Rome's grandest and best-known fountain.

The itinerary "A walk towards Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain" is available in Adobe Acrobat.

RSS Feed of the itinerary.

Current exhibitions

The "Rome’s Museums" site lists all the exhibitions and cultural events currently on in Rome. Information, times and maps of museums in Rome hosting the exhibitions.

Visit Musei in Comune site...

Rome Auditorium: music, concerts and events

The Auditorium Parco della Musica has symphony orchestra concerts and chamber music, cinema openings, plays, art exhibitions and literary performances.

Visit the Auditorium di Roma site...

Palazzo Olivia presents a series of itineraries to discover sites that are symbols of Rome. The starting point for your walk will be your apartment and the interactive maps will help you discover the history and particular features of Rome’s wonders.

When you leave Palazzo Olivia turn left and reach Via del Governo Vecchio (A), with a large number of Renaissance houses. The streets ends in Piazza dell'Orologio (B), with a clock tower by Borromini.

Then proceed on Via di Panico (C). At the end of Via di Panico you have two choices: you can cross the Tiber and reach Castel S. Angelo (D), St. Peter and the Vatican Museums (E) (but we suggest you take a full day to visit this area). Or else you can turn right and take Via dei Coronari (F) the street of antique dealers.

On the left Piazza S. Salvatore in Lauro (G), with its 16th century church and convent. Pass by Piazzetta S. Simeone with Palazzo Lancellotti (H), and walk to the end of Via dei Coronari. You should now visit Palazzo Altemps (I), one of the seats of the Roman National Museum. Now you can start your way back. Visit the church of S. Maria dell'Anima (L), and take a small deviation to reach the picturesque church of S. Maria della Pace (M) in its charming small square. Coming back home, stop by to say hallo to the talking statue of Pasquino (N).

The itinerary "A walk towards St. Peter’s and Castel Sant'Angelo" is available in Adobe Acrobat.

RSS Feed of the itinerary.

Current exhibitions

The "Rome’s Museums" site lists all the exhibitions and cultural events currently on in Rome. Information, times and maps of museums in Rome hosting the exhibitions.

Visit Musei in Comune site...

Rome Auditorium: music, concerts and events

The Auditorium Parco della Musica has symphony orchestra concerts and chamber music, cinema openings, plays, art exhibitions and literary performances.

Visit the Auditorium di Roma site...

Palazzo Olivia presents a series of itineraries to discover sites that are symbols of Rome. The starting point for your walk will be your apartment and the interactive maps will help you discover the history and particular features of Rome’s wonders.

When you leave Palazzo Olivia turn right and cross Corso Vittorio Emanuele. You are now in Piazza della Cancelleria. The papal administration ran the affairs of the church from the Palazzo della Cancelleria (A), one of the masterpieces of the Early Renaissance's architecture. On the other side, the square ends in Campo de' Fiori (B), one of the city's most entertaining places, with its colourful market. In the adjacent Piazza del Biscione, you can see the Palazzo Pio Righetti, built over the ruined Theater of Pompey (C).

Continue on Campo de' Fiori and take Via dei Baullari to reach the wonderful Piazza Farnese (D), a quiet square almost untouched by the city's traffic, with its monumental Renaissance palazzo created by Michelangelo and other great artists. Then proceed to Piazza della Quercia, a small square of the old Rome, with Palazzo Spada (E) and its picture gallery.

Turn right and reach the Lungotevere. You are now in front of the recently restored Ponte Sisto (F). Crossing the Tiber you can reach Trastevere. In our itinerary, however, we stay on this side of the river, walking by Via Giulia (G), one of the most beautiful streets in Rome. Take the pleasure of looking into the several courtyards hidden inside its noble buildings.

When you reach the small church of S. Filippo Neri, turn right in the small square. The buildings here once housed the papal prisons. Turn right once more and take Via di Monserrato (H), to start your way back home. Turning left, you can walk by Via dei Cappellari (I), proceed to Via del Pellegrino (L), and then come back to Campo dei Fiori, where you can have a well-deserved rest and a glass of wine in one of the coffee shops of the square.

The itinerary "A walk towards the River Tevere and Trastevere" is available in Adobe Acrobat.

RSS Feed of the itinerary.

Current exhibitions

The "Rome’s Museums" site lists all the exhibitions and cultural events currently on in Rome. Information, times and maps of museums in Rome hosting the exhibitions.

Visit Musei in Comune site...

Rome Auditorium: music, concerts and events

The Auditorium Parco della Musica has symphony orchestra concerts and chamber music, cinema openings, plays, art exhibitions and literary performances.

Visit the Auditorium di Roma site...

Palazzo Olivia presents a series of itineraries to discover sites that are symbols of Rome. The starting point for your walk will be your apartment and the interactive maps will help you discover the history and particular features of Rome’s wonders.

When you leave Palazzo Olivia turn right and then left on Corso Vittorio to go to Largo Argentina. Stop by the church of S. Andrea della Valle (A), the setting of the first act of Puccini's "Tosca". Then continue to the Area Sacra dell'Argentina (B) with the remains of some of the oldest temples found in Rome. At the beginning of Via Arenula, turn left on Via dei Falegnami and reach the small Piazza Mattei (C) with its Tortoises Fountain. Proceed to Via del Portico d'Ottavia (D), to have a look at the Jewish "Ghetto". Then stop in Piazza Campitelli (E), full of noble buildings. A further stop in the charming Piazza Margana (F), then pass by the Capitol steps and look at the Theatre of Marcellus (G).

Ten minutes walk will lead you to a quiet corner of the city beside the Tiber, which was the site of ancient Rome's first port and its busy cattle market. Here you can take your chance, placing your hand inside the Bocca della Verità (H) (the Mouth of Truth). But also, you can admire the charming church of S. Maria in Cosmedin, the classical Temples of the Forum Boarium (I), and the elegant church of S. Giorgio in Velabro (L).

Now you are ready for another magic moment: the Capitol (M). You can reach it from the back side, to have a look at the Forum (you should devote at least one full day to visit of this archaelogical area and the Colosseum). Or you can make your way back and climb the steps to Michelangelo's square: this is a strong emotion. You can spend a full day here: visiting the Capitoline Museums, having a drink on Palazzo Caffarelli's terrace with its spectacular view, or looking at the sunset on the Imperial Forum from the top of the hill. At the back of Piazza del Campidoglio, climb a few steps on the left, pass through a small gate and you will be on top of the huge terrace of Victor Emmanuel Monument (N). Walking from one side to the other, you can look at a breathtaking view of the Eternal City.

On your way back, you can visit one of the excellent exhibitions held in the Vittoriano. Then pass by Piazza Venezia (O), take Via del Plebiscito and stop to visit the church of Gesù (P). Ten-minutes walk to go back home.

The itinerary "A walk towards Campidoglio and the Imperial Forums" is available in Adobe Acrobat.

RSS Feed of the itinerary.

Current exhibitions

The "Rome’s Museums" site lists all the exhibitions and cultural events currently on in Rome. Information, times and maps of museums in Rome hosting the exhibitions.

Visit Musei in Comune site...

Rome Auditorium: music, concerts and events

The Auditorium Parco della Musica has symphony orchestra concerts and chamber music, cinema openings, plays, art exhibitions and literary performances.

Visit the Auditorium di Roma site...

Rome is a large city! Lodging at Palazzo Olivia will allow you to visit the whole historic centre on foot. To reach other important places, however, you will need some transportation. Our first suggestion is to "do as the Romans do": get a scooter! You can rent it in the nearby Vicolo dei Bovari.

Via dei Leutari is very well connected, as Corso Vittorio is one of the city’s main transport routes. This map shows bus stops. Below we will show methods of transport to reach Rome’s main sights. For other routes, see the excellent ATAC website (Rome’s Public Transport Agency).

Transportationss Prices

Those tickets can be bought at the newspaper stands or automatic vendors and can be used for:

• Atac busses;
• Cotral Busses (urban busway);
• A or B subways (or both if you don’t cross the barriers);
• Met.Ro railway’s trains: Roma-Lido, Roma-Viterbo (from Roma to Sacrofano Station) and Roma-Pantano;
• FS trains (second class one way only trip).

If you get to Rome by car, we suggest you park it in Terminal Gianicolo, where you can take bus n. 116 to reach Palazzo Olivia (get off at stop E).

• St. Peter'sThe first choice is a 15min walk along Corso Vittorio: on the other side of the river is Via della Conciliazione. As an alternative, go to stop A bus N.62, and get off after 4 stops in Via Corridori.
• Vatican MuseumsGo to stop A take bus No.46 (direction Staz. Montemario) for 7 stops. Get off at Aurelia stop, and take bus No.49 (direction P.za Cavour) for 2 stops.
• Colosseum and Domus AureaGo to stop B, tale bus No.64 (direction Einaudi) for 3 stops, get off at L.go S. Lucia Filippini, and take bus No.87 (direction Colli Albani), which runs through Via dei Fori Imperiali: get off after 4 stops.
• Baths of CaracallaGo to stop B, take bus N.64 (dir. Einaudi), get off in Via S. Venanzio 4th stop, just in front of the Capitol. Enter in Via Teatro Marcello, take bus N.628 (dir. P.za Baronio). At the 5th stop you can reach Celio and also Aventino.
• Piazza del QuirinaleGo to stop B, take bus No.64 (direction Einaudi) for 6 stops. Then walk up Via XXIV Maggio to the piazza.
• Villa Borghese and Galleria BorgheseGo to stop B, take bus No.116 (direction V. Veneto) for 11 stops.
• P.za di Spagna, P.za del PopoloGo to stop B, take bus N.64 (dir. Einaudi) 7th stops. In Via Milano, take bus N.117 (dir. P.za Popolo): 3th stops you are in P.za di Spagna; 2 stops more to reach P.za del Popolo.
• S. Giovanni in LateranoGo to stop B, take bus No.64 (direction Einaudi) for 3 stops, get off in L.go S. Lucia Filippini, take bus No.87 (direction Colli Albani) for 7 stops. 200 m walk to reach Piazza S. Giovanni.
• S. Maria MaggioreGo to stop C on Corso Rinascimento. Take bus No.70 (direction Via Giolitti) for 9 stops.
• Villa GiuliaGo to stop D on Corso Rinascimento, take bus No.628 (direction M. Giardino) for 7 stops, get off in Lungotevere delle Navi. 700 m walk to reach Villa Giulia Museum.
• Galleria Nazionale d'Arte ModernaGo to stop B, take bus No.116 (direction Via Veneto) for 12 stops, get off in Viale Pietro Canonica. 700 m walk to reach the Galleria d'Arte Moderna.

• BIT Biglietto Integrato a Tempo (Time Ticket)Valid for 75 minutes or until the end of the journey, if you board before the end of the 75 minutes.Cost: euro 1,00
• BIG Biglietto Integrato Giornaliero (Daily Ticket)Valid till midnight of the stamping day for an unlimited number of journeys.Cost: euro 4,00
• CIS Carta Integrata Settimanale (Weekly Card)Valid for 7 days and for an unlimited number of journeys.Costo: euro 16,00

Current exhibitions

The "Rome’s Museums" site lists all the exhibitions and cultural events currently on in Rome. Information, times and maps of museums in Rome hosting the exhibitions.

Visit Musei in Comune site...

Rome Auditorium: music, concerts and events

The Auditorium Parco della Musica has symphony orchestra concerts and chamber music, cinema openings, plays, art exhibitions and literary performances.

Visit the Auditorium di Roma site...

Rome originated from a settlement of shepherds and farmers who established themselves on a hill known as the Palatine. The etymological meaning of the word ‘Rome’ is perhaps ‘the city on the river’ or, more probably ‘the city of the Ruma’ (an Etruscan family). After a semi-legendary period of monarchy, the first credible historical accounts come from the period when the monarchy changed to a republic (around 509 B.C.), an epoch in which the slow decline of the Etruscan civilisation that had dominated Rome with its last kings began.

In the IV century B.C., Rome already controlled the whole of Lazio and later extended its dominions over many other regions of Italy, forcing many Italic populations and the great Etruscan civilisation to submit to its rule. The Gauls and Greeks of Southern Italy also had to capitulate to Rome, which controlled the whole of the Italian peninsula by 270 B.C. In the III century B.C., the power of the city began to expand outside the boundaries of the peninsula. From 264 to 201 B.C. the Roman Republic dominated the whole of the Mediterranean (with the Punic wars) and Rome expanded its dominions to the East in the kingdoms of Alexander the Great and in the West, conquering the Gauls and the populations of Spain. It was at this point that the republic became an empire which, under Augustus, had great and powerful beginnings.

The empire, according to the aim of those who created it, was to be a balanced mix of various republican magistratures directly controlled by the Senate and by popular will. This was the intention; but in reality, as time went on, the empire assumed an increasingly dictatorial and militaristic aspect. Rome had increased the borders of its dominions enormously and, as it was divided, it began to lose its authority and its slow and inexorable decline started. The city was no longer the home of emperors and the Senate increasingly began to lose its political identity. After the first Barbarian invasions, this decline reached a height, but the city never lost its moral power, that conscience which for centuries had led it to be a caput mundi and, thanks to the advent of Christianity, made it the consecrated seat of Church.

Mid-way through the VI century A.D., Rome became one of the many cities of the new Byzantine Empire, centred around Ravenna; however, two centuries later, thanks to the presence of the Pope, it once more became a reference point for the Byzantines and its history is linked to that of the Franco-Carolingian Empire. It was in Rome that the Emperor Charlemagne was crowned and from that time forward all emperors were crowned in Rome.

The city was proclaimed a free city-state in 1144. In this period it was governed by municipal forces, by the Pope and by the feudal nobility. The city forces often combated those of the Pope and the life of the new city-state went on for a long time amidst feuds and bitter battles. At the beginning of the XIV century, the Pope moved to Avignon and the city was more safely governed by popular forces. At the end of the XIV century and the first decades of the XV, the situation calmed down. The Pope returned to Rome and managed to take control of the city once again, recovering most of the power that the popular government had assumed in the previous century. This was a very fruitful period for the city, which became capital of the Papal State and returned to its ancient splendour as a cultural and artistic crossroads.

In the centuries that followed, Rome became increasingly politically isolated. The Papal State took no part in international conflicts. On one hand this limited its political influence, but on the other it allowed it to concentrate on commerce and, above all, on arts and culture. This situation continued until the end of the XVIII century when, because of the climate of revolution affecting Europe in those years, the power of the Church underwent a sudden crisis and control of the city passed into the hands of the republic (Pius VI was exiled to France). Power was regained for a brief period with Pius VII, but a few years later Napoleon revolutionised the situation once more and proclaimed Rome as the second city of his empire. After various vicissitudes, which saw the city return into the hands of the Pope, (1814) the period of the Risorgimento began, in which, under Pope Pious IX, Rome seethed with patriotic and anti-clerical ferment.

A true parliament was formed in1848 and the Roman Republic was proclaimed the following year. The government came under the control of a triumvirate headed by Giuseppe Mazzini, but the French army intervened to restore temporary power, In 1860, with the formation of the Kingdom of Italy, the Pope saw his power diminish to the Lazio region alone.

Ten years later, with the famous episode of the breech of Porta Pia, the French protecting the Pope were thrown out of the city, which was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy and became its capital. The Papal State therefore split with Italy – a split that led to the conciliation between the Church and the State in the Lateran Treaty (11th February 1929). After the Second World War, when the government changed from a monarchy to a republic, Rome became the headquarters of the Italian parliament.

The Architectural Evolution of the Eternal City.

In its origins, Rome developed around the Palatine and gradually expanded to the surrounding hills. The Servian walls date back to the IV century B.C., while the Aurelian walls are from a later date. During the successful period of the republic the urban structure changed radically and the city grew rapidly (this is the period of the Cloaca Maxima and the Basilica Emilia in the Roman Forum). The city expanded further under the empire (with the great Imperial Forums, the Basilica Giulia, the reliefs of the Arch of Titus, and those of Septimus Severus, the Pantheon, the Coliseum and Nero’s Domus Aurea, Trajan’s Market and the baths of Caracalla and Diocletian. After the great fires of Rome (64 and 80 A.D.), the city was almost entirely rebuilt in a more modern and practical manner. In the II century A.D., it had almost a million inhabitants – an exceptional population for the period.

With the city’s decline in the III century came another set of walls. The suggestive catacombs (brought to light in modern times) date back to the III and IV centuries and later came the magnificent mosaics of Santa Pudenziana and the saints Cosma and Damiano. With the arrival of the Goths and the Longobards, Rome’s population suffered a dramatic fall (fifty thousand inhabitants) and the arts came to an abrupt standstill. Numerous churches were built during the Paleochristian period, including those of Santa Maria Maggiore, Santa Sabina and San Clemente. The city was stormed in the IX century by the Saracens and then, in 1084, by the Normans. The cultural re-awakening of the city began in the X, XI and XII centuries (with the Romanesque churches of San Clemente, Santa Maria in Trastevere and San Crisogono). The Romanesque style was succeeded by the Gothic, which, however, had little influence on the city (apart from the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva and the ciboria by Arnolfo di Cambio for the churches of San Paolo and Santa Cecilia). Only with the return of the Pope, after his time in Avignon, did Rome quickly become an extremely important cultural and commercial crossroads once more.

During the fifteenth century the city flourished again under the aegis of the Church. Some of the most illustrious artists worked at the Vatican. This period saw the creation of the Bronze Door of St. Peter’s, by Filarete; the decoration of the Sistine Chapel by Fra Angelico and the bronze sepulchres of Sixtus IV and Innocent IV by Antonio del Pollaiolo; Palazzo Venezia and the Palazzo della Cancelleria were also built. In the sixteenth century Rome completely recovered its ancient identity of a city caput mundi and masterpieces were created by the greatest artists of the age: Raphael, Michelangelo, Bramante, Giulio Romano, Baldassarre Peruzzi, i da San Gallo, il Vignola and many others produced unique works. Churches, squares, fountains, palaces and streets of unequalled beauty were created. This fortunate period continued throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries: the Carracci were working in Rome (on the Galleria Farnese), together with Guido Reni, il Guercino and, above all, Gianlorenzo Bernini (with works at the Museo Borghese) who designed St. Peter’s Square and proved himself an incomparable sculptor. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the city increased enormously in size. New areas and new streets were created and new social situations developed in the old urban framework.

[Text taken from: Roma e il Vaticano - Guida completa alla Città Eterna (Bonechi).]

Current exhibitions

The "Rome’s Museums" site lists all the exhibitions and cultural events currently on in Rome. Information, times and maps of museums in Rome hosting the exhibitions.

Visit the Musei in Comune site...

Visiting Museums

Palazzo Olivia is situated in Rome’s historic centre, in the Renaissance area of the Eternal City, near Campo De' Fiori. Discover all the services available to you.

Services near Palazzo Olivia...

The Vatican City is just a few kilometres from the apartments of Palazzo Olivia. It can be reached on foot by following an itinerary that will lead you to some of Rome’s most beautiful sights, or by the city’s public transport. The Vatican City includes Monte Mario to the North and Gianicolo to the South. In ancient times, the area that is currently the small Vatican State was called Ager Vaticanus and was the site of a circus and Nero’s gardens.

The city contains extremely important architectural and artistic heritage and has been an independent state since 1929, the year in which the Lateran Treaty was stipulated between the Holy See and the Italian State. The city has only a few hundred inhabitants and stretches from Via di Porta Angelica, Piazza del Risorgimento, Via Leone IV, Viale Vaticano, Via della Sagrestia and St. Peter’s Square. The Pope, as well as being head of the Apostolic Roman Catholic Church, has full legislative, executive, and judicial powers. The Vatican City is totally independent from the Italian State, but maintains an extremely close relationship. It has its own stamps, a railway connected to that of Italy and a famous publication, the Osservatore Romano, which is distributed all over Italy.

The city also has its own security forces (once called the Pope’s carabinieri) and a police force, in the form of the famous “Swiss Guards”, who have protected the Pope since the fifteen hundreds and wear an ancient uniform probably designed by Michelangelo.

St. Peter’s Square

This is an extremely suggestive sacred place, with a profound religious and symbolic connotation. St. Peter’s Square is perhaps the most famous square in the world. It has welcomed countless pilgrims visiting St. Peter’s Basilica since the Middle Ages. It is the centre of Christianity and is a vital part of the city’s religious life. The square was constructed on the area of the ancient Vatican (or Nero’s) Circus, which was in reality built by Caligula. A testimony to this is the so-called Vatican Obelisk, transported there in 37 A.D. from Alexandria, Egypt, where it adorned Cesar’s Forum. This, known in the Middle Ages as aguglia (the Eagle), remained for a long time besides the basilica until, in 1586, Sixtus V charged Domenico Fontana to move it to its present site, to the right of which Carlo Maderno created a fountain in 1613 at the behest of Paul V. More than half a century later another symmetrical one, built by Carlo Fontana, was added.

Under Sixtus V, the original bronze globe that adorned the obelisk (today at the Capitoline Museums) and which was believed to contain the ashes of Cesar, was substituted by his family emblem, the mountains and a star surmounted by a crucifix, in which is a fragment of the True Cross of Christ. In the mid-XVII century, the monumental work that adorned St. Peter’s Church found a splendid position in the square in front, built by Gian Lorenzo Bernini between 1656 and 1667. The triumphant spectacle that this architectural genius lavished on the execution of this immense masterpiece was not merely dictated by aesthetic tastes, but was full of deep symbolic meaning; so much so that the square itself can be interpreted as a monumental allegory. The great portico is a symbolic ‘embrace’ on the part of the Church that reaches out to welcome and protect the faithful from all over the world both in this life and in the life to come. The same elliptical space (240 metres wide), theatrically defined by two semi-circles, has a multitude of symbolic meanings.

St. Peter’s Basilica

The site of St. Peter’s Basilica was occupied in ancient times by Nero’s Circus, between the Tevere (Tiber), the Gianicolo and Monte Vaticano and was the site where the chief Apostle Peter was martyred and buried. Pope Anacletus had already erected a small basilica or sacellum ad corpus, but in 324 the Emperor Constantine substituted this presumably modest shrine with a typically Constantinian basilica, similar to other churches built in Rome in that period. The primitive St. Peter’s was completed by his son, Constans, in 349 and was enriched over the centuries by donations and work by the pontiffs and generous princes. In this Constantinian basilica in 800 Charlemagne received the crown from the hands of Leo III and after him came the emperors Lothair, Louis II and Frederick III.

However, a thousand years after its foundation, St. Peter’s was in ruin and it was Nicholas V, on the suggestion of , Leon Battista Alberti and designs by Bernardo Rossellino, who began to renovate and enlarge the basilica. Some parts of the building were demolished and work began on the new apse. These were, however, soon interrupted due to the death of Nicholas V. Work did not begin again until 1506, with Pope Julius II della Rovere. Most of the ancient church was demolished by Bramante (who thus earned the title of "master of the ruins").

After the death of Carlo Maderno in 1629, the next director of work, Gianlorenzo Bernini, took some decisive action on the basilica. He gave the building its prevalently Baroque character, for example in the decorative work on the central and lateral naves, the erection of the famous bronze baldachin (begun in 1624 and inaugurated on St. Peter’s day in 1633), the decoration of the pillars of the cupola with four large statues and the Chair of St. Peter at the bottom of the apse. The latter is one of one of Bernini’s magnificent inventions – a true wonder that houses an ancient wooden chair, which tradition held was used by the Apostle Peter. Renovation work on St. Peter’s Square, again by Bernini, dates back to Pope Alexander VII (who also financed the work on the Chair) and under Clement X the architect designed and completed the little round temple that is the tabernacle of the Chapel of the Sacrament.

A large number of splendid chapels are scattered around the perimeter of the basilica. For example, the Chapel of the Pietà, the Chapel of Saint Sebastian (which also houses a monument to Pope Pius XII by Francesco Messina) and the more famous Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament; the Gregorian Chapel (by Giacomo Della Porta), the Chapel of the Dove, the Clementine Chapel (which takes its name from Pope Clement VIII), the sumptuous Choir Chapel and, finally the Chapel of the Presentation, with its recent monument to Pope John XXIII, by Emilio Greco.

[Text taken from: Roma e il Vaticano - Guida completa alla Città Eterna (Bonechi).]

Current exhibitions

The "Rome’s Museums" site lists all the exhibitions and cultural events currently on in Rome. Information, times and maps of museums in Rome hosting the exhibitions.

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Visiting Museums

Palazzo Olivia is situated in Rome’s historic centre, in the Renaissance area of the Eternal City, near Campo De' Fiori. Discover all the services available to you.

Services near Palazzo Olivia...

Palazzo Olivia offers its guests a list of Rome’s main museums and galleries, with prices, opening times and useful numbers.

The prices and times shown in the following list are only an indication. Palazzo Olivia is not responsible for any variations to costs and times shown.

• Anfiteatro Flavio ColosseumPiazza del ColosseoOpening: 9.00 - 16.30Entry: € 8,00(*)Tel. 06.39967700Web: Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma
• PalatinoPiazza S. Maria Nova, 53Opening: 9.00 - SunsetEntry: € 8,00(*)Tel. 06.39967700Web: Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma
• Domus AureaVia della Domus AureaOpening: 9.00 - 19.45 closed TuesdayEntry: € 5,00(*)Tel. 06.39967700Web: Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma
• Capitoline MuseumsPiazza del Campidoglio, 1Opening: 9.00 - 20.00Entry: € 6,90(*)Tel. 06.39967800Web: Musei Capitolini
• Terme di DioclezianoVia De Nicola, 78Opening: 9.00 - 19.45 closed MondayEntry: € 5,00(*)Tel. 06.4880530Web: Roman National Museum
• Palazzo MassimoLargo di Villa Peretti, 1Opening: 9.00 - 19.45 closed MondayEntry: € 6,00(*)Tel. 06.48903500Web: Roman National Museum
• Palazzo AltempsVia di S. Apollinare, 8Opening: 9.00 - 19.45 closed Monday - Entry: € 5,00(*)Tel. 06.6833759Web: Roman National Museum
• Crypta BalbiVia Botteghe Oscure, 31Opening: 9.00 - 19.30Entry: € 4,00(*)Tel. 06.39749907Web: Roman National Museum
• Villa dei QuintiliVia Appia Nuova, 1092Opening: 9.00 - 19.30 closed MondayEntry: € 4,00(*)Tel. 06.39967700Web: Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma
• Baths of CaracallaVia delle Terme di CaracallaOpening: 9.00-19.00 Mon. 9.00-14.00Entry: € 5,00(*)Tel. 06.5758626Web: Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma
• Tomb of Cecilia MetellaVia Appia Antica, 161Opening: 9.00 - 19.30Entry: € 2,00(*)Tel. 06.7802465Web: Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma
• National Gallery of Modern ArtViale delle Belle Arti, 131Opening: 8.30-19.30 Sat. 9.00-23.00 closed Mon. - Entry: € 6,50(*)Tel. 06.32298Web: Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna
• Etruscan National MuseumPiazzale di Villa Giulia, 9Opening: 8.30 - 19.30 closed MondayEntry: € 4,00(*)Tel. 06.3226571Web: Direzione per i Beni Archeologici
• Palazzo Venezia MuseumPiazza S. Marco, 49Opening: 9.00-14.00 closed Mon. & Holidays - Entry: € 4,00(*)Tel. 06.69994319Web: Direzione per i Beni Archeologici
• Galleria CorsiniVia della Lungara, 10 - Open: 9.00 - 19.00 Sat. 9.00-14.00 Holidays 9.00-13.00 closed Mon. - Entry: € 4(*)Tel. 06.32810Web: Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica
• Palazzo BarberiniVia Barberini, 18Opening: 9.00-19.00 closed Mon.Entry: € 5,00(*)Tel. 06.32810Web: Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica
• Galleria SpadaPiazza Capo di Ferro, 13Open: 9.00-19.00 Holidays 9.00-13.00 closed Mon. - Entry: € 5,00(*)Tel. 06.32810Web: Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica
• Galleria BorghesePiazzale Scipione BorgheseOpening: 9.00-19.00 need booking closed Mon. - Entry: € 6,50(*)Tel. 06.32810Web: Museo e Galleria Borghese
• Palazzo BraschiVia di S. Pantaleo (Piazza Navona)Opening: 9.00 - 19.00 closed MondayEntry: € 6,20(*)Tel. 06.82077304Web: Museo di Roma
• Castel S. Angelo MuseumLungotevere Castello, 50Opening: 9.00 - 20.00 closed MondayEntry: € 5,00(*)Tel. 06.6819111Web: Museo Nazionale di Castel S. Angelo
• PantheonPiazza della RotondaOpening: 9.00 - Sunset - Holidays 9.00-13.00 - Entry: Tel. 06.68300230Web: Pantheon
• VittorianoPiazza VeneziaOpening: 9.30 - 18.30Entry: free Tel. 06.6991718Web: Presidenza della Repubblica

• € 8,00 cumulative ticket Colosseo and Palatino.
• € 9,00 cumulative ticket 4 sites of Roman National Museum.
• € 20,00 cumulative ticket Colosseo, Palatino, Baths of Caracalla, 4 sites of Roman National Museum, Tomb of Cecilia Metella, Villa dei Quintili.

Current exhibitions

The "Rome’s Museums" site lists all the exhibitions and cultural events currently on in Rome. Information, times and maps of museums in Rome hosting the exhibitions.

Visit Musei in Comune site...

Rome Auditorium: music, concerts and events

The Auditorium Parco della Musica has symphony orchestra concerts and chamber music, cinema openings, plays, art exhibitions and literary performances.

Visit the Auditorium di Roma site...