Barberini - Roma. Italy.

Barberini Square

Barberini Palazzo

Ornate spring fountains

Ornate spring fountains

Presidential Palazzo

View of Roma

View of Roma from Presidential Palazzo

Spanish Steps

Barberini - Italy.

Words and photography by Allison O'Donoghue

Barberini is centrally located within walking distance of the most popular ancient tourist sites in Roma. I'm staying at the hotel Imperiale' Via Veneto, a bustling street lined with artists, restaurants and cafes. What an amazing contrast from the horror of whoop whoop and biggest plus - the air-con is on constantly. After a lovely shower I immediately headed out for a meal, the trouble was where to eat, so many great choices. It didn't matter, I planned on trying as many different places as possible. I know it sounds pedestrian but I settled on a Caesar salad, the best I have ever tasted and instead of coffee I ordered a tea, an alien concept to Italians. You have to be very specific and state caldo which means hot, otherwise they'll serve you ice tea. And at 5 euro - $10 dollars Australian you'd want to drink it all. I eventually found a place that sold it for 1.50 and returned endlessly as its the only drink besides aqua that really quenches my thirst. And speaking of water, everywhere you go in Roma there are ornate water fountains, direct from the Castelli mountains, so all you have to do is refill your bottle. At first I was a bit reluctant, thinking goat poo and the like, but I was reassured it goes thru a filtering process before it gets to the taps. If its good enough for the Italians its good enough for me.

View from the Spanish Steps

First you'll come across the Church of Tinita Del Monti at the top of the steps, with two bell towers. Originally built in 1495 by order of Charles Vlll and consecrated in 1585 by Sixtus V then restored in 1816 by Louis XVlll and is one of the most important French churches in Roma. Absolutely worth gong inside. Its free, rare in Roma where everything costs an arm and a leg, so take advantage of the free entry and soak up the serene ambience. The guards on the door act as fashion police, if you have too much exposed skin and you possibly will in 40 degree heat, they will not let you in. I witnessed the guard berate a middle aged Irish women for wearing shorts, thongs and a singlet. Suffice to say, he didn't let her in no matter how much she pleaded. And unlike Florence they do not hand out decency capes. Once inside, the silence is deafening and the ornate architecture is overwhelming. I stayed in there for a while as it was cool and tranquil.

If you don't fancy walking the short distance to the Spanish Steps you can catch the metro, which is located at the end of the street to the Piazza di Spagna. I chose to walk. In fact, I walked everywhere in Europe, apart from the brilliant exercise, its a wonderful way of stumbling onto hidden treasures, tiny shops selling exclusive wares and experience how the locals live. The Spanish Steps or the Trinita' del Monti is one of the most popular and frequented sites in Roma. Built in 1725 by Specchi and De Sanctis, and an excellent example of Rococo architecture. And its massive but be warned: the steps are made of marble, have eroded over the centuries and hot like oil in summer, meaning very slippery and of course I went arse over landing heavily on my right elbow and buttock, smashing my camera in the process and was left with an impressive bruise, luckily I was helped up by a lovely American lady; "Oh my god, this is like a three stooges skit," she said "You're the fifth person I've seen take a tumble. Are you right honey? Let me help you." I gingerly walked down the steps like a granny, limping all the way and cursing under my breath. I recovered.

The Obelisk or Column of Immaculate Conception created by Poletti in 1856 was surrounded by scaffolding for ongoing repairs and restoration, obscuring the complete view of the church of Trinita Dei Monti, nonetheless it is still an amazing sight. When you get to the bottom of the steps turn around and look back up at the magnificent structure. In the spring, the steps are covered in violets with maidens dressed in costume selling little boutique bunches of violets at tourist prices. Meaning expensive, but hey when in Roma!!

At the bottom of the steps is the Fountana Della Barcaccia, a remarkable fountain of a boat, designed by B Bernini Snr father of the legendary Gianlorenzo Bernini. Apparently, the fountain was built on the sight where a large boat washed up after the Tiber river flooded in the 1600's. Incredible the power of water as this piazza is a long way from the Tiber, but it is possible, however hard to envision as the streets are so narrow. Its a miracle the boat wasn't smashed in the process. Regardless of the legend behind the  fountain its a welcome sight, mobbed by tourists dipping scarfs in the water to mop themselves down and cool off. Its a great meeting point before you head to the big one: the Trevi Fountain.

The Spanish Piazza has a lot to offer in terms of exploration. Check out the elegant side street Via Condotti where famous writers and artists from all eras met in coffee houses for a debrief and networking. One such place is Cafe Greco, a Greek coffee house opened in the 18th century and quickly became the epicentre of intellectual and cultural life in Roma. It boasts patrons such as Goethe, Chopin, Rossini, Liszt, Wagner and the poet Keats. Hemmingway also frequented this cafe as well as artists, philosphers, writers and men of letters. Not far is the Torlonia Palace with numerous elegant shops, art galleries and antique shops. Bring your wallet and cashed up credit cards for this spot as you'll pay through the nose for everything, but if you want something unique, then this is the place to get it.

Keep going around the corner to get the Trevi Fountain. It is surprisingly small square. I knew I was getting close as the crowds grew bigger, crammed into a tiny little piazza is this magnificent structure. This masterpiece was constructed in 1792 by architect  Nicola Salvi and heavily criticised by experts in Baroque architecture at the time, who deemed that it was impossible to conceive work in the style of the preceding century. Well not really, all they have to do is look around and copy the style and all architecture is inspired by old architecture, albeit modernised for the era. Bernini designed the fountain and Salvi took over, some controversy there, competition. The large central niche where the Trevi is located is part of the Palazza of Dukes Poli and depicts neptune flanked by two Tritons and sculptures within the strcuture by Bracci. They kept adding to it to improve it. It is so monstrous and even gawdy, but truly Italian.

Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain is considered one of the most famous in the world where rumour has it if you threw a coin in the fountain you are destined to return to Roma or you'll find love or both. The Trevi reaps a staggering 80,000 euro a month, which is all donated to the Red Cross. The fountain is now guarded at night as the poor would wait until the wee small hours to dive in and collect the days donations. Looters were making a small fortune so the Italian government stepped in to put a stop to it. Lets face it, this is a free lucrative market for the government so why not put the funds to good use. The Trevi is a beautiful fountain and well worth a look if you can get through the crowds all vying for poll position to have their photo taken and toss a coin in for good measure. I was one of them, but quickly pushed out of the way.

Directly in front of the fountain is the Church of Saint Vincent and Anastasius with an extraordinary baroque frontage by Martino Longhi. The Stamperia is also in the Piazza which is the state Calcography institute which houses original etchings from Piranesi, Volpato and many others. It is also worth exploring the narrow back streets leading off from the Trevi Piazza. I had to get away from the pushy crowds and found an isolated museum which was air-conditioned and a welcome respite from the heat. I discovered a Roman excavation site, complete with artifacts and ongoing work. The city of Roma has endless treasures they are still discovering to this day. The work will never be complete. Heaven for archeologists and historians.

Barberini is an excellent district full of ancient tourist attractions, cafes, restaurants, shops and beautiful water fountains. It is central to all the most frequented tourist attractions, boasts the best hotels and a metro to take you anywhere you like in Roma. Its the best.

Fontana di Trevi

Buggie ride in Barberini