DK Travel : Rome : The Quirinal and Via Veneto

The Quirinal and Via Veneto : Overview & Top 10

The original hill of Rome, the Quirinal was mainly residential in Imperial times, noted for its grand baths and temples. In the Middle Ages, it reverted to open countryside and it wasn’t until the 16th century that it again became important, when the crest of the hill was claimed for the pope’s new palace. Following that, important papal families built their large estates all around the area, including the Barberini, the Corsini and the Ludovisi. The Quirinal Palace has passed through many metamorphoses but the biggest change to the area came after 1870. The Ludovisi sold off their huge villa to developers, and Via Veneto and the smart area around it became an instant success with the wealthy classes of the newly unified country. This quarter speaks of elegance and power throughout all its ages.

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Via Veneto

This lazy curve of a street sports a number of belle époque grand hotels and canopied pavement cafés. It enjoyed its famous dolce vita (sweet life) heyday in the 1950-60s, when movie stars supped, sipped and simpered here for the paparazzi. Today, the allure is sadly limited for anybody other than tourists, but every visitor to Rome should come at least once to take a stroll here.