DK Travel : Rome : The Spanish Steps and Villa Borghese

Here is rome at its most orderly and elegant, carefully laid out under 16th-century papal urban planning schemes. Baroque popes such as Leo X and Sixtus V redeveloped the all but abandoned area around the Corso, the extension of the ancient Via Flaminia from northern Italy, for their rapidly growing city. Romans now call it the Tridente after the trident of streets - Corso, Ripetta and Babuino - diverging from Piazza del Popolo. It’s an area stamped by a love of theatricality: the beautifully symmetrical Piazza del Popolo; long vistas that stretch down arrow-straight roads; the carefully landscaped Pincio gardens and the lush expanse of Villa Borghese; the stage-set backdrop of the Spanish Steps; the oversized and overwrought Trevi Fountain. It’s also Rome’s most stylishly self-conscious district, famous for its boutiques hawking frighteningly expensive high fashion. Artists have long made their home along Via Margutta, as numerous galleries and antiques shops attest, and Rome’s most elegant passeggiata (the traditional early evening see-and-be-seen stroll) unfolds down the length of Via del Corso.

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La Bottega del Marmoraro

MarmoraroHomespun Italian homilies carved into scraps of marble are hung pell-mell around a characteristic old workshop.
La Bottega del Principino

A workshop selling unusual lamps made of cast iron with parchment lampshades.
Laura Biagiotti

Designer who has made stylish fashions for women since 1972. In menswear, she uses the soft wool that has earned her the moniker “Queen of Cashmere”.
L’Archetto

The cast from nearby Teatro Quirino head here for more than 100 pasta sauces.
L’Enotecantina

Perfect mix of tradition and modernity at this large, relaxed wine bar. Recently, they’ve added outdoor tables for enjoying their fine pastas and pizzas.
Maurizio Grossi

Maurizio Grossi is a specialist in marble. This is just the place to buy a reproduction Roman bust or an astoundingly life-like sculpted fruit.
Messaggerie Musicali

Huge, ultra-modern music store with dozens of listening stations so you can better select your choice of cassettes and CDs. Tastes range from Italian pop to classic opera.
Nag’s Head

Self-styled “Scottish pub” with an occasional DJ and, Monday to Wednesday, live music.
Nomades

This eclectic, funky gallery housed in a former convent sells wood, stone and ceramic objets d’art from around the globe.
Osteria St Ana

Warren of basement rooms plastered with photos of famous patrons. Classic Roman cookery.

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Restaurant price categories

For a three-course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal), taxes and extra charges.
- under €30
- €30-40
- €40-50
- €50-60
- over €60