t The large Piazza del Popolo at sunset
t The large Piazza del Popolo at sunset
Experience Piazza di Spagna and Villa Borghese
By the 16th century, the increase in the numbers of visiting pilgrims and ecclesiasts was making life in Rome’s already congested medieval centre unbearable. A new triangle of roads was built, still in place today, designed to channel pilgrims as swiftly as possible from the city’s north gate, Porta del Popolo, to the Vatican. By the 18th century hotels had sprung up all over the district. With Piazza di Spagna at its heart, this area remains busy day and night, the target of visitors from all over the world. Beyond the still visible traces of the old city walls lie the extensive grounds of Villa Borghese, now Rome’s most popular public park. The villa and gardens were designed in the early 17th century by Cardinal Scipione Borghese as a recreational retreat at the edge of Rome and to house his private art collection. The present gardens were redeveloped in the early 19th century and have a boating lake, a replica of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, a zoo, a few cafés and several of Rome’s finest museums.