Rome, Italy was the much anticipated destination for our last month of summer in the northern hemisphere. We looked forward to revisiting favorite spots and spending a couple of weeks exploring the city with our favorite (and only) daughter before she resumed her university classes. 

During the day and in the evenings we loved visiting the many piazzas within walking distance of our apartment. Sometimes we would browse the shops or eat at one of the surrounding outdoor restaurants. But most of the time we would watch tourists take photos, local families meander across the cobblestone, or street entertainers share their musical, juggling, or acrobatic skills.

Piazza di Trevi – Most people just refer to this area as Trevi Fountain, probably because the fountain consumes so much of the piazza and the rest of the paved area is filled with the many, many tourists visiting the area both day and night. We walked to this piazza at least three times to enjoy the fountain’s impressive sculptures while listening to police blow their whistles at tourists who were sitting or standing on the edge of the very impressive fountain.

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Legend says that if a person throws a coin over his or her shoulder into Trevi Fountain, the person will return to Rome. Two coins should be thrown if the person wants to fall in love and a person wanting to get married needs to toss three coins. We watched many wishful or traditional-loving visitors throw coins into the fountain. Totaling about 3,000 euros per day, the money is collected nightly and donated to a local charity that assists individuals needing food.

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The Trevi name for the fountain and piazza was given because three streets (tre vie) converge at that location.

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Aqua Virgo Aqueduct, the original public water source for this part of Rome, terminated in the piazza and the large fountain was built in the mid 1700s so community members could easily access the water. The fountain, said to be the most famous in Italy, stands 26 meters tall and almost 46 meters wide on the back side of an office building. Each day the fountain spills over 80,000 cubic meters of recirculated water.

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Piazza di Spagna — Built in the 1700s on a steep hillside, the Spanish Steps are the most photographed part of this piazza and easily found in the central tourist area of the city. The staircase spans from Trinita de’ Monti, the church at the top of the steps, down to the large piazza surrounded by shops, restaurants, and apartment buildings. Why does the name of the staircase include the country of Spain and not Italy? The steps were named because of their proximity to the Spanish Embassy, which used to be in the very busy Piazza Spagna.

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Two other highly photographed piazza features are Fontana dell Baracaccia at the bottom of the Spanish Steps and the 19th century Column of the Immaculate Conception supporting a statue of the Virgin Mary at the top. The column is technically part of Piazza Mignaneli, but since the two piazzas blend together most people just say the beautiful Virgin Mary statue is in Piazza Spagna.

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In 2019 it became illegal to sit on the Spanish Steps, with a maximum fine of 250 euros. Most tourists are unaware of this new law, so police actively instruct the step sitters to stand instead of penalizing them. The message is brief and includes only repeated, loud whistles blows and hand motions to arise from resting on the marble staircase. We didn’t see anyone flagrantly disregard police directions or get fined. We climbed the 135 steps almost every evening of our visit, not only for exercise, but also to appreciate the incredible city skyline.

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Piazza del Popolo – This large piazza, with a name meaning People’s Square, underwent several redesigns over the centuries and now includes an impressive Egyptian obelisk of Ramesses II from 10 BC surrounded by four small lion fountains. Two very similar-looking churches sit at the south end: Santa Maria in Montesanto and Santa Maria dei Miracoli. We often observed one or more men with bunches of roses handing individual flowers to women walking past the fountains.  For the unsuspecting female tourists this seems quite nice, until it becomes clear during the subsequent conversation that the man expects money in exchange for his “gift.” We were recipients of a rose one time before we understood the man’s entrepreneurial technique.

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Piazza Barberini – Triton Fountain, the only picture-worthy feature of this piazza, depicts an ancient Greco-Roman sea god as a merman. It was created from travertine stone in 1642 to be a public source of water coming from Acqua Felice Aqueduct. Even though the fountain serves a more decorative purpose now, it is still historically revered. Dipping your feet into its waters can result in a 450 euro fine. During one of our visits to the fountain we watched a photographer take pictures of a bride, groom, attendants, and family members in the warm sunshine. 

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Piazzale Guiseppe Garibaldi – This piazza, named after an Italian 19th century military leader, has a higher elevation than most, so it provided a perfect spot for us to have panoramic views of city center and take a few photos.

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Piazza Navona – Unlike other piazzas we visited, this one features an oval design. The area originally featured a white marble stadium for 30,000 spectators to watch athletic events and chariot races. After the oval arena was paved over in the 15th century, Romans added buildings to surround the piazza and used the center area for the main city market for about 300 years.

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The piazza features three large fountains and tour guides seem to always include this beautiful area in their day and evening city tours for large groups.

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We walked to and/or through Piazza Navona numerous times and never tired of seeing the busy shops and restaurants, as well as the artists and street performers. One evening we were entertained by a talented and enthusiastic fire juggler. He attracted quite a crowd during his performance.

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Campo dei Fiori – Prior to being paved with cobblestones in the mid 1400s, the site of this piazza was a meadow, which explains why the name Campo dei Fiori (Field of Flowers) was selected. This piazza is not bordered by a church or any government buildings so it has a more informal vibe. Locals and tourists visit the daily market which specializes in many varieties of fruits and vegetables, as well as beautiful flowers. We weren’t the only tourists who took photos of the colorful blooms.

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Like other piazzas in Rome, Campo dei Fiori was used hundreds of years ago for executions. Giodarno Bruno, an Italian philosopher, was burned alive in 1600 for what the pope believed was heresy. He is viewed by many as a martyr for freedom of thought and a memorial statue of him stands in the piazza facing the Vatican. The positioning of the statue is probably not a coincidence. The bronze depiction of Bruno reminded us of a well-known Star Wars emperor.

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