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Large apartment located in Via dei Fienili in the heart of the Rome's historical center, at the foot of the Capitol, close by to the Roman Forum, just minutes from the Coliseum.
The flat has three double-size bedrooms and a large living/dining room. In the living/dining room there is a double sofa-bed. The kitchen is fully stocked with crockery and pots. The bathroom has a shower. Air conditioning is provided.
As it is a 16th-century building, there is no elevator, just two flights by foot.
AREA DESCRIPTION
The apartment is situated between Circo Massimo and the Jewish Quarter. On its southern side, the Palatine Hill drops suddenly down to the Circo Massimo, a long, thin, green expanse bordered by heavily trafficked roads that was the ancient city's main venue for chariot races. The arena could apparently hold a crowd of around 200.000 betting punters, and if it were still even half-intact it would no doubt match the Colosseum for grandeur.
Just back the Jewish Quarter you find Piazza Bocca della Verità, past two of the city's better preserved Roman temples - the Temple of Portunus and the Temple of Hercules Victor, the latter long known as the temple of Vesta because, like all vestal temples, is circular.
Both date from the end of the second century BC, and although you can't get inside, they're actually fine examples of republican-era places of worship; and the Temple of Hercules Victor is, for what it's worth, the oldest surviving marble structure in Rome. More interesting is the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin on the far side of the square, a typically Roman medieval basilica with a huge marble altar and a colorful and ingenious Cosmati-work floor - one of the city's finest.
Outside in the portico, and giving the square its name, is the Bocca della verità (Mask of Truth), an ancient Roman drain cover in the shape of an enormous face that in medieval times would apparently swallow the hand of anyone who hadn't told the truth. It was particularly popular with husbands anxious to test the faithfulness of their wives, now it is one of the city's biggest tour bus attractions.
From here the visitor can walk to the Forum, Piazza Navona, Fontana di Trevi, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Campo dei Fiori or across the Tiber river to enchanting Trastevere, famous for its narrow streets and cozy restaurants. |
