Spanish Steps apartment, Rome: Quattro Fontane Suite - Tips and Area

Elegant & bright 1BR / 1BA short-let apartment in the center of Rome with free wireless connection

Tips and Area

This wonderful short-let apartment is only few steps away from the finest examples of Roman Baroque architecture and namely the Chiesa di San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane also known as San Carlino and the Chiesa di Sant’Andrea al Quirinale.

Chiesa di San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (the Church of Saint Charles at the Four Fountains):
wonderful masterpiece of Baroque architecture designed by the architect Francesco Borromini (1599-1667)  under the patronage of Cardinale Francesco Barberini whose noble palace was just across the road.
Amazing baroque facade, interior consistent with the growing interest - in the seventeenth century - for oval designs. Besides, the oval plan was well suited to the church’s small and narrow building site. Borromini oriented his S. Carlino oval longitudinally, that is, with the entrance at one tip and the high altar at the other.
More info and pictures: http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/S_Carlo_Alle_Quattro_Fonta.html

Chiesa di Sant’Andrea al Quirinale (the Church of Saint Andrew at the Quirinal):
small oval baroque church by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. It is considered amongst the finest  and Bernini himself considered it his only perfect work. In his late years, his son recalled, he spent hours sitting in the church and looking at the polychrome marbles, the gilded and bleached stuccoes, and the play of light in the interior. The church was commissioned by Pope Alexander VII and Cardinal Camillo Pamphilj. S. Andrea al Quirinale is small, but it took 12 years to build (1658–70). An oval building with the naves scul

This vacation rental apartment is also few steps away from the beautiful squares of Rome such as Piazza Barberini, Piazza di Spagna and Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore. More in particular Piazza di Spagna is magnificient beginning of May due to the world-famous flower show, when the steps are covered with blossommed azaleas and each July in occasion of evening fashion show, the steps being used as a catwalk. Every 8 December, the city’s firemen, in the presence of the Pope, pay hommage to the Virgin by placing a floral wreath on the statue.

The piazza has always being the meeting places for travellers coming from all over the world. The international nature is even stressed by the presence of the diplomatic offices of both France and Spain, which of course, influenced the name of the piazza itself. It is now an international meeting point. The fountain known as the ’Barcaccia’ (boat) was commissioned by Urbano Barberini to commemorate the alliance made with the King of France, whose coat of arms can be seen on Trinità dei Monti.

The square is today filled with flower vendors, jewelry dealers, tourists and photographers snapping pictures of visitors.

Shopping: In the Piazza di Spagna you find the boutiques of Valentino, Dolce e Gabbana, Missoni, Sergio Rossi, Genny, Rocco Barocco and Krizia.

The Spanish Steps square leads then into the most famous and elegant shopping streets of Rome: Via Dei Condotti (Armani, Valentino, Cartier, Bulgari, Hermes, Gucci, Ferragamo, Prada, Alberta Ferretti, Max Mara), Via Frattina (Gente, Pollini, Versace, Philosophy by Alberta Ferretti), Via Borgognona (Moschino, Calvin Klein, Givency, Laura Biagiotti, Fendi, Diego Della Valle, Fratelli Rossetti), Via delle Carrozze with their luxurious boutiques and, Via Del Babuino with its antique shops (Alberto Di Castro), concept stores (TAD) and glam shops (Gente).

Ideally one could speak about a quadrilateral between Via del Corso, Via del Babuino, Via della Vite and Piazza del Popolo.

TAD: Via del Babuino, 155a. Tel.+39 06 32695131 (http://www.taditaly.com). Concept multisensorial store meaning  trends and ancient weaknesses ("T endenze ed A ntiche D ebolezze"), retail heaven, furniture, textiles, shoes, flowers shop. Very popular the fusion restaurant and the cafè.

Gente. Via del Babuino, 80-82. The hot address for shopper-lovers! Italian and foreign labels like Prada, Anna Sui, Helmut Lang and so on..

For craftman jewellery at wholesaler prices we suggest you to make reference to "di San Giacomo", Via dè Reti, 23 (San Lorenzo district), telephone +39-06-44360554. Web-site: www.disangiacomo.com. The owner, Claudio Nicotra di San Giacomo, will be happy to welcome you. In this laboratory you can see hand-made production of the finest jewels and high-end bijoux.

For 5 o’clock tea or for a brunch:Babington’s Tearoom. Piazza di Spagna, 23. Tel. +39 06 6786027 (http://www.babingtons.com/movie.html). A true piece of England founded in 1893 by two English ladies Anna Maria Babington and Isabel Cargill when - as pointed out in the website - tea could only be found in pharmacies.

TAD Tearoom. Via del Babuino, 155a. See above.

For a stand-up coffee:  Antico Caffè Greco. Via dei Condotti, 86. Tel. +39 06 679 1700. Founded in 1760 by Nicola della Maddalena. Amongst the most famous habitués of the cafè were Schopenauer, Wagner, Stendhal, Gogol, D’Annunzio. Period furnishings bring a unique charm to this Roman institution.

For luch or dinner: Fiaschetteria Beltrami. Via della Croce, 39. Traditional and exclusive place with a lot of character.

For ice-cream: Gelateria San Crispino, Via della Panetteria 42. Definitely a must-visit. This ice-cream place is located near the Trevi Fountain. It is very well-known for both its superior products and its authoritarian attitude. By ready to order flavors that go well together! The shop will not combine flavors in a single order if they don’t feel those flavors will go together well. The flavors are amazingly genuine and intense.