Itinerary from St. Peter's Square to Piazza Navona

The itinerary leads us to Piazza Navona, one of Rome's most famous and scenic squares.

The route crosses Via della Conciliazione, which connects St. Peter's Square with Castel Sant'Angelo, symbolically and physically connecting Italy with the Vatican State. Built between 1936 and 1950 based on a design by architects Marcello Piacentini and Attilio Spaccarelli, the street celebrates the "reconciliation" between the Italian State and the Holy See (Santa Sede), sanctioned by the Lateran Pacts of 1929.

The first stop on the itinerary is Castel Sant'Angelo, one of the city's most iconic monuments. Also known as the Mausoleum of Hadrian, it was built by Emperor Hadrian in 135 AD. as a tomb for himself and his successors. Over the centuries, it was transformed into a fortress and papal residence.

The mausoleum, located on the right bank of the Tiber, was connected to the city by the monumental Ponte Sant'Angelo, also built by Emperor Hadrian. The bridge's current appearance dates back to the restoration commissioned by Pope Clement IX in 1669 from Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The sculptor designed ten statues of angels holding the instruments of Christ's Passion, creating a sort of monumental "Via Crucis."

To reach Piazza Navona, you can take two alternative routes: Via del Governo Vecchio or Via dei Coronari, both fascinating and rich in history. The former was originally part of the Via Papalis, the solemn route that the Popes took between St. Peter's Basilica and St. John Lateran. The second was commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV in 1475 as the city's first modern straight road on the occasion of the Jubilee.