Solitary squares, fountains sparkling in the summer sun, churches, noble palazzos, secret gardens: so much that Rome has to offer features in "La Grande Bellezza" (The Great Beauty) by Paolo Sorrentino, winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 2014.
From the Flavio Amphitheatre to Via Veneto, from the Campo Verano Cemetery to the Baths of Caracalla, Sorrentino's film offers a meandering, unusual journey through the Capital.
Following in the footsteps of Jep Gambardella – the film's main character - you too can become part of The Great Beauty and discover all the beauty, all the intrigue of Rome.
And so that you don't miss any of it, here are the official Great Beauty routes, as recommended by the Municipality of Rome:
ROUTE 1: FROM PALAZZO BARBERINI TO VILLA GIULIA
This route explores the north of the city. Starting from the stunning Baroque residence, Palazzo Barberini, you'll continue along Via Bissolati to Via Veneto, the popular shopping street. Be sure to stop off at Villa Medici, near the Pincian Hill, completely renovated by Cardinal Ferdinando de’ Medici in the 1500s, to reflect the style of the stunning Medici Villas of Florence. Then finish off at VILLA GIULIA, with its Pompeian style features, the garden and the National Etruscan Museum, which houses, among other works, the famous Sarcophagus of the Spouses.
ROUTE 2: FROM THE VERANO CEMETERY TO SANTA SABINA
This much longer route winds through to the centre of Rome, starting from the Campo Verano Cemetery, where you can visit the graves of famous Italian poets, actors and authors, such as Ungaretti, Trilussa, Vittorio Gassman and Sibilla Aleramo. Continue down to the Scala Sancta steps, then head on to the Angelicum, the Capitoline Museums and the Colosseum. Continue to the remains of the Baths of Caracalla, the SAVELLO PARK AND ORANGE GARDEN, one of Rome's most picturesque terraces, and the great early-Christian Basilica of Santa Sabina. Here, amongst other things, you'll find a museum housing several prized works, including a sculpture by Arnolfo di Cambio.
FROM THE JANICULUM TO THE PALAZZO DELLA ROVERE
This route takes you around the western part of Rome. Start off at the Janiculum, or Gianicolo Hill, with its spectacular views of the Trastevere and the city centre, and keep walking until the Fontanone and the Temple of Bramante, one of the great artist's most beautiful works, built on the site where, it is said, Saint Peter was crucified upside down. Continue along the embankments of the Tiber to Palazzo Spada and Palazzo Braschi, today the Museum of Rome, on the top floor of which you'll find a reconstruction of the antechamber of the Alcova Torlonia, with beautiful decorative panels. Be sure to stop off at Piazza Navona, Palazzo Altemps - now the Museum of Sculpture - and Palazzo Taverna. The last part of the route will take you to the Palazzo Sacchetti, home to some of Rome's most beautiful noble apartments, with the famous Hall of Globes painted by Salviati. Finally there's the Palazzo dei Penitenzieri, also known as the Palazzo della Rovere, where you can see Pinturicchio's mysterious Ceiling of the Demigods frescoes. Part of the palazzo is now a hotel and restaurant, but the beautiful Baroque frescoes and Renaissance arches have been carefully preserved.
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