Via Babbuino area, Via San Giacomo, Via dei Greci, Via del Corso, Rome, Italy

Spanish Steps quarter:

Via Babbuino area, Via San Giacomo, Via dei Greci, Via del Corso

For a complete presentation, please visit the specific pages on the streets of the quarter:

- Spanish Steps general presentation
- Via Sistina and Piazza Trinita' de' Monti
- The Borghese Gardens
- Via della Croce (this page)
- Via del Babbuino, Via San Giacomo, Via dei Greci, Via del Corso (this page)
- Via Mario Fiori and of Via Frattina

- Spanish Steps Regina apartment
- Spanish Steps Leonardo apt.
- Spanish Steps Valentino penthouse

- holiday rentals apartments
- Rome guide
- Rome map
- Roman Homes homepage

Via del Babbuino

The church of St. Attanasio

Via del Babbuino (Baboon street) connects the Spanish Steps with Piazza del Popolo and the northern gate of Rome. It owes its name to an ancient Roman statue situated near the Church of St. Attanasio, at half-way of its length. The statue is warned-out, and the Romans, with their great witty personality dubbed it "the baboon", because it was ugly. Today it is part of a fountain, and it is one of the "talking statues" of Rome. Whoever has something to say, or someone to insult, will write a graffiti, or leave a written message. The Church of St. Atanasio is a Greek-Catholic church, i.e. the priests are Catholic, but they follow the oriental rite, and they can marry.

The Church of St. Patrick

Via dei Greci

Via Margutta

Just after it you find one of the two Anglican Church in Rome, St. Patrick. The little streets intersecting the Via del Babbuino are famous, although they have a different personality. Via dei Greci is renowned for its antiquaries, for the Lyon Bookshop (the oldest English bookshop in Rome, and for the famous Musical Academy of Santa Cecilia. Via Margutta is famous for its artists' and painters' studios.

Via Orto di Napoli

Via San Giacomo

Church of San Giacomo

Via Orto di Napoli is known for its charm, Via San Giacomo, where circulation is forbidden (cars can only park), has a very special feel for its quiet and its mannerly palaces. Luckily, it includes also a grammar school, with only a few students, which make it somewhat lively in certain hours of the day. The street brings to the Church with the same name (San Giacomo) in Via del Corso.

Electric bus 117

Armani boutique

A fine window in Via del Babbuino

Two electric buses drift among tourists in Via del Babbuino. They are 117 and 119, and are very convenient to go to a number of destinations (Piazza del Popolo, the Borghese Gardens and Museum, Via del Corso, Piazza Venezia, Capitol Hill, the Roman Forum and the Monti quarter. There are countless shops in the area, notably antiquaries, art studios and galleries, and jewelers.

Entrance of the Academy of Santa Cecilia in Via Vittoria

No littering 1761 marble slab in Via San Giacomo

"The Monsignor President of the Streets forbids to throw garbage in all the extension of this house, under the penalties of the edict published on 18 Dec. 1761"

Many famous Italian composers studied at the Musical Academy of Santa Cecilia in Via dei Greci / Via Vittoria.

Via del Corso, South view

Parallel to Via del Babbuino is Via del Corso, a street which is more than 2000 years old. It was built in ancient Rome to connect the northern gate (where nowadays there is Piazza del Popolo) to Capitol Hill. It is about one mile long, and it has many shops, but above all countless mannerly palaces. In the previous centuries it was the site for political rallies, and for horse races (hence the name "Corso").

Via del Corso, North view