Rome's Most Important Piazzas in One Day, Rome, Italy

We started our morning away from the center of the Italian Capital. We took the subway to Piazza del Popolo, where we wanted to enjoy our breakfast while admiring the twin basilicas and doing some people watching.

Having breakfast in Piazza del Popolo was kind of a bad decision. We left the terrace of Canova starving: we waited a long time, yet nobody came to take our order. So we went across the piazza, to Rosati. Here, we managed to eat. But we spent 30 euros on a small breakfast. At the place we went the days before, breakfast went up to around 8 euros, coffees included. But I guess when you’re going to a terrace in one of Rome’s piazzas, you’re mostly going there for the place. And since the request is high, it also makes sense that the prices are elevated, as well.

Luckily, the beautiful things we got to see in the area quickly made us forget about the less than perfect beginning of the day!

As you enter the Piazza by Porta del Popolo, you see a church on your left: Basilica Parrochialle Santa Maria del Popolo. Unfortunately, when we visited Rome, this basilica was under restoration, so we skipped it, missing Caravaggio’s Crucifixion of Saint Peter and the Conversion of Saint Paul. From the Porta del Popolo, if you look ahead, you can see Rome’s Piazza del Popolo in perfect symmetry: you have the twin white basilicas in the background, separated by the obelisk in the middle of the circus. Aligned with the obelisk, you can see Fontana del Nettuno on the right, and Fontana della Dea di Roma on the left. The following image depicts part of this beautiful symmetry. The twin basilicas are Santa Maria in Montesanto and Santa Maria dei Miracoli. Though always treated together, Santa Maria in Montesanto is a minor basilica, unlike its twin. It is also Rome’s Church of the Artists. We saw the interior of the two basilicas briefly and quietly. We visited on a Sunday and there were religious ceremonies taking place. This is also why we don’t have any photos of their interior from this trip. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).