The best way to soak up the city — and to find some of the quainter (and more affordable) shops — is to zig-zag from vicolo to vicolo (alley), piazza to piazza.
For a good two-hour stroll, start at the bustling Piazza Navona, then head south through Campo dei Fiori, where you will find cafés and daily food and flower markets, to the beguiling Piazza Farnese, with its pair of fountains and Renaissance palace.
From there, continue toward Ponte Sisto. The ponte (bridge) offers a great perspective on the beauty of Rome, with the Gianicolo hill rising to the west and St. Peter's Basilica to the north.
Ponte Sisto is a fascinating footbridge in Rome's historic centre, spanning the river Tiber.
It connects the southern end of Via Giulia to Piazza Trilussa in Trastevere. The current bridge was built by Pope Sixtus IV as a replacement of a prior Roman bridge named Pons Aurelius.
A must on any walking itinerary of the heart of Rome, this 15th century pedestrian bridge will amaze you and will make you feel wish to live in our wonderful city.
Just cross the bridge to arrive in the utterly charming Trastevere neighborhood, where laundry swings overhead and flowers burst from window boxe. Your stroll can continue, and the enchantment (and shops) will keep coming.
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