Steps by San Pietro
in Vincoli
Known as the Salita dei Borgia, these steps descend
under what was believed to have been the garden of Vanozza
Cattanei where the Duke of Gandia was murdered. Murder
has lingered for years here though as it is also supposed
to be the site where in 534 BC, the Roman queen Tullia
murdered her father, Servius Tullius, the sixth king
of Rome, running her chariot over his body.
Whatever happened here years ago, the stairs remain
a mysterious, sinister place built of such massive construction
its bricks and stones seem to merge back into the very
rock whence they came.
Clivus Capitolinus
Once a triumphal route for victorious generals, this
steep road leads up to the Capitoline. Day after day
the feet of tourists pound the massive stones as they
end their visit to the Roman Forum.
Via Condotti
The Via del Corso follows the line of the Via Flaminia
as it proceeds from the Forum towards the Porta Flaminia.
Off this road are countless side streets, one of the
most notable being Via Condotti, paradise for those
dedicated to the art of shopping.
Isola Tiburtina
As a winter dusk descends upon the island and the river
rushes past to its next port of call, washing the ancient
crumbling stones of the Ponte Rotto, it is possible
to imagine oneself to be living in any of the many centuries
that have passed in the history of the Eternal City.
