Between the Trevi Fountain, the Quirinale hill and Via Sistina lies the part of Rome that Romans walk through on the way to work: palaces, Baroque churches, two of the city's great private collections, and a quiet street of residents climbing towards Villa Borghese.
The Trevi Fountain fills a square so small that you hear it before you see it. Since February 2026 the area down by the basin is ticketed for visitors (€2), while the view from the square stays free; after ten at night the barrier opens and anyone can walk down to the water. Our apartment is five minutes up the hill on Via Francesco Crispi, in the same palazzo as our Piazza di Spagna home, so you can come down at seven in the morning, when the fountain belongs to the street cleaners and a few photographers.
Climb the steps behind the fountain and you reach the Quirinale, the highest of Rome's seven hills and the residence of the President of the Republic. The square in front of the palace has the obelisk, the two giant horse-tamers and one of the best free views of the domes, with St Peter's on the horizon. Along Via del Quirinale stand Bernini's Sant'Andrea al Quirinale and, at the crossroads of the Quattro Fontane, Borromini's San Carlo: the two rivals of the Roman Baroque, two hundred metres apart.
On the other side, Via Crispi runs parallel to Via Sistina between Piazza Barberini and the top of the Spanish Steps. It is a residents' street with a bakery, a supermarket, a pharmacy and trattorie on the block. Barberini station on metro line A is five minutes away and puts Termini ten minutes off and the Vatican within a quarter of an hour; Villa Borghese is twelve minutes on foot, the Pantheon thirteen.
Where to eat
- Piccolo Arancio — Roman classics with a lighter hand, on Vicolo Scanderbeg between the Quirinale and the fountain. Book for dinner.
- Sora Lucia — Family-run trattoria on Via Rasella: carbonara, cacio e pepe, and the specials on the chalkboard.
- Trattoria Al Moro — Old-school room on Vicolo delle Bollette, walls covered in posters. Priced above the average trattoria.
- Pizza in Trevi — Newer pizzeria on Via di San Vincenzo, with a gluten-free option. Gets full: reserve.
- Come il Latte — Milk-based gelato made fresh each day, Via Silvio Spaventa, fifteen minutes' walk past Piazza Barberini.
What to see
- Trevi Fountain — In 2026, €2 to reach the basin (Mon and Fri 11:30–22:00, other days 9:00–22:00); free from the square, and free for everyone after 22:00.
- Palazzo del Quirinale — The President's palace opens for guided visits booked online in advance on the official site; bring ID.
- Scuderie del Quirinale — The papal stables, now a major exhibition space; until 7 February 2027, the first big Pontormo show.
- Palazzo Barberini — Raphael's Fornarina, Caravaggio's Judith and Pietro da Cortona's ceiling. Tuesday to Sunday; closed Mondays.
- Galleria Colonna — A princely gallery still owned by the family. Saturday mornings in 2026: €15 short route, €25 full.
Practical tips
- —Buy the Trevi ticket only on the official site, at a Tourist Infopoint or at the entrance (card only): ignore anyone selling tickets in the street.
- —Galleria Colonna opens to the public only on Friday and Saturday mornings, and Palazzo Barberini closes on Mondays: plan the week around them.
- —Via Crispi climbs gently from Via del Tritone; coming back from the centre, Barberini metro saves the hill.
- —Travelling with another family? Our two-bedroom Piazza di Spagna apartment is in the same building: write to us to book both.
Our Rome guide, free by email
Where to stay, what to eat, how to get in from the airport: written by people who live here.