This walk explores the heart of Rome during the heart of the Renaissance: the east bank of the Tiber River, near the Campo di Fiori, which became a beehive of life and activity in the Middle Ages and then the central node of urban living for the nobility of the Renaissance. We'll walk in the shadows of Palazzo Farnese and Palazzo Spada where princes, cardinals, saints and common people rubbed shoulders in the winding alleys and lively piazzas. We'll pass through the Campo di Fiori, which was the geographical center of the city during the 15th century and is today the location of one of the city's liveliest outdoor markets. From here we'll follow the pilgrim's way past the Palazzo Cancelleria and then into the maze of medieval side streets that honeycomb this part of the city. As we pick our way through here we'll poke our heads into one of the workshops--woodworking, furniture restoring, painting--that still operate here, as they did five centuries ago.

Finally we will arrive in elegant Via Giulia where we'll see the churches and homes of the elite. Crossing the Tiber, we'll then venture into Trastevere. This area was particularly celebrated in the Renaissance for the sumptuous villas lining the river bank. The finest example of all was that of Agostino Chigi, now called the Villa Farnesina, which contains Raphael's only profane fresco in Rome. We will spend the last 30-45 minutes inside the Villa, discussing its place in architectural, landscape, and painting history.

This walk introduces you to the unique quality of the city-- that of past and present, luxury and simplicity, stately silence and bustling chaos living side by side in a millenium-old harmony.