Via del Corso

Via del Corso is the straight spine of central Rome: a kilometre and a half of shops, palaces and churches running dead straight from Piazza Venezia to Piazza del Popolo. The street follows the urban stretch of the ancient Via Flaminia, known in Roman times as the Via Lata, the broad way. Its modern name comes from the corse, the wild riderless horse races that thundered down it during the Roman Carnival from the 15th to the 19th century.

Today the Corso is the city's high street, a largely pedestrian river of shoppers flowing past mid-range fashion, historic cafes and the elegant 19th-century Galleria Alberto Sordi arcade. The luxury quarter unfolds on its eastern side streets: Via dei Condotti, Via Borgognona and Via Frattina lead toward the Spanish Steps lined with the greatest names in Italian fashion.

The street rewards those who look up and step inside. Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, about halfway along, hides one of Rome's finest private art collections, with works by Caravaggio, Titian and the celebrated Velazquez portrait of Pope Innocent X. Baroque churches punctuate the route, and Goethe's Roman home at number 18 is now a small museum dedicated to the poet's Italian journey.

Because it links so many landmarks, the Corso makes a natural walking route: start at Piazza del Popolo (Metro Flaminio, Line A), detour to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, and finish at Piazza Venezia beneath the Vittoriano. Saturday afternoons are the busiest; weekday mornings are far calmer for both shopping and photography.

Questions about tickets, dress codes or timings? Our Rome FAQ answers the questions we hear most.