Stroll through a maze of fascinating medieval streets and narrow alleys. The walk begins at Piazza del Campidoglio, the elegant square on the Capitoline Hill designed by Michelangelo. From here you can enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view over Rome, including the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill, one of the most evocative landscapes of the ancient city. In the center of the square stands the famous bronze equestrian statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, while nearby you can admire the impressive remains of the colossal statue of Constantine preserved in the Capitoline Museums.
From the Campidoglio, the route continues downhill toward one of the most fascinating archaeological areas of Rome: the Theatre of Marcellus. Commissioned by Julius Caesar and inaugurated by Augustus in 11 BC in memory of his nephew Marcellus, who died at the age of nineteen, the theater later became part of a Renaissance palace when the powerful Orsini family built their residence within its ancient arches in the 16th century.
Nearby you will also notice the three tall columns that remain from the Temple of Apollo Medicus, originally built in 433 BC, and the ruins of the Temple of Bellona, erected in 236 BC and dedicated to the Roman god of war.
The walk then leads you into the historic streets of the former Jewish Ghetto, beginning along Via del Portico d’Ottavia. The street takes its name from the ancient Portico of Octavia, a vast quadriporticus that once featured around 300 columns and incorporated the temples of Jupiter and Juno. In antiquity, this area also hosted the remains of the old Roman fish market.
Continuing along Via della Reginella, you will pass closely packed buildings—often rising six floors high with unusually low ceilings—typical of the dense architecture that developed in the old ghetto.
Soon you reach the charming Piazza Mattei, a small and picturesque square surrounded by historic palaces. Overlooking it are Palazzo Costaguti, decorated with frescoes by Guercino, and the remarkable Palazzo Mattei, dating from the 16th–17th centuries. Its courtyard, featuring a double loggia and staircase, is richly decorated with colossal Roman busts, statues, sarcophagi, and other ancient relics, making it one of the most curious and fascinating sights in the city.
Not far away stand other architectural and artistic gems of this quiet residential area: the churches of Santa Maria in Campitelli and Santa Caterina dei Fumari, along with the historic palaces of Albertoni and Capizucchi. Here, among elegant buildings and peaceful streets, the atmosphere of ancient Rome can still be felt.
This route concludes in the heart of the historic Jewish Ghetto, after a walk that begins with the grand views from the Campidoglio and gradually unfolds through layers of Roman, Renaissance, and medieval history.
