piazza farnese

Don't stop in Campo de' Fiori! Escape the market and tourist chaos, and find some respite in the quieter and breathtaking Piazza Farnese, with its twin marble basin fountains, and the stunning Palazzo: one of the most important High Renaissance palaces in Rome. It currently serves as the French embassy in Italy.

First designed in 1517 for the Farnese family, the structure was altered when Alessandro Farnese became Pope in 1534, to designs by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger. Its building history involved some of the most prominent Italian architects of the 16th century, including Michelangelo, Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola, and Giacomo della Porta.

basilica di san pietro

campidoglio

The Campidoglio area––Rome's Capitoline hill––is closed off to traffic. This also means no parking anywhere at all times. But according to the sign in the top image, only wedding vehicles are allowed on the weekend.
Rome city hall celebrates civil marriages in its richly upholstered Sala Rossa, a spacious room decorated with red tapestries and gold finish. So unless you're saying, "I do" on Saturday and Sunday, you can forget driving up the 100-step stone incline.