Walkabout in Rome : ‘La Dolce Vita’

Via Veneto was the setting for Frederico Fellini’s classic 1960 film La Dolce Vita and was famous in the 1950-60’s where movie stars “supped, sipped and simpered for the paparazzi”.  A touch before my time … well, I was little 😉  There are a number of  ‘belle époque’ grand hotels and canopied pavement cafés along the street.

As it’s now a tourist attraction, hubby and I decided to take a stroll along this famous street and find a reasonably priced café to have supper.  We found one, in amongst the posh ones .. and the food was good.  Not fantastic, but good.    Having had our feet up for a bit and a refreshing shower after our long, hot and tiring yet very interesting day in and around the Ancient City, we made our way to Via Veneto, on foot of course! …

Large shell fountain at one end of Via Veneto …

One of the smart hotels …

Well-known, world-wide Hard Rock Café, Rome is here ..

I think these are apartments …

Via Veneto is lined with Sycamore trees.  Building on the left behind the trees in pic below is the American Embassy ..

Westin Excelsior – 5 star hotel ..

VIP’s visiting the Excelsior ..

Wouldn’t I have loved to have sipped a glass .. or two ..  of chilled G.H. Mumm champers seated here … next to my hubby … while doing a spot of people-watching!!

Friendly chappie .. even though we didn’t go into his famous Café de Paris … the menu looked amazing but, oh pity .. rather expensive 🙁

Harry’s Bar .. apparently featured in ‘La Dolce Vita’ ..

Harry’s Bar is the last restaurant before part of the old city wall, on the other side of which is a busy intersection as well as Piazzale del Brasile (a small square) and an entrance to the Villa Borghese estate and gardens

Entrance to Villa Borghese estate and gardens ..

We turned back to retraced our steps, window shopping en route ..

There has to be a  ‘tourist trap’ to spoil it all ..

Now for some delicious pasta and chianti.. we chose to stop at this ‘pavement box’ .. it was air conditioned, very pleasant with a simple menu!

Hubby’s choice of tiramisu was a far better one than mine of panna cotta.  His, light and flavoursome .. mine, stiff and not very nice 🙁

Strolling back to our hotel ..

Piazza della Repubblica and Santa Maria degli Angeli – the central hall of the Diocletian’s Baths was transformed into a church by Michelangelo in 1561

Temps were still not at 20.25 … 27 degrees C !

I’m sure I’ve posted this church previously, but as it’s pretty and next to our hotel – Artemides Hotel, we walked passed it one last time!

At breakfast the next morning, one of the guests had an interesting t’shirt on!  I was curious and asked him what it was about.  Harley Davidson clubs from ‘around the world’  were rallying in Rome (and they were everywhere!!!!!!) AND were due to have an audience and blessing by the Pope that morning !!!  Yippee .. we were moving to a hotel to start our Trafalgar Tour, which was located within walking distance of the Vatican  !!!   We were there too …. ….  🙂

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