Via del Corso, Rome

A short history

In ancient times this was the Via Lata, the city stretch of the Via Flaminia, the road north to the Adriatic. It was straight even then, and still is: from Piazza del Popolo to Piazza Venezia the Corso runs almost ruler-true.

Its name dates from the 15th century, when Pope Paul II moved the Carnival races — a "corsa" of riderless horses — here. Every year crowds packed the street and palace balconies to watch. The races ended in the 19th century, but the name stuck. From the 16th to the 18th centuries Rome's grand families built their palaces along the Corso, which is why stately façades still rise above the shop windows.

Shopping on Via del Corso

Today the Corso is the centre's main shopping street: high-street and sportswear brands, shoes, cosmetics and department stores at mid-range prices. For luxury labels, turn onto Via Condotti, which runs from the Corso to the Spanish Steps. The glass-roofed Galleria Alberto Sordi by Piazza Colonna has cafés and shops — handy in rain or heat.

Most of the street is closed to private cars, but buses and taxis still use it and the pavements are narrow. Weekend afternoons are very crowded, especially at the northern end. To stroll and look at the palaces, come on a weekday morning.

What to see along the way

• Piazza del Popolo — the north end, with its obelisk and twin churches.
• Casa di Goethe — a small museum in the house where the poet lived.
• San Carlo al Corso — the big dome above the street.
• Piazza Colonna — the Column of Marcus Aurelius, about 30 m tall.
• Galleria Alberto Sordi — an early 20th-century covered arcade.
• Palazzo Doria Pamphilj — a private picture gallery.
• Piazza Venezia — the south end, facing the Vittoriano.

How to walk it

Go north to south, from Piazza del Popolo down to Piazza Venezia: you start in a wide square with twin churches and finish facing the white Vittoriano. Halfway, detour along Via Condotti to the Spanish Steps, and from Piazza Colonna to the Trevi Fountain.

For a quieter route back, two parallel streets run alongside — Via del Babuino, with its antique shops, and Via di Ripetta. In the evening the Corso glows with shop windows, and buses from Piazza Venezia go almost everywhere.

Is Via del Corso worth it?

Yes — if only because you can hardly avoid it: it links the main squares and connects the Spanish Steps with the Pantheon and Trevi. Shoppers will find familiar brands at normal prices. Architecture lovers just need to look above the windows: the Corso's palaces and churches are another free open-air museum, open round the clock.

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How to do it right

• Walk from Piazza del Popolo to Piazza Venezia.
• Luxury labels are on Via Condotti.
• Weekday mornings are calmer.
• Detour to Trevi and the Pantheon.

Questions