The Via Condotti is a fairly narrow street connecting the Spanish Steps to the Largo Carlo Goldoni and the Via del Corso, of which it is a side street. It is one of the world’s leading streets for designer stores and luxury boutiques.
A brief history of the Via Condotti in Rome
Already in ancient Roman times, the Via Condotti was connected the old Via Flaminia to the Pincio hill. In the 16th century it was still called Via Trinitatis, after the Trinità dei Monti church at the top of the hill and of what was later to become the Spanish Steps.
The present name was not used until Pope Gregory VIII had the conduits (condotti, in Italian) of the Acquedotto Vergine constructed underneath the street.
What to see in the Via Condotti
Antico Caffé Greco
Apart from the many famous designer shops and jewellery stores, the Via Condotti is also the street of the renowned Antico Caffé Greco. In some tourist guide books, this is pronounced to serve the best cappuccino in Rome, which is quite a claim, since almost every Roman street contains at least one coffee bar.
Santissima Trinità degli Spagnoli
And if you feel guilty about spending all your money, you can go to the Church of the Santissima Trinità degli Spagnoli and confess.
Largo Carlo Goldoni and the “Leaves of Stone”
The Via Condotti ends at the Via del Corso and the Largo Carlo Goldoni. From here, it continues under the name Via della Fontanella di Borghese. Since 2005, the west side of the Largo Carlo Goldoni has been taken up by the building housing the Fendi Boutique. This fashion house was also responsible for the art installation Foglie di Pietra (“Leaves of Stone”) in the centre of the square. The work consists of two bronze trees, 18 and 9 meters tall respectively, whose intertwining branches support an 11 ton carved marble block. The sculptor was Giuseppe Penone. The work was inaugurated in 2017.
Shopping in the Via Condotti
Dior|Cartier|Damiani|Gucci (number 8)|Bulgari (number 10)|Louis Vuitton (number 12)|Valentino (number 13)|Celine (number 20)|Modigliani (number 25)|Blunauta (number 29)|Federico Buccellati (number 31)|Swatch (number 33)|Alberta Ferretti (number 34)|Fornarina (number 36)|Bally (number 39)|Trussardi (number 50)|Dolce e Gabbana (number 52)|Alberto Bolaffi (number 56)|Burberry (number 59)|Battistoni (number 61)|Hermes (number 67)|Mont Blanc (number 70)|Salvatore Ferragamo (number 73)|Armani (number 76)|La Perla (number 79)|Testoni (number 80)|Prada (number 94).
Stamp collectors
In a street like this, a shop selling stamps is, of course, a must, and in the Via Condotti 56 you’ll find Alberto Bolaffi, Rome’s most renowned dealer for philatelists and coin collectors.
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