Via Veneto in Rome: the Dolce Vita street, what to see and how to visit

Via Veneto (Via Vittorio Veneto) is a gently sloping avenue about 1 km long, climbing from Piazza Barberini to Porta Pinciana in the Aurelian walls, opposite the Villa Borghese. It is famous for Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" (1960), when its cafés and grand hotels drew stars and paparazzi. Today it is a quiet, elegant and expensive street; the appeal is a 15-minute stroll, the Capuchin Crypt at the foot of the avenue and the access to the Villa Borghese at the top. Allow 30 minutes for the street, 1 h 30 including the crypt.

Highlights

The avenue and its facades

Early 20th-century grand hotels line the bend of the street, including the Excelsior (1906) and Palazzo Margherita, now the United States embassy. Café terraces remain pricey: have a coffee at the counter rather than at a table.

The fountains and the crypt

Bernini's Fountain of the Bees stands at the bottom of the street, on Piazza Barberini. Halfway up, the church of Santa Maria Immacolata houses the Capuchin Crypt, an ossuary decorated with the remains of thousands of monks.

Fellini and cinema

The street was rebuilt in a studio at Cinecittà for "La Dolce Vita"; the real setting is best seen by walking past Harry's Bar, open since the 1950s.

Nearby

See on the map →

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