Sunset Walk Through Squares Whose Names Mislead You

Three of the squares on this walk are not named what you think they are named. Piazza del Popolo does not mean the People's Square, or not originally. It takes its name from the poplars that grew here, populus in Latin, and the church of Santa Maria del Popolo in the corner carries the same word. Piazza di Spagna is named for the Palazzo di Spagna, the Spanish embassy to the Holy See rather than to Italy, which is a distinct diplomatic post. Piazza Navona comes from the Greek agones, the games held in Domitian's stadium underneath it: Circus Agonalis became in avone, then navone, then Navona. The route runs from Piazza del Popolo to Piazza Navona, taking in the Spanish Steps, 135 travertine steps built between 1723 and 1725 from a French diplomat's bequest and designed by Francesco de Sanctis and Alessandro Specchi. Then the Trevi Fountain, 26.3 metres high and 49.15 metres wide, the largest Baroque fountain in the city and the one that has been filmed most, from Roman Holiday to La Dolce Vita. Then the Pantheon, a Roman temple that has been a Catholic church since 609, dedicated to St Mary and the Martyrs. A traditional Italian appetiser is included at the end.