Via del Corso
The Via del Corso , or shortly Corso , is one of the most famous streets in the Roman historical center, the Piazza del Popolo to the Piazza Venezia combines. It is about 1.6 km long.
history
In 220 BC The Via Flaminia was built from Rome to Rimini by order of the censor Gaius Flaminius . Starting from the Capitol , the road cut straight through the Field of Mars . From the construction of the Aurelian Wall until 275 AD, the Via Flaminia left the city through the Porta Flaminia, which later became the Porta del Popolo . The part of the street within the city wall was named Via Lata , "Broad Street" in the Middle Ages . However, the road was hardly used because of the many floods of the Tiber .
Only Pope Paul II had the Via Lata restored in 1467. As a result, the name Via del Corso , "street of the race" became established. It got its name after horse races (better: horse buoyancy) that took place there. For centuries, the notables watched from the windows and balconies of the magnificent houses during the carnival time the wild riot of riderless horses in this street. These Arabian horses, some of which were still half-wild, were chased down the road south to Piazza Venezia.
The Monumento Vittorio Emanuele II has been the end point in the visual axis since the end of the 19th century . From 1900 to 1944 the street was called Corso Umberto I after the Italian king .
The road today
Via del Corso is part of the Tridente , the trident, which also includes Via del Babuino and Via di Ripetta . The Via del Corso is now a popular shopping street. These include the Galleria Alberto Sordi (formerly Galleria Colonna) and the La Rinascente department store .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ A detailed description of the street, the carnival and the horse races are u. a. Goethe in Italian Journey , second stay in Rome February 1788.