An ambitious project: the Strada Giulia

The year 1508 saw the beginning of the tormented history that marked Via Giulia, which played a pivotal role in the plans of Giuliano della Rovere, Pope Julius II. The Pontiff entrusted Donato Bramante with the task of building a huge palace that was to comprise within it all the lawcourts and notaries’ offices, thus rendering Via Giulia the sole commercial centre of importance in the city.
In early sixteenth-century Rome, all the public buildings of especial significance were built in an area between the via Papale and the bight of the Tiber, and it was here that the new road was to be marked out.

I Sofà di Via Giulia

Along the Via Giulia, as indeed the other Roman roads, a new building philosophy led to the appearance of characteristic small two-to-three-storey constructions. It was probably one of these that Raphael was to move into; the artist sadly died before he was able to set foot in the workshop he had purchased between Via Giulia and Via dei Cimatori.

So what remains of the project initially envisaged by Julius II? The Sofà di Via Giulia: piles of rough-hewn Travertine stone that resemble sofas and bear witness to this day to the project that was to be undertaken by Bramante in 1508.

Sixteenth-century Rome: from Julius II to Sixtus V

The dream of Julius II was destined to remain just that. His utopian presumption of being able to emulate the great Roman emperors by turning building activity into a means of political propaganda came to an end with his death, following which Pope Sixtus V upended and ultimately axed his predecessor’s plan altogether, concentrating his efforts on Via Ripetta and Piazza dell’Oro, where the Church of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini was to be built.

Back to the Present

In addition to taking a peek inside the delightful shops and doorways that line the street, Via Giulia offers some spectacular views to visitors that cast their gaze upwards towards the walls and the rooftops. The ideal route sets out from the Ponte Sisto bridge side, where you might like to stop for a leisurely coffee at Alfredo’s before embarking on Via Giulia, which offers a gentle trip through the myriad of art and events that have accompanied the street’s history, remaining in evidence right up to the present.
Stories that have survived unforgotten through the ages: this is the dimension of time that heightens the sensibilities of everyone who visits the place.