Via Corso is one of the main streets of Rome. Nowadays, it is considered a famous shopping center, but this was not always the case. This surprisingly wide and direct avenue appeared in the days of Antiquity. It was designed at the direction of Guy Flaminius as part of the road from Rome to the Adriatic coast.
In those days, the street was simply called Via Lata, which means “Broad Street”, but due to frequent floods, it was used quite rarely.
The situation changed only in the XV century, when a spacious wide avenue was chosen by the local nobility. Then Broad Street began to be called Via Corso - "Runs Street" - in memory of the annual horse races without riders, held as part of the winter carnival.
Via del Corso - one of the most famous shopping streets of Rome
The race involved not only thoroughbred stallions, but also bulls and donkeys. The animals were released in the Piazza Venezia, where they were to be caught and tamed by desperate daredevils and grooms.
Practiced on Via Corso and other entertainment. For example, throwing at each other with gypsum balls, which were subsequently replaced with more harmless candies.
Via Corso became a shopping center only at the beginning of the 20th century, when the annual races were canceled, and new stores, antique and souvenir shops began to appear along the street. Now it is a great place for walking, allowing you to quickly get from the northern square of Piazza del Popolo to the central Piazza Venice.
In more detail about what to expect from Via del Corso and other main shopping streets of the Eternal City, BlogoItaliano wrote in a separate article Shopping in Rome: geography for shopaholics.
Also, before traveling to Rome, we recommend installing our city center audio guide for the iPhone link. He will help you find out the most important thing in the city much cheaper than even on the most budget excursions.
In the trial version of the audio guide, you can listen to the first 5 of 60 points of the tour for free, and the full version of the most popular route will cost you only 5 Euros.
You can learn more about the application and install it on your iPhone on this page.
