Don't miss Rubens in the heart of Rome. Just steps from Campo de’ Fiori, one of the city’s greatest Baroque masterpieces, is surrounded by local attractions.
The church is also known as the Chiesa Nuova
For cultural travellers the Rubens altarpiece is also the ideal starting point for an immersive walk through one of Rome’s richest historic quarters. The Rubens is to be found in the Church of Santa Maria in Vallicella, which Romans call the Chiesa Nuova or New Church, in the historic center of Rome, just west of Piazza Navona and along Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. The church is open daily and entry is free.
A medieval icon is hidden under Ruben's altarpiece
Rubens created the remarkable altarpiece for the high altar between 1606 and 1608 as a combination of painting and sacred image. At the center is a miraculous medieval icon of the Virgin Mary and Child, covered by a copper painting. The work is most unusual because one painting hides the other underneath it. The "hidden" work is an ancient miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary and Child and was deeply respected and worshipped by the faithful. Rubens the painted the visible image on copper panels that could be lifted or opened.
A mechanical system reveals the hidden icon
During special ceremonies, the upper painting was raised to reveal the sacred image below, the aim being to inspire devotion and emphasize the glory of the Catholic Church during the Counter-Reformation. Still today the icon is revealed during important religious celebrations and feast days. One of the main occasions is the feast of Saint Philip Neri, the founder of the Oratorian order on May 26. It can also be revealed during special liturgical ceremonies or Marian celebrations.
Caravaggio masterpieces not to miss
In a side altar there is a copy of a Caravaggio painting, The Entombment of Christ (also called The Deposition) the original of which is now in the Vatican Pinacoteca. And for anyone wanting to see some real Caravaggios a short walk away the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi is home to his celebrated cycle of Saint Matthew paintings.
One of Rome’s most lively open-air markets
This neighbourhood is ideal for enjoying curated itineraries. Just minutes away from the Rubens, a visit to Campo de’ Fiori, which is vibrant by day and atmospheric by evening, is a seamless way to move from sacred art to Roman daily life. What makes the Campo de’ Fiori area especially appealing for travellers is that in the early morning the square comes alive with one of the city’s most colourful open-air markets, where locals shop for flowers, fruit, spices, and seasonal produce. Around the market stalls café tables fill with espresso drinkers watching how daily life unfolds, and in the surrounding streets small food shops and historic bakeries are ideal stops.
La Carbonara is famous for its pasta
Campo de’ Fiori also has many traditional trattorie such as La Carbonara which serves robust, Roman cuisine that feels untouched by trends and, of course, no meal there is complete without a plate of Rome’s famous Carbonara pasta Then, just around the corner there is Michelangelo’s architectural masterpiece, Palazzo Farnese, a Renaissance palazzo that was once the seat of papal power and artistic patronage and today houses the French Embassy to Italy
