Santa Maria della Pace

We needed our map to find this in a maze of small alleys. It is less "over-the-top" in decorations, and has very a pleasing, more classical, architectural design and proportions.

A tiny church off Piazza Navona decorated by Raphael and Peruzzi with architecture by Bramante and Pietro Da Cortona

This church's curving baroque facade (1556–57) by Pietro da Cortona struggles mightily to belong to a much larger, grander structure—but is instead warped and shoehorned to fit into this pocket-sized piazza just off the northwest corner of Piazza Navona.

Come inside this Baccio Pontinelli–designed (1480–84) church to see the first chapel on the right frescoed by Raphael with Sibyls (1514), heavily influenced by Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling (which Raphael has snuck in to see even before they were unveiled). The chapel next to it was designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger.

Across the aisle is the Ponzetti Chapel, frescoed by Baldassare Peruzzi. Check out the bold purples, greens, skyblue, and burgundies of his Virgin and Child with Saints Brigida and Caterina (Cardinal Ferdinando Ponzetti joins the holy group, kneeling at their feet.)

We had a pleasant walk home south through Centro Storico re-crossing Campo de' Fiori, getting a brief view of the lovely courtyard at Galleria Spada and through Trastevere. We detoured to the Conad store to get a few groceries and a bottle of Nebbiolo.

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