This is the dense historic heart of Rome, the area where most visitors spend most of their time — and with good reason. The Pantheon, built around 125 AD and in continuous use ever since, stands on its own small piazza as one of the best-preserved ancient buildings in the world. A few minutes' walk north, Piazza Navona occupies the footprint of Domitian's first-century stadium, its three fountains by Bernini and Borromini making it one of the most theatrical public spaces in any city.
The neighbourhood's streets — Via della Pace, Via dei Coronari, Vicolo della Pace — are medieval in width and orientation, packed with the full range of Roman food and drink: espresso bars that have been at the same corner for seventy years, trattorias serving cacio e pepe to tables that barely fit on the pavement, enotecas with deep wine lists and no concession to the tourist trade. Sant'Eustachio il Caffè, near the Pantheon, is widely considered to make the best espresso in Rome. The area also contains the church of Sant'Ignazio, whose trompe-l'oeil ceiling is worth the five-minute detour.