LOCATION: Rome
FILM: Roman Holiday

I know it’s from 1953 but I would much rather think of this movie as ‘Classic’ rather than ‘Old’. Gregory Peck is brilliant, Audrey Hepburn is stunning and this is her American film debut.

 

Princess Ann (Hepburn) is a royal princess of an unspecified country. She is on a widely publicized tour of several European capitals, including Rome. One night, she rebels against the strenuous demands of her official duties, where every minute of her time is scheduled. Her doctor gives her a sedative in order to help her sleep, but she secretly leaves her country’s embassy and goes out alone to experience Rome.

 

The injection eventually takes effect and she falls asleep on a public bench where Joe Bradley (Peck), an expatriate American reporter, meets her, but does not recognize her. He offers her money so that she can take a taxi home, but “Anya Smith,” as she calls herself, refuses to disclose where that is, saying that she should be taken to the Colosseum. Joe finally decides, for safety’s sake, to let her spend the night in his apartment.

 

Yes, I know that in a modern movie context it sounds like a rape waiting to happen but this was 1953 and everything was innocent. This movie is loved by so mnay people (including my mum! But she would rather have Carey Grant than Gregory Peck anyday – a fact I would rather not know but felt obliged to share!?) These are some of the most memorable locations form this classic flick.

 

Joe’s Apartment: Walking to the left as you face the Spanish Steps you’ll find via Margutta, the narrow street where Gregory Peck, aka Joe Bradley, resided in a studio apartment (number 51). The street is now largely occupied by artists’ galleries and antique shops. Go up the steep stone steps to the left and at the top you’ll find the arbor under which our emulated couple, Gregory and Audrey, stood as she was departing after spending the night in his apartment “I’ve never been alone with a man before, even with my dress on. With my dress off, it’s most unusual”.

 

Window Shopping: “I’d like to sit at a sidewalk cafe, look in shop windows …”

Stroll down the famed via Condotti to fulfill the window shopping role and enjoy the extravagant displays. As you walk down the Spanish Steps, via Condotti is the street right in front of you.

 

Barge Dance Scene: Reaching the river at the Ponte Sant’Angelo you’ll see the great round fortress Castel Sant’Angelo across the river, which served as a backdrop for the scene where they dance on the barges.

 

The Mouth of Truth: “The legend is that if you’re given to lying, you put your hand in there and it will be bitten off.” This stone face with an open mouth is a widely popular attraction, even fifty years after the movie, due to that famous scene where Joe pulls his hand out of the mouth (with his arm up his sleeve) completely astonishing the young Princess. It is located in the portico of the sixth-century church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, in the Piazza Bocca della Verita.

 

The Coliseum: The architectural symbol of Rome. Enjoy the views of its immensity, and ponder its sheer presence after 2000 years. Joe Bradley brought Princess Anne on a tour during their day-long holiday. Be sure to tour this amazing structure.

 

Filed under: Rome