The story
Take a moment to listen to the sound of the metal wheels screeching against the tracks as the tram passes by. That rhythmic, industrial hum is the heartbeat of Viale Regina Margherita. You are standing on a grand artery of Rome, a wide boulevard that feels different from the narrow, winding alleys of the city center. This street was built with a vision of a modern, expanding capital, and its name carries the memory of a woman who was, for many years, the most famous face in Italy.
The Margherita in question is Margherita of Savoy. She became the first Queen of Italy in 1878, following the unification of the country. If you had seen her then, she likely would have been draped in strings of pearls. She loved them so much that her husband, King Umberto I, reportedly gave her a new strand every year. But she was more than just a royal figurehead. Margherita was a master of what we might call branding today. She was a patron of the arts, a mountain climber, and a woman who understood that the new, fragile Italian identity needed a cultural heart.
The story most people know about her involves a trip to Naples in 1889. As the legend goes, a local pizza maker created a dish in her honor using the colors of the Italian flag: red tomatoes, white mozzarella, and green basil. While historians often debate the exact details of that story, the name stuck. The Pizza Margherita became a symbol of a unified nation, much like the Queen herself.
This street was named in her honor during the early 20th century, a period when Rome was stretching its limbs beyond its ancient walls. This neighborhood was designed for the rising middle class and the aristocracy of the new kingdom. As you walk, you’ll notice that the boulevard serves as a vital bridge. It connects the elegant, leafy residential areas like the Coppedè district and Piazza Buenos Aires with the busier, more academic world of the Sapienza University and the Policlinico hospital.
Look up at the buildings lining the street. You will see the Liberty style—Italy’s version of Art Nouveau—with its floral carvings and curved balconies. Just a short walk from here, you might find the old Birra Peroni factory, which has since been transformed into a contemporary art museum. It is a perfect example of how this street functions: it is a place where old industrial Rome meets the modern, creative city.
Before you continue your walk, look down at the ground near the tram tracks. Notice the small, square basalt paving stones, the sanpietrini, tucked into the asphalt. They are the same stones used for centuries across the city. As you cross the street, try to spot a building with a crown or a coat of arms carved above a doorway—a quiet nod to the royal era that gave this wide, sun-drenched avenue its name.