Leaving Piccadilly Circus behind you, begin walking down Piccadilly, a dazzling street full of shops and hotels. On the left you'll immediately see the beautiful St James's Church, which was built in a noble classical style in the second half of the 1600s. It still has its original furnishings, and is also famous for concerts and for the antique market held there three times a week.
Opposite the church is the majestic courtyard of Burlington House, a large palace that was built towards the end of the seventeenth century and is home to historic institutions. One of these is the Royal Academy of Arts, founded in 1768 on the initiative of the painter Joshua Reynolds, who played a decisive role in the formation of an English artistic school. Inside, you can admire important exhibitions of ancient and contemporary art, works by painters associated with the institute that are exhibited in separate halls, and above all an absolute masterpiece that can always be seen: the Taddei Tondo, a powerful and passionate marble sculpture by Michelangelo.
Next to the Royal Academy, you can go shopping in the glass-roofed Burlington Arcade, which has been there for almost 200 years.
At the next corner you'll cross Bond Street, famous for its men's fashion shops.
At number 181 you can see the historic site of Fortnum & Mason, which was opened in 1707 and to this day remains renowned worldwide for its luxury gastronomy. Its founder William Fortnum was a simple coachman who had the idea of reselling used candles from the royal residences to ladies-in-waiting. Lacking funds to start his business, he partnered with his landlord Hugh Mason and they founded a grocery store. At the shop they offered exotic products imported by the East India Company to the aristocrats who lived around Piccadilly, starting with tea and spices. They began to accumulate an unstoppable fortune which you can still see today in the shop's elegant and luxurious rooms!
Between Piccadilly and Green Park, treat yourself to a tea at the Ritz Hotel, one of London's most luxurious hotels that was opened in 1906. After walking under a portico, inside you'll find a covered courtyard that has been turned into a garden with palm trees.
FUN FACT: the most entertaining advert in Piccadilly Circus is for British Airways and features a child. Every time an aeroplane flies over the square, the child gets excited and points to the sky!
Language: English