On his return from his first trip to Italy, Turner produced eight views for his patron Walter Fawkes. In this one, Rome is seen from the church of San Pietro in Montorio on the Janiculum, a hill to the west of the city, with sweeping hazy views across the Trastevere neighbourhood and the Colosseum, to the Alban hills in the distance. Two peasant women in the foreground and a puppet show at the left animate the scene with hints of local character.