Piazza del Popolo

Overview

Piazza del Popolo ("People's Square") is a vast, sweeping, elegantly Neoclassical oval plaza. For over a thousand years before trains and airplanes, this massively dramatic, monumental space served as the very first thing travelers saw when entering Rome from the north.

Highlights

• The Twin Churches: Santa Maria in Montesanto and Santa Maria dei Miracoli sitting perfectly symmetrically, spectacularly framing the entrance to the three major streets forming the "Trident" into the heart of Rome.
• The Obelisk: A massive, soaring, 3,300-year-old authentic Egyptian obelisk stolen by Augustus and originally placed in the Circus Maximus, now standing exactly in the center of the piazza.
• Santa Maria del Popolo: An easily missed, immensely important church tucked instantly right by the gate, hiding two spectacularly dramatic masterpiece paintings by Caravaggio.

History

The square sits directly inside the ancient Aurelian Walls at the Porta Flaminia. It took its current, highly elegant oval sweeping shape between 1811 and 1822 when architect Giuseppe Valadier completely redesigned it, violently connecting it via wide ramps to the beautiful Pincio Hill gardens towering directly above it to the east.

Visitor Tips

• The View: Do not miss the short, steep climb up the ramps on the massive eastern wall to the Pincio Terrace. It offers the most perfectly centered, spectacular framing down onto the square and across the city.
• Pedestrian Zone: The massive square is entirely closed to traffic, making it a fantastic, wide-open space to sit by the lion fountains.