Piazza del Popolo

Roma, Piazza Del Popolo

 
  • Location: Roma, Piazza Del Popolo
  • Address: Piazza del Popolo
  • Phone#: +39 06 0608
  • Visit lasts: 1 hour (about)
 
DESCRIZIONE:
The last great urban planning project carried out during the papal era, built by Giuseppe Valadier at the start of the 1800s. The three streets of Ripetta, Corso and Babuino meet at the piazza, while on the other side, it is closed by the Porta del Popolo, main entrance to the city from the north. The central obelisk is that of Ramses II, which Augustus placed at Circus Maximus and which was placed here under Sixtus V by Domenico Fontana (1589), while the basins and the lions in th egyptian style were added by Valadier (1823). Before the rise to the Pincio is the splendid Church of Santa Maria del Popolo.
THINGS TO KNOW: The modifications wanted by Alessandro VII Chigi, including the building of the twin churches at the Porta del Popolo, were done in anticipation of the grand arrival of Cristina of Sweden in Rome (1655).
According to tradition, the artist Benvenuto Cellini in May of 1527, defending the Porta del Popolo during the sack of Rome, threw a dart that killed the head of the German troops, Charles III of Bourbon.
COMMENTI
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