Piazza del Popolo

Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale


This massive piazza was laid out in 1538 to provide a grandiose entrance to what was then Rome's main northern gateway. It has since been remodelled several times, most recently by Giuseppe Valadier in 1823.

Standing sentinel at its southern approach are Carlo Rainaldi's twin 17th-century churches, Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Basilica di Santa Maria in Montesanto. In the centre, the 36m-high obelisk was brought by Augustus from ancient Egypt; it originally stood in the Circo Massimo.

On the northern flank, the Porta del Popolo was created by Bernini in 1655 to celebrate Queen Christina of Sweden's defection to Catholicism, while rising to the east is the viewpoint of the Pincio Hill Gardens.

Transportation

  • metro: Flaminio

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale attractions

1. Obelisk

0.01 MILES

Towering over Piazza del Popolo, this 36m-high obelisk was brought to Rome by Augustus from Heliopolis in ancient Egypt. It originally stood in the Circo…

4. Porta del Popolo

0.04 MILES

On the northern flank of Piazza del Popolo, the Porta del Popolo was created by Bernini in 1655 to celebrate Queen Christina of Sweden's defection to…

5. Basilica di Santa Maria del Popolo

0.06 MILES

This is one of Rome’s richest Renaissance churches, with a particularly impressive collection of art, including two Caravaggios: the Conversion of St Paul…

6. Casa di Goethe

0.12 MILES

Once a gathering place for German intellectuals, the Via del Corso apartment is where writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe enjoyed a happy Italian sojourn …

8. Via Margutta

0.22 MILES

Visit the antique shops, commercial art galleries and artisanal boutiques of Via Margutta, one of Rome's prettiest pedestrian cobbled lanes.

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
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      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Italy",
      "region": "Lazio",
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