Piazza Venezia - Rome, Italy - Where Historic Rome Meets the Modern City

Busy Piazza Venezia unfolds below Palazzo Venezia, where Renaissance architecture, Roman umbrella pines and the traffic of modern Rome meet in the heart of the capital.

Piazza Venezia forms one of the busiest crossroads in central Rome, seen here filled with buses, cars and pedestrians beneath the historic Palazzo Venezia. The imposing 15th-century palace dominates the center of the view, while umbrella pines, historic buildings and the surrounding urban landscape reveal the distinctive character of the Italian capital. Palazzo Venezia was begun in 1455 for the Venetian Cardinal Pietro Barbo, who became Pope Paul II in 1464, and developed into one of the most important Renaissance palaces in Rome. Part of the building was later transferred to the Republic of Venice and used as its embassy, giving both the palace and Piazza Venezia their present names. The square underwent major changes after Rome became the capital of unified Italy, when surrounding streets and buildings were reorganized on a monumental scale. Today, Piazza Venezia remains a major meeting point between Via del Corso, Via del Plebiscito and the routes leading toward the Imperial Fora and Capitoline Hill.