Piazza del Popolo - Rome, Italy - Beneath the Flaminio Obelisk

The ancient Flaminio Obelisk rises above the sweeping cobbled expanse of Piazza del Popolo, with Santa Maria in Montesanto and Rome's historic Tridente beyond.

Piazza del Popolo opens across a broad expanse of cobblestones, dominated on the left by the ancient Egyptian Flaminio Obelisk and framed by the domed Santa Maria in Montesanto toward the southern side of the square. The wide perspective reveals the monumental scale of one of Rome's most celebrated public spaces, where ancient Egyptian, Baroque and Neoclassical elements meet at the northern gateway to the historic city center. The Flaminio Obelisk was created in Egypt during the 13th century BC and brought to Rome by Augustus in 10 BC, originally standing in the Circus Maximus. Pope Sixtus V had it erected in Piazza del Popolo in 1589, while Giuseppe Valadier later transformed the piazza into its characteristic elliptical form during the early 19th century. Beyond the square begin Via del Corso, Via del Babuino and Via di Ripetta, the three historic streets collectively known as the Tridente. Santa Maria in Montesanto and its near-twin, Santa Maria dei Miracoli, form the celebrated architectural gateway to these streets.