All you need to know about Piazza del Popolo Rome: fun and interesting facts + tips for for visiting one of the most famous squares in Rome.
Piazza del Popolo is one of the most famous and most beautiful squares in Rome.
It is a large elliptical space designed by architect Valadier, with several interesting churches, an impressive obelisk, three fountains and the old and impressive city gate into Rome: Porta del Popolo.
The square is wonderful.
Vast, monumental and unique, it is free to visit and easy to add to your home itinerary. This is all you need to know to visit Piazza del Popolo, how to access and how to get the best view of it from above!
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What is special about Piazza del Popolo
Piazza del Popolo is one of the main piazzas in Rome and it is special under several accounts:
• It is very scenic, so even just for aesthetic value, this is one not to be missed! The square as we see it today was designed by Architect Valadier and it, itself, a work of art
• It has 3 churches with important art, including works by Bernini and Caravaggio
• It has one of the ancient Egyptian obelisks in Rome
• It has some of the most beautiful fountains in Rome
• For centuries, it has served as monumental entrance to the city, a role we can still appreciate looking a the wonderful Porta del Popolo, the historical city gate.
In this article, we are going to look at all the attractions on Piazza del Popolo, what makes them worth seeing and tips for visiting.
Where is Piazza del Popolo Map + location
Piazza del Popolo is in Rome city center: it is close to the Tiber, Villa Borghese, the Pincio Terrace and the three main streets in Rome city center forming the so called ‘trident’: Via del Corso, Via del Babuino and Via di Ripetta which connect it respectively to Piazza Venezia, Piazza di Spagna and the Ara Pacis.
On foot, Piazza del Popolo is:
- Piazza di Spagna: 10 mins
- Piazza Venezia: 25 mins
- Ara Pacis: 7 mins
- Castel Sant’Angelo: 20 mins
Several buses and trams stop just beside Pizza del Popolo, on Piazzale Flaminio, which is is the transport hub immediately on the other side of Porta del Popolo.
Main buses reaches Piazza del Popolo are: 88, 95, 117, 119, 490, 495, Metro A Flaminio, Tram 2 (terminus).
How to visit Piazza del Popolo
Piazza del Popolo I easy and free to visit. The most scenic way to get here are from:
- One of the three streets of the trident (Via del Corso, Via del Babuino and Via di Ripetta). In this case you enter from the side of the square with the twin churches and find Porta del Popolo in front of you
- Piazzale Flaminio, in which case you enter the square as travelers would have, from what would have been outside the city
- From the Pincio Terrace, the panoramic terrace in villa Borghese just above Piazza del Popolo, from where you also catch one of the best views of the Piazza (there is a nice road climbing down form it, it only takes few minutes).
What to see in Piazza del Popolo
There are several things to see in Piazza del Popolo
The twin churches of Piazza del Popolo
One of the first things visitors notice in Piazza del Popolo are two churches that sit just beside each other and so similar to each other to be usually referred to as ‘the twin churches’ (chiese gemelle).
The churches are called Chiesa di Santa Maria in Montesanto and Santa Maria dei Miracoli and they sit at the two sides of Via del Corso creating a monumental frame to this road, historically one of the main commercial arteries into the city.
They were built in the XVII century and saw work of architect Rainaldi as well as inteventions by Bernini and Fontana, who finished them in 1675 and 1678 respectively.
Santa Maria in Montesanto owes its name to a the building that used to be in its place, a temple belonging to Carmelite friars from Montesanto in Sicily however it is commonly known as ‘the church of artists’ and it is the church of choice for many funerals of people active in the word of the arts.
Santa Maria dei Miracoli, on the other side of the road, owes its name to a miracle that happened in the area. The story goes that a boy fell in the Tiber and his mother prayed to an image of the Virgin, who saved him. A copy of this image is now in the church.
Despite the name ‘twin churches’ and how similar the two buildings look, they are actually not at all identical, buy only built to seem so!
A second glance will easily reveal that the planimetry of the two is different and also the shape of the dome: this was no mistake but carefully decided by their architects.
The areas destined to receive the churches were not identical in size and orientation and building two identical churches would have highlighted this difference and make the two building look asymmetrical.
With tweaks to their shapes and using the concept of perspective which Bernini mastered, they were able to solve the problem creating an illusion of symmetry which indeed worked out perfectly!
Fun fact! Under the two churches, there are remains of two roman funerary monuments in the shape o pyramids, not dissimilar to the Pyrmind of Caius Cestius!
Porta del Popolo
At the other end of Piazza del Popolo stands mighty Porta del Popolo, the monumental ancient gate into the city.
The gate was originally Porta Flaminia, one of the gates of the Aurelian walls, and allowed entrance into the city via from Via Flaminia, the great consular road connecting Rome with Rimini and the north east of Italy.
The gate as we see it now however is not roman but from the Renaissance.
In 1561 Pope Pius IX commissioned to Michelangelo the upgrade of the outer facade of the gate (his disciples carried out the work, as he felt he was too old) and in 1665 Pope Alessandro VII Chigi gave Bernini the task to upgrade the inside, in occasion of the visit of Queen Christina of Sweden to Rome, due that year.
Both interventions can still be admired today and make this gate one of the most impressive landmarks in Rome.
Chiesa di Santa Maria del Popolo (Church)
Just beside Porta del Popolo stands the most ancient church in the piazza, the wonderful Basilica di Santa Maria del Popolo.
The church is easy to miss if you don’t know it is here: while it is right at the entrance of the square, the eyes of the visitors tend to one drawn to the center of Piazza del Popoplo and the two twin churches however, this is a church that should not be missed!
Behind it rather plain yet wonderful facade, it hides several sculptures by Bernini and his disciples, work by Bramante, painted ceiling by Pinturicchio, and chapels by Caravaggio and Carracci. An absolute gem of a church and one of the best places in Rome for art lovers.
Piazza del Popolo Obelisk
At the center of Piazza del Popolo stands a tall obelisk surrounded by an impressive fountain with 4 lions.
The obelisk is an original Egyptian obelisk dating from the time of Pharaos Ramses II and Merenptah (XI century BC) and came to Rome under Emperor Augustus, who placed in the Circus Maximus, probably around 10AD.
It has interesting hyeroglyphs on its body, still nowadays well visible, and took it position in Piazza del Popolo in the XVI century, when it also gained the cross we now see on top.
The obelisk sits not at the center of a beautiful fountain decorated with 4 imposing lions and signed by architect Valadier (see below).
The fountains of Piazza del Popolo
Piazza del Popolo has three fountains: one at the center, around the obelisk, and two at the sides of the square, respectively called:
- Fountain of the lions (Fontana dei Leoni, in the center)
- Fountain of the Goddess Rome (Fontana della Dea Roma, under the Pincio Terrace)
- Fountain of Neptune (Fontana del Nettuno, on the other side of the square)
All these fountains were added to the square in the XIX century by architect Valadier who was in charge of the redesign and upgrade of this public space and who gave it the appearance we still admire today.
Leonardo’s Museum
Piazza del Popolo is also home to a wonderful museum dedicated to the genius of Leonardo da Vinci. The museum is right beside the church of Santa Maria del Popolo and has many machines built by Leonardo that visitors can admire and touch.
A very interesting museum for everyone and also one of the best places to visit in Rome with kids as it is highly interactive and educational.
Fun fact: what does Piazza del Popolo mean?
Popolo means People in Italian and it is therefore easy to thing that Piazza del Popolo is named ‘ square of the people’ however, this doesn’t seem to be the case!
More likely, the name comes from the presence of an ancient group of poplar trees (Populus in Latin) that used to be in the area so the name seems to mean ‘ square of the poplar tree’.
Where to stay near Piazza del Popolo: Piazza del Popolo Hotels
Many good hotels are close to Piazza del Popolo. They are a good choice for people who want to be in Rome city center, close to the wonderful green area of Villa Borghese and have Rome metro and bus connections on their doorstep.
Some of the best hotels near Piazza del Popolo are:
Hotel Mozart – 4 star hotel in lovely Via dei Greci, close to Piazza del Popolo and Piazza di Spagna, with nice rooms and beautiful rooftop terrace
Hotel de Russie – stunning, historical 5 star hotel near Piazza del Popolo with also a wonderful garden cafe and restaurant
Margutta 19 – member of small luxury hotels of the world this is a wonderful hotel in one of the most atmospheric city center streets in Rome, famous for art galleries (and for being the set of a Roman holiday!)
Palazzo Dama Preferred Hotels and Resorts – beautiful hotel on the Lungotevere (river quay), walking distance from Piazza del Popolo, with beautiful outdoor pool and lemon tree garden
What else to see near Piazza del Popolo Rome
Attractions close to Piazza del Popolo include:
- Via del Corso – one of Rome’s main shopping streets
- Piazza di Spagna and the Spanish Steps
- The Mausoleum of Augustus aka the tomb of Rome’s first emperor
- The Ara Pacis Augustae, altar built by the order of Augustus in the I century BC to celebrate a new era of peace
- Villa Borghese and the Pincio Terrace, one of the most beautiful viewpoints in Rome
- Explora Children Museum, a favorite place for our little ones!
Piazza del Popolo Tours
Piazza del Popolo is included in tours of the city such as:
I hope you enjoyed this quick guide about Piazza del Popolo and it helped you plan your visit. Safe travels to Rome!