Near the Pincio (from where you can see what is probably the most beautiful panorama of Rome) is the beautiful and famous Piazza del Popolo, from which three of the most important Roman streets start: Via di Ripetta, Via del Corso and Via del Babuino.
The Piazza(square) became one of the most important meeting points of Romans and foreigners in 1589 when Francesco Fontana decided to focus on the monumental Egyptian obelisk, the '"Flaminian Obelisk", which creates an extraordinary visual impact. The obelisk is 24 meters high and was built at the time of pharaohs Ramesses II and Merenptah between 1232 and 1220 BC. The emperor Augustus brought the obelisk in Rome, but originally it was placed in the Circus Maximus.
The name "Piazza del Popolo" comes from two sources, a legendary and a more historical one. According to popular tradition, the name comes from the poplar tree, because there used to be a grove of poplars in this place, which was part of the tomb of Nero: according to the legend, the emperor's ghost wandered in the company of devils and witches, in the area of the Aurelian Walls (which now are called via del Muro Torto). According to historically reliable sources Pope Paschal II built at people's expenses a church, which was then called Santa Maria del Popolo.
The church of Santa Maria del Popolo, in addition to giving its name to the square, is the oldest of the three churches present in Piazza del Popolo. Restored and modified several times over the centuries, in the second half of the '600 Bernini left his Baroque style here, which still impresses thousands of visitors. Inside the church there are also many works by other masters, such as the Conversion of St. Paul and the Crucifixion of St. Peter by Caravaggio, frescoes by Pinturicchio and architecture of Raphael and Bramante.
If you choose to stay in one of our accomodations near Piazza del Popolo, you should absolutely visit the beautiful "twin churches" that are at the heart of the "trident" three roads leading to the Via del Babuino, Via del Corso and Via di Ripetta.
