Piazza del Popolo - Roma,
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denben
N 41° 54.648 E 012° 28.579
33T E 290695 N 4642952
Piazza del Popolo is one of the most famous squares of Rome, at the foot of the Pincio.
Waymark Code: WM10VRF
Location: Lazio, Italy
Date Posted: 06/28/2019
Views: 13
Piazza del Popolo lies inside the northern gate in the Aurelian Walls, once the Porta Flaminia of ancient Rome, and now called the Porta del Popolo. For centuries, the Piazza del Popolo was a place for public executions, the last of which took place in 1826.
On top of the walls surrounding the square, there are 16 identical sphinxes to accentuate the Egyptian character of the place. They were created by the Italian sculptor Giovanni Ceccarini.
An Egyptian obelisk of Sety I (later erected by Rameses II) from Heliopolis stands in the centre of the Piazza. Three sides of the obelisk were carved during the reign of Sety I and the fourth side, under Rameses II. The obelisk, known as the Flaminio Obelisk or the Popolo Obelisk, is the second oldest and one of the tallest obelisks in Rome (some 24 m high, or 36 m including its plinth).
Two fountains by Giovanni Ceccarini (1822–23), with matching compositions of a central figure flanked by two attendant figures, stand on each side of the piazza to the east and west, flanked by neoclassical statues of The Seasons (1828). The Fontana del Nettuno (Fountain of Neptune) stands on the west side, Neptune with his trident is accompanied by two tritons. Rome between the Tiber and the Aniene on the east side, represents the terminal mostra of the aqueduct. Dea Roma armed with lance and helmet, and in front is the she-wolf feeding Romulus and Remus.
The fountain of the obelisk is in the center of the square: a group of four mini-fountains, each with a lion on a tiered base, surrounds the obelisk.
Source: Wikipedia (
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