It
was the pope Sixtus V who decided to arrange here
a square at the end of '500. Until then it looked
like a wide street surrounded by haylofts and
barns in the dusty periphery. Besides town planning
the pope was fond of constructing obelisks. So
on May 25, 1589 he ordered Domenico Fountain to
put up the Flaminio obelisk. The project like
this was some sort of a show in those times. If
an architect was not able to raise up the obelisk
within maximum 12 hours his head should be cut
off. If he succeeded however, there would be 10
years of indulgence for the spectators who confessed
themselves and did not disturb the works. Naturally
as it is possible to see also today the project
succeeded. Domenico Fontana for not to lose the
head increased all the things : he used 140 horses,
14 buffalos, 40 gigantic capstans,a thousand of
workers and spent lots of money, 40 thousand shields
exactly.
Since that day the square had become a stage.
The obelisk of 24 meters high, sized in 36,50
meters together with the basement is the most
ancient after the Lateran one. It was raised
up in Eliopolis in front of the Temple of the
Sun at the time of the Pharaonhs Ramses II and
his son Mineptah (1232-1200 A.C). The hieroglyphic
inscriptions referred to this fact. It was taken
out to Rome by August as the spoils and was
placed into the Circus Maximum.
In 1811 Giuseppe Valadier invited by Napoleon
gave the neoclassical appearance to it making
an accent on the open theatre features and making
it really scenographic. The area is encircled
by two side hemicycles. On the lean of the PINCIO
a series of scales and terraces adorned by statues
can be seen. It constitutes an ideal dress-circle
for to see what happens in the square.
The romantic travellers of the XIXth century
call it the show of the life.
In 1823 Lion XII constructed a base of the
obelisk adorned with four basins and the marble
lions.
In 1825 the carbonario Montanari and Targhini
who contested the government of the Pope was
beheaded here by the most famous executioner
of Rome Mastro Titta.
At the beginning of XXth century two famous
caffes were open at the corners of the square:
Canova and Rosati, one in front of the other.
By one of those little ironies of the history
the square becomes the favourite place of those
who makes a show instead of watching it. On
the tables of Rosati about tens of films were
created and there is no italian or foreign actor
or actress who wouldn't stop once at least in
the square "to feel the wind".
At the beginnings of '500 from the left of
the stairs the Tridente was open. It consists
of Via di Ripetta which reaches the Lungotevere
in Augusta, the Via dell'Ara Pacis with the
Mausoleum of August, the Via del Babuino that
leads to Piazza di Spagna , and the Via del
Corso in the center with its thin line until
Piazza Venezia , The street is framed by two
XVIIth century twin churches. Santa Maria dei
Miracoli was built in 1675-81 by Carlo Rainaldi
and Carlo Fontana and the Santa Maria di Montesanto
which was designed in 1662-79 by Gian Lorenzo
Bernini.
On the right side one can see the Porta del
Popolo. It is an heir of Porta Flaminia belonging
to the Aurelian circuit, being the main entrance
gate to Rome during more than one thousand years
for those who came from the north. The extraordinary
façade was built in 1561-62 by Nanni
di Baccio Bigio. The interior side was added
by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1655 for the occasion
of the arrival of the Swedish queen Cristina.
