Piazza Colonna

Piazza Colonna gets its name from the Column of Marcus Aurelius, who was here since antiquity, and that lends its name to the homonymous Rione Colonna. The square was built in the late sixteenth century by Pope Sixtus V, and is located on the central Via del Corso, close to the Parliament and the Pantheon, not far from Piazza Venezia. The layout of the square is a rectangle, with a central column of Marcus Aurelius, surrounded by some of the most important historical buildings in Rome. Just in front of the column there is the entrance of Palazzo Chigi, seat of the Council of Ministers. To the left of this stands the Palazzo Wedekind, historic home of the daily newspaper Il Tempo, which has a portico consisting of the original Ionic columns of the ancient Veii. Continuing clockwise, next to the church of Saints Bartholomew and Alexander, there is Palazzo Ferraioli belonged, among others, to Aldobrandini family. Finally, overlooking the square but also on Via del Corso, there is the Galleria Colonna Palace, now named Galleria Alberto Sordi.