Description

Essentials about Piazza Venezia in brief

Most visitors to Rome end up in Piazza Venezia sooner or later. Unlike some of Rome’s more congenial squares, such as Piazza del Popolo or Piazza Navona, chaotic traffic dominates Piazza Venezia. It is one of the city’s main transportation hubs and its central location makes it a good starting point to reach some of Rome’s most important sights after a short walk.

The location of Piazza Venezia

Piazza Venezia is located at the foot of the Capitoline Hill. To the north, Via del Corso leads across the center of Rome to Piazza del Popolo. To the west, Via del Plebiscito leads towards St. Peter’s Square and to the east, Via Cesare Battisti climbs up to the Quirinal. Via del Teatro Marcello leads south to the Tiber River and Via dei Fori Imperiali southeast along the Roman Forum to the Colosseum. The latter two were built as boulevards under Mussolini’s government.

The history of and the buildings on Piazza Venezia

In the 15th century, Venetian Cardinal Pietro Barbo, later Pope Paul II, had his palace built on the west side of the square. Palazzo Venezia is one of the oldest civic Renaissance buildings in Rome and also gave its name to the square. The palace was used as a papal residence until Pope Pius IV gave the building to Venice and from then on it was used as an embassy. In 1916, Palazzo Venezia was acquired by the Italian government. Benito Mussolini used the building as his headquarters and from the balcony of the palace he spoke to his people. Today, the palace houses the Museo di Palazzo Venezia, a museum of ornamental art, as well as the National Art Library, the National Institute of Archaeology and Art History, and the Directorate of State Museums in the Lazio Region.

The square acquired its present form from 1885 when the gigantic Victor Emmanuel II National Monument, Italy’s national monument, was erected on its south side, and it still dominates Piazza Venezia today. An entire neighborhood was demolished for it. Directly opposite Palazzo Venezia is Palazzo Generali, which was built between 1906 and 1911 as a de facto copy of Palazzo Venezia. The building replaced two palaces that were demolished in 1900 for the expansion of the square.

And there is another palace in Piazza Venezia, and it is Palazzo Bonaparte. It is named after Letizia Bonaparte, the mother of Emperor Napoleon I. After Napoleon Bonaparte’s empire fell, Pope Pius VII granted asylum to his mother. She resided in this 17th century palace until she died in 1836.

Website

Unavailable.

Opening hours

None.

Admission fees

None.

Address

Getting there

By public transport:

Metro line B: Stop Cavour or Colosseo

Bus lines 40, 46, 51, 60, 63, 64, 70, 80, 83, 85, 118, 119, 160, 170, 628, 916, 916F, F10, H, nMC, nME, n5, n8, n11, n70, n90, n98, n201, n543, n716, n904 and n913: Stop P.za Venezia

Tram line 8: Stop Venezia

By car:

There are no parking garages in the immediate vicinity of Piazza Venezia.