Piazza Colonna — Column of Marcus Aurelius

Situated between the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon, Piazza Colonna is adorned at its centre with the Column of Marcus Aurelius. The square is also at the heart of political Rome: you will also find Palazzo Chigi, seat of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, itself next to Piazza di Monte Citorio, seat of the Chamber of Deputies.

Getting there: Barberini metro station or one of the many bus lines along the Via del Corso 62, 63, 80, 81, 83, 175, 628…

Address: Piazza Colonna

Opening hours: exterior visit only

Ticket prices: free.

This column, built in AD 180, commemorates the wars led by Marcus Aurelius against the Sarmatians and the Germanic peoples.

Just like Trajan’s Column, by which it is strongly inspired, bas-reliefs depict these wars in the form of true comic strips. The bas-reliefs become larger as they rise, so that they remain visible from the ground.

The Column of Marcus Aurelius is a very interesting historical record that tells us about the military history of this period. Note the dress and equipment of the Romans and the barbarians.

The column was topped by a statue of Marcus Aurelius, replaced by that of St Paul in the 16th century.

One side of the square is occupied by Palazzo Chigi, built in the 16th and 17th centuries to designs by Giacomo della Porta. First owned by the Aldobrandini family, it was sold to Pope Alexander VII Chigi. The Chigi family sold the palace to the Italian state in 1916, which then used it to house ministries.