Flaminio Obelisk

The Flaminio Obelisk stands at the centre of the Piazza del Popolo in Rome, one of the most recognisable public spaces in the city. Originally brought to Rome from Heliopolis by the Emperor Augustus following his conquest of Egypt, the obelisk is among the oldest and tallest in the city, its hieroglyphics dedicated to the pharaohs Seti I and Ramesses II. Augustus placed it in the Circus Maximus, where it remained for centuries before Pope Sixtus V had it re-erected in the Piazza del Popolo in 1589, a project carried out by the architect Domenico Fontana. The surrounding piazza, redesigned in the early nineteenth century by Giuseppe Valadier, frames the obelisk with symmetrical fountains and a sweeping view toward the Pincian Hill.

Visitors to the Flaminio Obelisk often use Rome as a base for wider explorations of southern Italy. Current experiences available here include a guided day trip to Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius, as well as a combined excursion to Pompeii and Positano that includes a limoncello tasting.