Piazza Colonna
Piazza Colonna is a piazza at the center of the Rione of Colonna in the historic heart of Rome, Italy. It is named for the marble Column of Marcus Aurelius, which has stood there since AD 193. The bronze statue of Saint Paul that crowns the column was placed in 1589, by order of Pope Sixtus V. The Roman Via Lata runs through the piazza's eastern end, from south to north.
Overview
The piazza is rectangular. Its north side is taken up by Palazzo Chigi, formerly the Austria-Hungary's embassy, but is now a seat of the Italian government. The east side is taken up by the 19th century public shopping arcade Galleria Colonna, the south side is taken up by the flank of, formerly the Papal post office, and the little Church of Santi Bartolomeo ed Alessandro dei Bergamaschi. The west side is taken up by Palazzo Wedekind with a colonnade of Roman columns taken from Veii.The piazza has been a monumental open space since Antiquity; the temple of Marcus Aurelius stood on the site of Palazzo Wedekind.