 This
piazza is situated at the midpoint of Via del Corso and the Romans
consider it the center of the city. It has a long column (colonna)
after which the piazza has been named. This column was erected by
Marcus Aurelius to celebrate his victories in Persia, Germany and
Armenia. He built it in memory of his father Antonio Pius. This
column was erected between 180-196 A.D. It is made of marble and
there are scenes in relief of the wars fought by the emperor winding
all the way to the top. It is similar to the older column of Trajan.
Giacomo della Porta designed an elegant fountain in 1575. It has
a basin decorated with 16 lion’s heads. In 183o a small basin
with two dolphin’s heads was placed here. In 1588-9 Pope Sixtus
V restored the column and added the statue of St. Paul at the top
of the column.
 In
the middle ages this square had a lot of houses belonging to the
old and aristocratic families of Rome. This was the scene till the
18th century when the square became the area for fruit and vegetable
vendors. After the 1870’s a string of fashionable restaurants
was the norm with table services by waitresses. In the 19th century
Benito Mussolini used to speak from the balcony of Palazzo Chigi.
 On
the eastern side of piazza colonna one can find the Galleria Colonna.
This large building was built in 1922. It has an inner passage with
many shops.
On the southern side of the piazza one can find the Palazzo Ferraioli.
Francesco Piparelli designed this in 1627. However Giovanni Antonio
de Rossi completed it in 1642. There is also a small church in the
vicinity- the church of St. Bartholomew of Bergarnaschi whose façade
was designed by Carlo di Dominicius in 1731. Next to this there
is an interesting 18th century portal.
 Palazzo
Chigi is perhaps the most important building in this piazza. A cardinal
who was a nephew of Pope Clement VIII originally built it. Initially
it housed the Foreign Ministry but is now the house of the prime
Minister and this is the reason why piazza colonna is heavily armed
with police and security.
This center of Italy’s capital is at the confluence of busy
shopping streets including the Via del Tritone, which leads to the
Via Veneto and Via del Corso, which is the oldest and longest avenue
in Rome.
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