Church is open: 7 am – 7 pm Mon-Sat, 8 am – 1:30 pm and 4:30 pm – 7:30 pm Sun
Rome has a lot of large squares with fountains and obelisks and churches surrounding them, and Piazza del Popolo is one of the most well-balanced in that respect. It is a large square (well actually it has an oval shape) that seems much smaller than it really is because of the symmetry in its design. However once you start walking from one side to the other you realize how huge it really is.
The Piazza nowadays is a place for tourists to visit and enjoy this part of Rome, however this was the place of public executions just over a century ago.
If you walk in through the Porta del Popolo’s central arch, you will get the best view of the Piazza, with Santa Maria del Popolo being on your left handside, the 3,000 years old Egyptian obelisk right in front of you in the center of the Piazza and the twin churches in the background of the obelisk. Porta del Popolo is located between Piazzale Flaminio and Piazza del Popolo and was designed in the 16th century to look like one of the classical Roman arches, later Bernini was commissioned to decorate the façade of the arch. The obelisk came to Rome when emperor Augustus conquered Egypt but was placed in the Piazza only in the 16th century. In the 17th century the twin churches were built. The twin churches are Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto designed by Carlo Rinaldi. They are called the twin churches since they look identical and provide symmetry for the Piazza, however one of the churches had less space for contruction. Rinaldi then built a circular dome on the right church and oval dome on the left and when you look at the churches you would never notice that one is slightly narrower than the other. On each side of the Piazza at the level of the obelisk you can also see beautiful fountains that add to the symmetry effect.
But the real jewel of the Piazza is Santa Maria del Popolo church.
Continued in Part II