About This Location
The Monument to Marco Minghetti stands along Corso Vittorio Emanuele II at Piazza San Pantaleo, right beside Palazzo Braschi. It honors Marco Minghetti, a leading figure of the Kingdom of Italy who served as prime minister and worked for national unification in the 1800s. The monument was inaugurated in 1895. The bronze statue shows Minghetti standing with a book, posed like a speaker addressing the public. It was designed by sculptor Lio Gangheri and architect Giacomo Misuraca, placed on a tall marble base with allegorical figures that point to politics, learning, and the building of the nation. Behind it rises Palazzo Braschi, a late 1700s Neoclassical palace commissioned for Luigi Braschi Onesti, nephew of Pope Pius VI. Today it houses the Museo di Roma, which tells the story of the city through artworks, prints, and everyday objects, from the Middle Ages through the modern era. Just nearby is the Church of San Pantaleo and San Giuseppe Calasanzio. A church has stood here since the Middle Ages, and in 1621 the complex was entrusted to Saint Joseph Calasanz and the Piarists, known for creating free schools for children. The church was rebuilt in the late 1600s, and the current façade dates to the early 1800s. A short walk away is the Museo di Scultura Antica Giovanni Barracco, a compact but memorable museum built around a private collection donated to Rome by Giovanni Barracco. It brings together ancient sculpture and fragments from cultures across the Mediterranean and the Near East, from Egypt and Assyria to Greece and Rome. This spot also matters because it sits at a key crossroads. Corso Vittorio Emanuele II cuts through central Rome, and the side streets here funnel people quickly toward Piazza Navona, Campo de' Fiori, and the nearby river route - which is why the area always feels in motion, even when the square itself is calm.