About This Location
Palazzo Montecitorio is one of the main symbols of modern Italian politics. It is the seat of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Parliament, and the building has been shaped by several major architects over the centuries. The palace began in 1653, when Pope Innocent X commissioned Gian Lorenzo Bernini to design a residence for the Ludovisi family. Work stopped after the pope’s death, then restarted decades later under Innocent XII. Carlo Fontana completed it, keeping the distinctive curved façade and adding the bell gable above the entrance. In 1696 it became the home of the papal law courts, and only after 1870 was it adapted to host the Chamber of Deputies. Because the original spaces were not suitable for debates, major changes followed. A first assembly hall was created quickly in 1871, and in the early 1900s architect Ernesto Basile built large extensions behind the older front section, creating the new parliamentary hall and the part of the complex that faces the square today. Right in front of the palace stands the Obelisk of Montecitorio, also called the Obelisco Campense. It is an ancient Egyptian obelisk of Pharaoh Psamtik II from Heliopolis, brought to Rome by Emperor Augustus in 10 BC. In antiquity it likely worked as the gnomon - the shadow-caster - for a giant sundial in the Campus Martius. After collapsing and being buried, it was extracted in 1748, and in 1792 it was raised here in its current position by architect Giovanni Antinori. Look around and the setting makes sense. This is a political crossroads of the historic center. A short walk away is Piazza Colonna, with the Column of Marcus Aurelius and Palazzo Chigi, the seat of the Italian government since 1961. Via del Corso runs close by, linking this area to many of Rome’s busiest streets and squares.