What am I looking at?
Piazza Venezia (Italian: [ˈpjattsa veˈnɛttsja]; "Venice Square") is a central hub of Rome, Italy, in which several thoroughfares intersect, including the Via dei Fori Imperiali and the Via del Corso.
The quick answer
Piazza Venezia (Italian: [ˈpjattsa veˈnɛttsja]; "Venice Square") is a central hub of Rome, Italy, in which several thoroughfares intersect, including the Via dei Fori Imperiali and the Via del Corso. It takes its name from the Palazzo Venezia, built by the Venetian Cardinal, Pietro Barbo (later Pope Paul II) alongside the church of Saint Mark, the patron saint of Venice. The Palazzo Venezia served as the embassy of the Republic of Venice in Rome.
How it came to be
One side of the Piazza is the site of Italy's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Altare della Patria, part of the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, first king of Italy.
The detail most people miss
The piazza or square is at the foot of the Capitoline Hill and next to Trajan's Forum. The main artery, the Via dei Fori Imperiali begins there and leads past the Roman Forum to the Colosseum.
Why it still matters
Most tourists in Rome visit the Piazza Venezia, which is a short walk from several of Rome's best known sights, including the Roman Forum, Capitoline Hill, Palazzo Venezia, and the famous Pantheon.
Look closer
Capitalizing on this modern and ancient symbolism--and the useful open space--Piazza Venezia was the location of public speeches given by the Italian dictator Mussolini to crowds of his supporters in the 1920s-1940s.
