Panorama taken of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II in Rome. The picture shows an old statue in the square and some ancient ruins.

Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II - Rome visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Roma.

The Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II used to contain some of the largest markets in Rome. It was created after the unification of Italy and contained Rome's central bakery, central dairy and the national zinc. In the middle of the square are the ruins of a massive fountain, which look like the remains of an old building. This 'Trofei di Mario' fountain was built by Emperor Alexander Severus (222-235) and was fed by two different aqueducts. Water from the fountain then flowed into 3 channels which distributed it around the city.

Also within the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II is the Porta Magica (Magic Gate), which form the remains of the house of Massimo Palombara da Pietraforte, a famous 17C alchemist. On the door posts he inscribed a formula which was given to him and would reportedly transform metals to gold.

Via Carlo Aberto leads northwest from Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II to Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore and the church of Santa Maria Maggiore. From the other end of the square one road leads towards Porta Maggiore o Presentia and the Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme The other leads south to San Giovanni in Laterano church.

Metro: Vittorio Emanuele