QUIRINAL PALACE, Quirinal Palace

Hi, I'm James, your personal guide. Together with MyWoWo, I'd like to welcome you to one of the wonders of the world.

Today I'll accompany you through Quirinal Hill, which is one of the most scenic spots in Rome!

One of the most important urban-planning achievements of the Romanesque era is "Montecavallo", as Quirinal Hill is commonly called, which is the hill sixty meters above Rome that marks the highest point in the city. In the center of Quirinal Square you can see a curious set of monuments: an Egyptian obelisk right next to the gigantic sculptural group of Zeus' twin children Castor and Pollux, who sit high up on horses over a pedestal of a large trough/pool. The statues are five and a half meters high and are copies of 5th century BC Greek originals that were made in the Roman imperial age.

The palace of Quirinal Hill sums up the history of the last centuries of Rome: first the pope lived there, then the king, and in 1946 the President of the Republic took up residence there. It is one of Europe's richest royal palaces and has an extraordinary amount of artwork; it is opened to visitors for special ceremonies and guided group tours.

Several architects collaborated in the palace's design between the 1500s and 1600s, with the decisive contribution of Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the entrance portal, loggia, and the "torrino", or small tower, that you can see on the left....