Piazza del Popolo offers a wide range of landmarks, pathways, and nodes. Overall due to the traffic being diverted around the square there is always a hum of car movement, but overall the space appears quieter than most squares in Rome. This is typical for both day and night.
Pathways: The main pathways are the clearly defined streets. For pedestrians, the northern gate creates a bottleneck where people funnel into the square. These pathways all converge on Piazza del Popolo, and due to the square’s immense volume the all dilute into one another creating a place where people aimlessly meander to the other side.
Districts: The Square itself is one large district. The three main streets leading to the piazza each create their own districts, each distinct with different types of stores, attractions, and destinations. The area north of the main gate becomes an entirely different place. The overlook in Villa Borghese although directly connected to the site becomes a separate district due to both its elevation change and the meandering path the one must take to reach it.
Edges: All edges around the site are clearly defined. Most of Piazza del Popolo is bounded by walls and buildings. The major edge to the north is the old Aurelian gate to the city. The main edge to the east is the Villa Borghese. The other edges are clearly defined by brick walls and main arterial streets that terminate at the square.
Landmarks: The main landmark is the center Egyptian Obelisk. Other nodes around the piazza are two nearly symmetrical churches, Santa Maria in Montesanto and Santa Maria dei Miracoli to the south.Santa Maria dei Popolo and the city gate are the landmarks to the north.
Nodes: The obelisk and the gate become the main nodes in the square. The obelisk acts as both a gathering point and a place for orientation while the gate acts as a funnel for all incoming traffic from Flaminia. The three southern streets all terminate and converge at P. del Popolo, making the entire square a major node for the city.
The Piazza was originally intended by Pope Sixtus V to be an entrance to the city. Does the space still work that way. It was also to be a marker for the three main axis that Pope Sixtus V carved through the city....does that continue to work?
ReplyDeletei think it no longer works as a gate the city but it definitely defines to different Romes; the old and the new. It still acts as a marker to the old Rome. The Three axes still work as successfully as they day the were lain. The way the traffic diverts around the edge of the square creates an energy of an island on the inside.
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