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The name derives from the shape of the piazza’s
most important monument: the Pantheon, also
known popularly as "la Rotonda". Today the building stands in a sort of sunken
area, created by the gradual
 settling of the enormous weight of the building upon
its foundations, and by the slow rise of the road-level. Moreover, one must remember that
this is one of the lowest points in the whole city, and was subject through the centuries
to numerous floods of the Tiber, in the time before the
construction of the great parapets of Lungotevere after 1870. This is one of the cosiest
and liveliest in Rome. In the centre, you find the Fontana
della Rotonda, surrounded by swirling pidgeons. Around the piazza there are
various cafés and bars, with tables in the open-air. Don’t forget to take a look at
the post-card shop in the Piazza, one of the most well-supplied of the whole of Rome.
Before you leave, you may want to inspect the Albergo del Sole,
one of the oldest in Rome.
Accessibility
The Piazza's architectural barriers (steps around the Fountain, chains to stop traffic
from entering the piazza) can be easily avoided.
in the photo: engraving of Piazza della Rotonda |
