Piazza di Campitelli, Baroque square in central Rome, Italy.
Piazza di Campitelli is an elongated rectangular square in the Campitelli district, southeast of the Capitoline Hill. Its western end is closed by Palazzo Gaetani Lovatelli, built on the site of the old church of Santa Maria in Campitello, which stood over part of the Roman temple of Juno Regina. The north-eastern side is lined by the adjoining palaces of the Capizucchi and Paluzzi-Albertoni families (1590-1603), attributed to Giacomo della Porta, and by Palazzo Cavalletti at the corner. The Acqua Felice fountain, designed by Giacomo della Porta in 1589, stands in the square.
The square was known in medieval times as Piazza dei Capizucchi, named after the noble family who lived in the area. Over the following centuries it was gradually rebuilt, and the name Campitelli took over, derived from the nearby Capitoline Hill.
The square was long called Piazza dei Capizucchi after the noble family resident here since the late Middle Ages; it took the name Campitelli from the district, and until 1871 it was Piazza di Santa Maria in Campitelli. The church also bears the title "de Portico", because an 11th-century image of the Madonna was moved here from the destroyed church of Santa Maria near Ponte Rotto.
The square sits within walking distance of the Capitoline Hill, the Jewish Ghetto, and the ancient forums, making it a natural stop on any walking route through the area. Restaurants and cafes around the square are open throughout the day.
The fountain in the square carries the coats of arms of several Roman noble families who jointly paid for its construction in 1589. This shared patronage was unusual at the time, since such projects were typically funded by a single person or institution.
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