Piazza dell'Esquilino

In the middle of piazza dell'Esquilino, one of the seven hills, an obelisk stands out. Like its twin in Piazza del Quirinale, it decorated the entrance of the Mausoleum of Augustus. In 1587 it was moved here by order of Pope Sixtus V, to guide pilgrims coming from the north toward the important Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the most solemn buildings of Roman Baroque. From the square only the back of the Basilica can be seen.