Just outside the Quirinal Palace, now seat of the President of the Italian Republic, but arose, such as the building, already at the end of the XVI century, you will be amazed by this beautiful obelisk flanking by two huge marble statues. What we see is the so-called Montecavallo Obelisk, transferred here at the 1786 by Pope Pius VI.

Oh yes, because as has happened in other occasions, even this obelisk was moved, over the centuries, from one side to the other of Rome. This magnificent egyptian artifact was, in fact, brought to Rome by Augustus and placed before the entrance of his mausoleum (along with the other obelisk is now in Piazza dell'Esquilino). The great granite block is high, almost 15 metres, and rises to almost 29 metres whereas the base. Imagine that in Rome there are so many other obelisks, making the Eternal City as the place with the largest number of obelisks in the world! Why? Simply due to the desire of the Romans to adorn the Eternal City with many ornaments from Egypt, which was militarily conquered at the first century b.C. A series of trophies of war, in short, that some of the roman emperors exploited it for their own image and propaganda.

In addition to the obelisk, to embellish the whole area, we have the two Dioscuri, accompanied by their trust steeds: from the roman period, these sculptures are copies of the original of Phidias and Praxiteles. You notice their bodies are muscular and tense, with the muscles at the foreground, the pride of the two horses, the power released just by the marble! The Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux, were the Jupiter's sons, and were fundamental to the history of Rome, as it would have helped in several occasions to the Romans in the course of their wars. As the two heroes of the heavenly bodies, the Dioscuri contributed to the military success of Rome, highlighting the fact that the Eternal City should thrive, almost by divine right. The whole complex, the obelisk and the Dioscuri, was completed by Raffaele Stern in 1818, to beautify and decorate the top of the Quirinal hill, one of the hills of historic Rome. In conclusion it is interesting to note how, in a single monument, we see the meeting of different cultures: from the obelisk that is clearly egyptian to the Dioscuri, two demi gods who were heroes for the Romans and the Greeks (as you can read here). Finally, however, a Pope, right here, in front of the building of the Quirinale, which, in the past, served as the summer residence of the popes, and moved the obelisk. And we are at the end of the XVIII century. How many centuries in a single corner of Rome. Don't you think that this monument makes the Eternal City even more beautiful?