Quirinal Palace

Stand at the edge of the square and feel the slight rise in your legs. You have climbed. The cobbles here are dark, worn smooth, and they slope gently toward a stone balustrade. Beyond it, the rooftops of Rome spread out in terracotta and grey, and far to the west the dome of Saint Peter's sits on the skyline. Behind you rises a long, pale facade with tall windows. This is the Quirinal Palace, on the highest of Rome's seven hills.

The hill takes its name from Quirinus, an ancient Roman god linked to the early Roman people. In antiquity this was a place of temples and grand houses. Later, it became something more practical. The air up here was fresher than in the low, damp streets near the river. In summer, the city below could be hot and unhealthy. So when the popes looked for a summer retreat, this hilltop made sense... cooler breezes, open views, and some distance from the crowds.

Work on the palace began in the 1580s, under Pope Gregory the Thirteenth. It was meant as a summer residence. But it grew, and it kept growing, for more than a century. Several of the leading architects of the age worked here, including Domenico Fontana and Carlo Maderno. Later, Gian Lorenzo Bernini added his part. Each pope wanted to leave his mark. The result is less a single design and more a long conversation in stone between generations of builders.

Look along the street that runs away from the square. The building just keeps going. That very long wing is known in Italian as the manica lunga, which means the long sleeve. It stretches for a remarkable distance down the Via del Quirinale. Bernini contributed to its design. Walk beside it and you begin to understand the scale. This is one of the largest palaces in Europe, and from the street you see only a small part of it.

Now turn to the main entrance. Above the doorway is a balcony with a decorated frame. For centuries, this balcony had a special role. The cardinals sometimes met inside this palace to elect a new pope, and the result was announced to the crowd below. The new pope could then appear and give his blessing. Most visitors think papal elections only happen in the Sistine Chapel. In the nineteenth century, several of them took place right here.

Here is another surprise. Inside the palace is the Pauline Chapel. It was built with the same dimensions as the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. The popes wanted a worthy space for ceremonies even while they lived on this hill. The Quirinal was not just a holiday home. For long periods, it was the real centre of papal government. Decisions about Rome, and about much of central Italy, were made behind these windows.

That power did not go unchallenged. In 1809, during the Napoleonic era, French troops entered the palace at night. They arrested Pope Pius the Seventh and took him away into exile. It was a dramatic moment, a pope removed from his own residence by force. Napoleon had plans to use the palace himself, and rooms were prepared with this in mind. But he never came to live here. The pope eventually returned to Rome.

The biggest change came in 1870. Italian troops entered Rome, and the city became the capital of a unified Italy. The popes withdrew to the Vatican. The palace on the hill passed to the new Kings of Italy, the House of Savoy. For more than seventy years it was a royal residence. Then, after the Second World War, Italians voted in 1946 to end the monarchy. The kings left, and the palace needed a new purpose.

Today it is the official residence of the President of the Italian Republic. So this building has housed popes, kings, and presidents — three very different kinds of power, one after another. Look up at the roofline and the small tower near the entrance. When the President is in Rome, a presidential flag flies there. It is a small, simple signal. The building you are looking at is not a museum frozen in time. It is still a working seat of the state.

At the gate, watch for the guards. Some of them belong to the Corazzieri, an honour guard known for their great height and their gleaming helmets. Their name comes from the cuirass, the breastplate once worn by cavalry soldiers. They stand very still, which always fascinates children. The changing of the guard takes place here, and on certain occasions it is more ceremonial, with a band. It is quieter than many guard ceremonies in Europe, and that quiet has its own dignity.

Now turn back to the centre of the square. Two huge marble figures stand beside rearing horses. They represent Castor and Pollux, twin heroes of ancient myth, often called the Dioscuri. These statues are ancient Roman works and have stood on this hill for a very long time. Between them rises an Egyptian-style obelisk. It once stood by the Mausoleum of Augustus, the tomb of Rome's first emperor, and it was moved here in the late eighteenth century. Below, water runs into a wide stone basin.

Around the square, notice the neighbours. Across from the palace stands the Palazzo della Consulta, home of Italy's Constitutional Court. Nearby are the Scuderie del Quirinale, once the papal stables, now a space for major art exhibitions. Think about that for a moment. Horses once lived in a building that now hosts paintings by great masters. Inside the palace itself, guided visits are possible, but they need to be booked ahead, and places can be limited.

Before you leave, walk back to the balustrade. Rest your hands on the warm stone and look out. Listen to the city below — scooters, church bells, voices rising from the narrow streets. Popes once looked at this same view on summer evenings. Kings looked at it, and presidents look at it still. As you walk down the hill, glance back at the long pale wall. It is one building, but it carries more than four centuries of Roman and Italian history.