Skip to content

Obelisco del Quirinale

Obelisco del Quirinale is a historic site, at a modelled elevation of 53 m. Colle Iano stands 938 m to the southeast, 16 miles off. The nearest named place is Museo Universale, a museum less than a tenth of a mile away.

The story

The Quirinal Obelisk (Italian: Obelisco del Quirinale) is one of the thirteen ancient obelisks of Rome. It stands in the Piazza del Quirinale on the Quirinal Hill, the highest of Rome's hills and forms the centrepiece of the Fountain of the Dioscuri (depicting Castor and Pollux). The square is dominated by the Quirinal Palace, the official residence of the the President of the Italian Republic. The obelisk is anepigraphic (without hieroglyphic inscriptions) and was probably manufactured in Egypt during the Roman period, rather than being a genuine Pharaonic monument. It is one of a pair that originally flanked the entrance to the Mausoleum of Augustus; its twin is the Esquiline Obelisk, which has been re-erected in Piazza dell'Esquilino. Both are made of red Aswan granite. The monolith of the Quirinal obelisk stands at 14.64m tall (29.94m on its base). An interesting feature of both the Esquiline and the Quirinal obelisks is that they lack the pyramidion (the top, shaped like a pyramid) that is found on the vast majority of obelisks quarried in Egypt. It has been proposed that the reason for this curious omission is that the Romans who commissioned it did not understand the significance of the pyramidion and simply did not ask for it. The obelisks were lost, toppling at some point during the Middle Ages. They were rediscovered several times before finally being excavated and re-erected by Pius VI, and completed by Pius VII, with the addition of the current fountain in 1818.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Wikidata Q3348571, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

What the record says

Height
14.63 m

How to reach it

Coordinates41.89906, 12.48664

Named places within 25 miles

Attractions
Parks
  • Giardini del Quirinale: 0.2 mi
  • Giardini di Palazzo Barberini: 0.3 mi
  • Belvedere Tarpeo: 0.6 mi
  • Giardino Zerai Deres: 0.6 mi
  • Fontana del porto di Ripetta: 0.7 mi
Artworks
  • La Forza: 0.3 mi
  • Il Pensiero: 0.3 mi
  • Adriatico: 0.3 mi
  • Leone Alato: 0.3 mi
  • La Concordia: 0.3 mi
Peaks
Waterfalls: 23
  • Cascata fosso Marrana: 4.9 mi
  • Cascata della Mola di Veio: 9.9 mi
  • Cascata del fosso degli Olmetti: 10.1 mi
  • Pisciacavallo: 12.4 mi
  • Cascata di San Bartolomeo: 12.6 mi
Beaches: 21
  • Le Palme: 13.0 mi
  • Bau Beach: 15.9 mi
  • Spiaggia dei gabbiani: 19.1 mi
  • Malibù: 21.0 mi
  • Spiaggia libera: 22.7 mi
Springs: 16
  • Sorgente (non potabile): 13.7 mi
  • Acqua Acetosa: 13.9 mi
  • Fonte Levinosa: 20.5 mi
  • Fonte di Virginio: 21.0 mi
  • Fonte: 21.8 mi
Nature reserves: 15
Cliffs: 8
  • Rupe Tarpea: 0.6 mi
  • Rupe del Parco Brin: 2.6 mi
  • Rupe del Lotto 6: 2.7 mi
  • Rupe sinistra delle Rocce di San Paolo: 2.7 mi
  • Falesia Ciampino: 8.8 mi
Picnic sites: 7
  • Lago Bullicante Ex Snia: 2.8 mi
  • Area Picnic 1: 9.8 mi
  • Area Picnic 2: 10.0 mi
  • Area attrezzata Tuscolo: 13.0 mi
  • Le Scampagnate di Sbardella Giuliano: 13.4 mi

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 16.1 miles of Obelisco del Quirinale. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Colle IanoSE 126°938 m15.9 mi
Monte VescovoSE 129°822 m16.0 mi
Monte AraSE 127°782 m15.2 mi
Monte SalomoneESE 119°778 m14.6 mi
la MontagnolaESE 118°736 m14.0 mi
Trinità SS in AlgidoESE 118°710 m15.0 mi
Colle TondoSE 124°686 m15.3 mi
Monte TuscoloESE 121°670 m13.6 mi

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox06:1517:4518:22
June solstice05:3620:0720:49
September equinox06:5818:3319:10
December solstice07:3515:5816:42

Local time (Europe/Rome).

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidata

OpenStreetMap element way/135609691

Drive to it

Byway plans a real route around stops like this one.

Private beta · Free to join

Take the scenic way to Obelisco del Quirinale.

Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.

Private beta · Free to join · No card · Invite when a spot opens