This square dominated by the white mass of the Vittoriano gets its name from the important Palazzo Venezia, which for centuries was the residence of the Embassy of the Republic of Venice at the Holy See. It was built in the mid-1400s by Pope Paul II, a Venetian native, and was designed by Leon Battista Alberti. As you can see, one side of the palace is dominated by a mighty tower crowned by battlements, as if it were a fortress, while its portal and windows are among the first examples of Renaissance architecture in Rome. As you may know, this palace was the headquarters of the government and the personal office of Mussolini during Italy's two decades of fascism: crowds would gather in the square between the balcony window and the center of the façade, and it was here that Mussolini announced Italy's entry into World War II.
Today in Palazzo Venezia you can visit important art exhibitions and a permanent collection of paintings, sculptures, and applied arts from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
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