014 due chiese in pza. del popolo

Piazza del Popolo is my favorite Piazza so far. The scale is large, and the traffic is diverted behind tall walls so it feels calmer than other places in the city. In plan, the space is an ellipse; the focus point in the center is an Egyptian obelisk portraying Rameses II, taken from Egypt by Augustus in 10 BC, (which unfortunately is being restored right now).

To the south of the Piazza are these two identical churches, Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto. I don't yet know the story on why there are two identical churches sitting right next to each other, but it's sure to be a good one!