Hotel near Piazza della Repubblica
Hotel Floridia Hotel is central and strategically located close to the famous Piazza della Repubblica. One of the most famous squares in the capital is 600 metres from the hotel and can also be reached on foot in less than 10 minutes. Simply take Via Montebello towards Via del Macao, Via Cernaia, Via Pietro Barbieri and Via Vittorio Emanuele Orlando. Piazza della Repubblica was built after Rome had been proclaimed the capital of Italy, during the period of urban development in the city. It is a circular piazza and is also known as Piazza dell'Esedra because it stands in the place that, during the period of the emperor Diocletian, it was occupied by an exedra of Roman baths.
The semi-circular colonnade of the square follows the perimeter of the large exedra precisely. The arcades that embellish the square were built in memory of the ancient buildings that once stood here. The porticoed buildings date back to 1887-1898 and are the work of Gaetano Koch. One of the symbols of the square, which you will find in its centre, is undoubtedly the Fountain of the Naiads. It was built by Mario Rutelli, in 1901, who sculpted a monument representing the Nymph of the Lakes, the Nymph of the Rivers, the Nymph of the Oceans and the Nymph of the Underground Waters. In the centre of the fountain, you will see the Glauco group, symbolising man's dominion over the forces of nature. Another symbol of Piazza della Repubblica is the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri.
Its architect was Michelangelo, who readapted the ancient tepidarium and other annexed rooms. In the mid-18th century, Luigi Vanvitelli changed its positioning and rearranged the internal nave to accommodate the altarpieces. Among the works kept inside it: the Presentation of Mary into the Temple by Giovanni Francesco Romanelli, the Martyrdom of St Sebastian by Domenichino, the Death of Ananias and Sapphira by Pomarancio and the Baptism of Jesus by Maratta.