The urban reorganization wanted by Pope Alexander VII Chigi, shaped Ariccia in the years between 1600 and 1700, giving it the image it still offers us today. The authors of this complete transformation were Gian Lorenzo Bernini with his collaborators (Carlo Fontana, Mattia de Rossi, Luigi Bernini, Giovan Battista Contini): in addition to creating the superb architectural complex of the Piazza di Corte, they redesigned the road system and the infrastructural network, they arranged the church of San Nicola, the Sanctuary of Galloro, they built Porta Romana, Porta Napoletana and the “Stalloni” (former stable of the Chigi house).
Piazza di Corte (della Repubblica)
Piazza della Repubblica is what was once the ancient Piazza di Corte, the elegant heart of Ariccia, the starting point for visiting the town. You meet it just after the famous bridge and the most important buildings overlook it: Palazzo Chigi, the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Assunta, the historic Locanda Martorelli.