Rome city council has approved a project to restyle Piazza del Popolo and its surroundings, with work due to commence around the end of April.

The €1.375 project will include the restoration of all the square's statues and fountains, including the statues along the adjacent Passeggiata del Pincio, while the balustrade and granite columns that surround the square will also be strengthened and made safe.

The restoration of the square, which is located at the Flaminio end of Via del Corso, has been a personal goal of Umberto Broccoli since he assumed the role of culture superintendent in 2008.

The neoclassical layout of Piazza del Popolo as we know it today was carried out between 1811 and 1822 following the designs of Roman architect Giuseppe Valadier.

Valadier created the square's elliptical plan, replacing the original trapezoidal design, and linked the square