Pope Sixtus V initiated an important urban reform following the principles of the Renaissance with the help of the architect Domenico Fontana. Many Ancient Egyptian obelisks had been found in the ruins of the Roman forum. He placed an obelisk in front of the most important monuments of Rome to help pilgrims find them from a distance and connected them with straight, regular streets. The famous Piazza del Popolo was created at the crossroad of three new streets and the Flaminian obelisk was placed in the center of the square.
