The town's main square has been continuously in use since Roman times — the forum lay where the piazza now is, and the Temple of Minerva on the north side is a near-perfect first-century-BC survival. The medieval Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo on the same side and the squat 1212 Torre del Popolo opposite frame the rest.
The piazza is the natural meeting point and the easiest place to take coffee outside; several cafes and gelaterias work the front terraces. In the evening it fills with locals on the passeggiata between the basilicas.