This is the church of Santi Luca e Martina, on the corner between the Forum and the Victor Emmanuel II monument. It was originally built in the 6th or 7th century as the Church of St Martina, but as rebuilt in the 17th century and rededicated to Saint Luke as well.

The Victor Emmanuel II Monument, honoring the first king of unified Italy. It is often regarded as somewhat overdone by the locals. But, I suppose if you're going to erect a new monument in Rome, you've got some serious competition to live up to. The location also serves as a monument to the soldiers of WWI, including the tomb of the unknown soldier and an eternal flame, as well as housing the Museum of Italian Reunification.

One of the nice things about going there yourself is that you can get views that no one ever posts in photos. Here we have the edge of one of the two statues of Victory driving a chariot drawn by four horses.

I like how the corrosion of the metal makes it look like the horses have flowing manes.

The central statue of the man who started it all. I can't easily find the dimensions of this statue, but it's very big.

Probably the best thing about the Vittoriano is that you get a good view from the top. Here's a view of the Santissime Nome di Maria, just an ordinary little church by Roman standards. The buildings behind it are typical apartments for this part of Rome. The absence of laundry drying on the balconies tells you you're in the upscale part of town.