The Quirinal Palace (known in Italian as the Palazzo del Quirinale or simply the Quirinale) is situated on the Quirinal Hill, the tallest of the seven hills of Rome. The palace, located on the Via del Quirinale and facing onto the Piazza del Quirinale, was begun in 1583 by Pope Gregory XIII as a papal summer residence. Mostly constructed during the late 16th century and early 17th centure, the palace was the creation of four highly eminent architects: Ottavio Mascherino, Flaminio Ponzio, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini. In 1870, it was seized by King Vittorio Emmanuele II and became the home of the Italian kings. While the new Royal owners made small changes replacing the papal arms, in the stonework, with their own; the palace remains a typical example of the unification of Baroque and classical architecture dominant in Rome. Ceded to the state in 1946, today, it is the official residence of the President of the Italian Republic.