Baron '“Sidney” Sonnino (1847-1922), nicknamed “the silent statesman of Italy,” was the 19th Prime Minister of Italy and served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs during World War I. He could speak five languages fluently, and was known as an intellectual and stern diplomat.

In 1922, Rome’s city council decided to dedicate a square to Sidney Sonnino, which sits next to Viale di Trastevere, and includes the statue of Giuseppe Gioachino Belli, the Basilica of San Crisogono and the Palazzo degli Anguilara.

"I would not think of having fires in my bedroom… our Italian Winters are too beautiful to be spoiled in that fashion.”

- Baron Sidney Sonnino