Sixtus V, a Franciscan friar born in Grottammare, not far from Fermo, was a very enterprising pope, also known in Rome as "the tough Pope". He was responsible for via Merulana, Via Sistina, Via Panisperna, Via di San Giovanni and Via di San Gregorio as well as the end of the works on St. Peter's Basilica with the construction of the dome whose last stone was placed in May 1590. He was also responsible for the renovation of the Basilica of San Paolo Fuori le Mura, the Sistine Chapel, the Lateran palaces and that of the "Scala Santa" as well as a myriad of restorations, reconstructions and constructions of monuments and public works. They had to stop him because in his urban planning and building ardor he wanted to destroy the tomb of Cecilia Metella, something the Roman people opposed, and transform the Colosseum into workshops and homes. The obelisks were his passion: in addition to the one in Piazza San Pietro he had the one erected in front of S. Maria Maggiore, the one near San Giovanni in Laterano and the one in the center of Piazza del Popolo.