Piazza del Campidoglio Rome, Michelangelo designed central square.

The Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome, with the Palazzo dei Conservatori (left) and the Palazzo Nuovo.

The Piazza del Campidoglio can be found at the top of the Capitoline Hill, which used to be the political center of ancient Rome. It opens up towards the west and thus towards Saint Peter’s and the Vatican instead of towards the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.

A brief history of the Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome

The Piazza del Campidoglio was designed by Michelangelo for Pope Paul III Farnese (1534-1549), in occasion of a visit of the Emperor Charles V. The Palazzo dei Conservatori and the Palazzo Senatorio existed already, but it was Michelangelo‘s idea to add the Palazzo Nuovo and thus creating the trapezoid square.

Michelangelo never saw the final product of his project. He did manage to finish the steps to the entrance of the Palazzo Senatorio, but Giacomo della Porta and Girolamo Rainaldi finished the rest of the work. Thankfully they did not change Michelangelo‘s original design, though.

What to see in the Piazza del Campidoglio

Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius

Michelangelo placed the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius on a new pedestal in the center of the square. He had had to move it from its original spot in the house of Verus (who was an ancestor of Marcus Aurelius), at the Lateran. The statue adorning the Piazza at the moment is a copy. The original itself is on display in the Palazzo dei Conservatori. Originally the statue was gilded. People used to believe that once the gilding of the horse had become bright again, the world would end.

Palazzo Senatorio

The central building is the Palazzo Senatorio. At the moment this is the seat of the mayor of Rome, whereas from the 12th century it was used by the Senate of the city. The staircase below the palace is adorned with two statues of river gods and a central one depicting the goddess Roma. A copy of the famous statue of the She-wolf is attached to the left side of the building.

Capitoline Museums

The Piazza del Campidoglio is flanked by the Palazzo dei Conservatori and the Palazzo Nuovo. These two buildings, together with the Tabularium below the Palazzo Senatorio, constitute the seat of the Capitoline Museums. The exhibition comprises ancient Roman art, as well as an impressive collection of 17th century paintings. Sometimes there are also temporary exhibitions.

Cordonata

The wide steps leading up to the square are called Cordonata. At the foot of these steps you can see two lion fountains. The enormous statues at the top portray the Dioscuri, with their horses. They are flanked by two other statues that used to adorn the Trofei di Mario in the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. The columns on each side are antique milestones taken from the Via Appia Antica.

Santa Maria in Aracoeli

The steeper steps to the left of the Cordonata lead to the Church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli. The main attraction of the many wonderful works of art in this church is a fresco cycle by Pinturicchio. The statue between the two stairways depicts Cola di Rienzo.