The Capitoline Hill, between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the seven hills of Rome. It was the citadel (equivalent of the ancient Greek acropolis) of the earliest Romans. The existing design of the Piazza del Campidoglio and the surrounding palazzi was created by Renaissance artist and architect Michelangelo Buonarroti in 1536–1546.
In the middle, and not to Michelangelo’s liking, stood the original equestrian statue of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. Michelangelo provided an unassuming pedestal for it. The sculpture was held in regard because it was thought to depict Emperor Constantine, the first Christian Emperor. The bronze now in position is a modern copy; the original is in the Palazzo dei Conservatori nearby.
A balustrade, punctuated by sculptures atop the giant pilasters, capped the composition, one of the most influential of Michelangelo’s designs. The two massive ancient statues of Castor and Pollux that decorate the balustrades are not the same as those posed by Michelangelo, which now are in front of the Palazzo del Quirinale.
Next to the older and much steeper stairs leading to the Aracoeli, Michelangelo devised a monumental wide-ramped stair (the cordonata), gradually ascending the hill to reach the high piazza, so that the Campidoglio resolutely turned its back on the Roman Forum that it had once commanded. It was built to be wide enough for horse riders to ascend the hill without dismounting.
Nile
Tiber
Tiber
The monumental staircase in front of the Palazzo Senatorio is also a creation of Michelangelo. The statues on either side of the double staircase represent the Nile (left) and the Tiber (right). The latter originally represented the river Tigris, but it was modified (the tiger near the large allegorical statue is now a wolf). Both statues were created in the first century AD and were found in the ruins of the Baths of Constantine.
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