Campidoglio Square

The Piazza del Campidoglio is the site of several important buildings such as the Palazzo dei Conservatori and Palazzo Nuovo at the sides, and Palazzo Senatorio, the offices of Rome’s town council.

The square was designed by Michelangelo. At its centre is the statue of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius on horseback, standing on a base which Michelangelo also created. The statue has been replaced with a copy and the original can now be found in the Capitoline Museums.

To access Piazza del Campidoglio you need to climb the Cordonata, a broad sloping road similar in form to a flight of steps and flanked by the marble statues of Castor and Pollux.

The travertine design of a twelve-pointed star set into the paving is also attributable to Michelangelo’s genius