PIAZZA DEL CAMPIDOGLIO

Description

Essentials about Piazza del Campidoglio in brief

The Piazza del Campidoglio (“The Capitol Square”), is one of the most beautiful squares in Rome and should definitely be on the bucket list for a trip to the Eternal City. It has been the central square on the Capitoline Hill, the most important of Rome’s legendary Seven Hills, since early modern times. The beautiful architecture of the Capitol Square Romans and tourists owe to the great Michelangelo. He created a grandiose ensemble of a grand staircase in the form of a large ramp and the three palaces, the Senator’s Palace, the Palazzo dei Conservatori and the Palazzo Nuovo, which frame the Piazza del Campidoglio.

The significance and history of Piazza del Campidoglio

From the founding of Rome until its fall nearly 1,000 years later, the Capitoline Hill symbolized the hub of Rome’s power and many of the city’s most important buildings stood on this hill. Even later in the Middle Ages, the site continued to play an important role in the city’s history. The Roman Senate gathered here, and to this day the hill has political significance as the site of Rome’s City Hall.

When Emperor Charles V planned a visit to Rome in 1563, the Capitoline Hill was in such a state of disrepair that Pope Paul III commissioned Michelangelo to design a new square on the hill, including remodeling the existing buildings around the square. Michelangelo’s design for Piazza del Campidoglio Square several elements:

The architecture of and the buildings on Piazza del Campidoglio

The Cordonata

The Cordonata, an open staircase in the form of a large ramp that was designed to provide access from the north. The steps and the slope of the ramp were designed to be suitable for riders on horseback. The base of the staircase is flanked by two lions. Halfway up on the left side is a sculpture of Cola di Rienzi, a Roman politician and tribune of the people. The top of the stairs is marked by the dominant statues of the dioscuri Castor and Pollux with their horses on reins, installed here in 1585 in place of the statues envisaged by Michelangelo. Like all the statues in the square, they are copies, most of the originals are kept in the Capitoline Museums.

The three Palaces

Michelangelo developed an original trapezoidal design for the square itself, with a fascinating oval-shaped floor pattern. He rebuilt the Palazzo Senatorio, the seat of the Roman Senate, and redesigned the façade of the Palazzo dei Conservatori. In addition, a new building was to be erected directly opposite the Palazzo dei Conservatori, the Palazzo Nuovo. Both palaces were laid out at a slight angle to each other to make the square appear larger in perspective than it actually is.

The equestrian statue of Mark Aurel

In the center of the square is an equestrian statue of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, which was moved from its old location in front of the Lateran Palace to Piazza del Campidoglio in 1538 by order of Pope Paul III. The statue on display today is a replica. The original was replaced in 1981 to protect it from the elements and moved to the Capitoline Museums. The gilded bronze statue was preserved by the fortunate coincidence that it was thought to be a representation of Emperor Constantine, the first Christian emperor. Its true identity was not recognized until the 15th century. Had it been unmasked just a little earlier, the statue would most likely have been melted down as a pagan effigy.

Construction of the square began in 1546, but by the time of Michelangelo’s death in 1564, only the Cordonata and the entrance to the Palazzo dei Senatori had been transposed. It was not until the mid-17th century that Piazza del Campidoglio was finished with the completion of the Palazzo Nuovo to Michelangelo’s designs.