Piazza del Campidoglio is one of the most famous and scenic squares in Rome. It is located on the top of the Capitoline Hill, one of the city’s seven hills, and today represents the symbolic center of Rome’s civic power, as it houses the City Hall of the capital.
The square was redesigned in the 16th century by the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo Buonarroti, commissioned by Pope Paul III. Michelangelo created a harmonious and innovative space: instead of orienting the square toward the Roman Forum, he turned it toward the modern city and St. Peter’s Basilica, symbolically marking the new political center of papal Rome.
At the center of the square stands the famous equestrian statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The original statue, now preserved in the Capitoline Museums, has been replaced in the square by a copy. The pavement of the square features an elegant elliptical geometric design, inspired by Michelangelo’s project and completed in the 20th century.