Capitoline Hill

Capitoline Hill stands between the Roman Forum and the Campus Martius, one of Rome’s seven hills. Known in Latin as Mons Capitolinus, it was once called Mons Saturnius after the god Saturn. The hill’s name may come from the discovery of a human head during temple excavations. The Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus crowned the summit, built by Rome’s last kings and completed in 509 BC. This temple was nearly as large as the Parthenon and became a symbol of Roman power. The hill resisted the Gauls in 390 BC, thanks to Marcus Manlius Capitolinus and the sacred geese of Juno. The hill’s importance grew through the centuries. In the Middle Ages it housed Rome’s civic government and saw revolts like Cola di Rienzo’s republic. The church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli sits near the ancient citadel, with Roman ruins visible below. By the Renaissance, the hill was a jumble of decaying buildings and execution sites. Pope Paul III commissioned Michelangelo in 1536 to redesign the Piazza del Campidoglio as a grand civic space. Michelangelo reversed the hill’s orientation, turning it away from the Forum toward St Peter’s Basilica. Visitors today find a harmonious square framed by three palazzi. The Palazzo del Senatore, with its double stairway, dominates the centre. The Palazzo dei Conservatori and the later Palazzo Nuovo enclose the trapezoidal piazza. An equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius stands in the middle, set on a paved oval. The Cordonata Capitolina, a broad flight of steps, leads up from the Forum. The Tabularium below holds Roman state records and overlooks the Forum. The view from the piazza captures Rome’s layered history in one glance.