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Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome Italy

The Capitol Square. Although the work of re-designing the ancient Capitoline hill, seat of civic power, had already been started in the 15th century, it had a new push during the pontificate of Paul III. Connected to the Farnese family, the entire area was the object of changes by 1535. Two years later, it was decided to restore the Conservatives Palace with the transfer of the famous equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius that the Lateran Chapter had, in vain, asked not to be moved from its original site. Michelangelo also seemed to be against the move. He was probably already involved in the project, maybe limited only to consultancy on the changes to the pedestal requested in March, 1539.

He square is characterized by the famous twelve-pointed star shape recalling religious reasons (the twelve apostles). After the death of Michelangelo, with the appointment of Giacomo Della Porta, Michelangelo's ideas-probably already fixed in a group project - were carried out with the completion, to the right of the square, by the elevation of the Conservatives Palace with the giant order, modified in part by Della Porta, who also built the facing New Palace, finished around 1603. Heart of the entire Michelangelo architectural accomplishment is the Senatorial Palace, erected in 1573 on the structure with the double staircase of his designing, perfectly in axis with the bell tower above, rebuilt on the plans of Martino Longhi the Elder. The effect is amplified by the access steps to the square and by the central Fountain, flanked by the statues of the Nile and the Tiber, added to the feet of the building at the end of the 1580's.

The equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius is one of the rare works of its type coming down to us, probably because it was kept by Constantine, the first Christian emperor. Built in honour of Marcus Aurelius, it was original at the Lateran in the residence of his mother Domitia Lucilla, where the emperor was born. It remained at that site although the Middle Ages, when a fountain was placed there. After the recent restoration the splendid bronze work, once gilded, was moved inside the Conservatives Palace and replaced by a copy.

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