Piazza del Campidoglio

Piazza del Campidoglio is a public square on top of the Capitoline Hill in Rome, between the Roman Forum and the Campus Martius. It includes three main buildings: the Palazzo Senatorio (Rome's City Hall), the Palazzo dei Conservatori, and the Palazzo Nuovo, which together house the Capitoline Museums. The square was designed by Michelangelo in the 16th century at the behest of Pope Paul III.

Don't miss

• The oval piazza with a twelve-pointed star at its centre, designed by Michelangelo
• The Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius (a copy; the original is inside the Capitoline Museums)
• The double staircase of the Palazzo Senatorio, designed by Michelangelo, with fountains featuring river gods of the Tiber and the Nile
• The Cordonata, a wide ramp road built so horse riders could ascend the hill without dismounting, decorated with Egyptian lions and statues of the Dioscuri at the top
• The Capitoline Museums, one of the oldest national museums, founded in 1471 with donations from Pope Sixtus IV including the She-wolf, Spinario, Camillus, and a colossal head of Constantine

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Piazza del Campidoglio

Cheapest way inPiazza del Popolo and Historical Sights Walking Tour in Rome4.9★ · 179 travelers~3 hoursFree cancellationFrom$4 per personSee dates →Most bookedRome: Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill Guided Tour4.5★ · 25,110 travelers~3 hoursFrom$40 per personSee dates →Top ratedCampo de Fiori Rome Food Tour with 8+ Food Tastings & Wine4.9★ · 1,071 travelers~3 hoursFree cancellationFrom$114 per personSee dates →

Getting there

Know before you go

• The square is the seat of Rome's civil administration; the Palazzo Senatorio is the City Hall.
• In the Middle Ages the hill was used for grazing goats and was called 'colle caprino' (goat hill).
• The equestrian statue in the centre is a copy; the original gilded bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius is kept in the Capitoline Museums.

A bit of history

In the Middle Ages the piazza was so neglected it was called 'colle caprino' (goat hill), used for grazing goats. Pope Paul III commissioned Michelangelo to rebuild it as a symbol of the new Rome to impress Emperor Charles V, who was expected to visit in 1538. Michelangelo's first designs date to 1534, and from 1534 to 1538 he completely redesigned the square, turning it away from the Roman Forum and toward St. Peter's Basilica. The work went slowly; Michelangelo only saw the completion of the double staircase to the Palazzo Senatorio before his death.