This hilltop piazza, designed by Michelangelo in 1538, is one of Rome's most beautiful squares. You can reach it from the Roman Forum, but the most dramatic approach is via the graceful Cordonata staircase up from Piazza d'Ara Coeli.
The piazza is flanked by Palazzo Nuovo and Palazzo dei Conservatori , together home to the Capitoline Museums, and Palazzo Senatorio , seat of Rome city council. In the centre is a copy of an equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius.
The original, which dates to the 2nd century AD, is in the Capitoline Museums.
