Capitoline Hill Cordonata
Rome Italy
2016

This wide, paved walkway lined with statues leads up to a famous square designed by Michelangelo.

The Capitoline Hill cordonata in Rome, leading from Piazza d'Aracoeli to Piazza del Campidoglio

The Piazza del Campidoglio was laid down on the summit of the Capitoline Hill, the most important of Rome’s seven hills. It is the first modern square to be designed in Rome.

The piazza came about because Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, organized a visit to Rome in 1536. Pope Paul III was so dismayed by the state of the sodden Capitoline Hill that he commissioned Michelangelo to design a square.

Michelangelo wanted the square to face St Peter’s Basilica, the political centre of Rome, instead of the Roman Forum. He also proposed the construction of another palace, Palazzo Nuovo, which would face Palazzo dei Conservatori. This palace, in its turn, would have a new façade. The Palazzo Senatorio’s front would also be redesigned so that all the buildings and the square would work harmoniously.

An imposing bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius was erected in the centre of the square. It is currently housed in the Palazzo dei Conservatori and in the square stands a replica of the Roman Emperor instead.
The execution of the plans took so long that Michelangelo didn’t live to see his work completed. Nevertheless, his designs were followed meticulously and finished several centuries later.

The Piazza del Campidoglio is one of the most beautiful squares in Rome, attracting millions of visitors every year. Its popularity is also due to its proximity to the Capitoline Museums and the legendary sculpture of the Capitoline Wolf, situated between the Palazzo Senatorio and Palazzo Nuovo.

The bronze she-wolf on top of the column is a replica. The original is housed in the Capitoline Museums.

At the top of the cordonata, the stepped ramp leading up to Piazza del Campidoglio, stand two colossal statues of Castor and Pollux.
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In Greek and Roman mythology Castor and Pollux were twin brothers, who were also known as the Dioscuri, from the words dios (gods) and kuroi (youths). Their mother was Leda, wife of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta, but they had different fathers. Castor was the king's son, but Pollux was the son of Zeus, who seduced Leda in the guise of a swan. Thus Castor was mortal, while Pollux was a demigod.

The Disocuri are also known as the Gemini (twins). When Castor was killed Pollux asked his father to let him share his own immortality with his brother and they were duly transformed into the constellation that bears their name.

The Dioscuri were excellent horsemen and are always portrayed with a pair of horses.

The statues were unearthed in 1561 on the site of the Temple of Castor and Pollux, which stood next to the Circus Flaminius. They were erected in Piazza del Campidoglio in 1583.

The youths can be seen again in Piazzale del Quirinale, where they make up the Fontana dei Dioscuri.