Lupa Capitolina
Piazza del Campidoglio
Rome Italy
2016

The Capitoline Wolf is a bronze sculpture depicting a scene from the legend of the founding of Rome. The sculpture shows a she-wolf suckling the mythical twin founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus.

Lupa Capitolina, the Capitoline she-wolf is the symbol of the city of Rome.

She is represented as a standing wolf, with the head slightly turned sideways as if looking at her observer, and with two babies under her body, nursing.

The Rome she wolf has a story that goes back to the legend of the foundation of Rome and her statue can be seen in the Capitoline Museums and well as in many other locations in the city.

The Capitoline Wolf is a statue in Rome representing a wolf nursing two twin boys.

It is one of the most famous statues in Rome and a sculpture that tells the story of the foundation of the city, with which she is associated.

Her official name is Lupa Capitolina and in English, you often hear her called Roman she-wolf, roman wolf or even Romulus and Remus wolf. In Italian, it is called Lupa Capitolina or, in brief ‘ la lupa’.

The story of the Capitoline she-wolf taps into the legend of the foundation of Rome.

According to tradition, in the VIII century BC, two twins came into the world in Alba Longa, a city founded by Ascanius, son of Aeneas: they were the sons of Rhea Silvia and the God Mars and were called Romulus and Remus.

Their birth wasn’t welcomed by the reigning power.

Their uncle Amulius, who had usurped the throne from their father Numitor, the legitimate King of Alba Longa, worried they would claim the throne from him and ordered them killed.

Instead of carrying out this death sentence, the twins were put in a basket and let go on the river Tiber: when the basket got stuck on the banks of the river, the cried of the twins attracted the attention of a she-wolf who adopted them as her own cubs and nursed them.

Later in life, on the 21st of April 753 BC, the day still celebrated as Rome’s birthday, Romulus will found Rome therefore the she-wolf is a symbol of the city, that would have never seen the light without her rescuing the city founder.

After this first rescue, the twins were adopted by a local shepherd, Faustolo, who is also occasionally represented with her.

The main and most ancient representation of the Capitoline she-wolf can be seen in the Capitoline Museum on the Campidoglio Hill in Rome city center.

The statue is 75mc big and her iconography seems to be typical of the V century AD however, the date of its creation is not certain: while for the longest time it was believed the wolf to be from the V century, recent carbon-14 analyses suggest she may date back to medieval times instead – in the museum, both dates are reported as possible.

Made of bronze, she seems to have arrived on the Capitoline Hill under Pope Sixtus IV and was first located on the façade of the palazzo, then moved inside the museum.

https://www.rome.net/piazza-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.