Capitoline Hill, Sacred hill in Rome, Italy
Capitoline Hill rises 45 meters above the city between the Forum and Campo Marzio and is the smallest of Rome's seven hills. Two peaks form the structure: one holds the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, the other the Renaissance palaces around Michelangelo's square.
Etruscan kings built the first large temple on the summit in the sixth century before Christ and made it the religious center of Rome. Centuries later Michelangelo redesigned the piazza in the 1530s and changed the orientation of the hill from the Forum toward Saint Peter's.
The name Capitol comes from an Etruscan word meaning head and later became a symbol of government power in many Western countries. Today people associate the hill with the museums and piazza, where locals meet and tourists walk between the palaces.
The wide Cordonata staircase leads gently from street level up to the square and is easy for all visitors to manage. Those who come early in the morning find the piazza and steps quieter and have better light for photos.
The equestrian statue in the center of the piazza is actually a modern copy from the 1980s, while the ancient original stands protected inside the museum. Many visitors believe the outdoor statue is the genuine bronze original from the second century.
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