A stair built in thanks for a plague's end
Fourteenth-century, climbed by pilgrims on their knees.
Adrian Pingstone (Arpingstone) — Public domain · Sara Di Marcello at Italian Wikipedia — Public domain · Giuseppe Vasi — Public domain · Michael aus Halle — CC BY-SA 3.0
A small square at the foot of the Capitoline Hill in Rome, where two famous stairways begin: the steep flight up to the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, and the gentle ramp Michelangelo designed up to the Piazza del Campidoglio. The square explains something about how Rome is read. The two stairs stand side by side and climb the same hill, but they belong to two worlds: the church stair is fourteenth-century, a hundred and twenty-four steep steps built in thanks for the end of a plague, which pilgrims climbed on their knees. Michelangelo's is sixteenth-century, a wide ramp designed to be ridden up on horseback — made for civic authority, not penitence. The fountain at the centre of the square is also sixteenth-century, by Giacomo della Porta, one of dozens he placed across the city after the aqueducts were restored. Practical points: a public square, always open and free. Standing in it takes minutes, but it is the natural start for climbing the Capitoline, the Capitoline Museums and the neighbouring Vittoriano monument.
Fourteenth-century, climbed by pilgrims on their knees.
Michelangelo designed it for civic authority, not pilgrims.
From here you climb to the Campidoglio and the Capitoline Museums.
At the foot of the Capitoline Hill, Rome
Altare della PatriaThe vast white marble mass you cannot miss in central Rome: the monument to Vict2 min walk
The Vittoriano (Altar of the Fatherland)The Vittoriano is the white marble mountain sealing Piazza Venezia's horizon: un2 min walk
The Cordonata CapitolinaThe stair rising to the Piazza del Campidoglio on the Capitoline Hill, designed 2 min walk
Piazza VeneziaRome's largest junction and the knot where every central road meets: Via dei For2 min walk
Palazzo VeneziaRome's first great Renaissance palace — and the most famous balcony in modern It2 min walkLooking for halal food near Piazza d'Aracoeli? There are several options nearby, from Moroccan and Indian kitchens to quick casual spots and places with a view. Confirm the halal status and opening hours before you go — these can change.
The church stair brings you to Santa Maria in Aracoeli, a medieval church with a gilded wooden ceiling and a mosaic floor, free to enter. Michelangelo's ramp brings you to the Piazza del Campidoglio, which he designed in its entirety — the starred paving, the statue of Marcus Aurelius, the palace facades — among the finest designed squares in the world. The Capitoline Museums flank it, ticketed, and behind it is a free view over the Roman Forum.
From outside yes, and it is too enormous to miss. Climbing to the first terraces is free and gives a good view; the lift to the roof is ticketed and gives the best panoramic view in central Rome by some distance. Romans mock it — they call it the typewriter and the wedding cake — but the roof earns its ticket.
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