Michelangelo's pavement
An oval star design drawn in the sixteenth century and only laid in 1940 โ read it from the top of the stair.
Kameister โ CC BY-SA 4.0 ยท Jakub Haลun โ CC BY-SA 4.0 ยท User:MatthiasKabel โ CC BY-SA 3.0 ยท Unknown authorUnknown author โ Public domain
Yes โ the museums open directly off the square. Start with the square and the free Forum view, then go in with a ticket if you have two hours.
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A square designed by Michelangelo in 1536 atop the Capitoline โ holiest of Rome's seven hills and site of the ancient temple of Jupiter. It is among the first squares in history conceived as a single architectural whole: pavement, palaces, stair and centrepiece all settled by one designer. You reach it by the Cordonata, a ramped stair Michelangelo shaped so that riders could climb it on horseback. Its oval star pavement was only executed in 1940, four centuries after he drew it. At the centre stands a copy of the bronze equestrian Marcus Aurelius; the original โ which survived melting because Christians mistook it for Constantine โ is kept inside the adjoining Capitoline Museums. The square is always free. And behind the Palazzo Senatorio a side passage opens onto the best free view of the entire Roman Forum โ a secret few visitors know.
An oval star design drawn in the sixteenth century and only laid in 1940 โ read it from the top of the stair.
An equestrian bronze that survived melting through mistaken identity โ a copy stands outside, the original next door.
A shallow ramped stair built to be ridden up on horseback โ climb it on foot to feel the intent.
Capitoline Hill, Rome
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