# Capitoline Hill, Rome

> The Capitoline is the smallest and most sacred of Rome's seven hills, once crowned by the city's chief temple. Today it holds Michelangelo's Piazza del Campidoglio, the city hall and the Capitoline Museums, and from the terraces behind the city hall you can see the whole Roman Forum for free. It's open at all hours; 30–40 minutes is enough.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/capitoline-hill

- City: [Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome), Italy
- YesGo score: 58/100 (Yes, go)
- Time on site: 30 min
- Opening hours: Square and terraces open 24 hours, free
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Entry: Free, 24 hours
- Piazza del Campidoglio: Michelangelo's design, with a copy of Marcus Aurelius
- Forum view: From the terraces behind Palazzo Senatorio, free
- Santa Maria in Aracoeli: 124 steps; church free to enter
- Time needed: 30–40 minutes, half a day with the museums
- Location: Above Piazza Venezia, up the Cordonata — 5 minutes
- Coordinates: 41.89333, 12.48306
- Facts checked: 10.11.2026

## Key facts

- **1 of 7** — hills of Rome — the smallest and most sacred (source: English Wikipedia)
- **509 BC** — traditional dedication of the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus (source: English Wikipedia)
- **1536** — Michelangelo began redesigning the Piazza del Campidoglio (source: English Wikipedia)
- **124** — steps up to Santa Maria in Aracoeli (source: English Wikipedia)
- **City hall** — Palazzo Senatorio is the seat of Rome's mayor (source: English Wikipedia)
- **Capitol** — Washington's Capitol Hill is named after it (source: English Wikipedia)

## Michelangelo's Piazza del Campidoglio

In **1536** Pope Paul III asked **Michelangelo** to tidy the hill for a visit by Emperor Charles V. He turned the square to face the new Rome and St Peter's, designed the trapezoid **Piazza del Campidoglio** with its oval star pattern, and gave the three palaces matching façades: **Palazzo Senatorio** in the centre, now the city hall, flanked by the **Palazzo dei Conservatori** and **Palazzo Nuovo**, home of the [Capitoline Museums](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/capitoline-museums).

You arrive up the **Cordonata**, a broad, gentle stepped ramp guarded at the top by the **Dioscuri** — Castor and Pollux with their horses. A copy of the bronze **Marcus Aurelius** stands in the middle; the original is in the museum. The paving pattern was only laid, to Michelangelo's drawing, in 1940.

> **The best free view of the Forum** Walk round either side of Palazzo Senatorio: from Via del Campidoglio and the Tarpeian Rock terrace the whole Roman Forum opens below — arches, temple columns and the Colosseum in the distance. It's magical in the evening when the ruins are lit.

## The hill in ancient Rome

The **Capitoline** is the smallest of the **seven hills** and was the most sacred. On its summit stood the **Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus**, traditionally dedicated in 509 BC, the end point of every triumphal procession. The **Tabularium**, the state archive, stood on its slope, and the **Tarpeian Rock** fell away to the south.

Its name lives on in Washington's Capitol — which is why search results for 'Capitol Hill' rarely mean Rome.

## What to see on the Capitoline Hill

- **Piazza del Campidoglio** — Michelangelo's ensemble with its star-patterned paving.
- **Cordonata** — the gentle ramp with the Dioscuri at the top.
- **Marcus Aurelius copy** — in the centre of the square.
- **Capitoline Museums** — the She-Wolf, Marcus Aurelius and Constantine's colossal head.
- **Terraces behind Palazzo Senatorio** — free views over the Forum and Palatine.
- **Santa Maria in Aracoeli** — the church at the top of 124 marble steps.
- **Tarpeian Rock** — the south cliff above the Forum.
- **She-Wolf column** — a bronze copy by the left side of Palazzo Senatorio.

## Santa Maria in Aracoeli

Beside the Cordonata a steeper stair of **124 marble steps** climbs to the 13th-century church of **Santa Maria in Aracoeli**. Legend says a sibyl foretold Christ's birth to Augustus on this spot. Inside are a gilded ceiling, a Cosmatesque marble floor and frescoes by Pinturicchio. Entry is free, and you can skip the climb by using the side door from the Campidoglio.

## How to get to the Capitoline Hill

1. From [Piazza Venezia](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/piazza-venezia), right of the [Vittoriano](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/vittoriano), up the Cordonata — 5 minutes.
2. From the [Roman Forum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/roman-forum), take the steps by the Arch of Septimius Severus — 5 minutes.
3. Buses 40, 64, 70 and 87 and tram 8 stop at Piazza Venezia.
4. From the Colosseum, 15 minutes along Via dei Fori Imperiali.

## Best time to visit

The square is lovely at any hour, but best **in the evening**, when the palaces and the Forum below are floodlit. Mornings are quiet; by day you'll often see weddings, as couples marry at the city hall and pose on the Cordonata.

## Is the Capitoline Hill worth it?

Yes — it's free, steps from Piazza Venezia and gives the best ticket-free view of the Roman Forum. Michelangelo's piazza is one of Rome's most harmonious spaces. With time to spare, the Capitoline Museums are right here.

## Before you go

Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser.

- [ ] Climb the gentle Cordonata, not the steep Aracoeli stair
- [ ] Walk behind the city hall for the Forum view
- [ ] Look inside Santa Maria in Aracoeli
- [ ] Return after dark for the lights
- [ ] Decide whether to visit the Capitoline Museums

## Rome viewpoints: compare and choose

Places in Rome with a view, rated by YesGo.

- [Colosseum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/colosseum) — YesGo score 73/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · ≈ €18
- [St Peter's Basilica](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-peters-basilica) — YesGo score 71/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · Free; dome ≈ €8–15
- [Roman Forum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/roman-forum) — YesGo score 63/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €18 with Colosseum
- [Circus Maximus](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/circus-maximus) — YesGo score 63/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Spanish Steps](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/spanish-steps) — YesGo score 62/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free
- [Vittoriano](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/vittoriano) — YesGo score 61/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Terraces free; lift ≈ €12–18
- [Capitoline Hill](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/capitoline-hill) — YesGo score 58/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Castel Sant'Angelo](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/castel-sant-angelo) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €15–20
- [Palatine Hill](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/palatine-hill) — YesGo score 54/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €18 with Colosseum
- [Quirinal Palace](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/quirinal-palace) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 15 min · Square free; tours by booking
- [Villa Borghese](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/villa-borghese) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free
- [Tempietto](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/tempietto) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Capitoline Museums](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/capitoline-museums) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · ≈ €15–19.50
- [Pincio](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/pincio) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free
- [Aventine Keyhole](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/aventine-keyhole) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free
- [Villa Medici](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/villa-medici) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Paid, scheduled tours

## Piazza Venezia and the Capitoline

The Vittoriano and its rooftop lift, then the Capitoline Hill and museums, and the Forum view from the terraces behind the city hall.

1. [Vittoriano](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/vittoriano) — YesGo score 61/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Terraces free; lift ≈ €12–18
2. [Capitoline Hill](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/capitoline-hill) — YesGo score 58/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
3. [Capitoline Museums](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/capitoline-museums) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · ≈ €15–19.50
4. [Roman Forum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/roman-forum) — YesGo score 63/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €18 with Colosseum

## Don't mix it up

Rome's Capitoline Hill isn't Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., home of the US Congress — the American one was named after this.

## Tips

- Behind the city hall: a free view of the whole Forum.
- The Cordonata is gentle; the Aracoeli stair is steep.
- Evening lights up both the square and the Forum.
- The original Marcus Aurelius is inside the museum.

## Questions

### Where is the Capitoline Hill?

In central Rome, above Piazza Venezia and the Roman Forum.

### Is the Capitoline Hill free?

Yes, the square and terraces are free at all hours; only the museums charge.

### Who designed the Piazza del Campidoglio?

Michelangelo, from 1536; the paving pattern was laid to his design in 1940.

### What is there to see?

Michelangelo's piazza, the Cordonata, the Marcus Aurelius copy, the Capitoline Museums, the Forum view and Santa Maria in Aracoeli.

### Where's the best view of the Roman Forum from the Capitoline?

From the terraces behind Palazzo Senatorio, on either side of the city hall.

### How many steps lead to Santa Maria in Aracoeli?

124.

### Why was it the most sacred hill?

It held Rome's chief temple, to Jupiter Optimus Maximus.

## How we checked

History, Michelangelo's square and the Aracoeli church from English Wikipedia. The square is free, so no prices or hours appear on this page.

## Sources

- English Wikipedia, Capitoline Hill, Piazza del Campidoglio and Santa Maria in Aracoeli

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