Capitoline Hill

The Capitoline Hill, between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the smallest and most popular of the seven hills of Rome. In Ancient Rome, the hill represented the center of religious life and hosted numerous sanctuaries and holy temples. Among these, the most famous was the great temple of Jupiter Capitolinus located on the south side, built in 509 B.C. After it was destroyed three times by fire, the temple was eventually rebuilt by the orders of emperor Domitian.

On the north side, there was the citadel (arx), while the Tabularium that hosted all the archives overlooked the forum. In the Middle Ages, the Capitoline remained the political center of Rome. The present structure was designed in the 16th century by Michelangelo. Many  archaeological monuments of ancient Rome can be found in the three palaces (Palace of Conservatori, Palace Nuovo and Palace Senatorio), that host the Musei Capitolini (Capitoline Museums).

Presently, the Capitoline Hill or Colle del Campidoglio is the house for the Municipality of Rome. The sculptures of Castor and Polux with their horses greet the visitors upon entering the Capitoline Hill. Celebrating the victory by Domitian over Germans, the square hold the Trophies of Marius and the Milestone columns.