7/25/2019 Cymbeline - Iachimo - The Capitol Hill

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The Capitol Hill

Before visiting the

Roman Forum, you haveto climb the famousCapitol steps designedby Michelangelo to havean idea of its extensionand what it has beenused for.

 The Capitol ill, in !atinCapitolium, derives fromthe latin expressioncaput "head# and it is themost famous among thehills of Rome. Today alsocalled Capitoline ill or Tarpeo mount, the

temple of $upiter Capitolinus was on it, this last maximum divinity of thecity.

%t is formed by two high ground and a depression and it was calledmountain of &aturn. 'pon one of these heights the temple of the Triade

Capitolina rose "$upiter, $uno ( )iunone ( and Minerva# and ob*ects preciousand great wealths were guarded. +n the other summit where rises now thechurch of the racoeli stood the fortress with the temple of $uno Moneta,where the mint was.

mong the two tops was the %ntermontium, also called sylum, whichcorresponded to the actual Capitol &-uare "ia//a del Campidoglio#. Toward the Forum raised the Tabularium, center of the archives in ancientRome still existing, and here according to the legend Romulus "Romolo#would have 0xed his center.

1arious temples of everyage and natureaccompanied the templeof the Triade Capitolina"Fortune, Faith, Mars'ltor, 1enus Capitolina,the altars of the 2gens $ulia2#, but of them todaynothing doesn3t remainalmost.

7/25/2019 Cymbeline - Iachimo - The Capitol Hill

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fter a long period of neglectitude, especially during the Middle ges, the0rst great wor4 of intervention and reorgani/ation of the irregularagglomeration Capitoline was of Michelangelo. The move of the statue of Marcus urelius riding a horse "coming from &aint $ohn !ateran ( &an)iovanni in !aterano ( in 5678# and the creation of a pedestal, the two

statues of the 9ile and the Tiber at the &enatorial building "ala//o&enatorio# from each side of the base of its double staircase "5677(5667#,and 0nally the staircase of access to the ia//a "Cordonata# conceived byMichelangelo in 56:; but built only after his death in 56<=.

+n top of the Capitol hill you will really see how the history came and leftits mar4s, century after century and if you have planned to stay few daysin Rome the Capitoline must be visited during the daylight for its history,but also during your night tour because while illuminated its romanticismis unparalleled.

)uiding you through the highest of the seven hills of Rome deserves morethan several minutes of your attention because the Capitol hill is also theseat of the local government of Rome, and it has the o>ces of its Ma*or.

 The ancient Rome tour is a comprehensive description of the remains of the ?ternal City and of its glorious past, in an e@ort to ma4e it to you asmuch as alive as possible, narrating the main events that made Rome thehead of the mediterranean civili/ation.