VIANDO
Slow and Eco travel
CAPITOL HILL
DURATION: 1H15
BRING WITH YOU: bottle of water, comfortable shoes
CONTACT: info@viandotravel.com
The Capitol Hill, now seat of the municipality of Rome, is the smallest of the famous seven hills of Rome and is certainly one of the most important in the city: according to Roman tradition, the first settlement on the hill was founded by the god Saturn, where the Greeks led by Hercules were welcomed. The fifth king of Rome, Tarquinio Priscus, decided in the VI century BC., to build also the triumphal entrance.
The current splendour of the hill is mainly due to the intervention by one of the greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance: in 1536, Piazza del Campidoglio underwent a series of transformations due to the state of abandonment in which the hill poured. Pope Paul III, thus, commissioned Michelangelo the overall arrangement of the square.
Not far from the Capitol Hill opens the valley of the Roman Forum, which can be seen from a suggestive terrace located on the hill. The Roman Forum was the political, commercial and religious center of Rome during the Republic and the imperial age and today shows a set of beautiful ruins that give us a good idea of the charm and splendour of the area at that time. The aforementioned panorama allows us to take a look at the history of the city, with its temples, squares, columns and ancient arches.
It’s possible to easily reach another terrace, placed on the other side of the hill, called the Caffarelli Terrace, which also allows us to have a look at the modern city, with its domes and its typical roofs. From this terrace it is possible to glimpse the Teatro Marcello, built by Augustus in the 1st century BC. for his beloved nephew.
