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CAMPIDOGLIO
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The Capitol was from ancient times a nerve-centre for the city life, at first holy place and then place of power when Roman Senate settled there; nowadays it's the seat of the commune. If you want to arrive there you must go up the flight of steps designed by Michelangelo. When you arrive to the top you are in one of the most defined architectural spaces that all history can offer. The trapezoidal shaped square is a space unique in the world, the famous statue of Marco Aurelio is in the center of the system; when you arrive from the flight of steps, on the left you have Palazzo Nuovo, on the right Palazzo of conservatives (both palaces house Capitoline museums), straight you can see the statue and on the background Senatorial Palace - the stair to enter it, made by Michelangelo himself, is really beautiful, as much as the fountain that leans on it. At the top the tower of Capitol stands out; it was made by Martino Longhi the Elder. You should notice too the peculiar paving chosen by Michelangelo for the square, referable to an oval built through a strongly dynamic geometry, that from certain sides can remind of some petals, from other sides of mathematical speculations typical of the Renaissance.
The Capitoline museums are, together with the square, an important attraction for the visitors, and represent the oldest public collection existing, in which you can find very valuable sculptures and pictures.
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