Santa Maria in Aracoeli ("Our Lady of the Altar of Heaven") is located on the highest summit of the Campidoglio. It is still the designated Church of the Italian Senate and the Roman people (Senatus Populusque Romanus). Originally the church was named Santa Maria in Capitolo, since it was sited on the Capitoline Hill (Campidoglio) of Ancient Rome; by the 14th century it had been renamed. According to a medieval legend presented in the mid-12th-century guide to Rome, Mirabilia Urbis Romae, which claimed that the church was built over an Augustan Ara primogeniti Dei, in the place where the Tiburtine Sibyl prophesied to Augustus the coming of the Christ. "For this reason the figures of Augustus and of the Tiburtine sibyl are painted on either side of the arch above the high altar" (Lanciani chapter 1). A later legend substituted an apparition of the Virgin Mary. In the Middle Ages, condemned criminals were executed at the foot of the steps; there the self-proclaimed Tribune and reviver of the Roman Republic Cola di Rienzo met his death, near the spot where his statue commemorates him.
It is possible that the church was built over the temple of Juno Moneta, built over the Arx. The other hypothesis is that the church replaced the auguraculum, the seat of the augurs.
The foundation of the church was laid on the site of a Byzantine abbey mentioned in 574; at first it followed the Greek rite, a sign of the power of the Byzantine exarch. Taken over by the papacy by the 9th century, the church was given first to the Benedictines, then, by papal bull to the Franciscans in 1249–1250; under the Franciscans it received its Romanesque-Gothic aspect. The arches that divide the nave from the aisles are supported on columns, no two precisely alike, scavenged from Roman ruins. During the Middle Ages, this church became the centre of the religious and civil life of the city. in particular during the republican experience of the 14th century, when Cola di Rienzo inaugurated the monumental stairway of 124 steps in front of the church, designed in 1348 by Simone Andreozzi, on the occasion of the Black Death. In 1571, Santa Maria in Aracoeli hosted the celebrations honoring Marcantonio Colonna after the victorious Battle of Lepanto over the Turkish fleet. Marking this occasion, the compartmented ceiling was gilded and painted (finished 1575), to thank the Blessed Virgin for the victory. In 1797, with the [Napoleonic Roman Republic, the basilica was deconsecrated and turned into a stable.
The original unfinished façade has lost the mosaics and subsequent frescoes that originally decorated it, save a mosaic in the tympanum of the main door, one of three doors that are later additions. The Gothic window is the main detail that tourist can see from the bottom of the stairs, but it is the sole truly Gothic detail of the church.
The church is built in three naves that are divided by Roman columns, all different, looted from diverse antique monuments. Among its numerous treasures are Pinturicchio's 15th-century frescoes depicting the life of Saint Bernardino of Siena in the Cappella Bufalini, the first chapel on the right. Other splendid features are the wooden ceiling, the inlaid cosmatesque floor, a Transfiguration painted on wood by Girolamo Siciolante da Sermoneta, the tombstone of Giovanni Ceivelli by Donatello, the tomb of Cecchino Bracci, designed by his friend Michelangelo, and works by other notable artists like Pietro Cavallini (now only one among his frescoes survives), Benozzo Gozzoli and Giulio Romano. It houses also a Madonna and a sepulchral monument by Arnolfo di Cambio in the transept.
The church was also famous in Rome for the wooden statue of the infant Jesus (Santo Bambino), carved in the 15th century of olive wood coming from the Gethsemane garden and covered with valuables ex-voto. Many people of Rome believed in the power of this statue. The statue was stolen in February 1994, and never recovered. Nowadays, a copy is present in the church. It is housed in its own chapel by the sacristy. At midnight Mass on Christmas Eve the image is brought out to a throne before the high altar and unveiled at the Gloria. Until Epiphany the jewel-encrusted image resides in the Nativity crib in the left nave.
The relics of Saint Helena, mother of Constantine the Great are housed at Santa Maria in Aracoeli. Pope Honorius IV is also buried in the church.

Palazzo Venezia is one of the most prestigious building in the capital. In the mid-16th century, Cardinal Paolo Barbo began work for the costruction of his residence incorporating the medioeval tower (called "Torre della Biscia"). After the election of the cardinal to the papal throne with the name of Pope Paul II, the palace became the papal palace. In 1564 Pope Pius IV allowed the ambassadors of the Republic of Venice to lodge in part of the building. In 1806 it became the seat of the French administration by order of Napoleon. It was restored several times in the 18th and 19th century. In 1924 the palace became a museum of Art and Archeology. It was also the seat of the Fascist government of Mussolini from 1929 to 1944. Mussolini set up his office on the first floor of the Palace.

Built in the XII century on the remains of the ancient Tabularium and utilising pre-existing fortifications built by powerful baronial families, this palazzo makes up the background to the piazza. It owes its name to its function as senatorial seat responsible for the administration of justice.
In 1299 an open loggia was added overlooking the piazza, although this was walled in a century later in order to strengthen the Palazzo, which was turned into a fortress with the addition of towers by Pope Boniface IX; more corner towers were later added by Popes Martin V and Nicholas V.
Michelangelo also designed a monumental double-flighted staircase for the Palazzo Senatorio, in addition to dividing up the façade with gigantic pilaster strips, large windows and tympanums and a crowning balustrade featuring statues.
The work was completed after his death by Giacomo della Porta, who made some alterations to Michelangelo's plan. The bell-tower was also the result of an alteration to the original plan, this time by Martino Longhi the Elder.

The full name of the church is San Marco Evangelista in Campidoglio, St Mark the Evangelist at the Capitol.
The basilica was probably founded by Pope St Marcus (Mark) in 336, and is one of Rome's oldest churches. It stand on the site where St Marcus is said to have lived, and was known as the Titulus Pallacinae.
The church was rebuilt in the 5th century, and was left facing the opposite direction.
It was reconstructed in the 8th century by Pope Adrian I (772-795), and given back its original orientation, which it has today. It was flooded when the Tiber rose above its banks soon after, in 791. Pope Gregory IV (827-844) restored it after the flood.
Pietro Cardinal Barbo, titular of the church and later Pope Paul II, restored it again in 1455-1471. At the same time, he built the Palazzo Venezia. Cardinal Barbo declared San Marco as the national church of the Venetians.
In 1744, it was changed into a baroque church by Filippo Barigioni.
The bell-tower was added in 1100.
The 15th century Renaissance façade is by Leon Battista Alberti. It has a portico with three arches, with the Loggia of Benedictions above - the loggia was completed by Giuliano da Maiano in 1471.
The Renaissance door is by Isaia da Pisa. By the door are the remains of an ancient canopy and a medieval well-head with an inscription cursing anyone who sold water drawn from it. And above the door is a lunette with a bas relief by Isaia da Pisa, made in 1464, depicting St Mark the Evangelist.
In the right-hand wall of the porch is the funerary plaque of Vannozza de'Cattani, moved here from her tomb in Santa Maria del Popolo. She was the mother of Cesare, Lucrezia, Giofrea and Giovanni Borgia, and their names were recorded with pride in the inscription on the tomb. Because of this, enemies of the Borgias later defaced the stone.
The church has three naves. The coffered wooden ceiling is from the second half of the 15th century, and is possibly the oldest in Rome, though the ceiling in Santa Maria Maggiore may be older. It was made by Giovannino and Marco de Dolci. On the right side of the nave, by the third column from the entrance, is the fresco The Resurrection by Palma the Younger, made c. 1600.
The apse mosaic dates from the 9th century, and was ordered by Pope St Gregory IV (827-844). It's in the Byzantine style known in an earlier example from Santi Cosma e Damiano, but it was probably made by Roman artists who imitated the style rather than Greeks who really knew it. The mosaics in this church are the last major ones made in Rome for nearly 300 years. Christ is standing in the middle, flanked by the St Felicissimus, St Mark the Evangelist, Pope Gregory IV on the left and Sts Pope Marcus, Pope Agapitus and Agnes on the right. St Mark has his hand on Pope Gregory's shoulder, meaning that he is introducing him to Christ.
The relics of the founder, Pope St Marcus, are preserved in a porphyry urn beneath the high altar. Relics of the Persian martyrs Abdon and Sennen are in the crypt.
It is possible to ask permission to visit the excavations of earlier churches underneath the present church.
The funeral monument of the child Leonardo Pesaro is by Antonio Canova, made in 1796.
The Chapel of the Sacrament has an altar by Pietro da Cortona. The 15th century portrait of Pope St Marcus is by Melozzo da Forli.
A portrait of St Mark the Evangelist by da Forli is in the sacristy, and you may ask permission to see it. There are also traces of 14th century frescoes, the school of Cavallini, in the sacristy.

The Vittorio Emanuele II Monument (also called the "Vittoriano"). The Altar of the Nation was designed by Giuseppe Sacconi in 1885 and inaugurated in 1911. The monument was erected in honour of King Vittorio Emanuele who was achieved the unification of Italy in 1870 with Rome as the capital city. At the foot of the statue is the tomb of the Unknown Soldier who died in the 1915-18 war. This recent monument rises from the foot of Capitoline hill into the heart of the city. It celebrates the splendor of the nation after tje Unification of Italy. The equestrian statue of the King was ybveuked on 4 June 1911 in the presence of the King and some veteran Garibaldi troops. The building's two chariots are surmounted by winged Victories.

The creation of the Capitoline Museums has been traced back to 1471, when Pope Sixtus IV donated a group of bronze statues of great symbolic value to the People of Rome.
The collections are closely linked to the city of Rome, and most of the exhibits come from the city itself.
Pope Sixtus IV was responsible for the creation of the Capitoline Museum's nucleus when in 1471 he donated to the Roman People some bronze statues that had previously been housed in the Lateran (the She-Wolf, the Spinarius, the Camillus and the colossal head of Constantine, with hand and globe). The return to the city of some traces of Rome's past greatness was made even more important by their collocation on the Capitoline Hill, the centre of ancient Roman religious life and seat of the civilian magistrature from the Middle Ages onwards, after a period of long decline.
The sculptures had intitially been arranged on the external façade and courtyard of the Palazzo dei Conservatori. The originary nucleus shortly became enriched by the subsequent acquisition of finds from excavations taking place in the city, all of which were closely linked to the history of ancient Rome.
During the middle of the 16th Century a number of important pieces of sculpture were set out on the Capitoline Hill (including the gilded bronze statue of Hercules from the Boarius Forum, the marble fragments of the acrolith of Constantine from the Basilica of Maxentium, the three relief panels showing the works of Marcus Aurelius, the so-called Capitoline Brutus, and important inscriptions (including the Capitoline Fasti, discovered in the Roman Forum).
The two colossal statues of the Tiber and the Nile, currently outside the Palazzo Senatorio, were moved at about the same time to Palazzo del Quirinale, while the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius was brought form the Lateran in 1538 on the wishes of Pope Paul III.
The overall layout of the collection was altered in the second half of the XVI century, when the museum acquired an important group of sculptures following Pope Pius V's decision to rid the Vatican of "pagan" images: notable works of art increased the collections thereby adding an aesthetic dimension to their hitherto generally historical nature.
With the building of the Palazzo Nuovo on the other side of the square it became possible from 1654 onwards to house in a more satisfactory manner the large collection of works that had been gathering in the Palazzo dei Conservatori, by utilising part of the new building.
The Capitoline Museum, however, was only opened to the public during the course of the following century, after the acquisition, by Pope Clement XII, of a collection of statues and portraits of Cardinal Albani. Pope Clement inaugurated the Museum in 1734.
A few decades later, in the middle of the XVIII century, Pope Benedict XIV (who was responsible for the addition of fragments of the Forma Urbis from the Age of Severus, the largest marble street-plan of ancient Rome) founded the Capitoline Picture Gallery, which saw the conflation of two important collections, the Sacchetti and the Pio.
Towards the end of the XIX century the collections underwent considerable expansion, following the designation in 1870 of Rome as capital of newly unified Italy, and consequent excavations for the construction of new residential quarters.
In order to accommodate the large amount of material emerging from these excavations, new exhibition areas were set up in the Palazzo dei Conservatori with the simultaneous creation of the City Council's own archaeological warehouse on the Caelian Hill. subsequently known as the Antiquarium. A number of sculptures were housed in an octagonal-shaped pavilion known as the "Octagonal Hall", built for the purpose in the inner garden on the first floor of the Palazzo dei Conservatori.
This period, like previous ones, also saw a number of important donations thanks to the generosity of private collectors; we should mention, above all, the Castellani collection of ancient pottery and the Cini collection of porcelain.
The Capitoline Coin and Medal Collection was also set up in this period, with the acquisition of a number of important private collections, and with several coins coming to light during archaeological excavations in the city.
The collections were re-arranged by Rodolfo Lanciani at the beginning of the XX century, and following by more drastic intervention in 1925, when the Mussolini Museum (subsequently the Museo Nuovo) was set up in the newly-acquired Palazzo Caffarelli. It was there that works of sculpture which had previously been housed in the Antiquarium on the Caelian Hill, hitherto reserved for the so-called "minor arts", were moved.
In 1952 additional exhibition space, known as the Braccio Nuovo (New Wing), was created in a wing of Palazzo dei Conservatori.
In 1957, the Capitoline Museums' Junction Gallery was opened on occasion of the Third International Greek and Latin Epigraphy Congress. Built between 1939-41 to join the Capitoline buildings together, it became home to about 1,400 ancient Latin and Greek inscriptions, mostly originating from rooms in the city council's Antiquarium on the Caelian HIll, and in part from the Capitoline Museums themselves.
Serious problems of water seepage and rising damp eventually led to the Junction Gallery being closed to the public, with the rooms in the Museo Nuovo and the New Wing of the Palazzo dei Conservatori also being struck off the museum's itinerary.
In 1997, in order to make space in those areas which required renovation, sculptures from the Palazzo dei Conservatori, the Museo Nuovo and the New Wing were put on temporary display in the unusual exhibition area created in the old Acea power station on the Via Ostiense, known as the Montemartini Power Plant.
At the centre of the programme for the development of the Capitoline hill's historical, architectural and artistic resources, albeit with full respect for its traditional role as seat of political power, we find the development and re-structuring of the Museum areas.
The redevelopment project was entrusted to the Dardi and Einaudi studios while the Roman Garden is the responsibility of architect Carlo Aymonino. The project aimed at the creation of a complex and fully-integrated Museum circuit, with the opening of new exhibition areas alongside the reorganisation of some of the existing sectors and the opening of some sections hitherto closed to the public.
The exhibition area has been considerably increased with the opening to the public of the Tabularium, linked to other buildings by means of the Galleria di Congiunzione, the reorganisation of Palazzo Caffarelli and the acquisition of Palazzo Clementino, once an office block.
The museum itinerary has been enriched by the addition of new sections: the Capitoline Coin Cabinet in Palazzo Clementino and the Galleria Lapidaria in the Galleria di Congiunzione.
Further renovation work concerns the transformation of the Giardino Romano (Roman Garden) into a large glass covered hall and the reorganisation of the Castellani Collection, the halls of the Roman Horti and the section dedicated to the Temple of Capitoline Jupiter.
Piazza del Campidoglio 1
Tuesday - Sunday 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
24th and 31st December 09 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Monday CLOSED
1st January, 1st May, 25th December CLOSED
The ticket-office closes one hour before the closing-time of the Museum
TICKETS
Ticket-office is situated on the Piazza del Campidoglio, on the ground floor of the Palazzo dei Conservatori.
When a temporary exhibition is under way at Palazzo Caffarelli the price of the ticket is slightly higher and includes entrance to the exhibition