Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
museum.) The twin buildings on either side are the Capitoline Museums. Behind the replica
of the statue is the mayoral palace (Palazzo Senatorio).
Michelangelo intended that people approach the square from his grand stairway off
Piazza Venezia. From the top of the stairway, you see the new Renaissance face of Rome,
with its back to the Forum. Michelangelo gave the buildings the “giant order”—huge pi-
lasters make the existing two-story buildings feel one-storied and more harmonious with the
new square. Notice how the statues atop these buildings welcome you and then draw you in.
The terraces just downhill (past either side of the mayor's palace) offer grand views of
the Forum. To the left of the mayor's palace is a copy of the famous She-Wolf statue on a
column. Farther down is il nasone (“the big nose”), a refreshing water fountain. Block the
spout with your fingers, and water spurts up for drinking. Romans joke that a cheap Roman
boy takes his date out for a drink at il nasone . Near the She-Wolf statue is the staircase lead-
ing to a shortcut to the Victor Emmanuel Monument (see sidebar).
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