Santa Maria in Aracoeli Basilica

On the summit of the Capitoline Hill, on what was once the most sacred site in ancient Rome (the Temple of Juno Moneta — the origin of the word 'money'). Climbed by 124 marble steps, donated as thanks for Rome's deliverance from the Black Death of 1348. Inside, 22 ancient columns from various Roman buildings line the nave, one of which bears the inscription 'A cubiculo Augustorum' suggesting it came from the bedchamber of the emperors. Holds the relics of Saint Helena and the venerated Santo Bambino — a wooden image of the Christ Child traditionally carved from olive wood from Gethsemane (the original was stolen in 1994; the current one is a copy).