Piazza del Campidoglio

Designed entirely by Michelangelo in 1538, including the geometric paving, the cordonata staircase that leads up from below, and the layout of the three palaces that frame the space. The square sits atop the Capitoline Hill — the smallest and most sacred of Rome's seven hills — and the equestrian bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius at the centre is a copy (the original is inside the Capitoline Museums). Walk to the rear terrace behind Palazzo Senatorio for unobstructed views into the Roman Forum.