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 PALAZZO SENATORIOIt is the central palace in Piazza del Campidogio. Its name derives from the fact that it was a seat of Roman Senate till 1870, when became the official seat of Comune di Roma and the Mayor of Rome. On the remains of the ancient Tabularium in the 11th century was built a fortress by the Corsi, and the Senate was probably installed here in 1143. The medieval castle with four towers was renewed in the 13th-14th centuries, and redesigned by Michelangelo in the 16th century. The present aspect of the palace is a modification of Michelanelo's design by G.Della Porta in 1582-1606.
In front of the double stair-case, with converging flights, is a fountain with two colossal statues (2nd century A.D.) of the Tiber (right) and Nile (left) coming from the Baths of Constantine in Quirinal Hill; in the recess is a porphyry statue of Minerva, Dea Roma (Goddess of Rome). The palace is crowned by a bell-tower, projected by M.Longhi in 1578-1582, with a clock, a statue of Minerva, and a gilded cross; two bells (1803-1804) replace the famous major bell called Patarina, which has been installed in 1200 to summon the people to "Parlamento". In 1827-1935 this bell-tower housed an Astronomic Observatory, which now is located on Monte Mario.
Interior: Council Chamber (with a statue of Julius Caesar), Sala delle Bandiere (Hall of the Flags), Sala della Protomoteca (with large collection of busts of famous people picked by Pius VII), Great Hall.
Beneath the palace: Tabularium, or depository of the State archives, its great blocks of porous tufa built into the unhewn rock dominate the view of the hill from the Forum, erected in 78 b.C.. Originally it was a building with at least two floors and eight arches facing the Forum. Still existing staircase connected it with the level of Forum. The vast hall on the first floor in the Middle Ages was used as a store of sole and a prison. From www.italycyberguide.com
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