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Introduction The new Hall of the
Introduction
The new Hall of the Capitoline Museums, also called the \"Hall of Marco Aurelius,” displays the original equestrian statue of the Roman Emperor. This hall is located at the ancient site of the former Giardino Romano (Roman Garden). This open space has served as a garden since the first decades of the past century. It is located at the rear of Michelangelo׳s Palazzo dei Conservatori and is the result of a sequence of additions. The site includes part of the Palazzo Caffarelli, which today flanks the hall on two sides, with a wing extending to the southeast along the via del Tempio di Giove and serving as the stables of the Palazzo.This hall also borders a free area that terbinafine hydrochloride is used as a garden (Figure 3).
The hall is the result of a complicated design process that was begun at end of the 80s and that lasted for 17 years (Musei, 2000; Musei Capitolini, 2006). The programme initially aimed at the general rehabilitation of the entire Capitoline Museums to showcase artifacts of extraordinary value, which needed an organic reorganization throughout a set of strategic works. Architect Costantino Dardi participated in the first step of the design process. However, the second phase shifted the focus to the restoration of the Giardino Romano for exhibition purposes.
Carlo Aymonino resumed Dardi׳s project and completed the work in 2005. The length of the entire operation may seem longer than even the average length of great projects conducted in Italy in the past decades. However, the facts and events that influenced its implementation cannot be overlooked. The exceptional historical and artistic importance of the site, the Capitolium, which symbolizes the founding of Rome, is renowned for its world-famous piazza designed by Michelangelo with the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, its famous staircase that slopes down to the city, and the three buildings that impress the viewer by the magnificence of the site. The historical and architectural importance of the site has obviously marked the operation with great caution and also strong opposition against the idea of transforming the ancient Giardino Romano into a closed hall (Aymonino 1997a, 1997b, 1998).
Events grew complicated as further changes in the museum programme were effected and were abruptly impacted by a traumatic episode in Rome׳s and Italy׳s history: a bombing attack on the Capitoline Hill at the end of the 70s. This event influenced the decision to shelter the equestrian statue of Marco Aurelius in the new Hall, which changed the organization and the architectural design of the museum despite the implementation process Transmembrane protein was underway. On the other side, no questions were raised around the inclusion of the archaeological remains within the site. These remains contributed to retracing the history of the site, such as bringing to light a section of the foundation walls of the Temple of Capitoline Jupiter. Excavation works, which should have been initiated ten years earlier to establish whether or not the intervention was a feasible option, began only in 2000.
Premises of the design work and Costantino Dardi׳s solution
In the early 1990s, the Giardino Romano was a bare space with no outstanding feature. It was located 6.60m above the adjacent courtyard of Michelangelo׳s Palazzo dei Conservatori, on the northern side of the Capitolium. The garden was accessible from the first floor of the Palazzo from the hall of Horatii and Curatii and from the hall of the Castellani Collection, and today from the Galleria degli Orti. The garden borders Palazzo dei Conservatori on two sides: along the rests of the Palazzo Caffarelli and along the passageway leading to its stables. The passageway includes one of the three foundation walls of the Temple of Capitoline Jupiter, which is the only part that is standing free ata height of approximately 4m. The passageway and the long wing of the stables form an “L”that surrounds a beautiful garden, which is the Giardino Caffarelli.