Michelangelo's Piazza del Campidoglio is the star attraction here. Designed in 1538, the piazza is a classic of Renaissance town planning. It's bordered by three palaces - the Palazzo dei Conservatori, the Palazzo dei Senatori and the Palazzo Nuovo - and formerly featured a bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius. The Conservatori and Nuovo now house the Museo Capitolino, just bursting with classic statues: Boy with Thorn (`in his side'), Dying Gaul and the Capitoline Venus. The Capitoline overlooks the Forum, and it was from here that ancient Rome was governed.