Terrazza Caffarelli, Rome

Terrazza Caffarelli is the panoramic terrace formed on Palazzo Caffarelli, a palace complex now incorporated into the Capitoline Museums. The building began as the Caffarelli family’s residence, raised between 1544 and 1546 beside the Palazzo dei Conservatori, following a design by Gregorio Canonica, who had studied with Vignola. Its masonry even reused fragments from the ancient temple of Jupiter that once stood on this part of the hill.

The family gained this ground after hosting Emperor Charles V in 1536; his reward included the open area around the Tarpeian Rock, then used chiefly to graze goats and known as Monte Caprino. The palace later acquired the name Palazzo Clementino through a mistaken attribution to Pope Clement X. Around 1823, Prussia rented it for its embassy, and the building also served for a period as the principal home of an archaeological institute.

In 1854 it passed to King Frederick William IV of Prussia. After the First World War, Italy took possession, and part of the palace was rebuilt for a municipal museum. The terrace was created on the third floor, turning this historic palace into a viewing place as well as a museum complex.