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  • Most important the archaeological excavations brought to

    2018-11-12

    Most important, the archaeological excavations brought to light the northern foundation walls of the Temple beneath the facade of the Palazzo Caffarelli. The foundation was aligned, as Lanciani had envisioned, with the slanted side of the court. The huge structure, 4.30m thick, crosses the southern side of the Giardino Romano, passes beneath the Galleria degli Horti wing, and appears for less than 1m along via del Tempio di Giove in correspondence with the southeastern corner of the Temple׳s podium. Considering the archaeological findings on the opposite side, the wall was approximately 62m long. The location on the site of the Temple׳s walls, notably its northern walls, was already known, but not its dimensions and the exact location of its foundations, which were then discovered to be more than seven metres below the level of the Giardino Romano. Considering the elevation of the foundation walls, featuring the springer blocks of the barrel vault that pak1 connected the six transversal foundation walls, as well as the difference between the level of the Giardino Romano and that of the passageway, the foundations of the Temple of Capitoline Jupiter were approximately 15m tall and supported a slab wider than 3.000m2. Compared with the famous Parthenon in Athens, the Temple of Capitoline Jupiter, which is 100 years older, covers an area that is1000m2 wider and is of a completely different type, which is the Etruscan and Italic one, rather than a square where the side parallel to the cell is only 9m longer than the perpendicular one. The unearthing of the wall was a sensational discovery and led to major expectations, as a trench on the northern front was opened for the purpose of analyzing its structure and depth. The wall had over 20 layers of blocks in cappellaccio (i.e., a local tufa stone), which was perfectly laid out and placed approximately 7m underground (Figure 8). The time that elapsed between the decision to place the equestrian statue of Marco Aurelius and the unearthing of the foundation walls of the Temple of Capitoline Jupiter prompted Aymonino to reconsider his projects. The question was no longer a matter of finding a neutral setting for a relevant monument (i.e., 4.30m tall and 4m long, not counting the pedestal), but to shape the space around it to recall the Capitolium designed by Michelangelo. Without regret, Aymonino abandoned the idea of the glass shed covering the entire space of the “Giardino Romano,” as well as the space around the foundation walls of the Temple of Capitoline Jupiter, and returned to study a volume in the ancient Giardino Romano with an independent shape. The new space would have had an elliptical plan that recalls the shape of Michelangelo׳s piazza; accordingly, the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius was to be placed on one side, although finding a central position within the design of the flooring (itself recalling Michelangelo׳s design). The elliptical metal-and-glass shed was to be supported by 20, later reduced to six, 75cm-diameter sheer steel pillars, without capitals and bases. Its architectural features would have been different, given that it would have been enclosed within a sturdy steel ring hinged to the pillars (Figures 9, and 11). However, this solution clearly highlighted the symbolic role of Marcus Aurelius within a perfect and enclosed space but overshadowed the two foundation walls of the Temple of Capitoline Jupiter. Aymonino thus included in his project the conservation of the trench that had unveiled the wall, thereby allowing its complete view and showcasing its magnificence. But such space, so unbalanced with regard to such precious finding, left uncertainties. In a powerful and ingenious decision, Aymonino recurred to a design device intended as a “creative mistake” and cut the elliptical plan in correspondence with the trench. Finally, he shaped the access to the trench excavated along the wall and placed it in full view. The trench is 8.14m deep, and direct access is provided by a beautiful iron spiral staircase (Figure 10).