In Latin Columna Centenaria Divorum Marci et Faustinae
In Italian Colonna di Marco Aurelio
In English Column of Marcus Aurelius
This towering column sits in Piazza Colonna in the historic heart of Roma. It’s modeled after Trajan’s column in Trajan’s forum. It stands about 130 ft. from the ground.
The spiral tells the story of Marcus Aurelius during the Marcomannic Wars. It begins when the soldiers cross the Danube River. The story is divided by a victory on the column. There are a few theories as to what this was meant to represent, but the current common theory is that the lower half represent the Marcomanni and Quadi in 172 and 173. The upper half is said to represent the Sarmatian in 174 and 175. 
Marcus Aurelius is often considered to be one of the better ancient Roman Emperors. He’s actually thought to be in the top 3 emperors, usually losing to Trajan and the Great Augustus. His reign lasted from April 121 AD to March 180 AD when he died of natural causes. He was immediately deified and sent to rest at Hadrian’s Mausoleum (Castel Sant’Angelo).
The top of the column has a statue of Marcus Aurelius himself. Actually, it did originally, but it was replaced with the current statue of the Apostle Peter.
The column is a site to see. It isn’t overly crowded with tourists. As a matter of fact, my fiancée and I were the only 2 stranieri (or foreigners) in the piazza. It’s free to visit. You can get really close to it. There is a small gate around the base. It’s truly impressive.
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