Amazing Rome

​COLOSSEUM 

 

We'll start our journey with a visit to the largest amphitheater in the world: the Colosseum. The name "Colosseum" came from the nearby statue the Colossus of Nero, which is missing today. The actual name became widespread only in the Middle Ages. In antiquity it was known just as the Flavian amphitheater because it was built by the Flavian dynasty in the first century AD. The amphitheater was designed for gladiatorial combat, wild animal hunts, and battles between gladiators and animals. Near the Colosseum stands the monumental Arch of Constantine, erected in memory of the victory of Constantine over Maxentius, on which is carved the story of the vision of the Cross that made the emperor convert to Christianity.

 

 

 

ROMAN FORUM

 

The Roman Forum area was originally a swamp that was reclaimed in the sixth century BC by the royal dynasty of the Tarquins and became the beating heart of the ancient city. The area began as a market and developed as city council and courthouse, becoming soon, throughout the Republican era, the center of political, religious, and administrative life in Rome.

The route starts from the Temple of Venus and Rome, the largest known temple of ancient Rome, and from the Arch of Titus, erected in honor of the emperor in 81 AD. Along the Sacred Way, a road that was traveled by processions during sacred festivities, we'll admire: the Basilica of Maxentius, a combination of a court-house, council chamber, and meeting hall; and the Temple of Divus Romulus, deified by his father Maxentius in 309 AD when the boy is presumed to have died.

Finally, we will see the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, dedicated to the emperor and his wife. Next to this temple are the Temple of Divus Julius, where an altar indicates the place where the dictator might have been cremated in 44 BC, and the Basilica Emilia, the only survivor of the Republican basilicas.

 

The visit moves along the centuries as history wove its pattern: the Comitium, the square where public meetings were held, and the place where the Lapis Niger is kept, according to the legend Romulus's burial place. Around this area there are several interesting and spiritual places for the ancient Romans and for us: the Curia, the building where the Senate met, ancestor of our modern democracies; the Arch of Septimius Severus, who was celebrating the victory over the Persians; the Rostra, the tribune of the speakers; the Umbelicus Urbis, spiritual center of the city; the Temple of Saturn, the seat of the treasury; the Porticus Dii Consentes, dedicated to the Twelve Gods; and the Temple of Vespasian and Titus, dedicated to the two emperors.  After walking around the Basilica Julia, we will visit the Column of Phocas, the last honorary monument erected in the Forum. Then we will see the Ficus ruminalis, which symbolized the place where, according to the legend, Romulus and Remus were nursed by the she-wolf, a mythical place for every Roman history lover, or for the curious tourist who wants to experience some of the mystique of the Eternal City. The Lacus Curtius is next on the route, where, according to legend, a young Roman knight, Marcus Curtius was sacrificed; then, the Temple of Castor and Pollux, dedicated to the Dioscuri, the seat of Rex Sacrorum; and, fjnally, the temple and the house of the Vestal Virgins, priestesses charged with keeping the sacred fire.

 

 

 

PALATINE

 

Legend has it that Romulus founded the original town of Rome on the Palatine hill, which was also the place where Romulus and Remus were found and nursed by the she-wolf, in the so-called Cave of Lupercal, perhaps recently localized. The dramatic past of the twins was what forged their characters and it's the mythical explanation of the natural toughness of the Romans’ spirit. Since the Republican age, the hill was home to great shrines and to the mansions of the wealthy notables of the city, including the famous orator Cicero and the commander Mark Antony, and then the emperors since Augustus.

We will move to the Domus Tiberiana, the first real imperial palace erected on the hill,  to discover the Neronian Cryptoporticus, a 130 mt long underground corridor that connected the Domus Tiberiana with the Domus Aurea, the imperial palace of Nero. Next comes the temple of the Magna Mater, whose cult was introduced in Rome in 204 BC and in honor of whom were held, for the first time, the Ludi Megalensi. Last we will visit the remains of ancient huts, dating back to approximately the foundation of Rome!

 

Then we will head towards the house of Augustus, full of fine mural paintings; the house of Livia, wife of Augustus; and the Temple of Apollo, built to celebrate the Roman god of the sun and the battle of Actium, where Octavian defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra. This was an important sacred place where most of the ceremonies for the celebration of the Ludi Seculares in 17 BC took place. We will admire the ruins of Domitian’s Palace with the Domus Augustana, the emperor's private residence; the Domus Flavia, where various interiors are preserved, such as the Aula Regia, and where the emperor received his visitors;  the triclinium, the room for banquets; and finally the Palatine Stadium, used as a garden.

 

From here we will enjoy a beautiful view of the Circus Maximus, a stadium for horse races, probably built in the second century BC and in use until the sixth century, able to contain up to 300,000 spectators!