Palatine Hill, Rome

This hill, one of the 7 Hills of Rome, serves as a haven of peace amid the rush of modern-day Rome. Its ruins and gardens are quiet and the air is just that little bit fresher. Have a look at the Travelogue for more.

According to Varro (116-27BC), a celebrated scholar of Roman antiquities, Rome was founded on the Palatine in 754BC by Romulus, who traced a furrow with a plough to mark its confines. This was of course rather fanciful, but the fact is that the Palatine was the site of the earliest Latin settlement. Throughout the republican period numerous temples were erected. The hill eventually became the residence of Roman ruling class and here Augustus was born. You can still find the Houses of him and his wife Livia on the hill.

When you enter the Palatine from the Forum, the first thing you see are the Farnese gardens. Right under where the pavillions pictured were built are the ruins of Tiberius' Palace. These ruins were bought by Alessandro Farnese, grandson of Pope Paul III, around 1550. He asked Vignola, who was also the architect of the interior of the Gesù church to design a garden for him.

A little more than a century after construction of the Domus Augustiana, the Emperor Septimius Severus ordered his baths to be built next to the stadium as part of a vast program of architectural improvement of the slopes of the Palatine. They were set above massive vaults and their facade formed a monumental fountain called the Septizodium. The great arches of the bath are still clearly visible from the Circus Maximus. This picture was taken from in front of the Domus Augustiana.

Domitian's private residence was connected with an enormous garden in the form of a stadium for chariot races. The whole area was 160 metres long. At one end of the of the stadium an imposing stand was designed from which the Emperor was enabled to watch the races on Circus Maximus from his own palace.

The Museo Palatino occupies a former convent built on top of Domitians Palace. Its present display is a section dedicated to Rome in the archaic period. The museum also has displays of art in the imperial palaces from Augustus to late imperial times.

The museum is quite interesting and a visit is included in the price of entry to the Palatine. However not many valuable items are placed in the museum, since most of the pieces found on the Palatine have been moved to the Santa Maria degli Angeli alle Terme in 1882. It was a governments order, that up until today still functions.

The private wing of the Palace of Domitian was called the Domus Augustiana. It's curving facade with the main entrance faced the Circus Maximus. On entering from this side, one passed through the outer chambers and came to an inner court surrounded by columns, the peristyle. This inner court was largely occupied by a fountain which consisted of four shiel half-moons shaped. Around this courtyard the rooms of Domitian were symmetrically ranged on two floors.

The Emperor Doitiam, like his predecessors, established his residence and court on the Palatine. The great palace, inaugurated in 92AD, had two entrances, one to the state rooms (the Domus Flavia) and one to the private apartments (the Domus Augustiana).

The official part of the building was alid out around a large porticoed court with various reception rooms ranged round it. In partcicular a splendid state room, where the throne was placed. The oval fountain could be admired from the banqueting rooms while meetings were going.

Domitian's palace aroused great admiration by its splendour and the immense size of the chambers and decoration. He must have truly felt like a God ruling over the earth.

The mythical founding place of Rome, this was where the wealthy Romans lived.
Roman mythology indicates the western side of the Palatine Hill as the site of the dwelling of Romulus, and the cave where Romulus and Remus were supposed to have been raised by the she-wolf was on the western slope of the hill
Its quite a large area, the complex was built for the emperor Domitian. The ruins of the houses can be explored and the Palantine Museum visited.