Palatine Hill, Rome

I'm not exactly an archeology buff, but it's certainly interesting and mind-boggling to think about how old these ruins are.
The hill overlooks the Forum and was once the home address for many of the most famous Caesars of Rome.

Buy a combo ticket when you go to the Colosseum and you'll save some money!

If you leave the Forum through the Via San Gregorio exit, you'll wind along a dusty footpath past some old baths in your bosky retreat. The view through the trees at the old Coliseum and the medieval churches across the way furnish the heart with just another reason to fall in love with Rome.

Research continues on the history of the stadium on the lower Palatine, which was a surprising gem to discover after the lackluster palaces just left behind. Having expected to find ancient Rome in the Forum, and ONLY ancient Rome, this lower-level stadium returned me to the bygone age.

From the Arch of Titus, your tour de foot continues onto the celebrated Palatine Hill, but if the rundown mansions you find there turn you off, don't leave by the main entrance near the Mamertinum. Instead continue forward -- as I said, some of the best bucolic walks in the city are hidden away on both the Capitoline and Palatine Hills. There's more to come ahead.

The Palatine hill was the mythical founding place of Rome. Indeed, archeological excavations have proved the existence of human settlements dating from the Iron Age. Roman Emperors constructed their palaces there, and the reason is clear once that you are up in the hill. From there, you dominate a good deal of the ancient Rome City, such as the Tiber, the Roman Forum and the Circo Massimo (nor to mention the Colosseum itself)

It’s especially remarkable the Palatine Museum, which shows a great collection of Roman sculptures found during the excavations of the areas and bas-reliefs, that once adorned the Palatine halls.

Adjacent to the Forum, the Palatino is the hill where lied the Emperors' palaces, like the one by Settimo Severo. Behind it was the Circus, Rome's largest stadium, which today is sadly just a grassy field.

Next to the Forum are the structures and gardens of the Palatine Hill. Rome's first inhabitants made their homes on the Capitoline and Palatine hills. The Palatine Hill was a place to live, adjacent to but away from the hustle of the Forum. In the Imperial age, beginning with Augustus, the emperors built their palaces there. No surprise, that Palatine is the source of the word, palace. The picture shows the Forum with the Palatine Hill in the background.

Palantine Hill is quite beautiful, parts of it have been restored, and have lovely plants growing about. The other parts look like your typical ruins. What I found really cool about the whole thing was the underground passageways. My friends and I managed to get lost in them, and barely got out in time to meet the rest of our group!