Roman Forum, Rome

In this picture are two examples of Roman temples that were recycled into Christian places of worship. In the background is the rather bizarre-looking church of San Lorenzo in Miranda, which was originally the 2nd century Temple of Antoninus and Faustina. Built by Emperor Antoninus Pius in memory of his deceased wife, the temple was rededicated to them both after the emperor's death. Sometime in the Middle Ages the remains of the temple were converted into a church named after the martyred St. Lawrence, as it was believed he'd been sentenced to death on this site. Many alterations have been made to the original structure and the resulting exterior is a goofy mix of 17th century facade above the columns of an ancient Roman porch.

The circular building in the foreground was probably the Temple of Romulus and dedicated to the son of Emperor Maxentius. In the 6th century, it was incorporated with the library of Vespacian's Forum of Peace into the Basilica of Santi Cosma e Damiano and named for twin physician brothers Cosmas and Daimian, who were martyred in the 3rd century. The temple has since been restored to original form and is, along with the Pantheon, the best preserved of the pre-Christian temples in Rome. We didn't get to visit the interiors but if you do (entrance is from Via dei fori Imperiali - free) they can be viewed from behind a protective glass wall and the church is said to have magnificent 6th and 7th century mosaics.
Web info on Temple of Romulus:
http://sights.seindal.dk/sight/176_Temple_of_Romulus.html
Web info for Temple of Antoninus and Faustina is below.

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“There isn’t an inch of Rome that doesn't have some artifacts below the street. In AD 300, Rome already had one-and-a-half million inhabitants. If we were to bring to light everything they and subsequent generations built, we would have to eliminate all of the streets of Rome.”
— Giovanni Simonacci, 2007, technical director of the new Roman subway line “C”

You would think that after more than a hundred years of investigation through archaeological excavation all that there was to be found in the Roman Forum would have been found.

Not so, or so it seems.

During our May 2007 walk through the Foro Romano there was a group of diggers using what appeared to be child’s shovel to unearth Lord only knows what.

During our previous two visits to Rome excavation work was being carried out in front of the Arco di Constantino; now, that work had come to an end by the time we paid our third visit to Rome. With pre-Republican, Republican, Imperial and Late-Roman civilization layered one on top of the other there will be many years of digging carried out in the Eternal City. The digging may go on eternally.

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“And when he drew near and saw the city he wept over it, saying, ‘Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! But now they are hid from your eyes. For the days shall come upon you, when your enemies will cast up a bank about you and surround you, and hem you in on every side, and dash you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another in you; because you did not know the time of your visitation.’ ”
— The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, 19, 41-44; Jesus made a prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem because the Israelites refused to receive him as a prophet and as the Servant of the Lord

Built from Pentelic marble, the Arch of Titus, Arcus Titi in Latin, is a triumphal arch with a single arched opening. Located at the highest point of the Via Sacra within Foro Romano, it was constructed by Emperor Domitian shortly after the death of his older brother Titus (AD 41-81). Commemorating the capture and sack of Jerusalem in AD 70, bringing an end to the Jewish Wars which began in AD 66, the overall arch is 44 feet wide, 55.5 feet high, and 15.5 feet deep. The archway itself is 27 feet high and 17 wide. It’s one of three arches still standing in Rome; two of them are in the Forum.

Because the arch was used as part of other buildings in later eras explains why it is so well preserved. The Frangipani family incorporated the arch into a fortress built in the 11th century; following that it was part of the Santa Maria Nova convent in the Middle Ages. It was one of the first buildings to undergo a modern restoration, starting with Raffaello Stern in 1817 and continued by Giuseppe Valadier under Pius VII in 1821, with new capitals and travertine masonry.

Of Rome’s three remaining triumphal arches this is my favorite; its solid style of its two great piers makes a strong, definitive and authoritative statement. Arco di Tito has served as the model for triumphal arches built since the 16th century. Among those that drew inspiration from this arch are Napoleon for his Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile in Paris and Stamford White for the Washington Square Arch in New York City’s Greenwich Village (see von.otter’s Travelogue, ‘Washington Square Arch’).

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The temple was constructed in 367 BC to mark the end of the fight over equal share of privileges Temple of Concordia was a repository of many fine statues made of silver, gold and marble. Only 3 tall columns remain today and you can easily spot them at the base of Capitol Hill and by the Temple of Saturn.

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I have to admit that Roman Forum and its view from Capitol Hill was my favorite spot in Rome. I knew that this place was the host of all the main temples and halls of justice. I also knew that this was the political, religious and commercial center of the city, but nothing, in all the readings that I have done prior to my trip to Rome, prepared me for the surprise and the wonderful feeling I had once I laid my eyes on this site. My mind started to wonder and my imagination to run wild while I was walking the streets of this jewel and I was listening to the audio guide that I downloaded from Rick Steve's web site before leaving Chicago.

There is so much to do and to see here and you should plan your visit accordingly. You also need to make sure that you wear comfortable shoes (sneakers are best!) as streets are uneven and rocky. You will find several fountains scattered all over the place with really good water, just in case you get thirsty or you need to refill your water bottle (in case you carry one, like I always do).

Regardless of the bad weather (rainy, windy and cold most of the time of our visit), we ended up spending close to 4 hours visiting the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill and I still feel that I could have easily spent more time here. We had to make sure, though, that we had time to visit the Colosseum also during the same day since we decided to buy the Roma Card and this gave us admission to these sites for 1 day only. There are some advantages if you buy the Roma Card, so do your homework and decide if it's better to get the card or to get the individual ticket from the site.

The ticket (if you buy it from the ticket booth) costs 11 Euros and it gives you admission to Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and Colosseum for 2 consecutive days, one entry per site. If you decide to buy the ticket from one of the sites, then make sure you buy it from the Roman Forum entrance instead of the Colosseum. The lines are much shorter here and I think it is a good strategy to visit Roman Forum and Palatine Hill before going to the Colosseum.

My favorite things that we saw here: Caligula's Palace, the forum Main Square, Temple of Saturn and the House of Vestal Virgins.

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Not too much is left of this temple today, except several portions of its foundation. What we can all see today is the place were the body of Julius Caesar was cremated. There are always fresh flowers at this site. His house was also very close by.
Stop by, take a picture and pay your respects. He changed the face of Rome forever and lots of people loved him as a king. He also had enemies and he was killed (stubbed to death) by a conspiracy of senators, including his adopted son, Brutus. He walked right by this place on the day he was killed. His funeral was held right here, facing the main square.

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This is the place that provides the best view of the Roman Forum while inside the site (at least I think so). This section was the most crowded area of the Roman Forum. Let your imagination roam freely and just go back in time when all the buildings were at their pick and people in togas were strolling around the area all day long.

The legend says that Romulus and Remus (the twin brothers that everybody heard of and that were raised by the she-wolf on top of Palatine Hill) had a very hard time finding dates. Since this was a common problem for all men living here, they decided to attack the Sabine tribe and kidnap their women. After they made peace, the area became the meeting place and the trading center for all the tribes living on the nearby hills.

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This is also called the Palace of Tiberius. You will easily spot the ruins once inside the Roman Forum, as they are just behind the House of Vestals.

Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus was the third son of Germanicus (nephew of Tiberius) and Agrippina the elder and was born at Antium in AD 12. The first years of his life he lived with his parents on the German frontier. Between the ages of 2 years old and 4 years old people started to call him Caligula (little sandal) due to the miniature versions of military sandals that he was wearing. He kept this nickname all his life.

He was first a priest (31 AD) and then a quaestor (33 AD). With the support of Naevius Cordus Sertorius Macro, the Senate named him "princeps" (first citizen of Rome) and gave him the powers of the imperial office in 37 AD, therefore becoming a king (legend says that he took the imperial signet ring from Tiberius' finger when he was very ill and put it on his own finger; then when the king was starting to get better, Naevius Cordus Sertorius Macro, commander of the praetorians, rushed inside the palace and suffocated Tiberius with a cushion).

Caligula ruled between 37 AD and 41 AD. He had a huge palace overlooking the Roman Forum. He had 4 wives (3 of them during his reign). Rumors also say that he committed incest with each of his three sisters.

During his 4 years of ruling Rome, he kept his favorite racehorse, Incitatus, inside the palace in a stable box of carved ivory, dressed in purple blankets and collars of precious stones. Dinner guests were invited to the palace in the horse's name. And the horse, too, was invited to dine with the emperor. Caligula was even said to have considered making the horse consul.

He was not a very popular emperor and in 41 AD, Cassius Chaerea, together with two military people, killed the emperor in a corridor of his palace. His death freed Rome from the insane rule of a tyrant.