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Roman Forum (Foro Romano)
- Follow the path from the Coliseum to
the Arch of Titus , which commemorates
the capture of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and is a
favorite "framing" shot for thousands of artists
and photographers.
Just to the right begins
the Sacred Way , the surprisingly narrow
cobblestone road along which victorious Romans
paraded with their human spoils of war.
Continue past the Basilica
of Maxentius and Constantine, whose towering
vaults Bramante and Michelangelo noted
well while planning St. Peter's.
To the left once stood the
portico of Nero's Golden House , and ahead to
the right the Temple of Romulus , whose
bronze doors, framed by porphyry columns,
served for centuries as the
vestibule for the Church of SS. Cosmas and
Damian just behind it. Next on the
right is the Temple of Antonio and Faustina
, whose massive columns convey the original
height of the Forums' buildings, while
the surreally floating door to the medieval
church of S. Lorenzo indicates the ground
level at the time it was built.
Across from Basilica Aemilia
is the Temple of the Divine Julius, built
on the site of Marc Antony's oration
and the Caesar's cremation.
visitors still leave flowers
here. Continue to the somber brick Curia
(Roma Senate House), the home of the
Roman senate, and the Comitium, where
Romans gathered to argue and vote, speaking
from the raised Rostra at its center.
Turn left at the Arch
of Septimus Severus A stubby platform is
all that remains of the Temple of Concord
, dedicated in 367 B.C.,to mark the end of the
five-year standoff between patricians and
plebeians (the plebeians insisted on the
right to be elected consuls, and won).
Next to it rise
three surviving columns of the Temple of
the Divine Vespasian, the cheerful successor
to the monstrous Nero, whose last astonished
words before dying peacefully were, "My goodness,
I think I am about to become a god!" Behind
you, a low roof shields the altar of Saturn,
long thought to honor Vulcan. Turn down the
west side of the Forum, past the Temple
of Saturn , still majestic in its ruined
state;
the 12 columns of
the Portico of the Dei Consentes, representing
the 12 Olympian gods;
and, to your
left, the sacred olive, fig, and vine clustered
in the open field (definitely not the originals).
Continue past Basilica Giulia , and turn
right into Vicus Tuscus to see the mouth
of the Cloaca Maxima , the great drain
that still empties into the Tiber
Next to it stands the Temple of Castor,
and behind it the Hall of Domitian, the
Oratory of the 40 Martyrs, and the church
of S. Maria Antiqua , the oldest church
in the Forum. Just past the foundation of
the Arch of Augustus , you will find
yourself at the Temple of Vest a
and the House of the Vestals.
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